User manual — CUTFORGE

Software version: 0.9.24 (Windows x64)

Manual last updated: 2026-07-10

This document describes what CUTFORGE can do at this release. Features and shortcuts will be expanded with each update.

What CUTFORGE does (0.9.24)

CUTFORGE is a local desktop video editor: your files stay on your PC; editing and export run through FFmpeg on your machine.

Project and files

New project, open / save .cutforge project files
File → New project templates: Shorts (9:16), YouTube (16:9), or Podcast audio (sets project aspect and defaults)
Autosave and session restore on restart
Project name and FPS presets
Relink missing media from a folder (match by file name)

Appearance

View menu: Dark, Light, or Auto (follows Windows light/dark mode); your choice is saved on this PC
Light theme uses a soft canvas palette; sticker badges stay readable on bright previews

Media import

Media bins: create bins to organize imports; filter the library by bin
Formats: MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, MP3, WAV, AAC, PNG, JPG, JPEG, GIF
Import via toolbar button or drag-and-drop into the window
Library: thumbnails, waveforms, search filter
Double-click or button to add media to the timeline at the playhead

Timeline

Default tracks: V1 (main), V2/V3 (overlays), A1 (audio), T1/T2 (text). Text tracks appear above the video stack (T1, T2… then V3→V1).
+ / − on the last overlay, audio, and text track to add or remove an empty track (up to 64 tracks; at least one track per type is kept)
Split, trim, move, copy / cut / paste, delete
Lock a track or mute its audio
Timeline zoom 5%–400% (100% ≈ 60 s visible); zoom slider centered in the toolbar
Beat markers: add at playhead; click = go to beat; Shift+click = delete; B = snap playhead
Cut silences (toolbar …): removes internal silences on unlocked audio/video tracks with ripple
Silence markers on the timeline ruler (from waveforms): shaded quiet regions; click to seek

Clip editing (inspector)

Drag section blocks (Montage, Pro, Text, …) to reorder panels; order is saved on this PC
Object / animal tracking (video clip): Choose subject in the preview, Start tracking (GPU module 1.4.0), Start over to pick again; Fixed subject (building) for a static zone.
Speed (0.25×–4×), reverse playback (export only; preview plays forward)
Out transitions: fade, wipe, slide
Position, scale, opacity
Color adjustments and presets (Cinematic, Vivid, B&W, etc.)
Per-clip volume (video / audio)
Frame fit when clip aspect differs from the project: Contain (letterbox) or Pan (drag in preview to reframe)
Dual versus layout (project setting): top/bottom split preview for reaction or comparison clips (V1 top, V2 bottom)

Text and stickers

Text clips on T1/T2: Title, Subtitle, Lower third, Caption presets
Double-click a text track to create a clip
Built-in stickers on overlay tracks; drag in the preview to reposition

Advanced panel

Effects: blur, sharpen, vignette, warm
Chroma key (green screen) — exported MP4 is authoritative
Keyframes: opacity, scale, X/Y position
SRT import/export, per-clip silence trim, video proxy
Local speech-to-text (Whisper / WhisperX): generate subtitles on T1 from a selected clip — optional STT module download (v2 with forced word alignment for karaoke); speech never leaves your PC
Subtitle styles (box, bold, neon, minimal, pop, karaoke, word-pop) and max on-screen length; Apply to T1
Word editor (Text inspector): edit each word’s text and timing; merge or split words after STT
Transcript edit: remove spoken ranges from the transcript panel; linked clips ripple on the timeline
Caption re-sync — karaoke captions stay aligned after you split, trim, or silence-cut the source video clip
YouTube chapters — generate chapter markers from subtitle gaps; export a chapter file from the Pro panel
Speaker zoom — apply automatic punch-in keyframes on speech segments (Pro panel)

Podcast assistant

File → Podcast assistant…: guided workflow (project → import → silence cut → ducking → captions → export)
Each step can be skipped; optional Export for all networks at the end

Face filters (local tracking)

