OpenShotVideoEditor UserGuide PDF

OpenShot Video Editor Documentation
Release 3.0.0
OpenShot Studios, LLC
Jan 18, 2023

CONTENTS
1 Table of Contents: 2
1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.3 Quick Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.4 Video Editing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.5 Main Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.6 Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.7 Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
1.8 Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
1.9 Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
1.10 Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
1.11 Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
1.12 Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
1.13 Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
1.14 Import & Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
1.15 Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
1.16 Developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
1.17 Contributing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
1.18 Learn More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
1.19 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
i
OpenShot Video Editor Documentation, Release 3.0.0
OpenShot Video Editor is an award-winning, open-source video editor, available on Linux, Mac, Chrome OS, and
Windows. OpenShot can create stunning videos, films, and animations with an easy-to-use interface and rich set of
features.
CONTENTS 1
CHAPTER
ONE
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1.1 Introduction
OpenShot Video Editor is an award-winning, open-source video editor, available on Linux, Mac, and Windows. Open-
Shot can create stunning videos, films, and animations with an easy-to-use interface and rich feature-set.
1.1.1 Features
• Free & open-source (licensed under GPLv3)

• Cross-platform (Linux, OS X, Chrome OS, and Windows)
• Easy-to-use user interface (designed for beginners, built-in tutorial)
• Supports most video, audio, & image formats (based on FFmpeg)
• Includes popular video profiles & presets (over 70+ profiles, including YouTube HD)
• Advanced timeline (including drag and drop, scrolling, panning, zooming, and snapping)
• Advanced clips (including trimming, alpha, scaling, location, rotation, and shearing)
2
• Real-time preview (multi-threaded, and optimized for performance)

• Simple & advanced views (or customize your own unique view)
• Powerful, curve-based Keyframe animations (linear, Bézier, and constant interpolation)
• Compositing, image overlays, watermarks, & transparency
• Unlimited tracks / layers (support for complex projects)
• Video transitions, masks, & wipes (grayscale images and animated masks)
• Video & audio effects (including brightness, gamma, hue, chroma key / blue screen, and more)
• Image sequences & 2D animations (001.png, 002.png, 003.png, etc. . . )
• Blender 3D integration (animated 3D title templates)
• Vector file support & editing (SVG / scalable vector graphics used for titles and credits)
• Audio mixing, waveform, & editing
• Emojis (open-source stickers & artwork included)
• Frame accuracy (step through each frame of video)
• Time mapping & speed changes (slow/fast, forward/backward)
• Advanced AI (motion tracking, object detection, & stabilization effects)
• Credits & captions (scrolling and animated)
• Hardware accelerated (encoding & decoding supports NVIDIA, AMD, Intel and more)
• Import & export (EDL and Final Cut Pro formats, supports most video editors)
• Desktop integration (drag and drop from file managers)
• JSON project format (compatible with OpenShot Cloud API for cloud-based automation)
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts
• Translations (available in 100+ languages)
• Community support (Join our community to ask questions and discuss topics)
• Professional support: Schedule a call
1.1. Introduction 3
1.1.2 Screenshot
1.1.3 System Requirements
Video editing benefits from modern, multi-core CPUs with fast clock speeds (GHz), large amounts of memory, and
fast hard disk drives. Basically, you want the best computer you can afford when video editing. Here are the minimum
system requirements:
1.1. Introduction 4
TL;DR
Most computers manufactured after 2017 will run OpenShot
Minimum Specifications
• 64-bit Operating System (Linux, OS X, Chrome OS, Windows 7/8/10/11)

• Multi-core processor with 64-bit support
– Minimum cores: 2 (recommended: 6+ cores)
– Minimum threads: 4 (recommended: 6+ threads)
– Minimum turbo clock speed: 2.7 Ghz (recommended: 3.4+ Ghz)
• 4GB of RAM (16+ GB recommended)
• 1 GB of hard-disk space for installation & usage (recommended: 50+ GB available hard-disk space for media,
videos, images, and storage)
• Optional: Solid-state drive (SSD), if utilizing disk-caching add an additional 10GB of hard-disk space
1.1.4 License
OpenShot Video Editor is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General
Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any
later version.
OpenShot Video Editor is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without
even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
General Public License for more details.
1.2 Installation
The latest stable version of OpenShot Video Editor for Linux, Mac, Chrome OS, and Windows can be downloaded
from the official download page at https://www.openshot.org/download/. You can find our latest unstable versions
(i.e. daily builds) at https://www.openshot.org/download#daily (these versions are updated very frequently, and often
contain many improvements not yet released in our stable build).
1.2.1 Windows (Installer)
Download the Windows installer from the official download page (the download page contains both 64-bit and 32-bit
versions), double click it, and follow the directions on screen. Once completed, OpenShot will be installed and available
in your Start menu.
1.2. Installation 5
1.2.2 Windows (Portable)
If you need to install OpenShot on Windows without Administrator permissions, we also support a portable installation
process. Download the Windows installer from the official download page, open the command prompt, and type the
following commands:
1.2. Installation 6
Listing 1: Install portable version of OpenShot (no administrator permis-

sions required)
cd C:\Users\USER\Downloads\
OpenShot-v2.6.1-x86_64.exe /portable=1 /currentuser /noicons
1.2.3 Mac
Download the DMG file from the official download page, double click it, and then drag the OpenShot application
icon into your Applications shortcut. This is very similar to how most Mac applications are installed. Now launch
OpenShot from Launchpad or Applications in Finder.
1.2. Installation 7
1.2.4 Linux (AppImage)
Most Linux distributions have a version of OpenShot in their software repositories, which can be installed using your
package manager / software store. However, these packaged versions are often very outdated (be sure to check the
version number: Help→About OpenShot). For this reason, we recommend installing an AppImage from the official
download page.
Once downloaded, right click on the AppImage, choose Properties, and mark the file as Executable. Finally, double
click the AppImage to launch OpenShot. If double clicking does not launch OpenShot, you can also right click on the
AppImage, and choose Execute or Run. For a detailed guide on installing our AppImage and creating a launcher for it,
see our AppImage Installation Guide.
1.2.5 Linux (PPA)
For Debian-based Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Mint, etc. . . ), we also have a PPA (Personal Package Archive), which
adds our official OpenShot software repository to your package manager, making it possible to install our latest version,
without relying on our AppImages.
Listing 2: Stable PPA (Contains only official releases)

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:openshot.developers/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install openshot-qt python3-openshot
1.2. Installation 8
Listing 3: Daily PPA (Highly experimental and unstable, for testers)

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:openshot.developers/libopenshot-daily
sudo apt update
sudo apt install openshot-qt python3-openshot
1.2.6 Chrome OS (Chromebook)
Chrome OS supports Linux apps, but this feature is off by default. You can turn it on in Settings. Once Linux is
enabled, you can install and run OpenShot Linux AppImages on any x86-based Chromebook. The command below
will download our AppImage and configure your system to run OpenShot successfully.
• Navigate to chrome://os-settings/crostini (Copy/Paste)
• Under “Linux (Beta)” select “Turn On”. Default values are fine.
• When the Terminal appears (i.e. black window), Copy/Paste the following command:
– bash <(wget -O - http://openshot.org/files/chromeos/install-stable.sh)
1.3 Quick Tutorial
Using OpenShot is very easy, and this tutorial will take you through the basics in under 5 minutes. After this tutorial,
you will be able to make a simple photo slide-show with music.
1.3.1 Basic Terminology
To help understand the steps below, here are some definitions of a few basic terms used in this tutorial.
Term Description
Project A project includes references to all the video files and edits (animations, titles, etc. . . ), saved
in a single file.
Timeline The timeline is an editing user interface that represents edits and clips on a horizontal ruler.
Time progresses from left to right.
Track A separate layer on the timeline, which can hold clips. A timeline is made up of many
tracks, stacked vertically.
Clip A trimmed portion of video, audio, or both positioned on a track, and at a specific position
in time. When files are dropped on the timeline, they are represented as a Clip.
Transition A method to blend two images. Transitions can take many forms, including cuts, dissolves,
and wipes.
1.3. Quick Tutorial 9

1.3.2 Video Tutorials
If you prefer to learn by watching videos instead of reading, we have many official video tutorials that cover a wide
range of beginner and introductory topics. These videos are a great next step on your way to master OpenShot Video
Editor!
• Video: Getting Started
• Video: The Basics (Part 1)
• Video: The Basics (Part 2)
• Video: Basic Animation
• Video: Trim, Slice, and Split
• Video: Chroma Key
• Video: Masks & Transitions
• Video: Backup & Recovery
1.3.3 Step 1 – Import Photos & Music
Before we can begin making a video, we need to import media files into OpenShot. Most video, image and music file
formats will work. Drag and drop a few videos or images and a music file from your Desktop to OpenShot. Be sure to
drop the files where the arrow in the illustration is pointing to.

Alternative methods to add files to your projects are described in the section Import Files. The “Show All”, “Video”,
“Audio”, “Image” filters above the added files allows you to only see the file types you are interested in.
1.3.4 Step 2 – Add Photos to Timeline
Next, drag each video or photo onto a track in the timeline (as seen in the illustration). The timeline represents your final
video, so arrange your photos (i.e. clips) in whatever sequence you want them to appear in your video. If you overlap two
clips, OpenShot will automatically create a smooth fade between them, displayed by blue rounded rectangles between
the clips. Remember, you can rearrange the clips as many times as needed by simply dragging and dropping them.
You can also shorten or lengthen each clip, by clicking the left or right edge and dragging your mouse. For example, if
you want a photo to last longer than 10 seconds (the default duration), simply grab the right edge of the photo (on the
timeline), and drag it to the right (to increase the clip’s duration on the timeline).

1.3.5 Step 3 – Add Music to Timeline
To make our creation more interesting, we need to add some music. Click on the music file that you imported in step 1,
and drag it onto the timeline. If the song is too long, grab the right edge of your music clip, and resize it smaller (that
will make it end earlier). You could also insert the same file multiple times, if your music is too short.
1.3.6 Step 4 – Preview your Project
To preview what our video looks & sounds like, click the Play button under the preview window. You can also pause,
rewind, and fast-forward your video project by clicking the corresponding buttons.

1.3.7 Step 5 – Export your Video
Once you have edited your photo slide-show video, the last step is to export the project. Exporting converts your
OpenShot project into a single video output file. By using the default settings, the video works on most media players
(such as VLC) or websites (such as YouTube, Vimeo, . . . ).
Click on the Export Video icon at the top of the screen (or use the File→Export Video menu). The default values will
work fine, so just click the Export Video button to render your new video.

1.3.8 Conclusion
You should now have a basic understanding of how OpenShot works. Importing, Arranging, Previewing, and Exporting.
Hopefully this tutorial took less than 5 minutes for you to complete. Please read the rest of this guide for a more detailed
understanding of OpenShot and its advanced features.
If you have any questions after reading this User Guide, please consider joining our Reddit User Community to discuss
topics, ask questions, and meet with other OpenShot users.
1.4 Video Editing Basics
You do not need to be a trained videographer to understand how to create videos well. Simple editing can keep your
viewers engaged longer, and add a professional feel, even if you are not a professional video editor.
Basically, video editing is taking footage, cutting it up, removing the pieces you do not want, and keeping the bits you
do. Back in the old days, editing was slicing reels of film and piecing it together. Thankfully software makes the whole
process much more manageable.
There are three main jobs of video editing:
1. Remove mistakes or unwanted sections
1.4. Video Editing Basics 14

2. Keep the video moving at an engaging pace

3. Insert supporting footage, audio, or titles
Use these three points as a checklist as you edit.
1.4.1 Computer
Video editing does not require an expensive machine, especially if you are a beginner. It would be best if you had a
decent monitor and graphics card. If you have an older computer, check your system specifications against OpenShot’s
System Requirements to make sure it works for video editing. Unfortunately, many older computers are not fast enough
for video editing, and you should upgrade your whole system, if possible.
1.4.2 Accessories
Before beginning a video project, ensure there is enough storage space on your computer to save all the necessary clips.
For example, one hour of 1080i video, such as from a mini-DV camcorder, takes up nearly 11 GB of storage. If your
computer’s internal storage device cannot store all the clips, the solution is to buy an external drive.
It would help if you had several cables, usually Firewire or USB, to connect your computer, external hard drive, and a
camera. Different computers and cameras accept other connectors, so check your manuals before buying anything.
1.4.3 Practical Tips
Becoming a great video editor isn’t effortless, but with practice and patience, you’ll be editing like a professional in no
time. Here are a few of the essential tips and techniques you need to know to become a skilled video editor.
1. Pick the Right Computer
While having a great computer won’t necessarily make you a great video editor, a faster computer will
allow you to focus more of your time on the story you’re trying to tell rather than your computer rendering.
Everyone has their own opinions about what computer is best for editing, but it all depends on your own
preferences.
2. Keep Shooting
Record more video that you think you will need for your project. Include video that enhances the scene,
sets a mood, or tells a story. You can use the extra video for smooth transitions in your project. If you are
comfortable using multiple devices, use two devices simultaneously the insert video from either device into
your project.
3. Organize Your Project Files
Composition is the key to success, whether you are running Linux, on a Mac, or a Windows machine. Be
sure to label video files, audio files, and even still images clearly and keep all your clips on the same device
and in the same folder for easy access. OpenShot tries to keep up with your clips, but if you move them
after your project is saved, you could lose your entire project. Organizing before you begin editing can be
very advantageous.
4. Watch Everything
Watching everything is the first step in the editing process. Writer and filmmaker David Andrew Stoler says
there is gold in the most unlikely of places: “Some of the most beautiful expressions you’re going to get
from the actors are after the cut.”
5. Edit for a Story
Remember that as you edit, you are telling a story. Editing is so much more than merely cutting footage and
adding effects. It is an opportunity to take your audience on a journey. Whether you are editing a complex
narrative film or only putting together a personal video, you tell a more in-depth story.

