Learn DedCut step by step

1. On this site, click Download: the file DedCut-Installation.exe lands in your Downloads folder.
2. Open it. If Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”, click “More info” then “Run anyway” (DedCut is new, Windows doesn’t know it yet).
3. Installation takes a few seconds, with no account and no admin rights.
4. DedCut opens on the home screen: it’s ready.

Tip Updates then happen on their own: DedCut tells you when a new version is ready.

1. On the home screen, choose what you want to do, or switch spaces with the buttons at the very top of the window.
2. Edit: edit your videos (cut, text, effects, music, subtitles, export).
3. Record: record your screen, a game, your webcam and your mic.
4. Live: stream live on one or several platforms.
5. Image: create thumbnails, edit photos, draw.
6. Music: make music, from drums to export.

Tip The spaces talk to each other: a song or an image goes to the editor in one click.

1. Ctrl+Z undoes your last action, Ctrl+Y redoes it. You can undo as many times as you like.
2. Ctrl+S saves your project. DedCut also autosaves so you lose nothing.
3. The keyboard button at the top right shows every shortcut, and you can change them.
4. The menu (top left) creates, opens and saves your projects, opens the Settings and replays the guided tour.
5. You can move the panels, put the timeline at the top or bottom, and pop a panel out into its own window.

Tip DedCut comes in 9 languages: pick yours in the Settings (Language section).

1. Open the Edit space, then the Media tab on the left.
2. Drag your videos, photos and sounds from Windows Explorer, or click the area to pick them.
3. Then drag each item onto the timeline at the bottom: that’s where your video is built.
4. Press Space to play or pause the preview.

Tip A big 4K video? DedCut makes a light copy on its own so the preview stays smooth; the export keeps the original quality.

1. Place the playhead (the vertical line) where you want.
2. Click the scissors above the timeline, or press S: the clip is split in two.
3. Click the part you don’t want, then press Del.
4. To shorten without cutting, drag the start or end of a clip.

Tip In the Audio tab, “Cut the silences” removes every gap in a voice-over in one click.

1. Place the playhead where the text should appear.
2. Open the Text tab and click a style: the text is added to the timeline.
3. Type your text in the settings panel on the right, then pick the font, colour and animation.
4. In the preview, move the text with the mouse and drag a corner to resize it.

Tip More than 200 text styles and 100 fonts come with DedCut, free to use anywhere.

1. Click a clip on the timeline to select it.
2. Effects tab: hover an effect to see it move, click to add or remove it.
3. Filters tab: click a filter to change the clip’s colours; one button applies it to the whole video.
4. Transitions tab: choose a transition at the start or end of the clip, or a soft fade with the previous clip.

Tip Each effect’s strength is set in the panel on the right.

1. Open the Audio tab.
2. In “Music”, listen to and add royalty-free music (real songs and music made by DedCut).
3. Add sound effects (whoosh, click, applause…) at the right moment of your video.
4. Click a clip to set its volume in the panel on the right, or mute a whole track.

Tip This music can be used on YouTube, TikTok and everywhere, with no copyright risk.

1. Open the Captions tab.
2. Choose the accuracy: fast, balanced or accurate.
3. The first time, click “Download the model” (a single download).
4. Click “Create captions”: DedCut listens to your video and writes the subtitles on the timeline.
5. Click a subtitle to fix its text in the panel on the right; change its style, then “Apply this style to all”.

Tip Everything happens on your PC: neither your voice nor your video is sent over the internet.

1. Open the Captions tab and click “Open edit by text” (or right-click a clip → “Edit by text”).
2. The first time, DedCut writes down everything said in the video, on your PC.
3. Select words with the mouse and press Del: the video is cut at the same place and everything after moves back.
4. “Remove hesitations” removes all the “uh”s at once; “Shorten the pauses” trims long silences.

Tip Subtitles follow your cuts. Ctrl+Z undoes.

