scenedetect
Video scene cut/shot detection program and Python library (bundles the opencv-python OpenCV variant and the scenedetect CLI).
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Active maintenance, low install friction, no known vulnerabilities, permissive license, and a clear use case for video analysis. The CLI is immediately usable and the Python API is straightforward. Choose the standard package for desktop use, scenedetect-headless for servers, or scenedetect-core if you need to manage your own OpenCV variant.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires ffmpeg on the system PATH for split_video_ffmpeg; opencv-python needs a display server on headless systems (use scenedetect-headless variant instead).
- Low friction install with a pure-Python wheel.
- Active maintenance: last commit 2026-08-10, release 23 days old.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-3-Clause (permissive) — BSD-3-Clause is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-07-22 (23 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-10 · 5,100 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 1,117,991 downloads/mo, #4,346 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install scenedetect
from scenedetect import detect, AdaptiveDetector, split_video_ffmpeg
scene_list = detect('video.mp4', AdaptiveDetector())
split_video_ffmpeg('video.mp4', scene_list)- Whether AdaptiveDetector is the only detection method available or if others exist.
- Exact performance characteristics (speed, accuracy) on different video codecs and resolutions.
- Whether the Python API supports real-time streaming or only file-based input.
What it is and what it does
PySceneDetect is a video analysis tool that identifies shot boundaries and scene cuts in video files. It provides both a command-line interface and a Python library for detecting fast-cuts and threshold-based fades, then automatically splitting videos into separate clips. The tool bundles opencv-python for computer vision and relies on standard dependencies like numpy, click, and tqdm.
You can use it as a standalone CLI tool (e.g., `scenedetect -i video.mp4 split-video`) or import its Python API to integrate scene detection into larger workflows. The package is actively maintained, supports modern Python versions (3.10–3.13), and offers variant distributions: the standard package bundles opencv-python, a headless variant uses opencv-python-headless for servers, and a core-only variant lets you bring your own OpenCV build.
Use it for
- Automatically split long videos into individual scenes or shots for archival or editing workflows.
- Analyze video content to find shot boundaries for automated video summarization or highlight extraction.
- Integrate scene detection into video processing pipelines to trigger downstream tasks at scene cuts.
- Detect and extract fade transitions in videos for quality control or content analysis.
- Build video editing tools that need to identify natural cut points for re-composition.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Active maintenance, low install friction, no known vulnerabilities, permissive license, and a clear use case for video analysis. The CLI is immediately usable and the Python API is straightforward. Choose the standard package for desktop use, scenedetect-headless for servers, or scenedetect-core if you need to manage your own OpenCV variant.
Install
scenedetect on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with a pure-Python wheel. Active maintenance: last commit 2026-08-10, release 23 days old. Supports Python 3.10–3.13. Runtime dependencies are common and stable (click, numpy, opencv-python, platformdirs, tqdm).
Requires ffmpeg on the system PATH for split_video_ffmpeg; opencv-python needs a display server on headless systems (use scenedetect-headless variant instead).
License in practice
BSD-3-Clause is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install scenedetect
from scenedetect import detect, AdaptiveDetector, split_video_ffmpeg
scene_list = detect('video.mp4', AdaptiveDetector())
split_video_ffmpeg('video.mp4', scene_list)Verify before relying
- Whether AdaptiveDetector is the only detection method available or if others exist.
- Exact performance characteristics (speed, accuracy) on different video codecs and resolutions.
- Whether the Python API supports real-time streaming or only file-based input.
Package facts
| License | BSD-3-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 5 packagesclicknumpyopencv-pythonplatformdirstqdm |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 23 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 1,117,991 / month, #4,346 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleEnvironment :: Console :: CursesIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: End Users/DesktopIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Topic :: Multimedia :: VideoTopic :: Multimedia :: Video :: ConversionTopic :: Multimedia :: Video :: Non-Linear EditorTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: scenedetect-0.7.1-py3-none-any.whl
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