# SmartCut64 User Guide

SmartCut64 is a 64-bit Windows editor for quick, frame-accurate cutting. It is
designed to copy reusable compressed video whenever that is safe and to encode
only the boundary pictures that cannot be copied. A full-transcode profile is
also available when you intentionally want to change the codec, dimensions,
frame rate, audio, or other picture properties.

This guide is written for SmartCut64. It is not copied from another product's
manual. Menu names and familiar editing conventions are described only so that
existing video-editor users can find the equivalent workflow quickly.

## Contents

1. [First start](#first-start)
2. [The editor window](#the-editor-window)
3. [Opening and navigating video](#opening-and-navigating-video)
4. [Making cuts](#making-cuts)
5. [Preview Your Edits](#preview-your-edits)
6. [Saving and smart rendering](#saving-and-smart-rendering)
7. [Output formats and compatibility](#output-formats-and-compatibility)
8. [Streams, audio, subtitles, and metadata](#streams-audio-subtitles-and-metadata)
9. [Hardware acceleration](#hardware-acceleration)
10. [Ad-Detective](#ad-detective)
11. [Joiner and title cards](#joiner-and-title-cards)
12. [Batch Manager, watch folders, and QuickStream Fix](#batch-manager-watch-folders-and-quickstream-fix)
13. [Projects and recovery](#projects-and-recovery)
14. [Keyboard shortcuts](#keyboard-shortcuts)
15. [Evaluation and activation](#evaluation-and-activation)
16. [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
17. [Support, privacy, and limitations](#support-privacy-and-limitations)

## First start

The opening panel contains one large **Open Video** target. Click it, use
**File > Open Video**, press **Ctrl+O**, drag a supported media file onto the
window, or pass a file path to SmartCut64 from Windows Explorer.

The first open can take longer for unusual or damaged files while SmartCut64
builds a frame navigation index. Usable source information appears immediately
where possible; thumbnails and waveform data continue in the background. The
index is cached and reused when the source has not changed.

Open **Tools > Options > Hardware** and run the performance self-test if you
want machine-specific decoding and full-transcode recommendations. Hardware
full-transcode encoding is off by default. Smart-render boundary GOPs always
use the validated software encoder.

## The editor window

- **Video preview** shows the source frame in Edit mode and the kept-output
  sequence in Preview mode.
- **Thumbnail strip** shows neighbouring individual frames. The selected frame
  stays centred; black, inactive cells represent positions before the first or
  after the final source frame.
- **Audio waveform** is drawn from decoded source audio. The default display is
  logarithmic dB amplitude so quiet and loud passages remain distinguishable.
- **Frame ruler** shows exact source-frame numbers and chapter markers.
- **Program timeline** uses green for kept material and red for material that
  will be removed. The white playhead is the current position. Bracket markers
  show the selection start and end.
- **Cut list** contains the removed ranges. Click a row to select it; double
  click to navigate to it.
- **Info panel** shows cursor, program, selection, and predicted output lengths
  in both time and frames.
- **Navigation controls** provide frame, keyframe, short-jump, long-jump,
  play/pause, chapter, and Edit/Preview movement without changing the familiar
  editor layout.

Light and dark themes are available from **View > Theme**. SmartCut64 remembers
the chosen theme and most editor preferences for the next session.

## Opening and navigating video

Drag the main timeline for coarse movement. Use the fine-position slider,
single-frame buttons, Left/Right arrow keys, or thumbnails for exact movement.
Ctrl+Left and Ctrl+Right move between random-access points. Up/Down and
Page Up/Page Down use the configurable short and long jump distances.

The thumbnail interval defaults to one source frame on either side of the
current frame. Press **+** or **-**, or use **View > Thumbnail Options**, to
inspect a wider interval. Number keys select visible thumbnail positions.

Red triangles are chapter markers. Use the chapter buttons or F5/F6 to move
between them. Press **A** to add or remove a marker at the current frame.

## Making cuts

SmartCut64 uses half-open frame ranges: the start frame is included and the end
frame is the first frame after the range. The UI converts these positions to
the displayed timecode and frame counts for you.