1. Click an empty spot of the timeline (or press Esc): the Project panel appears on the right.
2. In “1-click format”, choose “Vertical 9:16 (TikTok, Shorts)”.
3. Your videos keep their whole frame, with a blurred background behind.
4. Move or resize each clip in the preview if you want a different framing.

Tip The same panel switches back to horizontal at any time.

1. Open a long video in Edit (with its subtitles, it is even better).
2. Click “Export” then “Auto Shorts”.
3. Choose the length and the number of Shorts, then “Find the moments”: DedCut finds the liveliest moments.
4. Keep the moments you like and make the Shorts: each one becomes a vertical project, with a frame that follows the person.

Tip You can also ask the assistant: “make Shorts”.

1. Put 2 to 4 videos filmed at the same time on the timeline (one camera per person, each with its microphone).
2. Select them with Ctrl+click, then right-click → “Create a multicam”: DedCut syncs them by their sound.
3. In the “Multicam” bar above the preview, click “Auto”, choose the pace, then “Start”.
4. DedCut shows the camera of whoever is speaking. Change a shot with keys 1 to 4.

Tip Nothing is deleted: Ctrl+Z undoes everything.

1. Put an element (text, sticker, arrow…) over the object, with the playhead at the start of the moment.
2. Right-click the element → “Track an object”: DedCut tracks the object in the video and the element follows it.
3. To hide a plate or a face: right-click the video → “Blur something that moves”, put the zone over the object, then “Track an object”.

Tip If the object disappears, tracking stops there: start it again a bit later.

1. Click “Export” at the top right (or Ctrl+E).
2. Give it a name, choose the quality (up to 4K) and the frame rate.
3. Start the export, then choose where to save the file.
4. You can also export the sound only (WAV or M4A).

Tip Minimise DedCut during a long export: it keeps going in the background.

1. First make the subtitles of your video (Captions tab).
2. Click “Export” then “YouTube description”.
3. Pick one of the suggested titles, edit the description and hashtags, then “Copy the description”.

Tip Your chapters (markers) are added automatically. With the DedCut AI brain, everything is written on your PC.

1. Open the Record space.
2. In Sources, click “Add a source” then “Screen / window”.
3. The “What do you want to share?” window opens: choose a screen or a window, shown with a small preview.
4. Tick “Share the PC sound” to keep the sound of the game, music or Discord (without DedCut’s own sounds).
5. Click “Start recording”. To stop, click again or press Ctrl+Shift+R.

Tip The video goes to your editor media and to the Videos\DedCut folder.

1. In Sources, click “Add a source” then “Webcam”: choose your camera.
2. In the preview, move the webcam and drag a corner to resize it; its settings allow a round shape.
3. In the audio mixer, choose your mic and set its volume while talking: the bar should stay in the green.
4. The mic filters reduce background noise and breathing.

Tip Wear headphones: otherwise the sound of your speakers comes back into the mic.

1. In Scenes, a scene is a layout (for example “Screen + webcam”, “Be right back”).
2. Add a scene with the + button, then its sources: screen, webcam, images, text, chat…
3. Click a scene to show it. During a recording or a live, Ctrl+Shift+1 to Ctrl+Shift+9 switch scenes, even in a game.
4. Drag a scene or a source to change the order.

Tip Scenes are shared by Record and Live.

1. Open the Live space and set up your scene (screen, webcam, mic).
2. Settings tab on the right: in “Where to stream?”, choose the platform (YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Kick or another).
3. Copy your stream key from the platform’s dashboard and paste it into “Stream key”.
4. Click “Go live”. An indicator shows you’re live; click again to stop.

Tip Your stream key stays secret: DedCut keeps it encrypted on your PC.

1. In the Settings tab, click “Add a destination” and add a second platform with its key.
2. Tick the destinations to use: the live goes everywhere at once.
3. For TikTok or YouTube Shorts, turn on “Vertical live (TikTok, Shorts)”: DedCut also sends a 9:16 version.
4. Check your connection: each destination needs its share of upload speed.