Video clip on the timeline (no reverse playback): Face filter panel in the inspector.
On first use, downloads the tracking module (about 75 MB with GPU object detection, once) to %APPDATA%\com.cutforge.studio\tracking\.
SMART DETECT — analyzes the main face automatically (no preview click).
Pick face in preview — click the face to track, then Analyze face for blur / warm tint.
Smart reframe 9:16 (face) — after face tracking: enable Follow face on 9:16 export in the same panel.
Effects: Skin blur or Warm tint; Intensity 0–100 (preview matches export).
Blur all faces — anonymize every detected face in the frame (crowds / privacy).
Mask mode: Standard (landmark polygon mask) or Advanced skin (tighter skin-only mask via face parsing).
Advanced skin requires tracking pack 1.3.0 or newer — update from Face filter if the app prompts you (pack 1.3.x is a larger download than 1.2.x).
Changing mask mode requires Analyze face again — cached masks are invalid until re-analysis.
Analyze face: tracks the face across the clip (progress overlay with %; Cancel during analysis or module download).
Face mask at playback (same shape as export); confidence score shown on the preview.
Remove filter clears tracking on the clip.
Help → Privacy: Remove face tracking module to free disk space (~17 MB).
Windows may show a SmartScreen warning the first time cutforge-tracker.exe runs (local module, not Authenticode-signed yet) — same idea as the main CUTFORGE installer.
Score below about 50%: re-pick the face or shorten the clip.

Smart Reframe 9:16

Turns landscape footage into a 9:16 export (Shorts, Reels, TikTok) while keeping the tracked face centered — local processing (same tracking module as face filter).
Face blur prerequisite: SMART DETECT or Pick face in preview, then Analyze face.
Vertical reframe (face): Face filter panel → Smart Reframe 9:16 → Follow face on 9:16 export after SMART DETECT or manual analysis.
Vertical reframe (animal / object): Montage inspector → Object / animal tracking → Choose subject, Start tracking, then enable Follow subject on 9:16 export.
During playback, a blue frame shows the crop area; the MP4 export applies the same dynamic crop (single continuous file, no visible segment jumps).
Headroom slider: space above the face in the vertical frame.
Applies only when export format is 9:16 (Shorts/Reels/TikTok preset or 9:16 ratio). Otherwise the clip is letterboxed as usual.
Clip FPS (inspector) = probed file rate; estimated export FPS = max of project FPS and timeline videos.

Preview and export

Playback, scrubber, V2/V3 overlays, text and stickers
MP4 export: YouTube, Shorts/Reels, TikTok, Instagram presets; 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3; fast / balanced / high quality; NVENC, Intel QSV, AMD AMF; crossfade; audio ducking
Export for all networks: one run writes 4 MP4 files (YouTube + Shorts + TikTok + Instagram) to a folder
FREE: full editor, export with CUTFORGE watermark · PRO: export without watermark (license)
After your first successful export: optional anonymous usage statistics and a quick 1–5 rating (change anytime via Help → Privacy)
Help menu: online manual, contact team, logs, privacy, check for updates
In-app updates, UI in EN / FR / RU

Limits at this version: Windows x64 only (no macOS); no cloud or collaboration; local STT and face filters use optional on-demand modules (STT may require a specific build channel); preview may differ from export (color, chroma, some effects) — face blur intensity and mask match export.

Keyboard shortcuts (Windows)

Shortcuts are disabled when focus is in a text field, input, or dropdown.

Playback and navigation

Key	Action
Space or K	Play / Pause
L	Play forward
J	Pause and step back 0.5 s
←	Seek back 5 s
→	Seek forward 5 s
↑	Track above + select clip at playhead
↓	Track below + select clip at playhead

Timeline editing

Key	Action
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z	Redo
Ctrl+C	Copy selected clip
Ctrl+X	Cut
Ctrl+V	Paste at playhead
Delete or Backspace	Delete selection
Shift+S	Split at playhead
Q	Trim start to playhead
W	Trim end to playhead
B	Snap playhead to nearest beat

Mouse interactions

Main toolbar

By default only Export appears on the quick toolbar and Split on the timeline bar (zoom controls always stay visible). Use Edit → Customize toolbar… to pick presets (Minimal, Standard, Full) or toggle individual actions; your layout is saved on this PC. Menus and keyboard shortcuts always expose every action.

Quick bar can also show Import and Save; timeline bar can show undo/redo, copy/cut/paste, text, trim, beat markers, silence cut, etc. Help menu (manual, contact team, log verbosity, open logs folder, privacy, check for updates), View (appearance: Dark, Light, Auto), language, FFmpeg status.

Media library

Action	Effect
Click	Select media
Double-click	Add to timeline at playhead
Drag	Drop onto a timeline track
Relink from folder	Find missing files

Sequence preview

Action	Effect
Play / Pause button	Toggle playback
\|< button	Go to start of timeline
Scrubber	Seek manually
Mouse wheel	Seek ±1 s
Drag text or sticker	Reposition in frame

Preview / timeline splitter

Drag the horizontal bar between preview and timeline to resize the panels.