1. Navigate to the first frame of the intended selection and choose **Mark In**
   or press **F3**.
2. Navigate to the first frame after the intended selection and choose
   **Mark Out** or press **F4**.
3. Choose **Cut Selection** (Delete) to remove the marked range, or **Trim
   Unselected** (Insert) to keep the marked range and remove everything else.

The program timeline and the line above the thumbnail strip immediately change
between green and red. The cut list and output duration update at the same
time. Only one active In/Out pair is shown; setting a new point replaces the
previous point.

Use **Edit > Undo/Redo**, **Invert All Cuts**, or **Remove Selected Cuts** to
revise the edit. Saving a project preserves cuts, stream choices, markers,
preferences relevant to the project, and source identity.

## Preview Your Edits

Press the blue **P/E** control or the **P** key to switch modes.

- **Edit mode** follows the original source and can enter red cut ranges.
- **Preview Your Edits** maps the controls, thumbnails, sound, and playback onto
  the kept output. Removed frames are skipped. At a cut boundary playback
  continues with the first kept frame after the cut rather than stopping.

Preview is a real-time editing aid. It does not replace final export validation,
particularly when a boundary GOP must be encoded.

## Saving and smart rendering

Choose **Save Video** or **File > Save Video As**. The Save Video window lets
you choose the output file, container/profile, output mode, stream policy, and
profile-specific options.

The principal modes are:

- **Intelligent smart render** copies safe interior GOP packets and encodes the
  pictures around non-keyframe boundaries. This is normally the quickest way
  to retain the source codec and quality.
- **Keyframe-only copy** moves cuts to safe random-access boundaries and avoids
  video encoding. It is fast but cannot promise the exact requested frame.
- **Full transcode** decodes and encodes all selected video. Use it to change
  codec, size, frame rate, picture processing, or to create evaluation output.

The progress window identifies the current phase, including boundary encoding
and fast packet copy. You can pause or abort without leaving a completed file
that has not passed validation. SmartCut64 checks container structure, stream
selection, frame count, timestamps, copied payload policy, and applicable
metadata before reporting success.

Do not overwrite the source file. SmartCut64 writes a temporary destination and
replaces the requested output only after delivery and validation succeed.

## Output formats and compatibility

Common input and output workflows include:

| Area | Supported workflow |
| --- | --- |
| Video | MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, H.264/AVC, HEVC/H.265 including tested 10-bit profiles, AV1, VP9, FFV1, and ProRes where the chosen operation/profile supports them |
| Containers | MKV, MP4, MOV, MPEG-TS/TS/M2TS, MPEG program streams, plus tested remux profiles for WTV, DVR-MS, Topfield-style REC, and MXF |
| Audio | Packet preservation for supported source streams; profile transcode to AAC, AC-3, MP2, Opus, or PCM S16LE; tested copy paths include E-AC-3, MP3, FLAC, PCM S24LE, DTS, TrueHD, and supported opaque Dolby E/SMPTE 337M carriers |
| Subtitles | Text subtitle trimming; automatic MOV_TEXT conversion for compatible MP4/MOV text tracks; conservative packet handling for bitmap subtitles in containers that support them |
| Metadata | Container tags, chapters, dispositions, attachments, cover art, HDR/colour fields, and tested HDR10/HLG/HDR10+/Dolby Vision paths according to the selected container and operation |

Container rules matter. For example, a stream that is valid in Matroska may not
be representable in MP4 or MPEG-TS. SmartCut64 should explain the conflict and
offer a compatible container, stream exclusion, or a working transcode choice.
It does not silently claim an incompatible delivery succeeded.

Support is deliberately conservative: if the planner cannot prove a packet-copy
operation is safe, it encodes the boundary or blocks the operation with a
reason. See **Tools > Show Program Information** and the full export report for
the exact codec/profile and policy used.

## Streams, audio, subtitles, and metadata

Open **Tools > Select Streams** to include or exclude video, audio, subtitle,
attachment, and data streams. The default preserves compatible source streams.
The destination container may require conversion or exclusion.

