A modern, dark-themed desktop application designed to streamline video content creation workflows. PreCut provides a centralized interface for generating transcripts, downloading high-quality clips, and managing low-resolution proxies with real-time feedback and smart concurrency management.
- 📺 Transcript Generator: Automatically fetch and clean transcripts from online video sources. Strips WebVTT formatting, timestamps, and redundant tags to give you a clean, usable script instantly.
- 📥 Clips Downloader: Download high-quality video clips directly into your project folders. Features a custom inline terminal log for real-time
yt-dlptransparency. - ⚡ Proxy Downloader: Create lightweight proxies (360p/480p) for faster editing timelines.
- 🎬 Codec Selector: Choose between H.264 (Compatible), AV1 (Efficient), and VP9 (Highest Quality). Defaults to H.264 for perfect compatibility with Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve.
- ⚙️ Persistent Settings & Power User Controls: Configure global download quality and project paths. Full
yt-dlpcommand strings are now stored in your configuration, allowing you to add custom flags manually. - 🏗️ Smart Concurrency: Built-in protection allows up to 2 concurrent downloads per page with duplicate URL detection to prevent resource waste.
- 🧹 Clean Workspace: Automated
__pycache__relocation and temporary file cleanup to keep your project source code pristine.
| Page | View |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Project Setup | Global Configuration |
 |
 |
| Transcript Generation | Concurrent Download |
 |
 |
| Clip Downloader (Active) | Clip Downloader (Completion) |
 |
 |
| Proxy Downloader (Active) | Proxy Downloader (Completion) |
- UI Framework: Modernized Python
Tkinter(Custom Dark Theme) - Image Processing:
Pillow - Backend Engine:
yt-dlp - Storage: Persistent JSON-based configuration
For users who want to run PreCut without installing Python or any libraries, a standalone Windows version is available.
- Download the latest
PreCutfolder from the Releases page. - Extract the ZIP file to a location of your choice.
- Run
PreCut.exedirectly from the folder.
Note
As an unsigned binary, Windows Defender may flag the executable on first run. You can safely click "More info" -> "Run anyway" to start the application.
- Python 3.10+
- yt-dlp: Ensure
yt-dlpis installed and accessible in your system's PATH. - FFmpeg: Required for merging high-quality video/audio streams.
Important
FFmpeg must be installed and added to your system environment variables (PATH). Without it, high-quality downloads and format merging will fail.
-
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/PreCut.git cd PreCut -
Install dependencies:
pip install -r requirements.txt
-
Run the application:
python src/main.py
PreCut/
├── assets/ # UI Icons and Brand Assets
├── src/
│ ├── main.py # Entry point and sidebar navigation
│ ├── page_view.py # Core UI Components and Logic
│ ├── config.py # AppConfig and Path Management
│ └── utils.py # Theme Helpers and Hover Effects
├── requirements.txt # External dependencies
└── README.md
PreCut stores its data outside the source folder to ensure a portable and clean development environment:
- Settings Path:
~/Documents/PreCut/data/settings.json - Cache Path:
~/Documents/PreCut/data/pycache/
Contributions are welcome! Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request for any UI improvements or backend feature additions.
Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.
This application is provided for educational and personal research purposes only. It is designed to facilitate content creation workflows by allowing users to process and manage video assets they have the legal right to access.
PreCut does not encourage or facilitate the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material. Users are solely responsible for ensuring their use of this tool complies with local laws and the terms of service of any content platforms involved. The developers of PreCut assume no liability for misuse of this software.