6. Keyboard Shortcuts
One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between and professional video editor and a novice is to simply
look at how much they use the keyboard. Editors that have been in the business for some time know that a
few seconds saved add up over the length of the project.
7. Learn the Lingo
Video editing is not just a hobby or a profession; it is an industry. And just like any industry, there is a ton
of jargon to learn. Practically speaking, you do not need to know all the terms on the Glossary to become a
better video editor, but a fundamental knowledge of the terms may help you communicate better with other
video editors or clients.
8. Assemble, Then Make a Rough Cut
Drag and drop all your video footage into a timeline and make sure your frame size and frame rates are
consistent. Begin a new timeline and drag-and-drop the best clips into what becomes your assembly cut.
Remember to save your work frequently, and notate the date and time of each version.
9. Refine Your Video
In this phase, your rough cut begins to resemble a cohesive project. Adjust the sound and color, make sure
the dialog is audible, and add music, titles, or graphics in this phase. Color correction is the process of
setting your footage to a color baseline. No matter how great your subject looks on set, you will almost
always need to do some basic post-processing for a consistent video.
10. Refine Some More
A slow scene can set the mood and add tension or it can bore an audience. A fast scene can add adrenaline
to your audience’s systems or it can give them headaches. Some editors cut their projects several different
ways before they find the right pace. Do not let cutting your project several times discourage you.
1.4.4 Exporting
People view most of their projects on phones, tablets, or computers, so it is essential to know how to export for the
web. The goal when exporting a video for the web is to create the highest quality possible with the smallest file size.
Four main factors determine the file size of your finished video:
• Codec:
A codec determines the type of file format (MP4, AVI, MOV). The more compression performed by the
codec, the smaller your video’s size. Videos that are smaller in file size tend to be lower in visual quality.
• Resolution:
Resolution refers to the number of horizontal and vertical pixels (dots on display) your video contains. For
example, a 4K UHD (2160P) video has four times the resolution of FHD (1080P) video. A higher resolution
means more information to store so that you will have larger file sizes.
• Bit Rate:
The Bit Rate is the measure of the speed of data processing of your video. A higher bit rate means higher-
quality video and larger files. OpenShot allows you to manually set the Bit Rate / Quality in the Advanced
tab of the Export Video window.
• Frame Rate:
The frequency (in Hz) at which consecutive images, called frames, appear on the display is the Frame Rate.
Typically, you export your video in the film standard (24fps) or the TV broadcast standard of 30fps (or
25fps in PAL). While there is not much wiggle room here, you should note that if you decide to export your
video in 48fps, 50fps, or 60fps, your file size doubles.

1.5 Main Window
OpenShot Video Editor has one main window which contains most of the information, buttons, and menus needed to
edit your video project.
1.5.1 Overview
1.5. Main Window 17

# Name Description
1 Main Toolbar Contains buttons to open, save, and export your video project.
2 Function Tabs Switch between Project Files, Transitions, Effects, and Emojis.
3 Project Files All audio, video, and image files that have been imported into your project.
4 Preview Window This is the area that the video will playback on the screen.
5 Edit Toolbar This toolbar contains buttons used for snapping, inserting markers, slicing razor,
and jumping between markers.
6 Zoom Slider This slider will adjust the time-scale of your timeline. Drag the left or right edge
to zoom in or out. Drag the blue area to scroll the timeline left or right. Clips and
transitions are displayed as simple rectangles, to give you context for adjusting the
zoom to specific clips.
7 Play-head / Ruler The ruler shows the time-scale, and the red line is the play-head. The play-head rep-
resents the current playback position. Hold Shift key while dragging the playhead
to snap to nearby clips.
8 Timeline The timeline visualizes your video project, and each clip and transition in your
project. You can drag the mouse to select, move, or delete multiple items.
9 Filter Filter the list of items shown (project files, transitions, effects, and emojis) by using
these buttons and filter textbox. Enter a few letters of what you are looking for, and
the results will be shown.
10 Playback Left to Right: Jump to Start, Rewind, Play/Pause, Fast Forward, and Jump to End
For step-by-step instructions on the basic usage of OpenShot, be sure to read the Quick Tutorial.
1.5.2 Built-in Tutorial
When you first launch OpenShot, you will be presented with a friendly built-in tutorial. It will demonstrate and explain
the basics. Clicking Next will jump to the next topic. You can always view this tutorial again from the Help→Tutorial
menu.
1.5. Main Window 18

1.5.3 Tracks & Layers
OpenShot uses tracks to layer videos and images. The top most track is the top layer, and the bottom track is the
bottom layer. If you are familiar with layers in a photo editing application, then you should be quite familiar with this
concept. OpenShot will stack the layers and mix each one together, just like a photo editing application. You can have
an unlimited number of tracks, but typically a simple video project will not need more than 5 tracks.
For example, imagine a 3 track video project
1.5. Main Window 19

# Name Description
1 Top Track Clips on this track will always be on top and visible. Often watermarks and titles are
placed on higher tracks.
2 Middle Track Clips in the middle (might or might not be visible, depending on what is above them)
3 Bottom Track Clips on this track will always be on the bottom. Often audio clips are placed on lower
tracks.
1.5.4 Keyboard Shortcuts
Here is a list of the default keyboard shortcuts supported by OpenShot. You can configure these shortcuts in the
Preferences window, which is opened by selecting Edit→Preferences from the OpenShot menu bar. (On macOS,
choose OpenShot Video Editor→Preferences.) Learning a few of these shortcuts can save you a bunch of time!
Shortcut Action
Ctrl+H About OpenShot
Ctrl+M Add Marker
Ctrl+Shift+T Add Track
Ctrl+W Add to Timeline
Ctrl+B Animated Title
Ctrl+Up Center on Playhead
continues on next page
1.5. Main Window 20

Table 1 – continued from previous page

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+P Choose Profile
Ctrl+Shift+ESC Clear All Cache
Ctrl+C Copy
Delete Delete Item
Backspace Delete Item (Alternate 1)
Ctrl+D Details View
Ctrl+Shift+C Duplicate Title
Not Set Edit Title
Ctrl+E Export Video
L Fast Forward
F11 Fullscreen
Ctrl+F Import Files. . .
Ctrl+Shift+E Insert Keyframe
Ctrl+End Jump To End
Ctrl+Home Jump To Start
Ctrl+N New Project
Right Next Frame
Ctrl+Right Next Marker
Shift+Left Nudge left
Shift+Right Nudge right
Ctrl+O Open Project. . .
Ctrl+V Paste
Space Play/Pause Toggle
Up Play/Pause Toggle (Alternate 1)
Down Play/Pause Toggle (Alternate 2)
K Play/Pause Toggle (Alternate 3)
Ctrl+Shift+P Preferences
Left Previous Frame
Ctrl+Left Previous Marker
Ctrl+I Properties
Ctrl+Q Quit
Ctrl+Y Redo
J Rewind
Not Set Save Current Frame
Ctrl+S Save Project
Ctrl+Shift+S Save Project As. . .
Ctrl+A Select All
Ctrl+Shift+A Select None
Ctrl+K Slice All: Keep Both Sides
Ctrl+L Slice All: Keep Left Side
Ctrl+J Slice All: Keep Right Side
s Slice Selected: Keep Both Sides
d Slice Selected: Keep Left Side
a Slice Selected: Keep Right Side
Ctrl+G Snapping Enabled
Ctrl+X Split Clip. . .
Ctrl+Shift+D Thumbnail View
Ctrl+T Title
R Toggle Razor
1.5. Main Window 21


Shortcut Action
Ctrl+R Transform
Ctrl+Z Undo
= Zoom In
- Zoom Out
Ctrl+Middle Button Scroll Timeline
1.6 Files
To create a video, we need to make media files available to our project by importing files into OpenShot. Most media
file types are recognized, such as videos, images, and audio files. Files can be viewed and managed in the Project Files
panel.
Note that imported files are not copied anywhere, they remain in the physical location they were before and are simply
being made available to your video project. So, they must not be deleted, renamed, or moved after adding them to your
project. The “Show All”, “Video”, “Audio”, “Image” filters above the files allows you to only see the file types you are
interested in. You can also toggle the view between details and thumbnails view of your files.
1.6.1 Import Files
These are all possible methods to import media files into OpenShot:
Name Description
Drag and Drop Drag and drop the files from your file manager (file explorer, finder, etc. . . ).
Context menu (File Right click anywhere in the Project Files panel and choose Import Files.
Menu)
Main Menu In the main menu choose: File→Import Files.
Toolbar button Click the + toolbar button in the main toolbar.
Keyboard shortcut Press Ctrl-F (Cmd-F on Mac).
1.6. Files 22
1.6.2 File Menu
To view the file menu, right click on a file (in the Project Files panel). Here are the actions you can use from the file
menu.
1.6. Files 23
Name Description
Import Files. . . Import files into your project
Thumbnail/Detail Toggle the view between details and thumbnails
Preview File Preview a media file
Split Clip. . . Split a file into many smaller clips
Edit Title Edit an existing title SVG file
Duplicate Title Make a copy, and then edit the copied title SVG file
Add to Timeline Add many files to the timeline in one step
File Properties View the properties of a file, such as frame rate, size, etc. . .
Remove from Project Remove a file from the project
1.6.3 Split Clip
If you need to cut a file into many smaller clips before editing, the Split Clip dialog is built exactly for this purpose.
Right click on a file, and choose Split Clip. . . from the file menu. This opens the Split Clip dialog. Use this dialog to
quickly cut out as many small clips as you need. The dialog stays open after you create a clip, to allow you to repeat
the steps for your next clip. When you are finished, simply close the dialog.
1.6. Files 24
# Name Description
1 Start of Clip Choose the starting frame of your clip by clicking this button
2 End of Clip Choose the ending frame of your clip by clicking this button
3 Name of Clip Enter an optional name
4 Create Clip Create the clip (which resets this dialog, so you can repeat these steps for each clip)
Please refer to the section Trimming & Slicing for more ways to cut and slice clips directly in the timeline.
1.6.4 Export Clips
If you want your clips available outside of your OpenShot project, or want to copy all your video assets to one place,
you can do this with the Export Clips dialog. Simply Ctrl+Click to select any clips or files you like, then Right
Click and choose Export Clips. In the dialog that appears, choose a destination folder, and click Export.
NOTE: This will export each clip using it’s original video profile (width, height, framerate, aspect ratio, etc. . . ). It
also supports any Split Clip (described above). For example, if you have split a long video file into many different clips
(and named them), you can now export all the clips as separate video files (using the original clip’s video profile).
1.6. Files 25
1.6.5 Add to Timeline
In certain cases, you might need to add many files to the timeline at the same time. For example, a photo slide show, or
a large number of short video clips. The Add to Timeline dialog can automate this task for you. First, select all files
you need to add, right click, and choose Add to Timeline.
1.6. Files 26
# Name Description
1 Selected Files The list of selected files that need to be added to the timeline
2 Order of Files Use these buttons to reorder the list of files (move up, move down, randomize, re-
move)
3 Timeline Position Choose the starting position and track where these files need to be inserted on the
timeline
4 Fade Options Fade in, fade out, both, or none
5 Zoom Options Zoom in, zoom out, or none
6 Transitions Choose a specific transition to use between files, random, or none
1.6.6 Properties
To view the properties of any imported file in your video project, right click on the file, and choose File Properties.
This will launch the file properties dialog, which displays information about your media file. For certain types of images
(i.e. image sequences), you can adjust the frame rate on this dialog also.
# Name Description
1 File Properties Select an image sequence in the Project Files panel, right click and choose
File Properties
2 Frame Rate For image sequences, you can also adjust the frame rate of the animation
1.6. Files 27
1.6.7 Remove from Project
This will remove a file from the project. It will not delete the underlying physical file though, so removing a file from
the project merely makes it unavailable for this video project.
1.7 Clips
Each media file you add to the OpenShot timeline is called a clip and is visualized by a dark, rounded rectangle (as seen
in the screenshot below). A clip has many properties, which affect how and when the clip is rendered and composited,
such as position, layer, scale, location, rotation, and alpha. OpenShot can animate these properties over time, and when
combined, can create some amazing effects.
To display a clip’s properties, either right-click and choose Properties or double click on the clip. Clip properties
appear in the properties dock, in alphabetical order. These properties can be filtered by typing a few letters in the filter
box, at the top of the property panel.
To adjust a property, you can:
• click on its value and drag the slider from side to side for a coarse adjustment
• double click on its value and enter a value. Numerical values display to 2 decimal places, but you can enter more
precise numbers. You can often enter valid values that are outside the range offered by the slider adjustment.
• right-click or double-click to select an option (for non-numerical values)
Clip properties are part of the Animation system. If you change a clip property, you create a keyframe at the current
position of the playhead. If you want a property to apply throughout the clip, you must place the playhead at (or before)
the start of the clip before making the change. An easy way to locate the start of a clip is to use ‘next/previous marker’
on the Timeline toolbar.
1.7. Clips 28
# Name Description
1 Clip 1 A video clip
2 Transition A gradual fade transition between the 2 clips
3 Clip 2 An image clip
1.7.1 Trimming & Slicing
OpenShot has many easy ways to adjust the start and end trim positions of a clip (otherwise known as trimming). The
most common method is simply clicking and dragging the left (or right) edge of the clip. Here is a list of all methods
for cutting or trimming clips in OpenShot:
Trim & Slice Method Description