Use **Tools > Adjust Audio Synchronization** to apply a project-specific timing
offset and audition it with repeat selection. Output profiles can also apply
gain and can encode the primary audio stream to a selected codec, sample rate,
bitrate, and channel arrangement. Packet-copy profiles retain complete
overlapping compressed audio frames; sample-accurate compressed-audio splicing
is not claimed.

Use **Tools > Edit Media Metadata** for container tags. Requested tags must
round-trip through the selected container or validation fails. Chapter marks
can be exported independently or retained in compatible outputs.

## Hardware acceleration

SmartCut64 uses one available GPU adapter at a time and always keeps a software
fallback.

- Preview, thumbnails, and Ad-Detective can use D3D11VA for MPEG-2, H.264,
  HEVC, AV1, and VP9. FFmpeg Vulkan paths are probed for supported FFV1 and
  ProRes decoding.
- Optional full transcode supports available NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync,
  AMD AMF, and Vulkan FFV1/ProRes paths.
- Smart-render boundary GOP encoding stays on the software encoder for
  deterministic boundary compatibility.
- A backend is used only if its real device/codec opening succeeds; a driver
  name alone is not treated as proof.

Run the self-test from **Tools > Options > Hardware** using representative
media. Recommendations are stored separately for MPEG-2, H.264, HEVC, AV1,
VP9, FFV1, and ProRes. A faster synthetic result does not override output
quality or compatibility requirements.

## Ad-Detective

Ad-Detective finds candidate transitions and lets you review them before they
become chapter marks or cuts.

1. Open **Ad-Detective > Parameters** to choose scene, black-frame, interval,
   picture-type, scan-region, and review behavior.
2. Choose **Start Ad Scan**. Scanning runs outside the UI process so the editor
   remains responsive.
3. Review every candidate and its frame statistics. Remove false positives.
4. Accept candidates as chapter marks, or enable automatic cut creation when
   that is appropriate for the material.

Threshold calibration can use a marked representative black interval. Batch
Ad Scan and watch-folder workflows use the same stored parameter set.
Detection is advisory; review the proposed boundaries before export.

## Joiner and title cards

Use **Add To Joiner** to add the current source or edited project. The Joiner
list can also contain media files and title cards. Reorder, remove, or edit
items before creating one validated output.

The title editor supports multiple text and image objects with position, size,
font, colour, background, and duration controls. All Joiner items must be
deliverable to the selected output profile; incompatible combinations require
a suitable transcode or container.

SmartCut64 reads and writes its native Joiner project and supports factual
interchange with supported VideoReDo project/batch formats. Compatibility does
not imply sponsorship or endorsement by that product's rights holder.

## Batch Manager, watch folders, and QuickStream Fix

The Batch Manager queues editor projects, exports, Joiner work, Ad scans, and
supported interchange jobs. Jobs retain an explicit operation, source,
destination, profile, and status. Watch folders can enqueue stable new files
according to stored rules and avoid reprocessing completed identities.

**QuickStream Fix** remuxes and repairs container/timestamp structure without
decoding every picture. Optional dimension filtering selects matching video
streams. Because evaluation output must contain a permanent video watermark,
an evaluation QuickStream Fix request is explicitly replaced by a watermarked
full transcode and the Batch status explains the substitution. Paid clean
QuickStream Fix output remains a copy/remux operation where validation permits.

## Projects and recovery

Save projects regularly. SmartCut64 records a recovery journal beside the
project/output workflow and can restore a consistent edit state after an
interruption. Source identity data prevents an unrelated replacement file from
being accepted silently.

Project and batch interchange aims to preserve supported source paths,
selections, cut/scene mode, output profile data, and synchronization values.
Unknown fields are retained or ignored conservatively where the format permits;
unsupported semantics are reported rather than invented.