Tip Start with a single platform to test your connection.

1. Chat tab on the right: connect your channel to read the messages.
2. Add the “Stream chat” source to show the chat on screen, then place it in the preview.
3. Add the “Alerts” source to show new followers and donations.
4. Polls, goal bar and counters are also in “Add a source”.

Tip A voice can read the chat aloud: setting in the Tools tab.

1. In Live (or Record), click “Add a source” then “Overlay”.
2. In the right panel, pick one of 30 styles: webcam frames, name lower thirds, waiting screens, borders, reminders and ambiences. Hover a thumbnail to see it move.
3. Type your name or message, then choose the two colours and the speed.
4. Place the overlay with the mouse on the preview and drag a corner to resize it.

Tip For a webcam frame, keep the “Overlay” source above the webcam in the sources list.

1. On a computer, open TikTok LIVE Producer and set up your live: TikTok gives you a server address and a key.
2. In Live, add the TikTok destination and paste “Server address” and “Stream key”.
3. For a vertical live, choose “Switch the studio to vertical (TikTok scenes)”: your TikTok scenes are ready.
4. Start the live from DedCut.

Tip On TikTok the key changes for every live: copy it again each time and never show it.

1. Switch scenes with a click, or with Ctrl+Shift+1 to Ctrl+Shift+9, even from a game.
2. “Record too” keeps a copy of the live on your PC.
3. Ctrl+Shift+M drops a marker on a great moment so you can find it when editing.
4. Studio mode prepares the next scene in the preview before sending it live.

Tip After the live, the recorded video goes to the editor so you can make clips.

1. Open the Image space and click “New image”.
2. Choose the “Video thumbnail” preset (1280 × 720), then Create.
3. Add a photo (drag it into the window), then a title with the Text tool.
4. Add an outline or a shadow to the text in the layer effects so it reads from afar.
5. File menu > “Export”: save as PNG or JPG.

Tip Each element is on its own layer: you can change everything later.

1. Open your photo (drag it into the Image space).
2. Image menu > “Auto enhance” fixes light and colours in one click.
3. Filter menu: Brightness, Curves, Levels, Hue… to adjust by hand, with a live preview.
4. Crop with the crop tool, then export.

Tip The original stays intact as long as you don’t save over it.

1. Open your photo in Image.
2. Select menu > “Select subject”: the AI selects the main person or object.
3. Layer menu > “Remove background (mask)” removes the background (it’s hidden by a mask, so you can bring it back).
4. Export as PNG to keep the transparency.

Tip The cutout is computed on your PC: your photo is sent nowhere.

1. Plug in your tablet (Wacom, XP-Pen, Huion…) or use your screen’s pen.
2. Edit menu > “Pen and drawing tablet”: set the pressure and try it in the test area.
3. Choose the Brush tool: pressure changes the size, tilt the angle, and the eraser end erases.
4. If pressure doesn’t come through, turn on “Windows Ink” in your tablet’s software.

Tip Draw on a new layer to fix mistakes without spoiling the rest.

1. Edit: Ctrl+K then “Add a QR code”, or in the elements, Social media category.
2. Live: “Add a source” then “QR code”.
3. Image: Layer menu → “QR code”.
4. Type your link (channel, social network, website): viewers scan it with their phone.

Tip Keep dark modules on a light background, and a QR code big enough.

1. In Image, right-click the image: “Send the image to Editing”. It lands on the editor’s timeline.
2. In Edit, right-click a clip: “Send to Image” opens the frame in the Image space to edit it.

Tip Handy for making a thumbnail from a frame of your video.

1. Open the Music space, File menu > “New project”, choose the “Beat” template and a tempo (for example 120).
2. Click the drums clip, then the Steps tab at the bottom.
3. Each row is a sound (kick, snare, hi-hat…), each box a step: click to turn it on or off.
4. Press Space to listen. Try the swing for a livelier groove.
5. Mixer tab: set each track’s volume.