Resizing Edge Mouse over the edge of a clip, and resize the edge, by dragging it left/right.
Slice When the play-head (i.e. vertical red playback line) is overlapping a clip, right click on
the clip, and choose Slice.
Slice All When the play-head is overlapping many clips, right click on the play-head, and choose
Slice All (it will cut all intersecting clips on all tracks).
Split Clip Dialog Right click on a file, and choose Split Clip. A dialog will appear which allows for creating
lots of small cuts in a single video file.
Razor Tool The razor tool from the Edit Toolbar cuts a clip wherever you click on it. So be careful,
it is easy and dangerous!
1.7. Clips 29
Keep in mind that the above cutting methods also have Keyboard Shortcuts, to save even more time.
1.7.2 Preset Menu
OpenShot has tons of great preset animations and clip properties, such as fading, sliding, zooming, etc. . . These presets
can be accessed by right clicking on a clip.
Name Description
Fade Fade in or out a clip (often easier than using a transition)
Animate Zoom and slide a clip
Rotate Rotate or flip a video
Layout Make a video smaller or larger, and snap to any corner
Time Reverse and speed up or slow down video
Volume Fade in or out the volume for a clip
Separate Audio Create a clip for each audio track
Slice Cut the clip at the play-head position
Transform Enable transform mode
Display Show waveform or thumbnail for a clip
Properties Show the properties panel for a clip
Copy / Paste Copy and paste key frames or duplicate an entire clip (with all key frames)
Remove Clip Remove a clip from the timeline
1.7.3 Transform
To quickly adjust the location, scale, rotation, and shear of a clip, select a clip on the timeline. By default, the selected
clip appears in the preview window with transform controls (blue lines and squares). Or if disabled, right click on a
clip and choose Transform. Dragging the blue squares will adjust scale, and dragging the center will move the image.
Dragging the mouse on the outside of the blue lines will rotate the image. Dragging along the blue lines will shear the
image in that direction. Dragging the circle in the middle will move the origin point that controls where we rotate the
image. Note: Pay close attention to the play-head position (red playback line). Key frames are automatically created
at the current playback position, to help create animations.
1.7. Clips 30
For more info on key frames and animation, see Animation.
1.7.4 Effects
In addition to the many clip properties which can be animated and adjusted, you can also drop an effect directly onto a
clip. Each effect is represented by a small letter icon. Clicking the effect icon will populate the properties of that effect,
and allow you to edit (and animate) them. For the full list of effects, see Effects.
1.7. Clips 31
1.7.5 Properties
Below is a list of clip properties which can be edited, and in most cases, animated over time. To view a clip’s properties,
right click and choose Properties. The property editor will appear, where you can change these properties. Note: Pay
close attention to where the play-head (i.e. red playback line) is. Key frames are automatically created at the current
playback position, to help create animations.
Name Description
Alpha Curve representing the alpha (1 to 0)
Channel Filter A number representing an audio channel to filter (clears all other channels)
Channel Mapping A number representing an audio channel to output (only works when filtering a
channel)
Frame Number The format to display the frame number (if any)
Duration The length of the clip (in seconds)
End The end trimming position of the clip (in seconds)
Gravity The gravity of a clip determines where it snaps to its parent (details below)
Enable Audio An optional override to determine if this clip has audio (-1=undefined, 0=no,
1=yes)
Enable Video An optional override to determine if this clip has video (-1=undefined, 0=no,
1=yes)
ID A randomly generated GUID (globally unique identifier) assigned to each clip
Track The layer which holds the clip (higher tracks are rendered on top of lower tracks)
Location X Curve representing the relative X position in percent based on the gravity (-1 to
1)
Location Y Curve representing the relative Y position in percent based on the gravity (-1 to
1)
Volume Mixing The volume mixing choices control how volume is adjusted before mixing
(None=don’t adjust volume of this clip, Reduce=lower the volume to 80%, Av-
erage=divide volume based on # of concurrent clips, details below)
Origin X Curve representing the rotation origin point, X position in percent (-1 to 1)
Origin Y Curve representing the rotation origin point, Y position in percent (-1 to 1)
Parent The parent object to this clip, which makes many of these keyframe values initial-
ize to the parent value
Position The position of the clip on the timeline (in seconds, 0.0 is the beginning of the
timeline)
Rotation Curve representing the rotation (0 to 360)
Scale The scale determines how a clip should be resized to fit its parent (details below)
Scale X Curve representing the horizontal scaling in percent (0 to 1)
Scale Y Curve representing the vertical scaling in percent (0 to 1)
Shear X Curve representing X shear angle in degrees (-45.0=left, 45.0=right)
Shear Y Curve representing Y shear angle in degrees (-45.0=down, 45.0=up)
Start The start trimming position of the clip (in seconds)
Time Curve representing the frames over time to play (used for speed and direction of
video)
Volume Curve representing the volume (0 to 1)
Wave Color Curve representing the color of the audio wave form
Waveform Should a waveform be used instead of the clip’s image
1.7. Clips 32
Details
Gravity:
Gravity sets an initial position for the clip, once it has been scaled as above. The options are:
• Top Left – the top and left edges of the clip align with the top and left edges of the screen
• Top Center – the top edge of the clip aligns with the top edge of the screen; the clip is horizontally
centered on the screen.
• Top Right – the top and right edges of the clip align with the top and right edges of the screen
• Left – the left edge of the clip aligns with the left edge of the screen; the clip is vertically centered
on the screen.
• Center (default) – the clip is centered horizontally and vertically on the screen.
• Right – the right edge of the clip aligns with the right edge of the screen; the clip is vertically centered
on the screen.
• Bottom Left – the bottom and left edges of the clip align with the bottom and left edges of the screen
• Bottom Center – the bottom edge of the clip aligns with the bottom edge of the screen; the clip is
horizontally centered on the screen.
• Bottom Right – the bottom and right edges of the clip align with the bottom and right edges of the
screen
Scale:
This is the initial resizing method, which may be further adjusted by Scale X and Scale Y (below). The
options are:
• Best Fit (default) – the clip is as large as possible without changing the aspect ratio.
• Crop – the aspect ratio of the clip is maintained while the clip is enlarged to fill the entire screen,
even if that means some of it will be cropped.
• None – the clip is its original size.
• Stretch – the clip is stretched to fill the entire screen, changing the aspect ratio if necessary.
Volume Mixing:
Mixing audio involves adjusting volume levels so that they maintain a good range within each clip, and
then adjusting them in proportion to other clips used in the project. The following values are available:
• None - Make no adjustments to volume data before mixing audio
• Average - Automatically divide the volume of each clip based on the # of overlapping clips. For
example, 2 overlapping clips would each have 50% volume.
• Reduce - Automatically reduce the clip’s volume by 20%, allowing it to mix with other clips, and
reducing the likelihood of over-volume loud events.
Consider the following guidelines when adjusting volume levels:
• If you combine particularly loud audio clips on multiple tracks, clipping (a staccato distortion) may
occur. To avoid clipping, reduce volume levels.
• If you need to adjust the volume separately in different parts of a clip (for example, one person’s voice
is faint, while later another’s is too loud), you can use keyframes to vary the volume throughout the
clip.
1.7. Clips 33
• If the original level of a clip is much too high or low, you can change the input level. However,
adjusting the level will not remove any distortion that may have resulted from recording the clip too
high. In those cases, it is best to re-record the clip.
1.7.6 More Information
1.8 Transitions
A transition is used to gradually fade (or wipe) between two clips. In OpenShot, transitions are represented by blue,
rounded rectangles on the timeline. They are automatically created when you overlap two clips, and can be added
manually by dragging one onto the timeline from the Transitions panel. A transition must be placed on top of a clip
(overlapping it), with the most common location being the beginning or end.
1.8.1 Overview
1.8. Transitions 34
# Name Description
1 Clip 1 A video clip
2 Transition A gradual fade transition between the 2 clips, created automatically by overlapping the clips.
3 Clip 2 An image clip
1.8.2 Direction
Transitions adjust the alpha/transparency of the clip below it, and can either fade from opaque to transparent, or trans-
parent to opaque. Right click and choose Reverse Transition to change the direction of the fade. You can also manually
adjust the Brightness curve, animating the fade in any way you wish.
1.8.3 Cutting & Slicing
OpenShot has many easy ways to adjust the start and end positions of a transition (otherwise known as cutting). The
most common method is simply grabbing the left (or right) edge of the transition and dragging. Here is a list of methods
for cutting transitions in OpenShot:
Name Description
Slice When the play-head (i.e. red playback line) is overlapping a transition, right click on the
transition, and choose Slice
Slice All When the play-head is overlapping many transitions, right click on the play-head, and choose
Slice All (it will cut all intersecting transitions)
Resizing Edge Mouse over the edge of a transition, and resize the edge
Razor Tool The razor tool cuts a transition wherever you click, so be careful. Easy and dangerous.
Keep in mind that all of the above cutting methods also have Keyboard Shortcuts.
1.8.4 Mask
Like Clips, transitions also have properties which can be animated over time. The fade (or wipe) can be adjusted with
the Brightness curve, or held at a constant value to create a transparency mask on top of a clip.
1.8. Transitions 35
1.8.5 Custom Transition
Any greyscale image can be used as a transition (or mask), by adding it to your /.openshot_qt/transitions/ folder. Just
be sure to name your file something that is easily recognizable, and restart OpenShot. Your custom transition/mask
will now show up in the list of transitions.
1.8.6 Properties
Below is a list of transition properties which can be edited, and in most cases, animated over time. To view a transition’s
properties, right click and choose Properties. The property editor will appear, where you can change these properties.
NOTE: Pay close attention to where the play-head (i.e. red playback line) is. Key frames are automatically created at
the current playback position, to help create animations.
Name Description
Brightness Curve representing the brightness of the transition image, which affects the fade/wipe (-1 to
1)
Contrast Curve representing the contrast of the transition image, which affects the softness/hardness
of the fade/wipe (0 to 20)
Replace Image For debugging a problem, this property displays the transition image (instead of becoming a
transparency)
1.9 Effects
Effects are used in OpenShot to enhance or modify the audio or video of a clip. They can modify pixels and audio data,
and can generally enhance your video projects. Each effect has its own set of properties, most which can be animated
over time.
Effects can be added to any clip by dragging and dropping them. Each effect is represented by a small colored icon
and the first letter of the effect name. To view an effect’s properties, click on the effect icon. The property editor will
appear, where you can edit these properties. Note: Pay close attention to where the play-head (i.e. red playback line)
is. Key frames are automatically created at the current playback position, to help create animations.
1.9. Effects 36
1.9.1 Video Effects
Effects are generally divided into two categories: video and audio effects. Video effects modify the image and pixel
data of a clip. Below is a list of video effects, and their properties. Often it is best to experiment with an effect, entering
different values into the properties, and observing the results.
Alpha Mask / Wipe Transition
Uses a grayscale mask image to gradually wipe / transition between 2 images.
Name Description
brightness (float, -1 to 1) This curve controls the motion across the wipe
contrast (float, 0 to 20) This curve controls the hardness and softness of the wipe edge
reader (reader) This reader can use any image or video as input for your grayscale wipe
replace_image (int, choices: ['Yes', 'No']) Replace the clips image with the current
grayscale wipe image, useful for troubleshooting
Bars
Add colored bars around your video.
Name Description
bottom (float, 0 to 0.5) The curve to adjust the bottom bar size
color (color) The curve to adjust the color of bars
left (float, 0 to 0.5) The curve to adjust the left bar size
right (float, 0 to 0.5) The curve to adjust the right bar size
top (float, 0 to 0.5) The curve to adjust the top bar size
Blur
Adjust the blur of the frame’s image.
Name Description
horizontal_radius (float, 0 to 100) Horizontal blur radius keyframe. The size of the horizontal blur
operation in pixels.
iterations (float, 0 to 100) Iterations keyframe. The # of blur iterations per pixel. 3 itera-
tions = Gaussian.
sigma (float, 0 to 100) Sigma keyframe. The amount of spread in the blur operation.
Should be larger than radius.
vertical_radius (float, 0 to 100) Vertical blur radius keyframe. The size of the vertical blur op-
eration in pixels.
1.9. Effects 37
Brightness & Contrast
Adjust the brightness and contrast of the frame’s image.
Name Description
brightness (float, -1 to 1) The curve to adjust the brightness
contrast (float, 0 to 100) The curve to adjust the contrast (3 is typical, 20 is a lot, 100 is
max. 0 is invalid)
Caption
Add text captions on top of your video.
Name Description
background (color) Color of caption area background
background_alpha (float, 0 to 1) Background color alpha
background_corner (float, 0 to 60) Background corner radius
background_padding (float, 0 to 60) Background padding
caption_font (font) Font name or family name
caption_text (caption) VTT/Subrip formatted caption text (multi-line)
color (color) Color of caption text
fade_in (float, 0 to 3) Fade in per caption (# of seconds)
fade_out (float, 0 to 3) Fade out per caption (# of seconds)
font_alpha (float, 0 to 1) Font color alpha
font_size (float, 0 to 200) Font size in points
left (float, 0 to 0.5) Size of left margin
line_spacing (float, 0 to 5) Distance between lines (1.0 default)
right (float, 0 to 0.5) Size of right margin
stroke (color) Color of text border / stroke
stroke_width (float, 0 to 10) Width of text border / stroke
top (float, 0 to 1) Size of top margin
Chroma Key (Greenscreen)
Replaces the color (or chroma) of the frame with transparency (i.e. keys out the color).
Name Description
color (color) The color to match
fuzz (float, 0 to 125) The fuzz factor (or threshold)
halo (float, 0 to 125) The additional threshold for halo elimination.
keymethod (int, choices: ['Basic keying', 'HSV/HSL hue', 'HSV saturation',
'HSL saturation', 'HSV value', 'HSL luminance', 'LCH luminosity',
'LCH chroma', 'LCH hue', 'CIE Distance', 'Cb,Cr vector']) The
keying method or algorithm to use.
1.9. Effects 38
Color Saturation
Adjust the color saturation.
Name Description
saturation (float, 0 to 4) The curve to adjust the overall saturation of the frame’s image (0.0
= greyscale, 1.0 = normal, 2.0 = double saturation)
saturation_B (float, 0 to 4) The curve to adjust blue saturation of the frame’s image
saturation_G (float, 0 to 4) The curve to adjust green saturation of the frame’s image (0.0 =
greyscale, 1.0 = normal, 2.0 = double saturation)
