Session automation of steps common across new MP4 files

[ugfrog]

I love LosslessCut, having only found it a few days ago. THANK YOU for sharing it!

I've researched and tried to learn how to use "Filter Tracks", but can't get it to work well or work consistently. I'd like to see an option to automate common steps, like removing labeled advertisement segments from MP4 files, as follows...

Current workflow:

Drop MP4 into the DROP FILE(S) window.
Select "Import chapters".
Click on the upper left-hand corner button called "Tracks (4/5)" (in this example).
In the Tracks screen, click on any NON-video and NON-audio icons to DE-select them, leaving only "video" and "audio" tracks to be kept. Click the upper right-hand "X" to keep choices.
In the right-hand "Segments to export:" column, manually DE-select every "Advertisement" segment, leaving only the Video segments.
Click on the "Export+merge" button to let LosslessCut do its work.

Proposed workflow (upon launching LosslessCut the first time):

For each new LosslessCut session, basically go through the selection steps above (PLUS number 4, below), but in a recording mode which, based on user selections, would create a template for that LosslessCut session which would execute the (now recorded) steps performed by the user for every file dropped into the DROP FILE(S) window during that LosslessCut session. The user would make choices for each of these one-time steps to record the template's contents:

1. Select "Import chapters".
2. Select ONLY the "video" and "audio" tracks.
3. In "Segments to export", select only the "Video" segments.
4. In "Segments to export", DE-select "Video" segments shorter than a user-selectable duration.
5. Execute the "Export+merge" function.

Result:

After having performed the "record-the-steps" exercise when first opening LosslessCut, the user would subsequently just have to drop a new file into the DROP FILE(S) window, then when the "Export+merge" is finished, just press the "Close" button, saving many, Many, MANY clicks per file.

Note

Even if the Proposed workflow recording session required the user to select (from a list of DE-selected tracks) the ones the user wants to always use ("video" and "audio"), and another decision-making item to select (from a list of DE-selected segments) "Video", that would be fine. The method of selecting the items isn't that important; whatever's easiest for you to code. But the result would be a HUGE savings of time for someone with thousands of MP4s to work on.

Thanks!

[mifi]

Hi. Please see the FAQ. LosslessCut was not designed for completely automated batch operations. You're better off using some external tool for completely automating everything.

That being said, I will help you to improve your workflow to make it faster/easier (Note: use the next upcoming nightly version which includes some changes):

1. (Only once:) I'll implement a new setting for import chapters, choose "always"
2. Run toggleStripAll keyboard action to deselect all tracks (I will improve this action in the next version)
3. (Only once:) Click "Filter tracks" (top left), enter the expression track.codec_type === 'video' || track.codec_type === 'audio'
4. Run toggleStripCurrentFilter keyboard action (will select only audio and video tracks)
5. Run deselectAllSegments keyboard action
6. Run selectSegmentsByExpr keyboard action (new action)
7. Paste the expression segment.label === 'My label' && segment.duration < 5 (from your clipboard)
8. Press Enter
9. Export+merge

Now for every file you want to do this, you repeat steps 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Note: I will also add the following new keyboard actions:

• selectSegmentsByLabel
• selectSegmentsByExpr
• labelSelectedSegments
• mutateSegmentsByExpr

[ugfrog]

Thanks very much. I'll have a shot at implementing these steps. Again... I REALLY LOVE LosslessCut!

