How to apply filter in Shotcut?

Applying filters in Shotcut allows you to enhance your video clips, entire tracks, or even the entire project with various visual and audio effects. The process generally involves selecting the target element (clip, track, or output) and then accessing the "Filters" panel to add and configure your desired effects.

Here's a breakdown of how to apply filters in Shotcut, covering different scopes:

Accessing the Filters Panel

Before applying any filter, ensure your "Filters" panel is visible. If not, go to View > Filters or press Ctrl+6 (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+6 (macOS). This panel is your central hub for adding, modifying, and removing effects.

Methods to Apply Filters

Shotcut offers flexibility in where you apply filters, influencing how widely the effect is distributed throughout your project.

1. Applying Filters to a Specific Clip

This is the most common method, allowing you to affect only a particular segment of your video or audio.

Select the Clip: In the Timeline, click on the video or audio clip you wish to apply the filter to. The clip will be highlighted to indicate it's selected.
Open Filters Panel: Ensure the "Filters" panel is active.
Add a New Filter: Click the + icon within the Filters panel.
Choose a Filter: A list of available video and audio filters will appear. You can use the search bar or browse categories (e.g., "Favorites," "Video," "Audio") to find the desired effect.
Configure the Filter: Once selected, the filter's parameters will appear in the Filters panel. Adjust settings like intensity, color values, size, or position using sliders, numerical inputs, or other controls.
Preview and Refine: Play back your clip in the Source or Project player to see the effect of the filter. Continue adjusting the parameters until you achieve the desired look or sound.

Tip: You can apply multiple filters to a single clip. The order of filters in the list can impact the final result, as they are applied sequentially from top to bottom. Drag and drop filters to reorder them.

2. Applying Filters to an Entire Track

Applying a filter to an entire track is useful when you want a consistent effect across all clips on that specific video or audio track, such as a uniform color grade or a consistent audio enhancement.

Select the Track: To apply a filter to an entire video track, click on the area at the left-hand side of the track (where the track name and controls are located) until it is selected in blue. This selection indicates that any filter you add will now affect every clip on that specific track.
Open Filters Panel: Make sure your "Filters" panel is visible.
Add and Configure Filter: Just like with a clip, click the + icon, choose your filter, and adjust its parameters.
Observe the Effect: All clips on the selected track will now display the applied filter effect.

Practical Insight: This method is ideal for applying global color corrections to a whole video layer or a master volume adjustment to an entire audio track, saving you from applying the same filter to individual clips.

3. Applying Filters to the Master Output (Project-Wide)

Applying filters to the Master Output affects your entire project, regardless of how many tracks or clips you have. This is perfect for final touches like a global color grade, noise reduction, or audio normalization across your entire video.

Select Master Output: In the Timeline, ensure that "Output" or "Master" is selected. This is typically found at the top left of the Timeline panel, above all your tracks.
Open Filters Panel: Confirm the "Filters" panel is active.
Add and Configure Filter: Click the + icon, select your desired filter, and adjust its settings.
Global Impact: The filter will now be applied to the final output of your entire project.

Caution: Because master filters affect everything, use them judiciously and after you've applied most clip and track-specific adjustments.

Managing Applied Filters

Once filters are applied, you have several options for managing them:

Disabling a Filter: Click the small eye icon next to a filter in the Filters panel to temporarily turn it off without removing its settings. Click again to re-enable.
Removing a Filter: Select the filter in the Filters panel and click the - icon to delete it.
Copying and Pasting Filters: You can copy filters from one clip/track/output and paste them onto another. Select the element with the filter, right-click the filter in the Filters panel, choose "Copy Filters," then select the target element and right-click in its Filters panel area to "Paste Filters."
Keyframing Filters: Many filters can be animated over time using keyframes, allowing effects to change gradually or appear/disappear smoothly. Look for the stopwatch icon next to filter parameters to enable keyframing.

Common Filter Categories

Shotcut provides a wide array of filters. Here's a brief overview of some popular categories:

Category	Description	Example Filters
Video	Adjusts visual properties of your video.	Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Crop, Rotate, Text, Blur, Color Grading
Audio	Modifies sound characteristics of your audio.	Gain/Volume, Balance, Compressor, Expander, EQ, Pitch, Reverb
Favorites	A customizable list of your most frequently used filters.	(User-defined)
Old	Legacy filters that might still be useful but are no longer actively developed.	Various older visual effects.

By understanding these methods, you can effectively use Shotcut's powerful filter system to achieve professional-looking and sounding video projects.