saturation_R (float, 0 to 4) The curve to adjust red saturation of the frame’s image
Color Shift
Shift the colors of an image up, down, left, and right (with infinite wrapping).
Each pixel has 4 color channels:
• Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha (i.e. transparency)
• Each channel value is between 0 and 255
The Color Shift effect simply “moves” or “translates” a specific color channel on the X or Y axis. Not all video and
image formats support an alpha channel, and in those cases, you will not see any changes when adjusting the color
shift of the alpha channel.
Name Description
alpha_x (float, -1 to 1) Shift the Alpha X coordinates (left or right)
alpha_y (float, -1 to 1) Shift the Alpha Y coordinates (up or down)
blue_x (float, -1 to 1) Shift the Blue X coordinates (left or right)
blue_y (float, -1 to 1) Shift the Blue Y coordinates (up or down)
green_x (float, -1 to 1) Shift the Green X coordinates (left or right)
green_y (float, -1 to 1) Shift the Green Y coordinates (up or down)
red_x (float, -1 to 1) Shift the Red X coordinates (left or right)
red_y (float, -1 to 1) Shift the Red Y coordinates (up or down)
Crop
Crop out any part of your video.
Name Description
bottom (float, 0 to 1) Size of bottom bar
left (float, 0 to 1) Size of left bar
right (float, 0 to 1) Size of right bar
top (float, 0 to 1) Size of top bar
x (float, -1 to 1) X-offset
y (float, -1 to 1) Y-offset
1.9. Effects 39
Deinterlace
Remove interlacing from a video (i.e. even or odd horizontal lines)
Name Description
isOdd (bool, choices: ['Yes', 'No']) Use odd or even lines
Hue
Adjust the hue / color of the frame’s image.
Name Description
hue (float, 0 to 1) The curve to adjust the percentage of hue shift
Negative
Negates the colors, producing a negative of the image.
Object Detector
Detect objects through the video.
Name Description
class_filter (string) Type of object class to filter (i.e. car, person)
confidence_threshold (float, 0 to 1) Minimum confidence value to display the detected objects
display_box_text (int, choices: ['Off', 'On']) Draw a rectangle around detected objects
objects (list) List of detected object ids
selected_object_index (int, 0 to 200) Index of the tracked object that was selected to modify its proper-
ties
Pixelate
Pixelate (increase or decrease) the number of visible pixels.
Name Description
bottom (float, 0 to 1) The curve to adjust the bottom margin size
left (float, 0 to 1) The curve to adjust the left margin size
pixelization (float, 0 to 0.99) The curve to adjust the amount of pixelization
right (float, 0 to 1) The curve to adjust the right margin size
top (float, 0 to 1) The curve to adjust the top margin size
1.9. Effects 40
Shift
Shift the image up, down, left, and right (with infinite wrapping).
Name Description
x (float, -1 to 1) Shift the X coordinates (left or right)
y (float, -1 to 1) Shift the Y coordinates (up or down)
Stabilizer
Stabilize video clip to remove undesired shaking and jitter.
Name Description
zoom (float, 0 to 2) Percentage to zoom into the clip, to crop off the shaking and un-
even edges
Tracker
Track the selected bounding box through the video. The tracked object can be selected as a parent on other clips.
Wave
Distort the frame’s image into a wave pattern.
Name Description
amplitude (float, 0 to 5) The height of the wave
multiplier (float, 0 to 10) Amount to multiply the wave (make it bigger)
shift_x (float, 0 to 1000) Amount to shift X-axis
speed_y (float, 0 to 300) Speed of the wave on the Y-axis
wavelength (float, 0 to 3) The length of the wave
1.9.2 Audio Effects
Audio effects modify the waveforms and audio sample data of a clip. Below is a list of audio effects, and their properties.
Often it is best to experiment with an effect, entering different values into the properties, and observing the results.
Compressor
Reduce the volume of loud sounds or amplify quiet sounds.
Name Description
attack (float, 0.1 to 100)
bypass (bool)
makeup_gain (float, -12 to 12)
ratio (float, 1 to 100)
release (float, 10 to 1000)
threshold (float, -60 to 0)
1.9. Effects 41
Delay
Adjust the synchronism between the audio and video track.
Name Description
delay_time (float, 0 to 5)
Distortion
Alter the audio by clipping the signal.
Name Description
distortion_type (int, choices: ['Hard Clipping', 'Soft Clipping', 'Exponential',
'Full Wave Rectifier', 'Half Wave Rectifier'])
input_gain (int, -24 to 24)
output_gain (int, -24 to 24)
tone (int, -24 to 24)
Echo
Reflection of sound with a delay after the direct sound.
Name Description
echo_time (float, 0 to 5)
feedback (float, 0 to 1)
mix (float, 0 to 1)
Expander
Louder parts of audio becomes relatively louder and quieter parts becomes quieter.
Name Description
attack (float, 0.1 to 100)
bypass (bool)
makeup_gain (float, -12 to 12)
ratio (float, 1 to 100)
release (float, 10 to 1000)
threshold (float, -60 to 0)
1.9. Effects 42
Noise
Random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies.
Name Description
level (int, 0 to 100)
Parametric EQ
Filter that allows you to adjust the volume level of a frequency in the audio track.
Name Description
filter_type (int, choices: ['Low Pass', 'High Pass', 'Low Shelf', 'High
Shelf', 'Band Pass', 'Band Stop', 'Peaking Notch'])
frequency (int, 20 to 20000)
gain (int, -24 to 24)
q_factor (float, 0 to 20)
Robotization
Transform the voice present in an audio track into a robotic voice effect.
Name Description
fft_size (int, choices: ['128', '256', '512', '1024', '2048'])
hop_size (int, choices: ['1/2', '1/4', '1/8'])
window_type (int, choices: ['Rectangular', 'Bart Lett', 'Hann', 'Hamming'])
Whisperization
Transform the voice present in an audio track into a whispering voice effect.
Name Description
fft_size (int, choices: ['128', '256', '512', '1024', '2048'])
hop_size (int, choices: ['1/2', '1/4', '1/8'])
window_type (int, choices: ['Rectangular', 'Bart Lett', 'Hann', 'Hamming'])
1.10 Export
Exporting converts your OpenShot project (clips, effects, animations, titles) into a single video output file (using a
process called video encoding). By using the default settings, the exported video will be compatible with most
media players (such as VLC) and websites (such as YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook).
Click on the Export Video icon at the top of the screen (or use the File→Export Video menu). The default values will
work fine, so just click the Export Video button to render your new video. You can also create your own custom export
profiles, see Profiles.
1.10. Export 43
1.10.1 Simple Mode
While video encoding is very complicated, with dozens of interrelated settings and options, OpenShot makes it easy,
with sensible defaults, and most of this complexity hidden away behind our Simple tab, which is the default export
view.
1.10. Export 44
Name Description
Profile Common presets (combinations of presets and video profiles grouped by category, for
example: Web)
Target Target presets related to the current profile (collections of common formats, codecs,
and quality settings, see Preset List)
Video Profile Video profiles related to the current target (collections of common size, frame rate,
and aspect ratios, see Profile List or create your own Profiles)
Quality Quality settings (low, med, high), which relate to various video and audio bitrates.
1.10.2 Advanced Mode
Most users will never need to switch to the Advanced tab, but if you need to customize any of the video encoding
settings, for example, custom bitrates, different codecs, or limiting the range of frames exported, this is the tab for you.
1.10. Export 45
Advanced Options
Name Description
Export To Export both video & audio, only audio, only video, or an image sequence
Start Frame The first frame to export (default is 1)
End Frame The final frame to export (default is the last frame in your project to contain a clip)
1.10. Export 46
Profile
1.10. Export 47
Name Description
Profile The video profile to use during export (collection of size, frame rate, and aspect ratios,
see Profile List)
Width The width of the video export (in pixels)
Height The height of the video export (in pixels)
Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio of the final exported video. 1920x1080 reduces to 16:9. This also
takes into account the pixel ratio, for example 2:1 rectangular pixels will affect the
aspect ratio.
Pixel Ratio The ratio representing pixel shape. Most video profiles use a 1:1 square pixel shape,
but others will use rectangular pixels.
Frame Rate The frequency that the frames will be displayed at.
Interlaced Is this format used on alternating scan lines (i.e. broadcast and analog formats)
1.10. Export 48
Image Sequence Settings
Name Description
Image Format The string format that represents the output file name in an sequence of images. For
example, %05d.png would pad a number with 5 digits: 00001.png, 00002.png.
1.10. Export 49
Video Settings
Name Description
Video Format The name of the container format (mp4, mov, avi, webm, etc. . . )
Video Codec The name of the video codec used during video encoding (libx264, mpeg4,
libaom-av1, etc. . . )
Bit Rate / Quality The bitrate to use for video encoding. Accepts the following formats: 5 Mb/s, 96
kb/s, 23 crf, etc. . .
1.10. Export 50
Audio Settings
Name Description
Audio Codec The name of the audio codec used during audio encoding (aac, mp2, libmp3lame,
etc. . . )
Sample Rate The number of audio samples per second. Common values are 44100 and 48000.
Channel Layout The number and layout of audio channels (Stereo, Mono, Surround, etc. . . )
Bit Rate / Quality The bitrate to use for audio encoding. Accepts the following formats: 96 kb/s, 128
kb/s, 192 kb/s, etc. . .
1.10. Export 51
1.11 Animation
OpenShot has been designed specifically with animation in mind. The powerful curve-based animation framework can
handle most jobs with ease, and is flexible enough to create just about any animation. Key frames specify values at
certain points on a clip, and OpenShot does the hard work of interpolating the in-between values.
1.11.1 Overview
# Name Description
1 Green Property When the play-head is on a key frame, the property appears green
1 Blue Property When the play-head is on an interpolated value, the property appears blue
2 Value Slider Click and drag your mouse to adjust the value (this automatically creates a key
frame if needed)
3 Play-head Position the play-head over a clip where you need a key frame
4 Key frame Markers Small icons are displayed on the bottom of the clip for each active keyframe (cir-
cle=Bézier, diamond=linear, square=constant). These icons are filtered based
on the property window. For example, if you filter only scale_x, you will only
see the icons for scale_x keyframes, for example.
1.11. Animation 52
1.11.2 Key Frames
To create a key frame in OpenShot, simply position the play-head (i.e. playback position) at any point over a clip,
and edit properties in the property dialog. If the property supports key frames, it will turn green, and a small icon
(circle=Bézier, diamond=linear, square=constant) will appear on the bottom of your clip at that position. Move your
play-head to another point over that clip, and adjust the properties again. All animations require at least 2 key frames,
but can support an unlimited number of them.
To adjust the interpolation mode, right click on the small graph icon next to a property value.
Name Description
Bézier Interpolated values use a quadratic curve, and ease-in and ease-out
Linear Interpolated values are calculated linear (each step value is equal)
Constant Interpolated values stay the same until the next key frame, and jump to the new value
For more info on creating key frames for location, rotation, scale, shear, and location, see Transform.
For more info on preset animations, see Preset Menu.
For more info on clip properties, see Properties.
1.11.3 Bézier Presets
When using a Bézier curve for animation, OpenShot includes more than 20 curve presets (which affect the shape of
the curve). For example, Ease-In has a more gradual slope at the beginning, making an animation move slower at the
beginning, and faster at the end. Ease-In/Out (Back) has a gradual beginning and ending, but actually goes past the
expected value and then back (producing a bounce effect).
To choose a curve preset, right click on the small graph icon next to a key frame.
1.11. Animation 53
1.11.4 Image Sequences
If you have a sequence of similarly named images (such as, cat001.png, cat002.png, cat003.png, etc. . . ), you can simply
drag and drop one of them into OpenShot, and you will be prompted to import the entire sequence.
1.11. Animation 54
To adjust the frame rate of the animation, right click and choose File Properties in the Project Files panel, and adjust
the frame rate. Once you have set the correct frame rate, drag the animation onto the timeline.
# Name Description
1 File Properties Select an image sequence in the Project Files panel, right click and choose File Prop-
erties
2 Frame Rate Adjust the frame rate of the animation. Typically, hand-drawn animations use 12 frames
per second.
1.11. Animation 55
1.12 Titles
Adding text and titles is an important aspect of video editing, and OpenShot comes with an easy to use Title Editor.
Use the Title menu (located in the main menu of OpenShot) to launch the Title Editor. You can also use the keyboard
shortcut Ctrl+T.
1.12.1 Overview
# Name Description
1 Choose a Template Choose from any available vector title template
2 Preview Title Preview your title as you make changes
3 Title Properties Change the text, colors, or edit in an advanced SVG image editor (such as Inkscape)
4 Save Save and add the title to your project
1.12. Titles 56
1.12.2 Custom Titles
OpenShot can use any vector SVG image file as a title template. Just add an SVG image file to your .open-
shot_qt/title_templates/ folder, and it will appear the next time you open the Title Editor interface. You can also right
click on any SVG files in your Project Files panel, and choose Edit Title or Duplicate Title.
1.12.3 3D Animated Titles
Adding a 3D animated title is just as easy, using our Animated Title dialog. Use the Title menu (located in the main
menu of OpenShot) to launch the Animated Title editor. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+B.
# Name Description
1 Choose a Template Choose from any available 3D title templates
2 Preview Title Preview your title as you make changes
3 Title Properties Change the text, colors, and advanced properties
4 Render Render the 3D animation, and add it to your project
1.12. Titles 57
1.12.4 Installing Inkscape & Blender
These features require the latest version of Blender (https://www.blender.org/download/) and Inkscape (https://
inkscape.org/release/) be installed, and the OpenShot Preferences updated with the correct paths to the Blender &
Inkscape executable. See the General tab in Preferences.
For a detailed guide on how to install these dependencies, see Blender & Inkscape Guide.
1.13 Profiles
A video profile is a collection of common video settings (size, frame rate, aspect ratio). Profiles are used during editing,
previewing, and exporting to provide a quick way to switch between common combinations of these settings.
If you often use the same profile, you can set a default profile: Edit→Preferences→Preview.
1.13.1 Project Profile
The project profile is used when previewing your project and editing. The default project profile is HD 720p 30fps. It
is best practice to always switch to your target profile before you begin editing. For example, if you are targeting 1080p
30fps, switch to that profile before you begin editing your project. For a full list of included profiles see Profile List.
1.13. Profiles 58
# Name Description
1 Title Bar The title bar of OpenShot displays the current profile
2 Profile Button Launch the profiles dialog
3 Choose Profile Select a profile for editing and preview
1.13.2 Export Profile
The export profile always defaults to your current project profile, but can be changed to target different profiles.
# Name Description
1 Choose Profile Select a profile for export
1.13. Profiles 59
1.13.3 Custom Profile
Although OpenShot has more than 70 profiles (Profile List) included in OpenShot, you can also create your own custom
profiles. Create a new file in the ~/.openshot_qt/profiles/ or C:\Users\USERNAME\.openshot_qt\profiles
folder. Use the following text as your template (i.e. copy and paste this into the new file):
description=Custom Profile Name