…

------ Original Message ------ From "Mikael Finstad" ***@***.***> To "mifi/lossless-cut" ***@***.***> Cc "ugfrog" ***@***.***>; "Author" ***@***.***> Date 1/29/2026 7:02:11 AM Subject Re: [mifi/lossless-cut] Session automation of steps common across new MP4 files (Discussion #2699) Hi. Please see the FAQ. LosslessCut was not designed for completely automated batch operations. You're better off using some external tool for completely automating everything. That being said, I will help you to improve your workflow to make it faster/easier (Note: use the next upcoming nightly version which includes some changes): (Only once:) I'll implement a new setting for import chapters, choose "always" Run toggleStripAll keyboard action to deselect all tracks (I will improve this action in the next version) (Only once:) Click "Filter tracks" (top right), enter the expression track.codec_type === 'video' || track.codec_type === 'audio' Run toggleStripCurrentFilter keyboard action (will select only audio and video tracks) Run deselectAllSegments keyboard action Run selectSegmentsByExpr keyboard action (new action) Paste the expression segment.label === 'My label' && segment.duration < 5 (from your clipboard) Press Enter Export+merge Now for every file you want to do this, you repeat steps 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Note: I will also add the following new keyboard actions: selectSegmentsByLabel selectSegmentsByExpr labelSelectedSegments mutateSegmentsByExpr — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#2699 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AIMMHC5FRU3EUNVKPMNQ27D4JIHGHAVCNFSM6AAAAACQ7LCV36VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKNRUGA3DQOI>. You are receiving this because you authored the thread.

[ugfrog]

Hi - Maybe I didn't download the correct version of LosslessCut from GitHub. I downloaded this morning, and got v3.68.0. Using that version, I can't find your new setting for "import chapters" where you indicated I should be able to select "always". With v3.68.0, (and now, with v3.68.1) when I drag a file onto the 'Drop Files' area, a popup asks "import chapters" and "ignore chapters" like it always has. Right-clicking doesn't do anything, and I can't find any menu reference to "import chapters" where I could select "always", and I don't see anything in Settings for importing chapters, either. Where do I find that? Also, the Filter Tracks expression you included below is the same one I came up with a few weeks ago on my own. Here's what happens when I follow your numbered workflow items from below: 1) I can't find this 2) toggleStripAll DOES deselect all tracks, or toggles to deselect 0 tracks (as expected) 3) In Filter Tracks, I entered the expression: track.codec_type === 'video' || track.codec_type === 'audio' 4) toggleStripCurrentFilter (shift + t) should only select video and audio tracks. But it changes Tracks 0/4 to Tracks 3/4. When Tracks 3/4 shows, the detail shows the selected tracks as: video, audio, AND 'png'. I'm not sure how the png track gets selected based on the expression in use. Any idea of what I'm doing wrong? Steps 5, 6, 7 (the Segment selection steps) are WONDERFUL! This saves me SO MUCH TIME!!!! I changed 7's expression to: segment.label === 'Video' && segment.duration > 120 so only the "good" video segments become selected. Manually clicking on the little selection check-box was a slow process for me. With steps 5, 6, and 7, it takes about 3 seconds. Wow! Now, if I can get the Track selection part to work, I'll be in heaven! Thanks (in advance) for your advice on getting steps 1 through 4 to work. I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you SO MUCH! ugfrog

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------ Original Message ------ From "Mikael Finstad" ***@***.***> To "mifi/lossless-cut" ***@***.***> Cc "ugfrog" ***@***.***>; "Author" ***@***.***> Date 1/29/2026 7:02:11 AM Subject Re: [mifi/lossless-cut] Session automation of steps common across new MP4 files (Discussion #2699) Hi. Please see the FAQ. LosslessCut was not designed for completely automated batch operations. You're better off using some external tool for completely automating everything. That being said, I will help you to improve your workflow to make it faster/easier (Note: use the next upcoming nightly version which includes some changes): (Only once:) I'll implement a new setting for import chapters, choose "always" Run toggleStripAll keyboard action to deselect all tracks (I will improve this action in the next version) (Only once:) Click "Filter tracks" (top right), enter the expression track.codec_type === 'video' || track.codec_type === 'audio' Run toggleStripCurrentFilter keyboard action (will select only audio and video tracks) Run deselectAllSegments keyboard action Run selectSegmentsByExpr keyboard action (new action) Paste the expression segment.label === 'My label' && segment.duration < 5 (from your clipboard) Press Enter Export+merge Now for every file you want to do this, you repeat steps 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Note: I will also add the following new keyboard actions: selectSegmentsByLabel selectSegmentsByExpr labelSelectedSegments mutateSegmentsByExpr — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#2699 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AIMMHC5FRU3EUNVKPMNQ27D4JIHGHAVCNFSM6AAAAACQ7LCV36VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKNRUGA3DQOI>. You are receiving this because you authored the thread.