Scene Ripper

Automatic scene detection and algorithmic video remixing for filmmakers and video artists.

What It Does

Scene Ripper analyzes video files to detect scene boundaries, displays them as browsable thumbnails, and lets you remix clips into new sequences using algorithmic composition.

Key Features:

• Automatic scene detection with adjustable sensitivity
• Thumbnail grid browser with preview
• Multi-track timeline for composition
• Algorithmic remix (shuffle with constraints)
• Export individual clips or complete sequences
• YouTube/Vimeo URL import

Installation

Linux

Option 1: AppImage (Recommended)

Download the latest AppImage from Releases:

# Download (replace VERSION with actual version)
wget https://github.com/dvschultz/algorithmic-filmmaking/releases/download/vVERSION/Scene_Ripper-VERSION-x86_64.AppImage

# Make executable and run
chmod +x Scene_Ripper-*-x86_64.AppImage
./Scene_Ripper-*-x86_64.AppImage

Option 2: From Source

# Install system dependencies first (see System Dependencies below)
# Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip ffmpeg \
    gstreamer1.0-plugins-good gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad \
    gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly gstreamer1.0-libav

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/dvschultz/algorithmic-filmmaking.git
cd algorithmic-filmmaking
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run
python main.py

macOS

# Install FFmpeg
brew install ffmpeg

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/dvschultz/algorithmic-filmmaking.git
cd algorithmic-filmmaking
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run
python main.py

Windows

1. Install Python 3.11+ from python.org
2. Install FFmpeg from ffmpeg.org and add to PATH
3. Clone and run:

git clone https://github.com/dvschultz/algorithmic-filmmaking.git
cd algorithmic-filmmaking
pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py

Quick Start

Run:

python main.py

Basic Workflow:

1. Import a video file (drag-drop or Import button)
2. Adjust sensitivity and click "Detect Scenes"
3. Browse detected clips in the thumbnail grid
4. Drag clips to the timeline to build a sequence
5. Click "Export Sequence" to render the final video

Features

Scene Detection

• PySceneDetect with AdaptiveDetector
• Sensitivity slider (1.0 sensitive → 10.0 less sensitive)
• Background processing keeps UI responsive
• Progress reporting

Clip Browser

• Thumbnail grid of detected scenes
• Duration labels on each clip
• Click to preview, double-click for full playback
• Drag-drop to timeline

Timeline

• Multi-track composition
• Drag to reposition clips
• Playhead synchronization with preview
• Remix algorithms (Shuffle - no same-source consecutive)
• "Generate" button for algorithmic sequencing

Export

• Individual clip export (frame-accurate)
• Batch export (all or selected)
• Sequence export (timeline → single video)
• Opens output folder on completion

URL Import

• YouTube and Vimeo support via yt-dlp
• Automatic scene detection after download

Project Structure

algorithmic-filmmaking/
├── main.py              # Entry point
├── requirements.txt     # Dependencies
├── core/
│   ├── scene_detect.py  # PySceneDetect wrapper
│   ├── ffmpeg.py        # FFmpeg operations
│   ├── thumbnail.py     # Thumbnail generation
│   ├── downloader.py    # yt-dlp wrapper
│   ├── sequence_export.py
│   └── remix/
│       └── shuffle.py   # Constrained shuffle
├── models/
│   ├── clip.py          # Source, Clip dataclasses
│   └── sequence.py      # Sequence, Track, SequenceClip
└── ui/
    ├── main_window.py   # Main application window
    ├── clip_browser.py  # Thumbnail grid
    ├── video_player.py  # Preview player
    └── timeline/        # Timeline components

Technology Stack

Component	Technology
UI Framework	PySide6 (Qt 6)
Scene Detection	PySceneDetect
Video Processing	FFmpeg
Video Download	yt-dlp
Computer Vision	OpenCV

Requirements

PySide6>=6.6
scenedetect[opencv]>=0.6.4
opencv-python>=4.8
numpy>=1.24
yt-dlp>=2024.1

System Dependencies

macOS:

brew install ffmpeg

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

# FFmpeg and Qt multimedia backend (GStreamer)
sudo apt install ffmpeg \
    gstreamer1.0-plugins-good \
    gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad \
    gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly \
    gstreamer1.0-libav

Linux (Fedora):

sudo dnf install ffmpeg \
    gstreamer1-plugins-good \
    gstreamer1-plugins-bad-free \
    gstreamer1-plugins-ugly-free \
    gstreamer1-libav

Linux (Arch):

sudo pacman -S ffmpeg \
    gst-plugins-good \
    gst-plugins-bad \
    gst-plugins-ugly \
    gst-libav

Windows: Download FFmpeg from ffmpeg.org and add to PATH

Roadmap

Complete:

• Scene detection
• Thumbnail browser
• Video preview
• Individual clip export
• URL import (YouTube/Vimeo)
• Basic timeline
• Sequence export
• Shuffle remix algorithm
• Linux support (AppImage packaging)

In Progress:

• Timeline playback preview
• Similarity-based sequencing
• Motion-based ordering

Future:

• Clip tagging (mood, motion, color)
• FAISS vector similarity search
• CLI for batch processing