frame_rate_num=30000
frame_rate_den=1001
width=1280
height=720
progressive=1
sample_aspect_num=1
sample_aspect_den=1
display_aspect_num=16
display_aspect_den=9
Profile Property Description

description The friendly name of the profile (this is what OpenShot displays in the user inter-
face)
frame_rate_num The frame rate numerator. All frame rates are expressed as fractions. For example,
30 FPS == 30/1.
frame_rate_den The frame rate denominator. All frame rates are expressed as fractions. For ex-
ample, 29.97 FPS == 30,000/1001.
width The number of horizontal pixels in the image. By reversing the values for width
and height, you can create a vertical profile.
height The number of vertical pixels in the image
progressive `(0 or 1)` If 1, both even and odd rows of pixels are used. If 0, only odd or
even rows of pixels are used.
sample_aspect_num The numerator of the SAR (sample/pixel shape aspect ratio), 1:1 ratio would
represent a square pixel, 2:1 ratio would represent a 2x1 rectangle pixel shape,
etc. . .
sample_aspect_den The denominator of the SAR (sample/pixel shape aspect ratio)
display_aspect_num The numerator of the DAR (display aspect ratio), (width/height) X (sample
aspect ratio). This is the final ratio of the image displayed on screen, reduced
to the smallest fraction possible (common ratios are 16:9 for wide formats, 4:3 for
legacy television formats).
display_aspect_den The denominator of the DAR (display aspect ratio)
Once you restart OpenShot, you will see your custom profile appear in the list of Profiles.
1.13. Profiles 60
1.13.4 Preset List
OpenShot includes a large list of common profiles and their associated video export settings (video codec, audio
codec, audio channels, audio sample rate, etc. . . ), which targets specific websites and devices.
All Formats
AVI (h.264)
Attribute Description
Video Format avi
Video Codec libx264
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Audio Channel Layout Stereo
Sample Rate 48000
Video Bitrate (low) 384 kb/s
Video Bitrate (med) 5 Mb/s
Video Bitrate (high) 15.00 Mb/s
Audio Bitrate (low) 96 kb/s
Audio Bitrate (med) 128 kb/s
Audio Bitrate (high) 192 kb/s
Profiles All
AVI (mpeg2)
Video Format avi
Video Codec mpeg2video
Audio Codec mp2
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 61
AVI (mpeg4)
Video Format avi
Video Codec mpeg4
Audio Codec libmp3lame
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
GIF (animated)
Video Format gif
Video Codec gif
Audio Codec N/A
Audio Channels N/A
Audio Channel Layout N/A
Sample Rate N/A
Audio Bitrate (low) N/A
Audio Bitrate (med) N/A
Audio Bitrate (high) N/A
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 62
MKV (av1)
Video Format mkv
Video Codec libaom-av1
Audio Codec libvorbis
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Video Bitrate (low) 50 crf
Video Bitrate (med) 23 crf
Video Bitrate (high) 1 crf
Profiles All
MKV (h.264 dx)
Video Format mkv
Video Codec h264_dxva2
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 63
MKV (h.264 nv)
Video Format mkv
Video Codec h264_nvenc
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
MKV (h.264 qsv)
Video Format mkv
Video Codec h264_qsv
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 64
MKV (h.264 videotoolbox)
Video Format mkv
Video Codec h264_videotoolbox
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
MKV (h.264)
Video Format mkv
Video Codec libx264
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 65
MKV (h.265)
Video Format mkv
Video Codec libx265
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
MOV (h.264)
Video Format mov
Video Codec libx264
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 66
MOV (mpeg2)
Video Format mov
Audio Codec mp2
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
MOV (mpeg4)
Video Format mov
Video Codec mpeg4
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 67
MP3 (audio only)
Video Format mp3
Video Codec N/A
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Video Bitrate (low) N/A
Video Bitrate (med) N/A
Video Bitrate (high) N/A
Profiles All
MP4 (AV1 rav1e)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec librav1e
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Video Bitrate (low) 200 qp
Video Bitrate (med) 100 qp
Video Bitrate (high) 50 qp
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 68
MP4 (AV1 svt)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libsvtav1
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Video Bitrate (low) 60 qp
Video Bitrate (med) 50 qp
Video Bitrate (high) 30 qp
Profiles All
MP4 (HEVC va)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec hevc_vaapi
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 69
MP4 (Xvid)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libxvid
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
MP4 (h.264 dx)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec h264_dxva2
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 70
MP4 (h.264 nv)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec h264_nvenc
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
MP4 (h.264 qsv)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec h264_qsv
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 71
MP4 (h.264 va)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec h264_vaapi
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
MP4 (h.264 va)
Video Format mkv
Video Codec h264_vaapi
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 72
MP4 (h.264 videotoolbox)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec h264_videotoolbox
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
MP4 (h.264)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 73
MP4 (h.265)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx265
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
MP4 (mpeg4)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec mpeg4
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 74
MPEG (mpeg2)
Video Format mpeg
Audio Codec mp2
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
OGG (theora/flac)
Video Format ogg
Video Codec libtheora
Audio Codec flac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 75
OGG (theora/vorbis)
Video Format ogg
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
WEBM (AV1 aom)
Video Format webm
Video Codec libaom-av1
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 76
WEBM (vp9)
Video Format webm
Video Codec libvpx-vp9
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
WEBM (vp9) lossless
Video Format webm
Video Codec libvpx-vp9
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
1.13. Profiles 77
WEBM (vpx)
Video Format webm
Video Codec libvpx
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
WEBP (vp9 va)
Video Format webm
Video Codec vp9_vaapi
Audio Codec libopus
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
Device
Apple TV
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Video Bitrate (high) 5 Mb/s
Profiles HD 720p 30 fps
1.13. Profiles 78
Chromebook
Video Format webm
Video Codec libvpx
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles All
Nokia nHD
Video Format avi
Video Codec libxvid
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Video Bitrate (low) 1 Mb/s
Profiles Mobile 360p
1.13. Profiles 79
Xbox 360
Video Format avi
Video Codec libxvid
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
DV/DVD Widescreen NTSC
HD 1080p 29.97 fps
HD 720p 29.97 fps
Web
Flickr-HD
Video Format mov
Video Codec libx264
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
HD 1080p 25 fps
HD 1080p 29.97 fps
HD 720p 25 fps
HD 720p 29.97 fps
1.13. Profiles 80
Instagram
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Video Bitrate (med) 3.5 Mb/s
Profiles
HD 1080p 25 fps
HD 1080p 30 fps
HD 720p 25 fps
HD 720p 30 fps
HD Vertical 1080p 30 fps
Metacafe
Video Format mp4
Video Codec mpeg4
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 44100
Profiles VGA NTSC
1.13. Profiles 81
Picasa
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 44100
Profiles VGA NTSC
Twitter
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Video Bitrate (med) 1.7 Mb/s
Profiles
HD 1080p 25 fps
HD 1080p 30 fps
HD 720p 25 fps
HD 720p 30 fps
1.13. Profiles 82
Vimeo
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
VGA NTSC
VGA Widescreen NTSC
Vimeo-HD
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
HD 1080p 23.98 fps
HD 1080p 24 fps
HD 1080p 25 fps
HD 1080p 29.97 fps
HD 1080p 30 fps
HD 720p 23.98 fps
HD 720p 24 fps
HD 720p 25 fps
HD 720p 29.97 fps
HD 720p 30 fps
1.13. Profiles 83
Wikipedia
Video Format ogg
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles QVGA 29.97 fps
YouTube HD
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
HD 1080p 23.98 fps
HD 1080p 24 fps
HD 1080p 25 fps
HD 1080p 29.97 fps
HD 1080p 30 fps
HD 1080p 50 fps
HD 1080p 59.94 fps
HD 1080p 60 fps
1.13. Profiles 84
YouTube HD (2K)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
2.5K QHD 1440p 23.98 fps
2.5K QHD 1440p 24 fps
2.5K QHD 1440p 25 fps
2.5K QHD 1440p 29.97 fps
2.5K QHD 1440p 30 fps
2.5K QHD 1440p 50 fps
2.5K QHD 1440p 59.94 fps
2.5K QHD 1440p 60 fps
1.13. Profiles 85
YouTube HD (4K)
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
4K UHD 2160p 23.98 fps
4K UHD 2160p 24 fps
4K UHD 2160p 25 fps
4K UHD 2160p 29.97 fps
4K UHD 2160p 30 fps
4K UHD 2160p 50 fps
4K UHD 2160p 59.94 fps
4K UHD 2160p 60 fps
1.13. Profiles 86
YouTube Standard
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
HD 720p 23.98 fps
HD 720p 24 fps
HD 720p 25 fps
HD 720p 29.97 fps
HD 720p 30 fps
HD 720p 50 fps
HD 720p 59.94 fps
HD 720p 60 fps
VGA NTSC
VGA Widescreen NTSC
DVD
1.13. Profiles 87
DVD-NTSC
Video Format dvd
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
DV/DVD NTSC
DV/DVD Widescreen NTSC
DVD-PAL
Video Format dvd
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
DV/DVD PAL
DV/DVD Widescreen PAL
1.13. Profiles 88
Blu-Ray/AVCHD
AVCHD Disks
Video Format mp4
Video Codec libx264
Audio Codec aac
Audio Channels 2
Sample Rate 48000
Profiles
HD 1080i 25 fps
HD 1080i 30 fps
HD 1080p 25 fps
1.13.5 Profile List
OpenShot includes a large list of common profiles.
Definitions
• FPS: Frames Per Second

• DAR: Display Aspect Ratio (i.e. 1920:1080 reduces to 16:9 aspect ratio)
• SAR: Sample Aspect Ratio (i.e. 1:1 ratio == square pixel, 2:1 horizontal rectangular pixel). The SAR directly
affects the display aspect ratio. For example, a 4:3 video can be displayed as 16:9, if it uses rectangular pixels.
Profile Name Width Height FPS DAR SAR Interlaced

1024x576 16:9 PAL 1024 576 25.00 16:9 1:1 No
2.5K QHD 1440p 23.98 fps 2560 1440 23.98 16:9 1:1 No
2.5K QHD 1440p 24 fps 2560 1440 24.00 16:9 1:1 No
2.5K QHD 1440p 25 fps 2560 1440 25.00 16:9 1:1 No
2.5K QHD 1440p 29.97 fps 2560 1440 29.97 16:9 1:1 No
2.5K QHD 1440p 30 fps 2560 1440 30.00 16:9 1:1 No
2.5K QHD 1440p 50 fps 2560 1440 50.00 16:9 1:1 No
2.5K QHD 1440p 59.94 fps 2560 1440 59.94 16:9 1:1 No
2.5K QHD 1440p 60 fps 2560 1440 60.00 16:9 1:1 No
384x288 4:3 PAL 384 288 25.00 4:3 1:1 No
4K UHD 2160p 23.98 fps 3840 2160 23.98 16:9 1:1 No
4K UHD 2160p 24 fps 3840 2160 24.00 16:9 1:1 No
4K UHD 2160p 25 fps 3840 2160 25.00 16:9 1:1 No
4K UHD 2160p 29.97 fps 3840 2160 29.97 16:9 1:1 No
1.13. Profiles 89

4K UHD 2160p 30 fps 3840 2160 30.00 16:9 1:1 No
4K UHD 2160p 50 fps 3840 2160 50.00 16:9 1:1 No
4K UHD 2160p 59.94 fps 3840 2160 59.94 16:9 1:1 No
4K UHD 2160p 60 fps 3840 2160 60.00 16:9 1:1 No
512x288 16:9 PAL 512 288 25.00 16:9 1:1 No
768x576 4:3 PAL 768 576 25.00 4:3 1:1 No
CIF 15 fps 352 288 15.00 4:3 59:54 No
CIF NTSC 352 288 29.97 4:3 10:11 No
CIF PAL 352 288 25.00 4:3 59:54 No
CVD NTSC 480 352 29.97 4:3 20:11 Yes
CVD PAL 576 352 25.00 4:3 59:27 Yes
DV/DVD NTSC 720 480 29.97 4:3 8:9 Yes
DV/DVD PAL 720 576 25.00 4:3 16:15 Yes
DV/DVD Widescreen NTSC 720 480 29.97 16:9 32:27 Yes
DV/DVD Widescreen PAL 720 576 25.00 16:9 64:45 Yes
DV/DVD Widescreen PAL (Anamorphic) 720 576 25.00 16:9 64:45 No
HD 1080i 25 fps 1920 1080 25.00 16:9 1:1 Yes
HD 1080i 29.97 fps 1920 1080 29.97 16:9 1:1 Yes
HD 1080i 30 fps 1920 1080 30.00 16:9 1:1 Yes
HD 1080p 23.98 fps 1920 1080 23.98 16:9 1:1 No
HD 1080p 24 fps 1920 1080 24.00 16:9 1:1 No
HD 1080p 25 fps 1920 1080 25.00 16:9 1:1 No
HD 1080p 29.97 fps 1920 1080 29.97 16:9 1:1 No
HD 1080p 30 fps 1920 1080 30.00 16:9 1:1 No
HD 1080p 50 fps 1920 1080 50.00 16:9 1:1 No
HD 1080p 59.94 fps 1920 1080 59.94 16:9 1:1 No
HD 1080p 60 fps 1920 1080 60.00 16:9 1:1 No
HD 720p 23.98 fps 1280 720 23.98 16:9 1:1 No
HD 720p 24 fps 1280 720 24.00 16:9 1:1 No
HD 720p 25 fps 1280 720 25.00 16:9 1:1 No
HD 720p 29.97 fps 1280 720 29.97 16:9 1:1 No
HD 720p 30 fps 1280 720 30.00 16:9 1:1 No
HD 720p 50 fps 1280 720 50.00 16:9 1:1 No
HD 720p 59.94 fps 1280 720 59.94 16:9 1:1 No
HD 720p 60 fps 1280 720 60.00 16:9 1:1 No
HD Vertical 1080p 30 fps 1080 1920 30.00 9:16 1:1 No
HD Vertical 720p 30 fps 720 1280 30.00 9:16 1:1 No
HDV 1080 25i 1920x1080 1920 1080 25.00 16:9 1:1 Yes
HDV 1080 25p 1920x1080 1920 1080 25.00 16:9 1:1 No
HDV 1440x1080i 25 fps 1440 1080 25.00 16:9 4:3 Yes
HDV 1440x1080i 29.97 fps 1440 1080 29.97 16:9 4:3 Yes
HDV 1440x1080p 25 fps 1440 1080 25.00 16:9 4:3 No
HDV 1440x1080p 29.97 fps 1440 1080 29.97 16:9 4:3 No
HDV 720 24p 1280 720 24.00 16:9 1:1 No
Mobile 360p 320 240 29.97 4:3 1:1 No
NTSC 23.98 fps 720 486 23.98 4:3 8:9 No
NTSC 29.97 fps 720 486 29.97 4:3 8:9 Yes
QCIF 15 fps 176 144 15.00 4:3 59:54 No
QCIF NTSC 176 144 29.97 4:3 10:11 No
1.13. Profiles 90

