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Shotcut

DESIGN
Velocity2.5

Free cross platform video editor

shotcut.org ↗

Shotcut restores external monitor support after three years and ships audio pipeline improvements

video-editingopen-sourcecross-platformaudioplugins
◆Current state
Shotcut, the open-source cross-platform video editor, reclaimed a feature lost for three years in v26.6.25: using a secondary system display as an external monitor, made possible by a major rebuild of the video plumbing. v26.9 BETA improves audio quality by keeping the pipeline in 32-bit float throughout, removing a lossy conversion to 16-bit. VST2 and LV2 audio plugins, initially missing from all builds, were also restored in v26.7.16.
◆Where it's heading
Recent development is focused on correctness and feature restoration rather than new capability additions — fixing regressions from earlier major versions and hardening the audio pipeline. OpenFX plugin support (previewed in v26.6 BETA) is a genuine capability expansion that broadens professional plugin compatibility.
◆Prediction
The v26.9 BETA should reach stable status shortly. OpenFX plugin support, introduced as experimental in v26.6, will likely move toward stability in the next major release — a meaningful addition for editors using professional color and effects plugins.

◆Recent moves

  1. 1mo ago

    v26.9 BETA

    v26.9 BETA improves audio quality by removing a conversion to 16-bit integer and keeping the processing pipeline in 32-bit float throughout — a real fidelity improvement for editors working with high-quality audio. Also fixes Mask: Draw (Glaxnimate) and Mask: Apply filter regressions that broke in v25.12.

    View source ↗
  2. 3mo ago

    v26.7.16

    v26.7.16 restores VST2 and LV2 audio plugin support across all builds (these were missing), fixes corrupt color in dissolve transitions in Linear 10-bit CPU mode, and corrects off-by-one subtitle timing in the timeline. Multiple meaningful fixes across audio and video correctness.

    View source ↗
  3. 4mo ago

    v26.6.25

    External monitor support via a secondary system display returns after three years — lost when Shotcut upgraded its UI library, now restored after a major rebuild of the video plumbing. This was a widely requested restoration; it changes the capable-enough threshold for Shotcut in professional editing environments.

    View source ↗
  4. 4mo ago

    v26.6 BETA

    v26.6 BETA fixes external monitor DeckLink deadlocks and introduces initial basic support for OpenFX plugins (filters) with a UI for NTSC-rc and a set of standard parameters. OpenFX is a widely used standard for professional video effects and color plugins — landing support, even experimentally, opens Shotcut to a broader professional plugin ecosystem.

    View source ↗
  5. 6mo ago

    V26.4: All the Small Things

    V26.4 delivers a set of timeline refinements: symmetric transition resize with trim handles, drag-and-drop from Recent to Timeline, less erratic zoom behavior in Timeline and Keyframes, and reduced memory usage for waveforms. Incremental but genuine workflow improvements for regular users.

    View source ↗
  6. 6mo ago

    v26.4.29: Upgrade Qt to 6.10.3 for Linux

    A Linux-only patch upgrading Qt to 6.10.3 to fix popup windows on Wayland not rendering correctly for buttons with menus. A platform-specific compatibility fix.

    View source ↗