Timeline

Action	Effect
Click on track	Move playhead
Shift+click (clip selected)	Split at playhead
Double-click text track	Create new text clip
Drag clip	Move (may change track)
Trim handles	Shorten clip
Click beat marker	Go to beat
Shift+click beat marker	Delete marker
Ctrl+wheel	Timeline zoom (±5%)
Wheel (bottom zone, below last track)	Seek ±10 s
Zoom slider or ± buttons	Zoom 5%–400%
Mute / lock buttons	Mute audio or lock track
+ / − track buttons	Add or remove empty overlay / audio / text track
Undo / Redo buttons	Edit history

Window

Drag files from Windows Explorer into the app to import them.

1. Installation and first launch

Download and install (Windows x64)

Download the installer from cutforge.app (Windows card).
Run CUTFORGE_*_x64-setup.exe and follow the wizard.
On first launch, a splash screen appears while the editor loads.

SmartScreen (“Unknown publisher”)

Windows may warn because the installer is not yet Authenticode-signed (planned after v1.0). This is normal for a beta:

Click More info, then Run anyway.
Only install files downloaded from the official site or GitHub Releases.

FFmpeg (required for export)

CUTFORGE uses FFmpeg and FFprobe (third-party software under the GNU GPL v3) to probe media and encode MP4. Legal notices and source offer: Third-party licenses on cutforge.app.

On first launch (Windows), if FFmpeg is missing, CUTFORGE may download and install it automatically into %APPDATA%\com.cutforge.studio\ffmpeg\bin\ (no administrator rights). A progress overlay is shown; the editor then opens normally.

The installer may also bundle FFmpeg next to the app. Otherwise the toolbar shows Configure FFmpeg…:

Click the FFmpeg status in the toolbar (or wait for the dialog if auto-install failed).
The setup dialog retries an automatic download first (Download and install automatically). Manual fallback: choose a full or gpl build (not “essentials”) — gyan.dev link in the dialog.
Extract the archive, then Choose bin folder… containing ffmpeg.exe and ffprobe.exe.
When status shows FFmpeg ready, MP4 export is enabled.

A manual path is stored in %APPDATA%\com.cutforge.studio. Use Forget saved path to reset. In the app, License → Open-source licenses opens the licenses/FFmpeg.txt notice.

First screen

Media library (left) · Preview and timeline (center) · Inspector (right)
Language menu: EN, FR, RU
Your session autosaves; a crash may restore it on restart.

Anonymous usage statistics (optional)

After your first successful MP4 export, a banner may offer to share anonymous usage statistics (version, exports — no media or project content).
Share usage or No thanks — fully optional.
Change your choice anytime: Help → Privacy.
A quick satisfaction rating (1–5) may also appear after the first export.

2. Basic workflow

Typical path for a short edit:

Step 1 — Import

Import media or drag files into the window.
Files appear in the library with thumbnail and duration.

Step 2 — Place on timeline

Double-click media → adds to V1 at the playhead.
Or drag onto the desired track (V1, V2, A1…).
Click the timeline to move the playhead; Space to play.

Step 3 — Edit

Select a clip → inspector panels (audio, image, montage, text…).
Shift+S or Split button to cut at playhead.
Q / W to trim start or end to playhead.
Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y to undo or redo.

Step 4 — Save project

Save → .cutforge file (edit + media paths, not the video files themselves).
Keep source files in place or use relink (chapter 6).

Step 5 — Export MP4

Export MP4 (requires FFmpeg ready).
Adjust settings (chapter 4), then Choose MP4 file….
Watch progress; you can Cancel mid-export.
The final file is the FFmpeg render — authoritative for color and effects.
After a first successful export, the privacy banner (anonymous statistics) may appear.

Optional step — Face filter on a clip

Select a video clip (no reverse playback) on V1 or an overlay track.
Inspector → Face filter → install the module if prompted.
Choose Mask mode (Standard or Advanced skin if pack 1.3.0+ is installed).
Pick face in preview, set the effect, then Analyze face (re-run after any mask mode change).
Export MP4: the filter is baked into the final file.

3. Tracks and layering

Track layout

Text tracks (T1, T2…) are shown above overlay and main video tracks. Use + on the last track of each addable type to grow the stack (up to 64 tracks).

Track	Role
V1 Main	Primary picture; background when nothing covers it.
V2 / V3 Overlay	Video or image on top of V1 (PiP, animated logo…).
A1 Audio	Audio-only (music, voiceover as MP3/WAV…).
T1 / T2 Text	Titles and captions; double-click track to create a clip.

