FrameShift

Free, open-source FFmpeg GUI for Windows — local media utility with Explorer right-click integration and local AI.

---

Table of Contents

• Download
• Overview
• Why FrameShift
• Quick Workflow
• Actions
• Technology
• ImageSharp Licence — Maintainers and AI Agents
• Documentation

---

Download

→ Download latest release (.exe installer)

Current branch version: 1.20.1 · latest published release: 1.20.1 · Windows 10 / 11 · self-contained · no extra install required.

Versioning uses 1.<feature release>.<patch>: feature releases start at .0; small fixes increment the final number (1.14.1, 1.14.2, etc.).

---

Overview

FrameShift is a desktop utility for fast video, audio, image, and AI-assisted media tasks on Windows.
Its main goal is simple: let you launch useful actions directly from Explorer context menus, make the right adjustments quickly, and save the result next to the source file with safe unique naming.

New in 1.20.1 — security and reliability fixes. Hardened the installer, updated bundled image-processing and .NET components, and protected media outputs during filename collisions, cancellation and failure. See the release notes and the qualification report.

New in 1.20.0 — refreshed Windows interface. Action dialogs and editors share consistent headers, spacing and buttons, adapt to the available screen space, and keep their main commands accessible. This release also brings improved keyboard navigation, readable queue/error details, and PerMonitorV2 DPI handling. Build evidence and the accepted qualification scope are recorded in the release report.

Join Videos, introduced in 1.19.0. Arrange multiple clips on a lightweight visual timeline, then join them as one track. FrameShift uses direct concat only for a strict compatible stream signature; otherwise SDR clips normalize automatically to H.264/AAC MP4 with ratio-preserving padding and generated silence where needed. HDR mixing/normalization is refused in this first version.

Alongside the Explorer right-click menu, FrameShift opens a simple drop-driven window: drag in as many files as you want and it shows only the actions that fit them, grouped by type. Each action runs on the whole selection in one pass, so large batches are no longer limited by Explorer's multi-file context-menu cap.

Remove backgrounds, remove objects from images, upscale images and videos, remove noise, and separate audio locally with focused AI workflows launched directly from Explorer. RIFE interpolation is also available as a dedicated local AI workflow for smoother motion on supported video clips.

Upscale videos locally with Real-ESRGAN General v3, AnimeVideo v3, or x4plus Quality. FrameShift keeps the source frame rate and audio, supports ×2 / ×3 / ×4 and custom sizes, and uses DirectML with CPU and encoder fallbacks. Image and video upscale models remain isolated in their own verified folders.

Upscale images with a local AI model picked from a simple dropdown: Real-ESRGAN x4plus for general photos, screenshots and AI images, Real-ESRGAN Anime 6B for illustrations and line art, and Swin2SR for restoration-grade quality. Choose ×2, ×3, ×4 or a custom target size (aspect-locked). It runs on the GPU via DirectML with CPU fallback, tiles large images automatically, and saves the result next to the source.

Build image-based PDF documents with a visual layout workflow designed for quick adjustments.

Crop images and videos with a dedicated visual editor that now supports automatic border detection, mouse-wheel zoom, and drag navigation for tighter framing with less manual work.

Why FrameShift

• Right-click driven workflow for everyday media tasks
• Offline processing with local tools only
• No overwrite behavior, outputs stay next to source files
• FFmpeg and FFprobe at the core
• Focused WinForms interface built for speed and clarity
• Clean cancellation and practical batch-friendly flows

Quick Workflow

1. Right-click a file in Explorer.
2. Choose a FrameShift action from the context menu.
3. Adjust only the settings you need.
4. Start processing and get a clean output beside the original file.

Actions

Video Actions

Audio Actions

Image Actions

AI Actions

Built For

• Fast everyday media conversions
• Creator and editor utility workflows
• Clean Windows Explorer integration
• Offline processing environments
• Users who want practical tools instead of heavy software

Technology

• C#
• .NET 8 LTS
• WinForms
• FFmpeg
• FFprobe
• Optional local AI components with ONNX Runtime DirectML

ImageSharp Licence — Maintainers and AI Agents

Renewal reminder: the current Six Labors Community licence expires on 2028-01-01, according to its issuance email. Plan renewal in December 2027.

