How to split a video into separate clips without re-encoding
Splitting a video into separate clips usually means running an export for each one - or resorting to a CLI tool that re-encodes by default. Lossless Video Cutter exports all marked segments as individual files in a single step, losslessly, without touching any pixel data.
4 min read
How it works
The timeline in Lossless Video Cutter can hold any number of segments - each defined by an in point and an out point. When you export with Export Segments as Separate Files, the app processes each segment independently, copying compressed video packets directly from the source into a numbered output file. All segments are exported in one pass; you don't have to re-open the file or re-configure the export for each clip.
Because the copy is lossless - no decode, no re-encode - each output file is bit-for-bit identical to the corresponding portion of the source. Export speed scales with storage speed, not CPU or GPU capacity.
Step-by-step
- Open your video with ⌘O or by dragging it onto the app window.
- Mark your segments. Scrub to the start of a clip, press I, scrub to the end, press O. Repeat for every clip you want. You can also use a smart scan (face detection, speech search, silence removal) to populate the timeline automatically.
- Open the export dialog with ⌘E.
- Choose "Export Segments as Separate Files" from the export mode options.
- Choose an output folder. All clips will be saved there with sequential filenames based on their order on the timeline.
- Click Export. All segments are processed in one pass - no additional steps per clip.
Naming and ordering
Output files are named sequentially based on their position on the timeline - for example, clip-001.mp4, clip-002.mp4, and so on. If you've given segments custom names by double-clicking their label on the timeline, those names are used in the filenames instead.
You can reorder segments by dragging them along the timeline before exporting - the output numbering follows the final timeline order, not the order you created the segments.
Use cases
NLE import prep
Cut a long shoot into individual shots and import each one into Final Cut, Premiere, or DaVinci as a clean, named clip.
Podcast editing
Split a podcast recording by topic segment and hand off individual chapters for separate publication.
Tape archiving
Preserve each item from a tape transfer as its own lossless file with no further quality degradation.
Social media clips
Mark the highlights in a single long recording and export each as a self-contained clip ready for upload.
Combine with smart scans
Manually marking every segment is optional. The Pro smart scan tools can populate the timeline for you:
- Face detection - finds every segment featuring a specific person and adds each appearance as a segment.
- Speech search - adds segments around every occurrence of a word or phrase in the audio.
- Shot detection - marks each scene change as a separate segment, ideal for splitting a multi-take recording into individual takes.
Run a scan, review the proposed segments on the timeline, delete any you don't want, then export everything as separate files in one step. A 90-minute recording can be segmented and exported without watching any of it.
Try it now
Core splitting is free
Manual segment marking and separate file export are free with no time limit. Smart scan features - face detection, speech search, shot detection - are Pro. Download and try both.