Scene Detector

VerifiedCaution

Detects scene changes and shot boundaries in videos. Uses adaptive detection to identify fast cuts and gradual fades for video segmentation.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
ContentBeginner
3/8/2026
Claude CodeCursorCodex
#video-processing#scene-detection#ffmpeg#pyscenedetect#video-editing

Recommended for

Automated summary

Detects scene changes and shot boundaries in a video using PySceneDetect, with JSON output and optional splitting into clips.

Strengths

  • Content-adaptive detection that handles both hard cuts and gradual fades
  • Configurable threshold and minimum scene length to tune sensitivity
  • Structured JSON output (start/end times, duration, content type) that is easy to reuse downstream
  • A --split option that exports each scene as its own video file

Limitations

  • Requires PySceneDetect, FFmpeg, and OpenCV to be installed locally
  • Only returns a temporal segmentation; it does not analyze what happens inside each scene
  • Threshold tuning is empirical and often needs adjusting per video type
When to use it

Use it when you need to quickly locate natural cut points in a video before editing or slicing it into short clips.

When not to use it

Avoid it if the goal is to understand or describe scene content rather than find its boundaries.

Security analysis

Caution
Quality score85/100

The skill performs legitimate local video analysis using Python and FFmpeg. It does not instruct network exfiltration, secret access, obfuscation, or destructive commands, but the declared Bash(python:*) and Bash(ffmpeg:*) permissions mean execution risk depends on the bundled script and output paths.

Findings
  • •Executes a local Python script and FFmpeg commands, so the bundled script must be trusted.
  • •Writes output files: sidecar JSON by default and split clips under ./clips/ or the supplied --output-dir; verify paths to avoid unintended overwrites.
How this analysis is made

Examples

Basic scene detection
Find the scene changes in intro.mp4 and save the result as JSON.
Sensitive detection and split
Detect scenes in music_video.mp4 with a threshold of 0.2 and split it into individual clips in ./scene_clips/.
Cut points for shorts
Run scene detection on interview.mp4 and list the boundaries I could use as cut points for 30-second shorts.

name: scene-detector description: Detect scene changes and shot boundaries in videos. Use when you need to identify where scenes change, find natural cut points, or segment video into scenes. Supports adaptive detection for both fast cuts and gradual fades. allowed-tools: Bash(ffmpeg:) Bash(python:) compatibility: Requires PySceneDetect, FFmpeg, and OpenCV metadata: version: "1.0" method: "Adaptive Content-Aware Detection"

Scene Detector

This skill enables AI agents to detect scene changes and shot boundaries in videos using PySceneDetect.

When to Use

  • User wants to find scene changes in a video
  • Need natural cut points for video editing
  • Want to segment long video into scenes
  • Detecting transitions for autocut workflow

Available Scripts

scripts/detect_scenes.py

Detect scene changes in video.

Usage:

python skills/scene-detector/scripts/detect_scenes.py <video_path> [options]

Options:

  • --threshold: Detection threshold (0.1-0.5) - default: 0.3 (lower = more scenes)
  • --min-scene-len: Minimum scene length in seconds - default: 0.5
  • --output, -o: Output JSON path (default: <video_path>_scenes.json)
  • --split: Split video into clips
  • --output-dir: Directory for split clips (default: ./clips/)

Examples:

Detect scenes with default settings:

python skills/scene-detector/scripts/detect_scenes.py video.mp4

Detect with more sensitivity (more scenes):

python skills/scene-detector/scripts/detect_scenes.py video.mp4 --threshold 0.2

Detect and split video into clips:

python skills/scene-detector/scripts/detect_scenes.py video.mp4 --split --output-dir ./scene_clips/

Detection Methods

Adaptive Detection (Default)

Adapts to video content, works well for:

  • Fast cuts (music videos, action)
  • Gradual fades (narrative content)
  • Mixed content

Threshold-Based Detection

Fixed threshold comparison:

  • --threshold 0.1: Very sensitive (many scenes)
  • --threshold 0.3: Balanced (default)
  • --threshold 0.5: Less sensitive (fewer scenes)

Output Format

JSON Output

{
  "video_path": "video.mp4",
  "duration": 123.45,
  "total_scenes": 15,
  "scenes": [
    {
      "scene_number": 1,
      "start_time": 0.0,
      "end_time": 8.5,
      "duration": 8.5,
      "content_type": "fast_cut"
    },
    {
      "scene_number": 2,
      "start_time": 8.5,
      "end_time": 23.2,
      "duration": 14.7,
      "content_type": "fade"
    }
  ]
}

Split Clips

When --split is used, creates:

clips/
  scene_001.mp4
  scene_002.mp4
  scene_003.mp4
  ...

Integration with Other Skills

After scene detection, you can use these skills:

  • video-trimmer: Trim specific scenes
  • highlight-scanner: Use scene changes as cut points
  • autocut-shorts: Full workflow for creating short clips

Common Workflow

  1. User provides video file
  2. Detect scenes using this skill
  3. Identify interesting scenes based on timing
  4. Create short clips from selected scenes

Tips

  • Lower threshold = more scenes detected
  • Use --min-scene-len to filter out very short scenes
  • Scene boundaries are excellent cut points for short-form content
  • Consider scene changes when creating clips (15-60s each)

References

  • PySceneDetect documentation: https://www.scenedetect.com/
  • OpenCV documentation: https://docs.opencv.org/

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/download' --output '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

Environment declared by the author: Requires PySceneDetect, FFmpeg, and OpenCV

Tools declared by the author (check availability in your agent): Bash(ffmpeg:*) Bash(python:*)

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/scene-detector' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw' '.claude/skills/scene-detector'

Cursor
test -f '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.cursor/skills' && test ! -e '.cursor/skills/scene-detector' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw' '.cursor/skills/scene-detector'

Codex
test -f '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.agents/skills' && test ! -e '.agents/skills/scene-detector' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw' '.agents/skills/scene-detector'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw'

openskills read 'scene-detector-mmh8qqxw'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/scene-detector-mmh8qqxw/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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