Tip DedCut’s drum sounds are made by DedCut: usable everywhere, even in music you sell.

1. On an instrument track, double-click an empty spot: a clip is created and opens.
2. Piano roll tab: click the grid to place a note, drag it to move it, pull its edge to lengthen it.
3. Right-click or Del deletes a note.
4. The keyboard button, right of the playback controls, turns your computer keyboard into a piano.

Tip Pick another sound for the track in the Instrument tab (piano, synth, strings…).

1. Plug in your mic and wear headphones.
2. Settings menu > Sound: allow the mic and measure the latency once.
3. Track menu: add an audio track, choose the input, then arm the track (round button).
4. Press R to record. With the loop on, each pass becomes a take: all of them are kept.
5. Audio clip tab: keep the best of each take, then add the “Clear voice” effect chain.

Tip If DedCut closes while recording, the take can be recovered at the next start.

1. In Music, click your sung vocal (a voice on its own, no music on it).
2. Open “Ideas and analysis” (the sparkle button).
3. In “Sung vocals”, check the key, choose Natural, Strong or Robot, then “Correct the pitch”.
4. For backing vocals, tick the voices you want, then “Add backing vocals”: each voice gets its own track.

Tip The original voice is kept (muted): unmute it to compare.

1. Listen to the whole song: the master’s red light must stay off (no clipping).
2. File menu > “Export audio”.
3. Choose the format: lossless WAV or FLAC, or lighter M4A.
4. Stems give one file per track, all starting at the same point.
5. Tick “Send to Editing” to find your music in the video editor.

Tip The export report shows the length, loudness (LUFS) and peak of each file.

1. In the editor, click the bubble at the top right (“Chat with an AI that edits for you”).
2. Type what you want: “cut the silences and add subtitles”, “make my video vertical”…
3. The assistant edits right inside DedCut, and one button undoes everything it did.
4. You can also ask it questions about DedCut.

Tip DedCut AI runs on your PC, free and with no account.

1. Open the AI video tab in the editor.
2. Add an image to animate, or describe what you want to see.
3. Choose a style (realistic, 3D, anime…), then start the creation.
4. The first time, the AI model downloads; after that, everything happens on your PC.

Tip A recent graphics card speeds up creation a lot.

1. Select a clip that shows a person.
2. Effects tab, Person category: blurred background, black-and-white background, outline, neon, aura…
3. The AI cuts out the person on every frame, right on your PC.
4. Set the strength in the panel on the right.

Tip Great for highlighting someone without a green screen.

1. Some games in exclusive fullscreen can’t be captured.
2. In the game’s graphics options, choose “Windowed fullscreen” (or “Borderless windowed”).
3. In DedCut, choose the whole screen rather than the game window.

1. No game sound in a recording: tick “Share the PC sound” in the screen picker window.
2. Silent mic: choose it in the audio mixer and check that Windows lets DedCut use it.
3. No sound when playing in Music with Bluetooth headphones: wait a few seconds for them to wake up, or choose another output in the sound settings.

1. Reopen DedCut: the editor finds your last project as it was (autosave), and Image and Music offer to recover your work.
2. In Image and Music, the File menu also has “Recover after a crash”.
3. An interrupted take in Music is recovered at the next start.

Tip Press Ctrl+S regularly: it’s the best backup there is.

1. Click the “beta” badge at the top of DedCut, or Menu > “Report a bug”. On the home screen, the link is at the bottom.
2. Explain what happened, and what you were doing just before.
3. Keep the technical info ticked: it really helps to fix the bug, with no file names and no personal data.
4. Click “Send with Gmail”, “With Outlook” or “Other e-mail app”, check the message, then send it.

Tip If your e-mail does not open, click “Copy” and paste the message into an e-mail to bugs@dedcut.com.