Professional video editing—free and open source forever.
A modern video editor built on Tauri v2, React 19, and Rust. Hardware-accelerated processing, cross-platform (desktop + mobile), with optional AI-powered features.
Features • Architecture • Installation • Development • Contributing • Open Core
Clypra is a free, open-source video editor (MIT License) with professional-grade features. The core editor, effects engine, and all UI components are free forever—no watermarks, no feature limits, no subscriptions required.
Want AI superpowers? Optional Pro features add natural language editing, auto-captions, smart reframing, and more.
- Desktop: macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel), Windows, Linux
- Mobile: iOS (via Capacitor), Android (via Capacitor)
- Multi-format media import: MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, M4V, AVI (video); MP3, WAV, AAC (audio); JPG, PNG, WebP (image)
- Frame-accurate trimming: Precise timeline control with millisecond accuracy
- Multi-track timeline: Professional timeline interface with ruler and visual feedback
- Undo/redo system: 100-level history stack with command pattern architecture
- High-fidelity waveforms: Peak + RMS visualization with mirrored display (technical details)
- Audio synchronization: Frame-accurate AV sync during playback and export
- Volume control: Per-clip volume adjustment with real-time preview
- Filmstrip thumbnails: Hardware-accelerated thumbnail generation with adaptive density
- Text overlays: Custom fonts, styles, and animations for titles and captions
- Preview canvas: Real-time compositing with transform controls
- Hardware acceleration: Native GPU decode via FFmpeg (VideoToolbox/D3D11VA/VAAPI)
- Decoder prewarming: Sub-10ms first-frame latency through predictive decoder initialization
- Parallel processing: Web worker pool for thumbnail generation (2-4× faster rendering)
- Efficient caching: LRU-based decoder pool with 20 concurrent decoders
- Real-time monitoring: 30+ performance metrics tracked across video pipeline
- Persistent projects: SQLite-backed project storage with auto-save
- Media library: Centralized asset management with metadata caching
- Export pipeline: FFmpeg-based export with codec selection (H.264, H.265, ProRes)
Clypra is architected as a native desktop and mobile application with clear separation between frontend UI and backend processing.
Frontend
- React 19 with TypeScript (strict mode)
- Zustand for state management (separated stores by domain)
- Vite for build tooling and hot module replacement
Backend
- Rust with Tauri v2 for native platform integration
- FFmpeg (via ffmpeg-next) for video/audio processing
- Hardware acceleration: VideoToolbox (macOS), D3D11VA (Windows), VAAPI (Linux)
- DashMap for concurrent data structures
Mobile
- Capacitor for iOS/Android deployment
- Native bridge for platform-specific features
- Native Performance: Rust FFmpeg backend eliminates browser constraints
- Desktop-First Architecture: Optimized for desktop-class workflows, portable to mobile
- Hardware Acceleration: Direct GPU access through native FFmpeg hardware decoders
- Efficient IPC: Tauri commands optimized for minimal serialization overhead
- Zero Browser Dependencies: No WebCodecs, MSE, or web-specific APIs
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Frontend (React/TS) │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ │
│ │ Timeline UI │ │ Preview Canvas│ │ Filmstrip Cache │ │
│ └──────┬───────┘ └──────┬────────┘ └────────┬────────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────┴─────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ Tauri IPC Layer │
│ │ │
└───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────┐
│ Backend (Rust/FFmpeg) │
│ ┌─────────────────┴──────────────────┐ │
│ │ Decoder Pool (LRU, size=20) │ │
│ │ ┌──────────────────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ Hardware Decoder Context │ │ │
│ │ │ (VideoToolbox/D3D11/VAAPI) │ │ │
│ │ └──────────────────────────────┘ │ │
│ └─────────────┬────────────────────┬─┘ │
│ │ │ │
│ ┌─────────────▼────────┐ ┌────────▼──────────┐ │
│ │ Frame Decoder │ │ Export Pipeline │ │
│ │ (seek + decode) │ │ (encode + mux) │ │
│ └──────────────────────┘ └───────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Decoder Prewarming
- Decoders initialized on project load (eliminates 50-100ms cold start)
- Concurrent prewarming (4 decoders at a time)
- First-frame latency: 5-10ms (vs 50-100ms without prewarming)
Thumbnail Generation
- Web worker pool (CPU cores - 1, max 4)
- Zero-copy ImageBitmap transfer via Transferable
- 60% reduction in main thread CPU during scroll
Batch Processing
- Atlas-based thumbnail storage (reduces IPC overhead by 90%)
- Streaming decode with channel-based delivery
- Concurrent frame decode (up to 20 videos simultaneously)
Sequential Decode Optimization
- Smart seeking: forward decode within GOP boundaries (avoids redundant seeks)
- Sequential hit tracking: detects scrubbing patterns
- 70% reduction in seek operations during timeline navigation
For detailed performance metrics and optimization roadmap, see PERFORMANCE-DESKTOP-ROADMAP.md.
