# Breakthrough/PySceneDetect

:movie_camera: Python and OpenCV-based scene cut/transition detection program & library.

Repository: https://github.com/Breakthrough/PySceneDetect
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/pyscenedetect
Homepage: https://www.scenedetect.com/
Language: Python
License: BSD-3-Clause
License Family: permissive
Topics: python, video, opencv, python-opencv, analysis, scene-detection, image-processing, video-processing, scene-recognition
Last push: 2026-08-24T01:55:27+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 89/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 70, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4473, "days_push": 10, "days_rel": 42, "gap_med": 125.0, "n_releases_24m": 5}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 5123, forks 512 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:10.915914+00:00)

## What it is
PySceneDetect is a Python and OpenCV-based program and library for detecting scene cuts and transitions in videos, with multiple detection algorithms (content, adaptive, hash, histogram, threshold). It offers both a command-line interface and a Python API, and can split videos via ffmpeg/mkvmerge or export timecodes in formats like EDL, OTIO, HTML, and CSV.

## Use cases
- split a video into individual scenes automatically
- detect fast cuts and fades in footage
- find scene boundaries to feed into ffmpeg or mkvmerge
- analyze shot lengths in films for academic research
- process surveillance camera footage into clips
- remove commercials from recorded TV
- find loop points for GIFs and cinemagraphs
- save first/last frames of each detected scene

## When to choose
- you need automated, content-aware scene/shot boundary detection in Python
- you want a CLI tool to split videos on cuts without writing code
- you need timecode output compatible with standard video editing tools
- you want an embeddable, extensible detection API with pluggable algorithms

## When to avoid
- you need semantic scene understanding (objects, actions) rather than cut detection
- you work primarily outside Python and need a GUI-based video editor
- you require real-time detection on live streams with strict latency constraints

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: video-processing, image-processing, computer-vision, cli
- domain: media, computer-vision, developer-tools
- platform: python, cross-platform, cli
- tags: scene-detection, opencv, ffmpeg, shot-detection, video-splitting, timecodes, video, docker

## Member repositories
- Breakthrough/PySceneDetect (main) score 89

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:10.915914+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:02:04.861638+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/Breakthrough/PySceneDetect (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:10.915914+00:00, sha 107dd5d5f974)
  - homepage: https://www.scenedetect.com/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:56:45.119757+00:00, sha ff941a57d596)
  - site_page: https://www.scenedetect.com/features (fetched 2026-08-29T08:56:45.128645+00:00, sha 4769213793f8)
  - site_page: https://www.scenedetect.com/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T08:56:45.134118+00:00, sha 83f8369c8d09)
  - site_page: https://www.scenedetect.com/docs/latest (fetched 2026-08-29T08:56:45.137831+00:00, sha 1c89a544d367)
  - site_page: https://www.scenedetect.com/changelog (fetched 2026-08-29T08:56:45.130770+00:00, sha cb1cb836d11d)
  - site_page: https://www.scenedetect.com/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T08:56:45.135802+00:00, sha 73073afe9e68)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.