Shotcut has just released version 25.07.26, and it’s a seriously exciting update for fans of this free, open-source video editor. Whether you’re trimming clips for YouTube or working on a full-blown short film, this release delivers some welcome quality-of-life improvements and fresh tools without weighing you down with unnecessary fluff.
One of the most noticeable changes is the way Shotcut now handles speech-to-text. The built-in Whisper.cpp (GGML) model is no longer included in the installer, which helps reduce the download size. Instead, there’s now a downloader built right into the Speech to Text dialog, so users can grab exactly what they need when they need it. It’s a smarter approach and a nice touch for those of us on slower connections.
The update also improves the look and feel of the interface. The System theme now does a better job following your operating system’s dark mode and contrast settings, especially on Windows and macOS. If you like a consistent UI across apps, this will definitely feel like a step in the right direction. There’s also a new “System Fusion” option that combines symbolic Fusion-style icons with your system’s palette, giving it a more modern, monochrome vibe.
My favorite new feature might be the Outline video filter. It uses the alpha channel of the input, making it great for titles, graphics, or anything with transparency. Just be aware it works best when used with dedicated text clips layered on top, not directly on video or images.
Audio editors get some nice upgrades too. You can now drag the waveform peak line to adjust gain directly. That can be toggled off if you prefer not to use it. A bunch of audio filters now include channel toggle buttons, making surround sound projects much more manageable. You can copy stereo audio to rear channels, isolate vocals to the center, or send bass-heavy tracks to the subwoofer channel with the new Low Pass filter support.
Timeline editing also gets a boost. Hold Ctrl (or Command on macOS) while trimming to perform a rolling edit on adjacent clips. And if Ripple editing is turned off, holding Shift will let you ripple-trim temporarily. It’s the kind of small tweak that saves time over the long run.
There’s also a new Soft Focus video filter set, perfect for smoothing out visuals, and the Slideshow Generator now lets you set a maximum audio or video duration, defaulting to four hours. That sounds long, but it’s useful when mixing image and video assets for longer edits or automated transitions.
Shotcut also made it possible to add multiple Mask: Apply filters and enabled scrubbing while dragging on the timeline. Export settings have been refined too, with AAC, MP3, and Opus now defaulting to Average Bitrate, which balances quality and file size more effectively.
Fixes in this release address everything from broken masks and fade-outs to macOS 15 encoding problems and iPhone video compatibility. French (Canadian) and Lithuanian translations were added too, which shows the team is continuing to support its global user base.
As someone who uses Linux daily, it’s refreshing to see a video editor that doesn’t feel like a second-class citizen on the platform. Shotcut isn’t just keeping up, it’s leading in a lot of ways. The fact that it works this well across Linux, Windows, and macOS without charging a dime is something I’ll never take for granted.
You can grab the new version now from the official Shotcut site.
