Film school asks you to do everything at once. You edit your own short, grade it, mix it, subtitle it for a festival, design the poster and deliver a file that plays in the screening room, often on a laptop and always against a deadline. cinemaOS lets you learn that whole chain in one project, with the steps of each job visible and a local project that is hard to lose.
The jobs you actually do
- Learn editing craft: trims, pacing, transitions and sound under picture.
- Cut coursework and short films to a deadline.
- Grade scenes so they match.
- Mix dialogue, music and effects to a clean level.
- Subtitle a film for a festival, sometimes in a second language.
- Make a poster and stills for submissions.
- Keep the project safe on a laptop that may crash or run out of space.
How cinemaOS handles each
Starting a project and a first cut
Create a project, import a scene and drag the clip onto the timeline for a first cut. The From Project Gate to first cut tutorial takes under a minute. If you are not sure where to begin, HOME lets you say what you are making and opens the right workspace, as in Tell it what you're making.
Editing craft
The Sequencer has the trims you will be taught: razor, ripple, roll, slip and slide, with keyboard shortcuts and Option drags. See Trim like an editor. Transitions and adjustment layers are one shortcut away, and the Momentum Dial puts the common edits on the clip you are touching. Our article on radial menu editing explains why that helps when you are learning.
Grading
Finisher's Color Engine, Shot Match from a reference still and LUT Lab teach the basics of correction, matching and looks. Start with A grade in one minute.
Mixing
The SOUND console keeps dialogue, music, effects and ambience on separate buses, with loudness meters that show whether the film will play at a sensible level. See The SOUND console.
Subtitles for festivals
Generate captions on your Mac, correct them, translate them offline and export SRT or burn them in. Watch French subtitles with Wi-Fi off.
Poster and stills
Atelier lays out a poster from your own frames and applies a brand kit to every size, so the festival poster and the social version match. See Brand kit to every poster size.
Not losing your work
Projects are local .mntm files with recovery and snapshots. If the laptop freezes during a save or an update misbehaves, recovery is there. Read lost work after a frozen save.
Where to start
- Download cinemaOS and start the 60-day free trial. No card is needed.
- Import one scene from a current project and make a first cut.
- Press Command 2 and grade it, then open the SOUND console and balance it.
- Add subtitles and make a poster from a frame.
- Compare the result with what your school teaches in its own software.
That last step matters. Many schools teach a specific editor because the industry uses it, and you should learn it. cinemaOS is a good place to finish your own films and to see how the jobs connect.
Honest limits
- Your school or a future employer may require Premiere Pro, Avid, Final Cut Pro or Resolve. Learn what they ask for.
- cinemaOS runs on Apple silicon Macs only. Windows is planned for November 2027.
- It does not open .prproj files directly; move cuts with XML or EDL.
- It is version 0.2, build 9, and not a full After Effects replacement for visual effects.
- There is no real-time shared editing for group projects.
Our guide to the best video editing software for film students compares the main options honestly.
FAQ
Is cinemaOS free for students?
There is no separate student plan. Everyone gets 60 days free with no card, then $9.99 USD a month excluding VAT if you choose to subscribe. Nothing is charged automatically.
Can I exchange cuts with classmates who use other editors?
Yes. Export your cut as XML or EDL and import theirs with Import a cut. The conform report lists what needs rebuilding.
Will a school laptop run it?
It needs a Mac with Apple silicon. Intel Macs and Windows PCs are not supported today.