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page updated 23 November 2007         version 0.0.2.0 beta

avsFilmCutter is

A script editing and viewing tool for "AviSynth" ( What is AviSynth ? ), born from my laziness, I am trying to reduce the number of clicks.

FilmCutter is a utility that merges a text editor, video viewer / player together in one package with a scene or clip editing interface and script writer, the desired focus being on the latter.

Project Overview

FilmCutter is an attempt to create a Windows based utility for AviSynth that reduces the work load when trying to gather the start and end frame numbers needed when using many trim statements in AviSynth to cut a video together.

AviSource("MyVeryLongEveryMomentWeddingVideo.avi")
Dissolve(trim(125,1200),trim(3500,4800),90)+trim(4900,6650)

Now can you imagine twenty to fifty more trim functions much like the ones shown above. 
 

Nothing much grander than that was in the original plan.

Features are added when I can think of ways to enhance the usefulness without straining the old brain matter or when a user has made suggestions.  There are three main components in FilmCutter.  Script editor, video viewer and the scene editing interface.

The above graphic shows how avsFilmCutter's components are organized.  You may freely switch between these components or views except when using the script preview which is only available from the script editor and forces you back to the script editor when you no longer wish to see the results of your work.  Hardly cutting edge, just convenient if you'll take the time to become familiar with the interface.

This next graphic tries to show the operational relationship between these different configurations and their respective shortcut keys.

The arrows describe the relationship between the views.  The work you do in the script editor is reflected in script preview and the video scene editor and work done in either of these results in changes in the script editor.  Video results displaying in the video scene editor can be viewed in the video viewer but if you elect to view something else in the video viewer this different content will not load into the scene editor.  The video viewer is completely independent of the rest of the program unless you implicitly load a script for editing while in the video viewer mode.  This allows you to view or snap a frame from another video source without exiting or even disturbing the current project being worked.

From the script editor switching to the viewer never loads the script as the script editor has a dedicated viewer configuration that allows you to text edit with an attached viewer.

No more save the script open the viewer, open the script in this, do this then that, save, close and reopen again.  FilmCutter's role is to have you in and out and encoding faster.

Requirements

If you have any questions or problems please post your comments to the thread in the "AviSynth Usage Forum", "avsFilmCutter # Video Editing tool for AviSynth" or send an email to avsfilmcutter@aol.com.

Know Issues

There is a bug page now, "bugs.html" this is working out to be more trouble than it may be worth.

If you have trouble viewing YV12 output try a different decompressor.

• www.xvid.org You can install xvid on your computer.  The Xvid encoding package has a good YV12 VFW (video for windows) decoder.  Just download and install the package.
• forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56972  Helix YV12 / I420 VFW Codecs

Problems when using Direct Show Viewer:

• This viewer can be a real memory hog with AviSynth.  If your videos are long try using SetMemoryMax(32) or (16) if your running short of memory.  The viewer will account for between 15 and 20 Meg worth of memory.  You may find however that when working with long lists of still images inside AviSynth that SetMemoryMax(256) may not be enough.

• If you work with very long scripts (over 500,000 frames), FilmCutter may become frame inaccurate.

• Some media types may or may not play or load into the media viewer mode of the program.

Almost all of my time spent working with the direct show interface has been aimed at providing a solid and felixable viewer for AviSynth scripts.  If a few lines of code can allow the user to open mpeg, wmv or vob files, I can keep you from needing to opening another program thereby speeding things up a little.  I'm not really trying to develop a play all media types player.

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Current Features:

• Context sensitive, popup menus
  • Right click over the script editor or video window.  Wish to change the viewed aspect ratio?  Right click the video window.

• Script editor
  • Filter / Function lookup from mouse or keyboard
  • Filter / Function parameter help dialog
  • File name lookup and insertion
  • Filter / Function Syntax highlighting
  • Tool buttons to launch external programs like VirtualDub, AVSEdit, DGIndex
  • Script properties from the editor window by button or mouse click
  • MultiMode script preview
    • Standard mode: viewer/player with frame counter.  Jump to frame number
    • w/Script Editor mode: edit or write your script and see the changes with the press of a button or click of the mouse.  All script editor features available
    • Info: see script properties next to the video window
    • Selectable aspect ratio: SourceAR, 4:3, 16:9
    • Locked actual size is available also.

• Video Editor style script generation.
  • Move through your video or play through, stop, play, jump around select the parts you want to use.  FilmCutter will record your cuts and write the script.
  • Creates scene list with fades and dissolves
  • View your progress at anytime, encode immediately.

• Save wave
  • Save your scripts audio out as a wave file.
  • FilmCutter's save wave feature creates clean files with not a byte of junk.
  • Full multichannel support. (*see note 1)
  • Save channels as individual wave files, all in one pass. (new in version 1.8b)
  • Saves full 4 gig files.

• Encode using external command line encoder interface
  • Use encoders like QuEnc and HC or even use VirtualDub, if your up to VirtualDub's scripting.  You can, if your brave, use avs2avi, CCE, its up to you.
  • You can setup as many as 99 encoder configurations, each with different settings.
  • Pair encoding configurations to encode audio and video with different encoders in the same session.

Please check the user's guide that comes with FilmCutter.  The information there should be correct for the version it is released with.

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Script Editor     v 0.0.1.8b

Six user configurable tool buttons allowing user to launch favorite tools like "AVSEditor" or others and return edited script to FilmCutter.

Check your script's output properties at anytime, F8.  View your script's instantly with internal viewer / player or launch the script into your favorite player.  Launch a encoding session or setup an encoder configuration from the script editor.

New . clears all Open Files Save Files Undo undo(redo) Undo Cut Copy Paste Delete Script Properties Help / About Filter / Function List Preview Script Viewer Preview Scirpt Play Viewer Only Scene Editor

Script Preview     v 0.0.1.8b

1. Script output properties. 2. Jump to frame window, press enter or click "GO". 3. Frame forward and reverse buttons with frame number display, keyboard video nav controls work also. 4. Edit your script and click update or press F4. 5. Same script editor with its menus and features. 6. Preview window frame has preview menu. Video window has it's menu also.

Video Editor:     v 0.0.1.7b

Select scene start and end frames, then "Add" Click row buttons to edit, right click row button to delete or insert. Include transitions, FadeIn, FadeOut or FadeIO with your scene selection. Insert or add Dissolves between scenes. Switch to project and view your work. Open a command line Encoding aplication or an application like VirtualDub by clicking the encode button. Use dual frame viewer (shown) to find the exact frame for editing.

Web Guides.

The guides are more detailed than the user's documentation that downloads with FilmCutter, but can become a little behind, version wise, I try.

• Script editor Guide
  
• Video editor Guide
  
• Encoding from FilmCutter Guide
  
• Transition plug-in TransAll Guide
  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"AviSynth acts as a non-linear video editor (without a GUI) controlled entirely by scripting.  It stands as an intermediary between a digital video source, like an AVI or MPEG, and a VFW receiving program, which is typically a media player, video editing software, or an encoder."

Wikipedia's very comprehensive pages can be found @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avisynth.

Also AviSynth's main page @ http://www.avisynth.org,which hosts the current version of the " Manual ".  And lots of information about filters, download info and the like.

And the offical discussion forum hosted by Doom9 @ http://forum.doom9.org/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=67

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