FrameTrellis v1.4.0: Advanced Timeline Editing, Keyframes, Subtitles and 4K Export

I'm excited to announce FrameTrellis v1.4.0, the latest stable release of my free, open-source, local-first desktop video editor.

This release represents a significant expansion of FrameTrellis, moving beyond the reliability-focused v1.3.x releases to introduce more advanced editing, animation, subtitle and export workflows.

FrameTrellis is developed using C++20, Qt 6, MLT and FFmpeg, with a focus on native desktop performance, predictable editing and user privacy.

1. More Powerful Multi-Track Editing

FrameTrellis v1.4.0 introduces additional ways to work precisely with clips and tracks.

Highlights include:

  • Multi-track clip selection and alignment.
  • Clip duplication while maintaining relative timing.
  • Slip and roll editing where source material permits.
  • Precise frame navigation and timeline zooming.
  • Timeline markers for review and navigation.
  • Track reordering, duplication and locking.

These improvements make complex timelines easier to navigate and modify without losing control over the edit.

2. Keyframe-Based Animation

One of the biggest additions in v1.4.0 is keyframe editing.

FrameTrellis now supports animation of:

  • Audio volume in decibels.
  • Video and image opacity.
  • Position.
  • Scale.
  • Rotation.

These controls allow users to create animated visual and audio changes over time.

The release also strengthens the relationship between timeline previews and exported results through automated regression testing.

3. Subtitle Editing and Export

Subtitles are an essential part of modern video workflows.

With v1.4.0, FrameTrellis adds:

  • A sequence subtitle track.
  • UTF-8 SRT import and export.
  • WebVTT sidecar export.
  • Subtitle timestamp shifting.
  • Optional caption burn-in.
  • Timestamped transcript export.

These features provide practical tools for creating accessible and captioned videos.

4. Improved MP4 Export Workflows

FrameTrellis continues to focus on H.264 video and AAC audio in MP4 containers.

The latest release includes creator-oriented presets for resolutions up to 1080p, 1440p and 4K, while avoiding unnecessary upscaling.

Lower-bandwidth review and draft profiles are also available.

Users can adjust encoding settings including quality, encoder speed and audio bitrate.

5. Better Project Integrity

New editing capabilities also require more robust project handling.

FrameTrellis v1.4.0 improves validation of project data, media paths, track names and timeline identifiers.

Save operations validate project state before replacing the destination, reducing the chance of overwriting a working project with invalid data.

Important: Existing users should back up their projects before upgrading. Files using new v1.4.0 features may not be compatible with v1.3.1.

6. Local-First by Design

Privacy remains a central principle of the project.

FrameTrellis does not require an account, cloud video processing or telemetry.

Editing, preview and export workflows run locally on your computer.

The project is developed openly and distributed under the GPL-3.0-or-later license.

7. Download FrameTrellis v1.4.0

The stable release is available on GitHub.

Windows:

  • x64 installer
  • x64 portable ZIP

Linux: Build from source.

macOS packages are not available yet.

Download and release notes:

https://github.com/sanskarIN/frametrellis/releases/tag/v1.4.0

The Windows binaries are not code-signed; SHA-256 checksums are provided for verification.

What's Next?

FrameTrellis is an actively developed project.

Future work will continue to focus on improving editing capabilities, performance, reliability and user experience.

I'm particularly interested in feedback from video editors, C++ developers and open-source contributors.

If you'd like to follow the project, report an issue or contribute, visit the repository:

https://github.com/sanskarIN/frametrellis

Thanks for following the development journey!

FrameTrellis — Open-source video editing, on your own machine.