Video layering

Clips on V2 or V3 display above V1 for their duration.
Montage inspector: object/animal tracking, 9:16 subject reframe, position, scale, opacity, transitions.
Face filter inspector: face tracking, blur/warm, 9:16 face reframe.
Overlay tracks can fade in/out on export.

Audio

Video clip audio on V1/V2 plays unless the track is muted.
A1 is for music or narration without video.
Per-clip gain in the Audio inspector.
Track mute silences the whole track (video stays visible).

Text

Two text tracks T1/T2 for stacked lines.
Quick presets: Title, Subtitle, Lower third, Caption.
Drag text in the preview to reposition.

Lock

The lock icon prevents accidental moves or edits. Unlock before changing the track.

4. Export settings

Opened via Export MP4 before choosing the output file.

Platform presets

Preset	Use
YouTube 16:9	1920×1080, 30 fps, balanced quality
Shorts / Reels 9:16	1080×1920 vertical, 30 fps
TikTok 9:16	1080×1920, fast encode
Instagram square	1080×1080, 30 fps
Custom	Keeps your manual settings

Main options

Aspect ratio: 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3
Video encoder: Auto (NVENC → QSV → AMF → software x264), Software (x264), NVENC (NVIDIA), QSV (Intel), AMF (AMD)
NVIDIA GPU: when several NVIDIA cards are installed, pick which one to use for NVENC
Hardware summary (CPU cores, detected encoders) at the top of the export dialog
Hardware HEVC decode: faster playback of H.265 (iPhone, DJI…)
Quality: Fast · Balanced · High quality
Crossfade between clips: 0–800 ms — sequential clips crossfade; stacked V2/V3 overlay fades
Motion interpolation (minterpolate): smoother motion, slower export
Music ducking: lowers music on A1 when speech is heard on video tracks
Export for all networks: batch export to four platform presets in one folder
Preview crossfade at clip end: editor preview only

Export FPS: maximum of project FPS (inspector) and timeline video clips.

Exported MP4 is authoritative. In-editor preview may differ slightly (color, chroma).

5. FREE vs PRO

	FREE	PRO
Multi-track editor	Yes	Yes
Stickers, text, effects, face filters, GPU export	Yes	Yes
MP4 export	With CUTFORGE watermark (bottom right)	No watermark
License	None	1 PC (`license.json`)

FREE

Full editing. Only MP4 export includes the CUTFORGE logo watermark. The export dialog reminds you before confirming.

PRO

License tied to a machine ID (1 license = 1 PC).
Activate by importing license.json received after purchase.
From v1.0: License toolbar button and checkout at cutforge.app/pricing. In pre-1.0 beta, activation may be manual.

6. Troubleshooting

Missing media

If a source file was moved or renamed, the library shows an alert. Click Relink from folder… and pick the folder containing the files (matched by name). Then save the .cutforge project.

FFmpeg issues

Ensure ffmpeg.exe and ffprobe.exe are in the same folder.
Use a full build with libx264 and HEVC decoder.
Click Re-check in the setup dialog.

Slow or failed export

Try Fast quality or NVENC encoder (NVIDIA GPU).
Disable minterpolate if not needed.
Check disk space for output and export cache.

Logs and Help

Help menu: Normal or Debug log verbosity, then Open logs → %APPDATA%\com.cutforge.studio\logs.
Contact team opens a prefilled email with diagnostics.
For bugs, email logs to info@cutforge.app.

Face filter / tracking module

Internet required for the first module download.
Video clips only; reverse playback is not supported.
If analysis fails: re-pick the face, shorten the clip, or retry after an app update.
Advanced skin unavailable: install or update the tracking module to pack 1.3.0+ from Face filter.
After switching mask mode, run Analyze face again before export.

Updates

Check for updates… in the Help menu (installed app only).
Preferences, license, and FFmpeg paths are kept after updating.
If auto-install fails, re-download from cutforge.app.

Preview ≠ export

Color, chroma key, face filters, and some effects are approximate on screen. Always trust the exported MP4 for final output.

7. Appendix — shortcuts (printable)

Tip: Ctrl+P on this page to print this appendix.

Key	Action
Space / K	Play / Pause
L	Play forward
J	Pause + −0.5 s
← / →	−5 s / +5 s
↑ / ↓	Track up / down + select
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y / Ctrl+Shift+Z	Redo
Ctrl+C / X / V	Copy / Cut / Paste
Delete / Backspace	Delete
Shift+S	Split at playhead
Q / W	Trim start / end to playhead
B	Snap to beat
Ctrl+wheel (timeline)	Zoom
Wheel (timeline bottom zone)	±10 s
Wheel (preview)	±1 s

Contact: info@cutforge.app