QCIF PAL 176 144 25.00 4:3 59:54 No
QVGA 15 fps 320 240 15.00 4:3 1:1 No
QVGA 29.97 fps 320 240 29.97 4:3 1:1 No
QVGA Widescreen 29.97 fps 426 240 29.97 16:9 1:1 No
SVCD NTSC 480 480 29.97 4:3 15:11 Yes
SVCD PAL 480 576 25.00 4:3 59:36 Yes
SVCD Widescreen NTSC 480 480 29.97 16:9 20:11 Yes
SVCD Widescreen PAL 480 576 25.00 16:9 59:27 Yes
VCD NTSC 352 240 29.97 4:3 10:11 No
VCD PAL 352 288 25.00 4:3 59:54 No
VGA NTSC 640 480 29.97 4:3 1:1 No
VGA Widescreen NTSC 854 480 29.97 16:9 1:1 No
1.14 Import & Export
Video editing projects (including tracks, clips, and keyframes) can be imported and exported from OpenShot Video
Editor in widely supported formats (EDL: Edit Decision Lists, and XML: Final Cut Pro format). For example, if you
start editing a video in a different program (Adobe Premier, Final Cut Pro, etc. . . ), but later need to move all your edits
to OpenShot (or vice versa).
1.14.1 EDL (Edit Decision Lists)
The following features are supported when importing and exporting an EDL file with OpenShot.
Name Description
EDL Format CMX-3600 (a very widely supported variation)
Single Track Only a single track can be imported at a time (this is a limitation of the EDL format)
Tape Name Only AX and BL tape names are currently supported in OpenShot
Edits (V and A) Only edits are currently supported (transitions are not yet supported)
Opacity Opacity keyframes are supported
Audio Levels Volume keyframes are supported
Listing 4: Example EDL format supported by OpenShot:

TITLE: Clips - TRACK 5
FCM: NON-DROP FRAME
001 BL V C 00:00:00:01 00:00:03:17 00:00:00:01 00:00:03:17

001 AX V C 00:00:00:01 00:00:10:01 00:00:03:17 00:00:13:17
* FROM CLIP NAME: Intro.png
002 BL V C 00:00:00:01 00:00:05:09 00:00:13:17 00:00:18:25

002 AX V C 00:00:00:01 00:00:10:01 00:00:18:25 00:00:28:25
* FROM CLIP NAME: FileName.mp4
* OPACITY LEVEL AT 00:00:00:01 IS 0.00% (REEL AX)
(continues on next page)
1.14. Import & Export 91

(continued from previous page)

003 BL V C 00:00:00:01 00:00:33:15 00:00:28:25 00:01:02:09

003 AX V C 00:00:14:25 00:00:34:29 00:01:02:09 00:01:22:13
003 AX A C 00:00:14:25 00:00:34:29 00:01:02:09 00:01:22:13
* FROM CLIP NAME: FileName2.mp4
004 BL V C 00:00:00:01 00:00:26:25 00:01:22:13 00:01:49:07

004 AX A C 00:00:00:01 00:02:20:01 00:01:49:07 00:04:09:07
* FROM CLIP NAME: Music.wav
* AUDIO LEVEL AT 00:00:00:01 IS -99.00 DB (REEL AX A1)
* AUDIO LEVEL AT 00:00:03:01 IS 0.00 DB (REEL AX A1)
* AUDIO LEVEL AT 00:02:17:01 IS 0.00 DB (REEL AX A1)
* AUDIO LEVEL AT 00:02:20:01 IS -99.00 DB (REEL AX A1)
1.14.2 XML (Final Cut Pro format)
The following features are supported when importing and exporting an XML file with OpenShot. This XML format
is supported in many video editors (not just Final Cut Pro). In fact, most commercial video editors have some support
for importing and exporting this same XML format.
Name Description
XML Format Final Cut Pro format (but most commercial video editors also support this format)
All Tracks All video and audio tracks are supported
Edits All clips on all tracks are supported (video, image, and audio files). Transitions are not yet
supported.
Opacity Opacity keyframes are supported
Audio Levels Volume keyframes are supported
1.14. Import & Export 92

Example XML Output (tree view)
1.15 Preferences
The Preferences window contains many important settings and configuration options for OpenShot. They can be found
in the top menu under Edit→Preferences. Many settings will require OpenShot to be restarted after your changes are
applied.
NOTE: Some features such as Animated Titles and external SVG editing require setting the paths for Blender and
Inkscape under the General tab. And if you notice audio playback issues, such as audio drift, you many need to adjust
the audio settings under the Preview tab.
1.15. Preferences 93
1.15.1 General
The General tab of the Preferences window allows you to modify the settings that apply to OpenShot as a whole.
Setting Default Description

Language Default Choose your preferred language for OpenShot menus and windows
Default Theme Human- Choose your theme for OpenShot, either Light, Dark or None
ity:Dark
Image Length (seconds) 10.00 How long the image displays on the screen when added to the time-
line
Volume 75.00 The percentage of the volume of the clip when added to the timeline
Blender Command (path) <blank> The path to the binary for Blender
Advanced Title Editor <blank> The path to the binary for Inkscape
(path)
Show Export Dialog when <checked> Displays the Export Video windows after the export is finished
Finished
1.15.2 Preview
The Preview tab of the Preferences window allows you to set a Default Video Profile for your project, if you have a
preference for a specific editing profile. More about Profiles. Also, you can adjust the real-time preview audio settings,
for example, which audio device and sample rate to use.
Setting Default Description

Default Video Profile HD 720P 30 fps Select the profile for Preview and Export defaults
Playback Audio Device Default
Default Audio Sample Rate 44100
Default Audio Channels Stereo (2 Channel)
1.15.3 Autosave
Autosave is a saving function in OpenShot which automatically saves the current changes to your project after a specific
number of minutes, helping to reduce the risk or impact of data loss in case of a crash, freeze or user error.
Recovery
Before each save, a copy of the current project is created in a recovery folder, to further reduce the risk of data loss. The
recovery folder is located at ~/.openshot_qt/recovery/ or C:\Users\USERNAME\.openshot_qt\recovery. If
you need to recover a corrupt or broken *.osp project file, please find the most recent copy in the recovery folder, and
copy/paste the file in your original project folder location (i.e. the folder that contains your broken project), and then
open this recovered project file in OpenShot. Many versions of each project are stored in the recovery folder, and if
you still have issues with the recovered *.osp file, you can repeat this process with older versions contained in the
recovery folder.
1.15.4 Cache
Cache settings can be adjusted to make real-time playback faster or less CPU intensive. The cache is used to store
image and audio data for each frame of video requested. The more frames that are cached, the smoother the real-time
playback will be. However, the more that needs to be cached requires more CPU to generate the cache. There is a
balance, and the default settings provide a generally sane set of cache values, which should allow most computers to
playback video and audio smoothly.
Setting Description
Cache Mode Choose between Memory or Disk caching (memory caching is preferred). Disk
caching writes image data to the hard disk for later retrieving, and works best
with an SSD.
Cache Limit (MB) How many MB are set aside for cache related data. Larger numbers are not
always better, since it takes more CPU to generate more frames to fill the cache.
Image Format (Disk Only) Image format to store disk cache image data
Scale Factor (Disk Only) Percentage (0.1 to 1.0) to reduce the size of disk based image files stored in
the disk cache. Smaller numbers make writing and reading cached image files
faster.
Image Quality (Disk Only) Quality of the image files used in disk cache. The higher compression can cause
more slowness, but results in smaller file sizes.
Cache Pre-roll: Min Frames: Minimum # of frames that must be cached before playback begins. The larger
the #, the larger the wait before playback begins.
Cache Pre-roll: Max Frames: Maximum # of frames that can be cached during playback (in front of the play-
head). The larger the #, the more CPU is required to cache ahead - vs display
the already cached frames.
Cache Ahead (Percent): Between 0.0 and 1.0. This represents how much % we cache ahead of the
playhead. For example, 0.5 would cache 50% behind and 50% ahead of the
playhead. 0.8 would cache 20% behind and 80% ahead of the playhead.
Cache Max Frames: This is an override on the total allowed frames that can be cached by our caching
thread. It is defaulted to 600 frames, but even if you give a huge amount of
RAM to OpenShot’s cache size, this will override the max # of frames cached.
The reason is. . . sometimes when the preview window is very small, and the
cache size is set very high, OpenShot might calculate that we can cache 30,000
frames, or something silly which will take a huge amount of CPU, lagging
the system. This setting is designed to clamp the upper limit of the cache to
something reasonable. . . even on systems that give OpenShot huge amounts of
RAM to work with.
1.15.5 Debug
Here you can modify how much data should be logged. Normally, Debug Mode (verbose) is off. The default port is
5556. If you want to help improve OpenShot you can enable Send Anonymous Metrics and Errors.
1.15.6 Performance
Please keep in mind that hardware acceleration is experimental at the moment. OpenShot supports both decoding and
encoding acceleration. For more information take a look at our Github HW-ACCEL Doc. NOTE: On systems with
older graphics cards, hardware acceleration may not always be faster than CPU encoding.

1.15.7 Keyboard
This is where hotkeys can be seen and re-assigned, as described under Keyboard Shortcuts.

1.15.8 Location
Default file path locations for saving/opening projects, importing files, and exporting videos can be configured here.
This can save you time by defaulting the open/save file dialogs to the most appropriate starting folder (options described
below).
Setting Description
File Import Default folder to choose when importing a file
Save or Open Project Default folder to choose when saving or opening a project file
Video Export Default folder to choose when exporting a video
Values Description
Recent Folder The last folder used for this same operation. Project folders, Import folders, and Export
folders are tracked separately.
Project Folder The current project folder (or the user’s home folder, if the project is not yet saved)
1.16 Developers
If you are a programmer (or want to become a programmer), and are interested in developing new features, fixing bugs,
or improving the user interface for OpenShot, the following sections will explain how to get started and get involved!
1.16. Developers 102

1.16.1 The Big Picture
OpenShot Video Editor has 3 main components, a Python & PyQt user interface (openshot-qt), a C++ audio library
(libopenshot-audio) and a C++ video library (libopenshot). If you are not familiar with Python, PyQt, or C++, those
would be great topics to research and learn more about at this point.
However, many bugs can be fixed and new features added with only Python knowledge, since the C++ components
are not involved in the user interface at all. Python is an amazing language, and is super fun to learn, and is the only
prerequisite skill needed to become an OpenShot developer!
Warning: The instructions that follow are for Ubuntu Linux, which is the easiest environment to configure for
OpenShot development. If you are using another OS, I suggest running a virtual machine with Ubuntu LTS before
continuing any further.
If you must use a Windows or Mac system for development, start by referring to the build notes in the libopenshot
wiki. Building the library with all of its dependencies is the most challenging part of the process.
• Windows Build Instructions
• Mac Build Instructions
1.16.2 Getting the Latest Source Code
Before we can fix any bugs or add any features, we need to get the source code onto your computer.
Use git to clone our 3 repositories:
git clone https://github.com/OpenShot/libopenshot-audio.git

git clone https://github.com/OpenShot/libopenshot.git
git clone https://github.com/OpenShot/openshot-qt.git
1.16.3 Configuring your Development Environment
In order to actually compile or run OpenShot, we need to install some dependencies on your system. The easiest way
to accomplish this is with our Daily PPA. A PPA is an unofficial Ubuntu repository, which has our software packages
available to download and install.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:openshot.developers/libopenshot-daily

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install openshot-qt \
cmake \
libx11-dev \
libasound2-dev \
libavcodec-dev \
libavdevice-dev \
libavfilter-dev \
libavformat-dev \
libavresample-dev \
libavutil-dev \
libfdk-aac-dev \
libfreetype6-dev \
libjsoncpp-dev \
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(continued from previous page)

libmagick++-dev \
libopenshot-audio-dev \
libprotobuf-dev \
libqt5svg5-dev \
libswscale-dev \
libunittest++-dev \
libxcursor-dev \
libxinerama-dev \
libxrandr-dev \
libzmq3-dev \
pkg-config \
python3-dev \
protobuf-compiler \
qtbase5-dev \
libqt5svg5-dev \
libxcb-xfixes0-dev \
qtmultimedia5-dev \
swig
At this point, you should have all 3 OpenShot components source code cloned into local folders, the OpenShot daily
PPA installed, and all of the required development and runtime dependencies installed. This is a great start, and we are
now ready to start compiling some code!
1.16.4 libopenshot-audio (Build Instructions)
This library is required for audio playback and audio effects. It is based on the JUCE audio framework. Here are the
commands to build it:
cd libopenshot-audio
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=dist ..
make
make install
Essentially, we are switching to the libopenshot-audio/build folder, then running cmake .. on the parent folder.
This finds dependencies and creates all the needed Makefiles used to compile this library. Then make uses those Make-
files to compile this library, and make install installs them in the location we specified. If CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX
isn’t set, the files will install to /usr/local/ (by default) and make install will require administrative privileges to
run.
1.16.5 libopenshot (Build Instructions)
This library is required for video decoding, encoding, animation, and just about everything else. It does all the heavy
lifting of video editing and video playback. Here are the commands to build it:
cd libopenshot
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DLIBOPENSHOT_AUDIO_DIR=../../libopenshot-audio/build/dist ..
make