## Keyboard shortcuts

Open **Help > Keyboard Shortcuts** to view and change the complete current set.
The principal defaults are:

| Action | Default |
| --- | --- |
| Open video / Save video | Ctrl+O / Ctrl+S |
| Play or pause | Space |
| Previous / next frame | Left / Right |
| Previous / next keyframe | Ctrl+Left / Ctrl+Right |
| Short jump back / forward | Up / Down |
| Long jump back / forward | Page Up / Page Down |
| Mark In / Mark Out | F3 / F4 |
| Cut Selection / Trim Unselected | Delete / Insert |
| Edit/Preview mode | P |
| Previous / next cut | Shift+Tab / Tab |
| Previous / next chapter | F5 / F6 |
| Add/remove chapter | A |
| Timeline zoom | Z; F7/F8; comma/period to pan |
| Mute / volume | M / Shift+M / Ctrl+M |
| Full screen | Alt+Enter |
| Reload while retaining edits | F12 |

## Evaluation and activation

The unactivated application lets you open, inspect, edit, preview, and test the
workflow. Every evaluation video output is permanently marked
**SMARTCUT64 EVALUATION** and must be fully re-encoded so the watermark is
actually present. Clean packet-copy, remux, and smart-render delivery require a
paid activation.

Open **Help > Licence & Activation** to activate, inspect, deactivate,
or transfer a licence. Purchase email and licence key are sent only to the
configured SmartCut64 HTTPS activation service. Local credentials are protected
with the current Windows user account. Keep your purchase receipt and licence
key private.

## Troubleshooting

### A source opens but thumbnails or waveform are late

Wait for the background status to complete. Network drives and very large,
damaged, or unusually indexed media can be slower. Reopening an unchanged file
should reuse its cache. If the UI remains responsive, do not force-close it
solely because background thumbnails are incomplete.

### Preview is black, frozen, or jerky

Run the hardware self-test and choose its recommended decoder for that codec,
or temporarily force software decode. Update the GPU driver. Confirm that the
source plays from local storage and inspect **View > Show Log**. SmartCut64
automatically retries software after a hardware decode failure, but damaged
timestamps can still require QuickStream Fix.

### Audio is absent or out of sync

Check mute/volume, selected streams, and the audio device. Use **Adjust Audio
Synchronization** for a measured source offset. For output, inspect the profile
and report to determine whether audio was copied or transcoded.

### Save is slow

The progress phase distinguishes GOP encoding, full transcode, packet copy, and
validation. A normal smart render should encode only unsafe boundary regions;
evaluation mode, picture processing, codec changes, incompatible containers,
or an explicitly selected full-transcode profile decode the full kept range.

### Save fails or no destination remains

Open **Tools > Show Last Export Report**. A failed validation deliberately
removes the temporary destination. Common causes are unsupported stream/container
combinations, unavailable encoder hardware, damaged source packets, insufficient
space, or a destination held open by another program. Choose a suggested
container or working transcode rather than renaming an incompatible file.

### The application reports a missing DLL

Use the official installer or complete portable ZIP; do not move only the EXE.
The distribution includes Qt, FFmpeg, MinGW runtime, plugin, licence, and notice
files that must remain together. Reinstall the exact signed package and verify
its checksum before reporting the missing filename.

### Reporting a reproducible problem

Include SmartCut64 version, Windows build, GPU/driver, source and output
container/codecs, exact edit frames, selected profile, export report, and the
smallest non-private sample that reproduces the issue. Do not send purchase
keys, private videos, or credentials in a public issue.

## Support, privacy, and limitations

Email support: **support@linekerpandi.com**

SmartCut64 processes media locally. Online requests are used for licence
activation, deactivation or transfer, and links the user chooses to open. A
valid machine-bound activation remains usable offline without periodic renewal.
Read the distributed
`PRIVACY.md`, `CUSTOMER_TERMS.md`, `REFUND_POLICY.md`, `SUPPORT.md`,
`SECURITY.md`, `THIRD_PARTY.md`, and corresponding-source information before
purchase or redistribution.

DVD authoring and disc burning are intentionally not included. DVD-originated
MPEG-2/VOB/program-stream media can still be edited where its streams are
supported. SmartCut64 does not claim Dolby certification, player certification,
or universal support for every legal combination of codec, profile, metadata,
container, device, and damaged recording. The exact release test matrix and
export report are the authoritative evidence for a particular operation.

SmartCut64 is independent software. VideoReDo and other third-party names are
the property of their respective owners; compatibility references are factual
and do not imply sponsorship, endorsement, or access to proprietary source.