Pre-built binaries are available for all supported platforms. Download from the latest release.
Recommended: Homebrew Installation
brew install AIEraDev/tap/clypraThis method automatically handles Gatekeeper authorization and updates.
Alternative: Direct Download
- Download
Clypra-universal.dmgfrom releases - Open the DMG and drag Clypra to
/Applications - Right-click the app icon and select "Open" to authorize first launch
Supported: macOS 11+ (Big Sur and later), both Apple Silicon and Intel
- Download
Clypra-x64.msifrom releases - Run the installer
- If Windows SmartScreen blocks execution, click "More Info" → "Run Anyway"
Supported: Windows 10 (version 1809+) and Windows 11
- Download
Clypra-x86_64.AppImagefrom releases - Make executable:
chmod +x Clypra-x86_64.AppImage - Run:
./Clypra-x86_64.AppImage
Supported: Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora 35+, Debian 11+, and derivatives
Required
- Node.js 18+ with npm
- Rust 1.70+ (install via rustup)
- FFmpeg 6.0+ with development libraries
Platform-Specific
- macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools (
xcode-select --install) - Windows: Visual Studio 2019+ with C++ desktop development tools
- Linux: Build essentials, webkit2gtk, libayatana-appindicator
macOS
brew install ffmpegUbuntu/Debian
sudo apt install ffmpeg libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libavutil-dev libswscale-devWindows (Chocolatey)
choco install ffmpegWindows (Manual)
- Download from ffmpeg.org/download.html
- Extract to
C:\ffmpeg - Add
C:\ffmpeg\binto system PATH
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/AIEraDev/clypra.git
cd clypra
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Configure environment
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your Clypra API key (required for text effects)
# Development mode with hot reload
npm run tauri dev
# Production build
npm run build
npm run tauri buildThe codebase is organized by domain with clear separation of concerns:
src/
├── components/ # React components
│ ├── editor/ # Core editor UI (Timeline, Preview, Filmstrip)
│ ├── screens/ # Full-screen views (Launch, Settings)
│ └── ui/ # Reusable UI primitives (Modals, Icons, Buttons)
├── store/ # Zustand state stores (by domain)
│ ├── timelineStore.ts # Timeline structure (tracks, clips, gaps)
│ ├── playbackStore.ts # Playback state and AV sync
│ ├── projectStore.ts # Project metadata and media assets
│ └── ... # uiStore, settingsStore, historyStore
├── core/ # Core engine logic
│ ├── runtime/ # ProjectSession and lifecycle management
│ ├── scheduler/ # Frame scheduler for preview rendering
│ ├── resources/ # PreviewMediaPool (video/audio elements)
│ ├── render/ # Canvas rasterization and compositing
│ └── timeline/ # Timeline calculations and utilities
├── lib/ # Shared utilities
│ ├── platform/ # Tauri IPC wrappers
│ ├── monitoring/ # Performance monitoring
│ ├── workers/ # Web worker pool
│ └── ... # Audio, video, filmstrip utilities
├── hooks/ # Custom React hooks
├── types/ # TypeScript type definitions
└── App.tsx # Application entry point
src-tauri/
├── src/
│ ├── commands/ # Tauri command handlers
│ │ ├── thumbnail.rs # Video decode commands
│ │ ├── export.rs # Export pipeline
│ │ └── ...
│ ├── thumbnail_engine/# FFmpeg decoder pool
│ │ ├── decoder.rs # Hardware-accelerated decoder
│ │ ├── cache.rs # LRU caching
│ │ └── ...
