Welcome

First project

Create and subtitle your first project in just a few minutes with Scene Cut.

This guide gets you up and running in minutes -- from creating an empty project to exporting an SRT file.

Step 1: Create a project

On launch, the welcome screen offers two options:

New project -- to start subtitling from scratch
Open a project -- to resume existing work (.scenecut file)

The right column displays recent projects for one-click access.

Click New project to get started.

Step 2: Load a video

Once the project is created, the central area invites you to drag and drop a video or audio file. You can also use the File > Open a Video menu (Shift + Cmd + I).

Scene Cut accepts common video formats (MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI) as well as standalone audio files (WAV, AIFF, MP3, AAC, FLAC).

The video appears in the player, and the waveform shows up in the timeline at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3: Create your first subtitle

There are several ways to add a subtitle:

From the menu: click the + button in the toolbar to insert a subtitle at the playhead position
With a shortcut: Cmd + T does the same thing, faster
On the waveform: hold Cmd and draw a block directly on the timeline with the mouse -- ideal for precisely aligning the subtitle with the audio signal

The subtitle appears in the list on the left. Double-click the text to edit it.

While you type, Scene Cut automatically checks reading speed, line length, and text balance. The indicators change color if a threshold is exceeded.

Step 4: Adjust the timing

Timing can be adjusted in several ways:

Drag the edges of a block on the waveform to change the in and out points
Move an entire block by dragging it on the timeline
Use the shortcuts I (in point) and O (out point) during playback

The video player updates in real time during adjustments, letting you immediately verify synchronization.

Step 5: Export

Once the subtitles are finished, export the result via File > Export (Shift + Cmd + E).

The default format is SRT, the most widely compatible. Other professional formats are available: WebVTT, TTML, EBU-STL, and DCP.

Remember to save the project (Cmd + S) so you can resume later. The .scenecut file stores the associated video, all subtitles, and the project settings.

What's next?

This first walkthrough only covers the basics. The following chapters explore every aspect of Scene Cut in detail:

The interface for a complete tour of the workspace
Subtitling a video to master creation and editing
Timing to understand Autofit, snapping, and cascade timing

Installation

Download and install Scene Cut on macOS.

The interface

Exploring the Scene Cut workspace: video, subtitle list, timeline, and tools.