Essentially, we are switching to the libopenshot/build folder, then running cmake .. on the parent folder. This
finds dependencies and creates all the needed Makefiles used to compile this library. Then make uses those Makefiles to
compile this library. Because we provided the location of our compiled libopenshot-audio installation, that version
of the library will be used instead of the system version (if any).
We don’t install our libopenshot after building, because we don’t need to. For testing purposes, we can tell OpenShot
to use libopenshot right from our build directory.
1.16.6 openshot-qt (Launch Instructions)
This is our main PyQt Python application. Because it is written in Python, it does not require any compiling to run. To
launch OpenShot from the source code with our newly-built libopenshot-audio and libopenshot libraries, use
the following commands:
cd openshot-qt
PYTHONPATH=../libopenshot/build/src/bindings/python
python3 src/launch.py
This should launch the OpenShot user interface. Any changes you have made to the source code files (*.py Python
files, *.ui PyQt UI files, etc. . . ) will be included. This requires the libopenshot-audio and libopenshot libraries,
and if anything went wrong with the steps above, OpenShot will likely not launch.
If OpenShot launches at this point, congratulations! You now have a working local version of OpenShot, which is
running off your local source code. Try making some changes to the source code and re-launch OpenShot. . . you
should now see your changes!
1.16.7 GitHub Issues
Now that you have successfully compiled and launched OpenShot Video Editor from source code, be sure to check out
our list of bug reports on GitHub: OpenShot Issues. Also, you are encouraged to fill out our quick contributor form
and introduce yourself!
1.16.8 Share your Changes
Once you have fixed a bug or added an amazing new feature, be sure to share it with the OpenShot team. Ideally, we
can merge this into our main source code branch. The easiest way to share your changes is by creating a fork of our
repo, pushing your changes back to GitHub, and creating a Pull Request. A Pull Request lets the OpenShot team know
you have changes ready to be merged. Then we can review things, give feedback, and hopefully merge your changes
into the main branch.
1.17 Contributing
Want to help improve OpenShot (and make some friends in the process)? Please consider joining our open-source team
by filling out this quick contributor form and introduce yourself! All volunteers are welcome, regardless of skills or
skill level. Let’s build something amazing!
1.17. Contributing 105

1.17.1 How to Contribute
There are many different ways to help and support OpenShot, including:
• Testing
• Translations
• Documentation
• Customer Service
• Social Media / Marketing
• Software Development
• Art / Design / UI
• User Community
• Donations
All of these areas are equally important, so we would love to know which ones appeal to you the most. Please take a
moment and fill-out our quick contributor form.
1.17.2 Did you find a bug?
Please use our step-by-step bug reporting page: https://openshot.org/issues/new/ to troubleshoot a potential new bug.
This guide will instruct you on how to delete you log files, test with the latest daily build, and search for duplicate bug
reports (in case someone else has already reported this same issue). At the end of the guide, it will help you create a
detailed and useful bug report for our development team and volunteers.
1.17.3 Software Developers
OpenShot uses GitHub to manage issues and source code: https://github.com/OpenShot. Please read our guide on
Becoming a Developer for a step-by-step guide on compiling OpenShot and making your first pull request on GitHub.
1.17.4 Made with Love
OpenShot Video Editor is a volunteer effort and a labor of love. Please be patient with any issues you find, and feel
free to get involved and help us fix them!
Thank you for your support!

– OpenShot Team
1.17. Contributing 106

1.18 Learn More
We are working hard to expand this user guide and to improve OpenShot Video Editor, but if you are stuck and don’t
know where to turn, OpenShot has several sources for additional information.
1. OpenShot has several YouTube Tutorials available to help you learn more.
2. OpenShot has a Reddit User Community dedicated to users helping users, answering questions, and discussing
video editing and OpenShot topics.
3. If you would like to help improve this User Guide, view source on GitHub.
4. If you have discovered a new bug, please Report a Bug.
5. If you need professional support, you can open a ticket by sending an message to support@openshot.org or
Schedule a call.
1.19 Glossary
There is much technical terminology in today’s fast-moving media-centric world. If you find yourself wondering what
a video production term or an acronym means, you are certainly not alone. Like most industries, video production has
a language all its own. Here is a list of terms commonly found in video editing. Becoming familiar with these terms
only makes your job easier.
1.18. Learn More 107

1.19.1 Definitions
These definitions are a work-in-progress. Please let us know if you need a term defined by contacting sup-
port@openshot.org.
-A- -B- -C- -D- -E- -F- -G- -H- -I- -J- -K- -L- -M- -N- -O- -P- -Q- -R- -S- -T- -U- -V- -W- -X- -Y- -Z-
-A-
A-Roll:
The Principal video that is usually someone speaking.
Aliasing:
The undesirable jagged or stair-stepped appearance of angled lines in an image, graphic, or text.
Alpha:
Alpha blending is a convex combination of two colors allowing for transparency effects in computer graphics.
The value of alpha in the color code ranges from 0.0 to 1.0, where 0.0 represents a fully transparent color, and
1.0 represents a fully opaque color.
Alpha Channel:
An alpha channel is a channel in an image or movie clip that controls the opacity region.
Ambient Noise:
Ambient noise is background noise specific to the shooting location.
Animation:
The technique of making inanimate objects or drawings appear to move in motion pictures or computer graphics.
Anti-Aliasing:
Anti-aliasing is a process for smoothing jagged lines in an image. Anti-aliasing can also mean a method of
filtering out erroneous frequencies in an audio signal.
Artifact:
An artifact is undesired data in an image because of digital processing.
Aspect Ratio:
The ratio of width to height in a flat surface or 2-dimensional abstract construction, such as an image, video,
character, or pixel. The standard ratios for NTSC SD videos are 4:3 (or 1.33:1) and HD 16:9 (or 1.77:1). The
most common aspect ratios for motion pictures are 1.85:1 and 2.35:1.
ATSC:
ATSC is a digital broadcast standard that replaced the older analog NTSC standard. The standard covers both
standard and high-definition formats.
Audio Sample Rate:
The number of samples taken per second to reproduce audio digitally. The higher the sample rate, the higher the
quality of the digital audio. A rate of 44,100 samples per second produces CD-quality audio and captures the
range of human hearing.
1.19. Glossary 108

-B-
B-roll:
B-roll is supplemental footage that provides supporting details and greater flexibility when editing video. Com-
mon examples include the footage used to cut away from an interview or news report to help tell the story.
Bit:
The elementary unit for digital storage. A BIT can be either a 1 (one) or a 0 (zero).
Bit Depth:
In digital graphics and video, bit depth indicates the number of colors an image can display. A high-contrast (no
gray tones) black and white image is 1bit, meaning it can be off or on, black or white. As bit depth increases,
more colors become available. 24-bit color allows for displays of millions of colors. Similarly, in digital audio,
bit depth indicates the number of bits per sample. The higher the number, the better the sound quality.
Bitrate:
The frequency at which bits (binary digits) pass a given physical or metaphorical point, measured in bps (bits
per second). For every second in the video, the Bit Rate, or Data Rate, is the amount of data used each second.
The bitrate, in Kilobits per second, can be variable or constant.
Blue Screen:
A blue screen is a blue background that the subject stands in front of that the computer later replaces with another
background in post-production. See also blue screen compositing and green screen.
Blue Screen Compositing:
The process of making all blue elements in an image transparent and placing a different background underneath.
-C-
Capture:
The process of transferring source video from a camcorder or tape deck to a computer. If the source video is
analog, the capture process converts the video to digital.
Channel:
A channel is one of several grayscale components used to make up a color image. Red, green, and blue channels
make up RGB images, with an optional alpha channel for transparency.
Chromakey:
Chromakey is a method of creating transparency in a video source by selecting a specific “key color” to create
an alpha matte. It is frequently used on news programs to display weather graphics behind talent and for visual
effects compositing.
Clip:
A digitized or captured portion of video, audio, or both. Clips are media files added to the Timeline, usually part
of a more extensive recording.
Codec:
Codec is a video compression technology used to compress data in a video file. Codec stands for “Compression
Decompression.” An example of a popular codec is H.264.
Color Correction:
The process of altering the color of a video, especially one shot under less than ideal conditions, such as low
light.
Compositing:
Construction of a composite image by combining multiple images and other elements.
1.19. Glossary 109

Coverage:
Coverage is the process of shooting additional footage and camera angles to cover the action in the scene. Cov-
erage is so that the editor has a more excellent range of choices when the film reaches the post-production stage.
Compression:
The process of reducing data, such as in an audio or video file, into a form that requires less space.
Crop Factor:
Crop factor is a number (typically from 1.3-2.0) that represents the ratio of a sensor’s imaging area to that of a
full-frame sensor. Try multiplying the focal length of your lens by your camera sensor’s crop factor. It gives you
the focal length for the lens/sensor combination.
Crawl:
Crawl is a text effect where the text moves right-to-left (in the English-speaking world).
Cross-fade:
A cross-fade is a simultaneous fade-in of one audio or video source as another fades out so that they overlap
temporarily. Also called a dissolve.
Cut:
A cut is an instantaneous change from one shot to another.
Cut-in (Insert Shot):
It is a type of shot that most often shows the objects the subject is in contact with or manipulating. Cut-in shots
are correspondingly helpful to b-roll because they stray from the subject for a short time.
Cutting on Action:
Cutting on action is a technique used to create a more interesting scene. The concept is simple. . . when you cut
in the middle of an action, it will appear less jarring and more visual interesting.
-D-
Data Rate:
The amount of data moved over time (for example, 10 MB per second). Often used to describe a hard drive’s
ability to retrieve and deliver information.
Denominator:
The number or expression below the line in a fraction (such as 2 in ½).
Digital Video:
Digital video is an electronic representation of moving visual images (video) in the form of encoded digital data.
In contrast, analog video represents moving visual images with analog signals. Digital video comprises a series
of digital images displayed in rapid succession.
Digitize:
To convert analog video or audio to digital form.
Dissolve:
Dissolve is an image transition effect where one picture gradually disappears as another appears. Also called a
cross-fade.
1.19. Glossary 110

-E-
Editing:
Editing is the process or result of selectively sequencing video and audio clips into a new video file. Typically
involves reviewing raw footage and transferring desired segments from source footage into a new predetermined
sequence.
Effect:
Synthetic sounds and animations created in the digital domain applied to a clip to change a specific parameter of
video or audio. Examples: the color of a visual element or the reverb on an audio track.
Encode:
To merge the individual video signals (for example, red, green, and blue) into a combined signal, or to convert a
video file to a different format using a codec.
Export:
Export refers to the process of assembling your edited video project into a single file that then plays back on its
own, shared, or uploaded.
-F-
Fade:
A fade is the gradual diminishing or heightening of visual or audio intensity. Usage: fade-out, fade to black,
fade-in, or fade up from black.
Fade-in:
1.(n.) a shot that begins in total darkness and gradually lightens to full brightness. 2. (v.) To gradually bring
sound from inaudibility to the required volume.
Fade-out:
1.(n.) a shot that begins in full brightness and gradually dims to total darkness. 2. (v.) To gradually bring sound
from the required volume to inaudibility.
Filter:
A video filter is a software component that performs some operation on a multimedia stream. Multiple filters
used in a chain, known as a filter graph, are the process in which each filter receives input from its upstream filter.
The filter graph processes the input and outputs the processed video to its downstream filter.
Final Cut:
The final video production, assembled from high-quality clips, and ready for export to the selected delivery
media.
Finishing:
The stage that brings together all assets of a piece. Your output from this stage is your master/sub-master.
Footage:
Derived from having feet of film, this is almost synonymous with video clips.
Frame:
In filmmaking, video production, animation, and related fields, a frame is one of the many still images which
compose the complete moving picture.
Frames Per Second (fps):
The number of frames played every second. At 15 fps and lower, the human eye can detect individual frames,
causing the video to appear jerky.
Frame Rate:
Frame rate (expressed in frames per second or FPS) is the frequency (rate expressed in Hz) at which consecutive
1.19. Glossary 111

images called frames appear on display. The term applies equally to film and video cameras, computer graphics,
and motion capture systems. Common Frame Rate Examples: 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 60.
Frequency:
The number of audio cycles per second, expressed in hertz (Hz). Frequency determines the pitch of a sound.
-G-
Gamma:
A measurement of the intensity of mid-tones in an image. Adjusting the gamma adjusts the level of the mid-tones
while leaving the blacks and whites untouched.
GPU:
Graphics processing unit. A microprocessor with built-in capabilities for handling 3D graphics more efficiently
than a CPU (central processing unit).
Gravity:
Gravity in OpenShot is a property of each clip that sets the clip’s initial position on the screen.
Green screen
A green background that the subject stands in front of that is another background in post-production.
Green Screen Compositing
The process of making all green elements in an image transparent and placing a different background underneath,
so it appears that the subject is in a different location.
-H-
High Definition (HD):

A general term for a video signal with a significantly higher resolution than standard definition.
HDMI:
High Definition Multimedia Interface. Interface for transmitting high definition digital audio and video data.
HDR:
HDR (high dynamic range) is the compositing of two images, one that correctly exposes the highlights, and
another that properly exposes the dark areas. When composited together, you get a properly exposed image.
HDTV:
High Definition TV. A broadcast format that allows for a higher resolution signal than the traditional formats,
NTSC, PAL, and SECAM.
HDV:
High Definition Video. The format used to record HDTV-quality data with video camcorders.
Headroom:
The space between the top of a character’s head and the top of the frame.
Hiss:
Noise caused by imperfections in the recording medium.
Hue:
The shade of a color. This is the general color category into which the color falls. For example, pink, crimson,
and plum are different colors, but they all fall under the hue of red. White, black, and gray tones are not hues.
1.19. Glossary 112