│ └── lib.rs # Tauri application setup
└── Cargo.toml # Rust dependencies
Clypra uses the Clypra API for text effects and templates. To enable these features:
-
Copy
.env.exampleto.env:cp .env.example .env
-
Add your API key to
.env:VITE_CLYPRA_API_KEY=your_api_key_here -
Important: Never commit
.envto version control (already in.gitignore)
The API provides:
- Text effects library with customizable styles
- Canvas-based text templates with WebM video previews
- Google Fonts integration
# Run all tests
npm test
# Run Rust tests
cd src-tauri && cargo test
# Run specific test suite
npm test -- src/lib/__tests__/timelineUtils.test.ts
# Run with coverage
npm test -- --coverage# TypeScript type checking
npx tsc --noEmit
# Rust linting
cd src-tauri && cargo clippy -- -D warnings
# Format code
npm run format
cd src-tauri && cargo fmtClypra uses Zustand with domain-separated stores to maintain clear ownership boundaries:
- timelineStore: Timeline structure (tracks, clips, transitions, gaps)
- playbackStore: Playback state, playhead position, AV sync
- projectStore: Project metadata, media assets, persistence
- historyStore: Undo/redo command stack
- uiStore: UI state (modals, selections, drag state)
- settingsStore: User preferences and application settings
Each store owns its domain and exposes actions. Cross-store communication happens through explicit calls, not shared mutable state.
- Import: FFmpeg probe extracts metadata (duration, dimensions, codec)
- Thumbnail: Rust decoder generates filmstrip tiles (L0-L3 density tiers)
- Preview: HTMLVideoElement (live playback) or Canvas (composited frames)
- Export: Frame scheduler → RGBA frames → FFmpeg encoder → MP4/MOV
The application includes comprehensive performance monitoring:
- Decoder metrics: Cache hits, evictions, decode latency
- Export metrics: Frame write time, fps, total duration
- Render metrics: Layer rendering time, canvas pool efficiency
- Cache metrics: Filmstrip cache hit rate, memory usage
Access metrics in development via window.__performanceMonitor.
We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Make your changes with tests
- Ensure all tests pass (
npm test && cd src-tauri && cargo test) - Commit with conventional commits (
feat:,fix:,docs:, etc.) - Push to your fork and open a Pull Request
- TypeScript: Strict mode enabled, ESLint + Prettier
- Rust:
cargo fmt+cargo clippy(no warnings) - Commits: Conventional commits format
- Documentation: JSDoc for public APIs, inline comments for complex logic
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
Clypra uses FFmpeg for video processing. FFmpeg is licensed under:
- LGPL 2.1+ (default build)
- GPL 2+ (if built with GPL-only components)
Binary releases include FFmpeg under LGPL. If you build with GPL components, ensure GPL compliance.
- Tauri: Cross-platform native application framework
- FFmpeg: Video/audio processing engine
- React: UI framework
- shadcn/ui: Component library foundation
- Issues: GitHub Issues
- Discussions: GitHub Discussions
- Documentation: Project Wiki
Clypra uses an Open Core business model:
✅ Core Video Editor - Multi-track timeline, frame-accurate editing, hardware-accelerated processing
✅ Effects Engine - Professional video effects, transitions, filters (via @clypra-studio/engine)
✅ Audio Tools - Waveform visualization, volume control, AV sync
✅ Export Pipeline - H.264, H.265, ProRes export with FFmpeg
✅ Text Overlays - Custom fonts, styles, and animations
✅ All UI Components - Full source code, no proprietary dependencies
No watermarks. No feature limits. No subscriptions. Forever.
🎯 Natural Language Editing - "Remove all pauses", "Add captions", "Make this shorter"
🎯 Auto-Captioning - Transcription with speaker detection and customizable styles
🎯 Smart Reframe - Auto-crop for Instagram Stories, TikTok, YouTube Shorts
🎯 Scene Detection - AI-powered scene splitting and B-roll suggestions
🎯 Audio Enhancement - Noise removal, EQ, compression
🎯 Voice Cloning - Match narrator voice across clips (coming soon)
🎯 Multi-language Dubbing - Translate and dub with lip sync (coming soon)
Pricing: Free tier (100 AI calls/month) • Pro ($10/month, unlimited) • Enterprise (custom)
Learn more about Pro features →
We believe professional video editing should be free and accessible to everyone. Open source ensures:
- Transparency - You can audit every line of code
- Ownership - Your edits, your data, your workflow
- Community - Contributions from creators worldwide
- Longevity - The editor can't be shut down or paywalled
The Pro AI features fund full-time development on the open source core. Everyone wins.
See PERFORMANCE-DESKTOP-ROADMAP.md for upcoming performance improvements.
Planned features:
- Mobile app release (iOS/Android via Capacitor)
- Advanced color grading
- Multi-camera editing
- Plugin system for extensions
- GPU-accelerated effects rendering
Pro Roadmap (AI features):
- Natural language commands (Q3 2026)
- Auto-captioning (Q3 2026)
- Smart reframe (Q4 2026)
- Voice cloning (Q1 2027)
- Multi-language dubbing (Q2 2027)