At a glance
| Input | Any video the browser can open |
|---|---|
| Output | The format it came in |
| Section | Start and end in seconds |
| Where it runs | Entirely in your browser — no file is uploaded to a server |
| Price | Free, with no account and no sign-up |
| Offline | Works with no connection after the first visit |
Why there is no file size limit
Sites that trim video on a server have to receive the whole file first, which is where their limits come from — 100 MB free, more if you pay, and a wait while a holiday video uploads over domestic broadband.
Nothing is uploaded here, so a four-gigabyte file is no different from a small one. It is also the only arrangement that makes sense for anything private, which most personal video is.
Keyframes decide where a cut can land
Video is stored as occasional complete frames with the differences between them in between. A cut that starts on a complete frame can be made without re-encoding; a cut between them cannot, because the frames in the gap only make sense in relation to one that is no longer there.
Which is why an exact start point may shift by a fraction of a second, or require re-encoding that section. On most footage keyframes are one to three seconds apart.
What comes out
An MP4 with H.264 video, which plays on essentially everything. The export runs at roughly real time or better depending on the machine, and it is doing real work — a long clip on an old laptop takes a while, and the tab must stay open.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a size limit?
No. The file is never uploaded, so the limits that server-based tools impose do not apply. A multi-gigabyte file works the same as a small one.
Why is my cut point slightly off?
Cuts land on keyframes, which are typically one to three seconds apart. Landing exactly requires re-encoding that section, which is slower.
Is my video uploaded?
No — which is the point for anything personal. You can disconnect from the network and it still works.
Why is my machine’s fan running?
Video encoding is genuinely demanding, and it is happening on your processor rather than someone else’s server. That is the trade for not uploading.
Something wrong with this tool, or an idea for it? Tell us