FrameShift uses ImageSharp 4 for image processing. A valid private sixlabors.lic file is required for Release builds. Community keys expire and require periodic renewal; do not assume automatic renewal. See Six Labors' confirmation and licence setup instructions.

Before preparing any release, maintainers and AI agents must:

1. Check that the available licence is still valid. If it is expired or approaching expiry, ask the project owner to renew it through Six Labors.
2. Supply the private file through SixLaborsLicenseFile (for example, a process environment variable), or use a protected build secret as documented by Six Labors. Never commit the licence or its contents, print the key in logs, or include it in the installer.
3. Run the official release command, build_installer.ps1, with the licence configured. Do not bypass licence validation or downgrade to a vulnerable ImageSharp version to build a release.
4. After renewal, update the expiry date and renewal reminder in this section from the new issuance email.

The licence is checked during compilation. Installed FrameShift versions keep working after the key expires, and end users do not need their own key.

Project Structure

src/FrameShift/
installer/
docs/
tests/

Documentation

• Documentation Index
• Project Overview
• Project Rules
• Architecture Freeze
• Migration Plan
• Changelog
• Release Notes 1.18.1
• Release Notes 1.20.0
• Release Notes 1.20.1
• Installed Release Tests
• Release Notes 1.19.0
• Release Checklist and Versioning
• Dark / Light Theme Implementation
• Shared UI Contract
• UI Visual Standard
• Developing a New Window
• Code File Index
• UI/DPI Development Plan
• UI Phase D1 — Manual Tests
• UI Phase D2 — Manual Tests
• UI Phase D3 — Manual Tests
• UI Phase E — Manual Editor Tests
• RIFE Interpolation Notes
• Upscale Video Implementation
• Third-Party Model Licences

FAQ

Is FrameShift free?
Yes. Completely free, no subscription, no trial period.

Is it open source?
Yes. GNU GPL v3.0. Source code is available in this repository.

Does it send my files anywhere?
No. All processing happens locally on your machine. No upload, no cloud, no telemetry.

Does it require FFmpeg to be installed separately?
No. FFmpeg and FFprobe are bundled — nothing to install manually.

Does it work without an internet connection?
Yes. FrameShift is fully offline. An internet connection is only used the first time you download an optional AI model.

What Windows versions are supported?
Windows 10 and Windows 11 (x64).

Is it a replacement for HandBrake or Shutter Encoder?
It is an alternative for quick, everyday media tasks from the Windows right-click menu. HandBrake and Shutter Encoder are more complete converters; FrameShift is faster to reach (no app to open) and adds local AI features like background removal, upscaling, stem separation and denoising.

---

Notes

• FrameShift is distributed under the GNU GPL v3.0. See LICENSE.
• Third-party components and optional AI model notices are listed in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.
• references/ is reference-only.
• Active runtime resources must stay inside the real FrameShift project tree.
• The only official release command is:

 .\build_installer.ps1

It validates the release inputs and version entry, restores locked dependencies, runs mandatory Release tests, clears only publish\FrameShift-win-x64\, publishes the self-contained win-x64 payload, validates its required files, then compiles Inno Setup. Any required failure returns a non-zero exit code. build_all.ps1, build_publish.ps1, and build_publish.bat are compatibility wrappers to this command.

---

Related / Keywords

FFmpeg GUI · FFmpeg frontend · FFmpeg interface · free video converter Windows · batch media converter · Windows right-click media tools · HandBrake alternative · Shutter Encoder alternative · Format Factory alternative · local AI media tools · remove background offline Windows · RIFE GUI · RIFE interpolation Windows · Demucs GUI · audio stem splitter free · DeepFilterNet GUI · noise removal audio Windows · image upscaler Windows · Real-ESRGAN GUI · LaMa inpainting Windows · offline AI tools Windows · privacy-friendly media converter