Shotcut Video Editor Adds VA-API Encoding Support For Linux, Other Improvements
Shotcut, a free and open source video editor, was updated to version 18.11.13 yesterday. The new release includes VA-API encoding support on Linux, as well as a new option to use hardware encoder in the export screen, among other improvements.
Shotcut is a free video editor for Linux, macOS and Windows. It includes a wide range of functions, from editing features like trimming, cutting, copying and pasting, to video effects or audio features like peak meter, loudness, waveform, volume control, audio filters, and so on.
There's much more that Shotcut can do, including edit 4K videos, capture audio, it supports network streaming, and so on. See its features page for a in-depth list.
The application, which uses Qt5 and makes use of the MLT Multimedia Framework, supports a wide range of formats thanks to FFmpeg, and it features an intuitive interface with multiple dockable panels.
The latest Shotcut 18.11.13 adds VA-API encoding support for Linux (H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC codecs). To enable this, you can use a newly added
Use hardware encoder checkbox from the Export Video panel, then click Configure and select h264_vaapi or hevc_vaapi:
Another change in this version of Shotcut is the addition of a New Project / Recent Projects screen, that's displayed when creating a new project (
File > New):
The update also brings a simple / advanced export mode. When you export a video (
File > Export Video), you'll now see a simplified panel which lets you enable and configure the use of a hardware encoder, a message that explains the defaults, which are suitable for most users and purposes, as well as the presets. A new Advanced button was added at the bottom, which lets users specify video settings like resolution, frame rate, codecs, and so on.Other changes worth mentioning in Shotcut 18.11.13 include:
- Added 10 and 20 Pixel Grid options to the player grid button menu
- Added View > Scopes > Video Waveform
- Added Settings > Video Mode > Non-Broadcast > Square 1080p 30 fps and 60 fps
- Added Ut Video export presets
- Added Spot Remover video filter
- Increased Scale maximum to 500% for Rotate and Scale filter
- Made GPU Effects hidden and discouraged
- macOS: added videotoolbox encoding, signed app bundle and fixed support for macOS 10.10 and 10.11
- Fixed issues like hanging on exit, crash when undoing split and transition on Timeline, etc.
You can see a complete list of changes here.
Download Shotcut video editor
On the Shotcut download page you'll find macOS, Linux and Windows binaries. For Linux there are official AppImage and portable tar binaries, as well as links to the Shotcut Flathub and Snapcraft pages (from where you can install the app as a Flatpak or Snap package). The Flatpak package has not yet been updated to the latest Shotcut 18.11.13 though.
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