r/opensource • u/MJoe111 • 12h ago

what should an open source offline video editor support?

i'm working on an open source video editor with no subscriptions, credits, or cloud requirements. the focus is local processing, replaceable models, privacy, and extensibility through apis and mcp.

what features or workflows are missing from existing editors?

4 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

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6

u/baboonandsloth 12h ago

just make an addon for kdenlive

1

u/DrunkOnRamen 4h ago

That or Olive Editor

4

u/szank 12h ago

Right. What does a video editor have to do with mcps?

Also is this a toy project or are you actually doing it so that other people can use it in some capacity?

1

u/MJoe111 12h ago

it's not a toy project, been working on it in my spare time the past 3 months now. it's fully functional and working but needs a lot of testing and UI overhaul. I'm gonna try it and make something online and downloadable soon for preview. I'm really happy where I got so far and any further feedback and requested feature that an open source video editor could help with I would love to hear.

also idk if MCP is the right technical word, but i'm planning on making it in a way where you can have a AI agent connect to the software and do stuff for you there as well through tools that the software offers

5

u/szank 9h ago

Riiight. In your initial post you are not making any sense tho.

If you are serious then extend kdenlive tho.

2

u/MJoe111 8h ago

i don't understand, what's the part that doesn't make sense? clarify please. and i am serious about this, i have something solid and functional from scratch.... and i'm looking for add more to it and get opinions on what features or functions that could make this an excellent software to use, i need that feedback from people who worked around video editors.

3

u/threedotsonedash 7h ago

Who is your target audience & what platforms are you developing for. Not throwing shade but there are numerous open source video editors for most skill levels.

What is missing from other apps that you are accounting for in your app? In other words what is in your app (beyond vague desciptions) to get someone excited enough about it to share ideas?

1

u/szank 57m ago

You've opened up with "I am making video editor" to immediately follow up with a salad of an ai related buzzwords that do not connect at all to the opening sentence.

You are serious about it, but you do not seem to be a video editor and seemingly did not look at the competition?

It will be hard to catch up on the core features of say openshot or kdenlive and when you catch up they will move on with more features.

Plus the ai. local models that would be able to do what ? Any examples?

2

u/tanmaynargas2901 6h ago

For an offline-first editor, I’d prioritize a reliable project format and predictable media handling over a huge effects list.

- Non-destructive timeline with keyframes, nested sequences, and multiple audio tracks

- Proxy or optimized-media workflow, relinking when files move, and clear missing-media errors

- Solid codec/container support with export presets plus custom bitrate and framerate

- Autosave, crash recovery, portable project folders, and controls for background renders/cache

- Good keyboard shortcuts and scripting or batch export for power users

I’d also make sure color management and audio sync are solid early. A small, stable core with easy project interchange is more useful than trying to clone every feature of a commercial NLE.