OpenShorts

A professional, fully local, open-source video clipper designed to turn long-form videos into engaging short-form content — your personal, offline alternative to Opus Clip and CapCut.

100% private: no cloud uploads, no subscriptions, no data leaves your machine.

Features

• Video URL Support (Still in testing, suggest manual upload) - Paste YouTube, TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Vimeo links and process them directly
• Automatic intelligent clip generation with natural language-based scene detection and virality scoring
• AI-powered clip selection using local Ollama models (optional but powerful)
• Advanced animated caption system with multiple styles: TikTok-style word-highlight, YouTube professional, Minimal clean, etc. - NOT working well at the moment.
• SRT subtitle export - Export standard SRT subtitle files alongside videos for universal compatibility
• Vertical (9:16) Shorts and Horizontal (16:9) output modes — always ≥1080p resolution
• Background music integration (add your own royalty-free loops)
• Batch processing support for multiple videos
• Persistent settings saved to JSON file
• Clean output folder with clips, thumbnails, and optional SRT files

Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed on your system
• 4GB+ available disk space (for AI models)

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/openshorts.git
   cd openshorts

2. Start all services:

   docker-compose up -d

   This will automatically:

   • Build the OpenShorts container
   • Download and start Ollama AI service
   • Pull the llama3.2 model (~2GB) for AI features

3. **Access the app:**Open http://localhost:7875 in your browser

4. Stop when done:

   docker-compose down

Services included:

• OpenShorts web interface: http://localhost:7875
• Ollama AI service: http://localhost:11434 (automatic)

Usage

1. Ensure services are running:

   docker-compose ps

   (All services should show "Up" status)

2. **Open the web interface:**http://localhost:7875

3. Drag & drop (or browse) your long-form video OR paste a video URL

4. Choose your input method:

   • File Upload: Drop local video files
   • Video URL: Paste links from YouTube, TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Vimeo, etc.

5. Configure options in the sidebar or settings tab:

   • Output mode: Vertical Shorts (1080×1920) or Horizontal (1920×1080+)
   • Caption style & animation
   • Desired number of clips
   • Clip length range
   • Background music folder (optional)
   • Face-detection sensitivity

6. Choose generation mode:

   • Quick Shorts → fast automatic clipping
   • AI Smart Clips → uses Ollama to select the most engaging moments

7. Watch progress in real-time (transcription + rendering)

Output

All generated content is saved to:

./openshorts_clips/
├── clip_01.mp4
├── clip_01.srt              # If SRT export enabled
├── clip_01.ass              # If ASS export enabled  
├── clip_01_thumbnail.jpg
├── clip_02.mp4
├── full_transcript.srt      # Full video transcript (when exported)
└── ...

• Clips are named sequentially
• Thumbnails are auto-generated (middle frame)
• SRT files for universal subtitle compatibility
• ASS files for advanced animated captions
• Optional full transcript export in SRT format

Configuration

• All UI settings (caption style, default mode, clip count, etc.) are automatically saved to ./openshorts_config.json and loaded on next launch.

Troubleshooting

• Services not starting → Run docker-compose logs to check for errors
• Ollama not available → Wait for model download: docker-compose logs ollama-init -f
• Port conflicts → Change ports in docker-compose.yml if 7875 or 11434 are in use
• Performance issues → Ensure Docker has adequate resources (4GB+ RAM recommended)
• No face detection → Feature works automatically; fallback to center crop if needed

Check service status:

docker-compose ps          # View all services
docker-compose logs app    # Check app logs  
docker-compose logs ollama # Check AI service logs

Restart if needed:

docker-compose down && docker-compose up -d

Why OpenShorts?

Because you should own your tools. No watermarks, no usage limits, no monthly fees, full control over every frame and subtitle.

Built for creators who value privacy, quality, and customization.

Enjoy clipping — completely offline and yours forever.