-I-
Image Stabilizer:
Also referred to as an electronic image stabilizer. A technique used to remove the movement caused by camera
shake.
Importing:
Importing is the process of transferring videos from your camera onto your computer or into a piece of editing
software.
Interframe Compression:
A compression scheme, such as MPEG that reduces the amount of video information by storing only the differ-
ences between a frame and those preceding it.
Interpolation:
Used in animation to calculate the motion in between two user-generated keyframes so that the editor does not
need to animate each frame manually. This speeds up the process and makes the resulting animation smoother.
Intertitles:
Titles that appear on their own between footage. Commonly seen in silent movies to substitute dialogue, also
used as chapter headings.
-J-
J-Cut:
An edit in which the audio starts before the video, giving the video a dramatic introduction. Also known as an
audio lead.
Jog
To move forward or backward through video by playing it one field or frame at a time.
Jump Cut:
A jump cut is an unnatural, abrupt switch between shots identical in the subject but slightly different in screen
location, so the subject appears to jump from one screen location to another.
-K-
Key:
A method for creating transparency, such as a bluescreen key or a chroma key.
Keyframe:
A keyframe is a frame that contains a record of specific settings (e.g., scale, rotation, brightness). Start and
endpoints for animated effects. By setting multiple keyframes, you can adjust these parameters as the video
plays to animate certain aspects.
-L-
L-Cut:
An L-cut is an edit in which the video ends before the audio. L-cuts act as a subtle transition from one scene to
the next.
Letterbox:
A technique used to preserve the original aspect ratio of a motion picture when played on a TV. Letterboxing
adds black bars to the top and bottom of the screen.
1.19. Glossary 113

Linear Editing:
A form of video editing which lays out cuts sequentially, one by one, to produce the final scene. This contrasts
with non-linear editing which allows cutting in any order.
Log:
A record of start and end timecode, reel numbers, scene descriptions, and other information for a specified clip.
Lossless:
A compression scheme that results in no loss of data from decompressing the file. Lossless files are generally
quite large (but still smaller than uncompressed versions) and sometimes require considerable processing power
to decode the data.
Lossy:
Lossy compression is a compression scheme that degrades quality. Lossy algorithms compress digital data by
eliminating the data least sensitive to the human eye and offer the highest compression rates available.
-M-
Mark In:
Placing a marker at the beginning of where you want your clip to start.
Mark Out:
Placing a marker at the beginning of where you want your clip to end.
Match Action:
Match action (or match cut) is a technique where an editor will cut from one visually similar scene to another.
Memory Bank:
A Memory Bank is a video that documents specific periods or events in someone’s life. It can be set to music,
make use of natural sound, record vacations, or just capture moments in everyday life.
Marker:
An object used to mark a location. Clip markers signify essential points within a clip. Timeline markers indicate
scenes, locations for titles, or other significant points within an entire movie. Use clip markers and timeline
markers for positioning and trimming clips.
Mask:
The transparent area of an image, typically defined by a graphic shape or a bluescreen background. Also called
a matte.
Matte:
Matte is an image mask used in visual effects to control applying an effect to certain parts of the image.
Montage:
A montage is a self-contained sequence of shots assembled in juxtaposition to each other to communicate an
idea or mood. The implied relationship between seemingly unrelated material creates a new message.
Motion Artifact:
Visual interference caused by the difference between the frame rate of the camera and the motion of the object.
The most common display of this is when filming a computer or television screen. The screen flickers or a
line scans down it, which is the difference in frame rates and a lack of synchronization between the camera and
television.
1.19. Glossary 114

-N-
Noise:
Undesired data in a video or audio signal. See also artifact.
Non-linear Editing:
An editing system that performs edits at any time, in any order. Access is random, which means that the system
can jump to specific pieces of data without having to look through the whole footage to find it.
Numerator:
The number or expression above the line in a fraction (such as 1 in ½).
NTSC:
NTSC is an abbreviation for National Television Standards Committee. NTSC is the group that initially devel-
oped the black & white and subsequently color television system. The United States, Japan, and many other
countries use NTSC. Five-hundred twenty-five interlaced lines make up NTSC that display at a rate of 29.97
frames per second. ATSC Has now superseded by NTSC.
-O-
Offline Editing:
Editing a rough cut using low-quality clips, and then producing the final cut with high-quality clips, usually on
a more sophisticated editing system than that used for developing the rough.
Online Editing:
Doing all editing (including the rough cut) on the same clips that produce the final cut.
Opacity:
An inverse measure of the level of transparency in an image, which is of importance when compositing. An
image’s alpha channel stores its opacity information.
-P-
PAL:
PAL is an abbreviation for Phase Alternate Line. This is the video format standard used in many European
countries. Six-hundred twenty-five lines make up a PAL picture that displays at a rate of 25 frames per second.
Pan:
A horizontal movement of the camera on a fixed axis.
Pan and Scan:
A method of converting widescreen images to a 4:3 aspect ratio. Cropping the video so that it fills the entire
screen and panning it into position shows the essential parts of the scene.
Picture in Picture (PIP):
An effect of superimposing a small window of footage over a larger window and the two play at the same time.
Pixel:
One of the tiny dots that make up the representation of an image in a computer’s memory. The smallest unit of
a digital image.
Pixel Aspect Ratio:
Aspect ratio is the ratio between the width and height of your video; the Pixel Aspect Ratio is the ratio between
the width and height of the pixels. A standard Pixel Aspect Ratio is 1:1.
Pixelation:
The display of large, blocky pixels in an image caused by over-enlarging it.
1.19. Glossary 115

Playhead:
When editing audio or video in a current computer, the Playhead is a graphic line in the Timeline that represents
the current accessed position, or frame, of the material.
Post-production (Post):
Post-production (post) is any video production activity following the initial recording. Typically, post involves
editing, the addition of background music, voice-over, sound effects, titles, and various visual effects resulting
in completed production.
Poster Frame:
A single frame of a clip, selected as a thumbnail to indicate the clip’s contents.
Project:
A project is all the files, transitions, effects, and animations that you make or use within OpenShot.
-R-
Raw Footage:
Raw footage is pre-edited footage, usually direct from the camera.
Real-time:
Real-time occurs immediately, without delay for rendering. If a transition occurs in real-time, there is no waiting,
the computer creates the effect or transition on-the-fly, showing it the results immediately.
Rendering:
The process by which the video editing software and hardware convert the raw video, effects, transitions, and
filters into a new continuous video file.
Render Time:
The render time is the time it takes an editing computer to composite source elements and commands into a
single video file. Rendering allows the sequence, including titles and transition effects, to play in full motion.
Resolution:
Resolution refers to the actual number of horizontal and vertical pixels your video contains. Common resolution
Examples: (SD) 640×480, (HD) 854x480, (HD) 1280×720, (FHD) 1920×1080, (QHD) 2560x1440, (UHD)
3840x2160, and (FUHD) 7680x4320. Often the numbers that appear vertically refer to the resolution. The
examples listed would appear as SD, 480p, 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 4K and 8K, respectively.
RGB:
Monitors, cameras, and digital projectors use the primary colors of light (Red, Green, and Blue) to make images.
RGBA:
A file containing an RGB image plus an alpha channel for transparency information.
Roll:
Roll is a text effect commonly seen in end credits, where text typically moves from the bottom to the top of the
screen.
Rough cut:
A rough cut is a preliminary edit of footage in the approximate sequence, length, and content of a finished
program.
1.19. Glossary 116

-S-
Sample Rate:
In digital audio, the number of samples per second. The higher the number, the better the sound quality.
Scene:
Action that occurs in one location at one time.
Scrub:
Scrubbing is an act of moving the cursor or playhead across the Timeline manually. Once specific to audio tracks,
the term now also refers to video tracks.
Shot:
A recording of a single take.
Slow-motion:
A shot in which action takes place at a slower than average speed. The camera achieves slow-motion by speeding
up the frame rate during recording and then playing back the frames at a slower speed.
Snap:
Snapping quickly positions an object in alignment with grid lines, guidelines, or another object. Snapping causes
the object to automatically jump to an exact position when the user drags it to the proximity of the desired location.
Splice:
The process of physically attaching two pieces of film using tape or cement.
Split cut (L-cut or J-cut):
An edit in which the audio starts before or after the picture cut. Used for easing the transition from one scene or
shot to another.
Splitscreen:
A unique effect that displays two or more scenes simultaneously on different parts of the screen.
Sound Effects:
Sound effects are contrived audio, usually prerecorded, incorporated with a video soundtrack to resemble a real
occurrence. Blowing on a microphone, for example, might simulate wind to accompany hurricane images.
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack is the audio portion of a video recording, often multifaceted with natural sound, voiceovers,
background music, or other sounds.
Stabilization:
Image stabilization is a family of techniques that reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera or other
imaging device during exposure.
Standard Definition (SD):
Television broadcasting standard with a lower resolution than high definition.
Step:
The act of moving forward or backward through video one frame at a time.
Still Frame:
A single frame of video is repeated, so it appears to have no motion.
Straight Cut:
The most common edit, consecutive clips placed one after another in the Timeline window. Straight cuts are
preferable to transitions when the scenes are similar, and you do not want edits to be noticeable.
Superimposing:
Combining images, where one or more layers involve transparency.
1.19. Glossary 117

Sync (Synchronization):
Synchronization refers to the relative timing of audio (sound) and video (image) parts during creation, post-
production (mixing), transmission, reception, and play-back processing.
SECAM:
Systeme Electronique Couleur Avec Memoire, a TV format used mainly in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Africa.
-T-
Tilt:
Tilting is a cinematographic technique in which the camera stays in a fixed position but rotates up/down in a
vertical plane.
Timecode:
The timecode is the discrete address given to each frame of the video (for example, 1:20:24:09). Timecode makes
frame-accurate editing possible and allows editors to identify scenes precisely in a log.
Time-lapse:
It is a technique for capturing each frame in a video at a much slower rate than usual. When played back at regular
speed, time appears to go by faster. An editing program achieves this by fast-forwarding or increasing the speed
of your video.
Timeline:
The Timeline is an editing interface that lays out a video project in a linear fashion consisting of clips laid
horizontally across the screen.
Timeline Editing:
Timeline editing is a computer-based method of editing, in which bars proportional to the length of a clip, rep-
resent video and audio clips on a computer screen.
Titling:
Titling is the process or result of incorporating on-screen text as credits, captions, or any other alphanumeric
communication.
Track:
A separate audio or video layer on a timeline.
Transcode:
Converting a digital file to another digital file format. This usually involves audio and video compression.
Transparency:
Percentage of the opacity of a video clip or element.
Transition:
A method of juxtaposing two scenes. Transitions can take many forms, including cuts, dissolves, and wipes.
Trim:
Removing frames from the beginning, middle, or end of a clip.
1.19. Glossary 118

-V-
Video Format:
The video format is a standard that determines the way a video signal records on videotape. Standards include
DV, 8-mm, Beta, and VHS.
Voiceover:
A term used to describe off-camera narration that is not part of a scene (non-diegetic).
VTR:
A Videotape recorder also referred to as a ‘deck’. Decks duplicate videotapes and inputting and outputting from
a computer.
-W-
Widescreen:
A format in which the width-to-height ratio of the frame is greater than 4:3 so that it is significantly wider than
it is tall.
Wipe:
A wipe is a transition from one shot to another. The edge of the transition moves across the original image as a
line or a pattern, revealing the new shot.
-Z-
Zoom:
A shot where the image grows more substantial or smaller by adjusting the focal length of the lens instead of
physically moving the camera.
1.19. Glossary 119

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OpenShot Video Editor Documentation

OpenShot Studios, LLC

Jan 18, 2023

• Free & open-source (licensed under GPLv3)

• Real-time preview (multi-threaded, and optimized for performance)

1.1.3 System Requirements

Most computers manufactured after 2017 will run OpenShot

• 64-bit Operating System (Linux, OS X, Chrome OS, Windows 7/8/10/11)

1.2.1 Windows (Installer)

1.2.2 Windows (Portable)

Listing 1: Install portable version of OpenShot (no administrator permis-

1.2.4 Linux (AppImage)

1.2.5 Linux (PPA)

Listing 2: Stable PPA (Contains only official releases)

Listing 3: Daily PPA (Highly experimental and unstable, for testers)

1.2.6 Chrome OS (Chromebook)

1.3 Quick Tutorial

1.3.1 Basic Terminology

1.3. Quick Tutorial 9

1.3.2 Video Tutorials

1.3.3 Step 1 – Import Photos & Music

1.3. Quick Tutorial 10

1.3.4 Step 2 – Add Photos to Timeline

1.3. Quick Tutorial 11

1.3.5 Step 3 – Add Music to Timeline

1.3.6 Step 4 – Preview your Project

1.3. Quick Tutorial 12

1.3.7 Step 5 – Export your Video

1.3. Quick Tutorial 13

1.4 Video Editing Basics

1.4. Video Editing Basics 14

2. Keep the video moving at an engaging pace

1.4.3 Practical Tips

1.4. Video Editing Basics 15

1.4. Video Editing Basics 16

1.5 Main Window

1.5. Main Window 17

1.5.2 Built-in Tutorial

1.5. Main Window 18

1.5.3 Tracks & Layers

1.5. Main Window 19

1.5.4 Keyboard Shortcuts

1.5. Main Window 20

Table 1 – continued from previous page

1.5. Main Window 21

Table 1 – continued from previous page

1.6.1 Import Files

1.6.2 File Menu

1.6.3 Split Clip

1.6.4 Export Clips

1.6.5 Add to Timeline

1.6.7 Remove from Project

1.7.1 Trimming & Slicing

Trim & Slice Method Description

1.7.2 Preset Menu

For more info on key frames and animation, see Animation.

1.7.6 More Information

For more info on key frames and animation, see Animation.

1.8.3 Cutting & Slicing