Outtake

A web app that cuts video clips, GIFs, and screenshots from your Plex libraries.

Outtake is a self-hosted web app for the media in your Plex libraries. Log in with Plex, open a title, mark where the clip starts and ends, and download a video clip, GIF, or screenshot.

Documentation: outtake.papagolabs.com

What it does

• Log in with Plex, or paste a token.
• Browse libraries, search titles, and open an item.
• Mark the start and end from live Plex playback, or type the times yourself.
• Export a video clip, GIF, or screenshot, then preview and download it.
• Keep named clip profiles for the quality, encoder preset, audio bitrate, maximum resolution, and whether HDR is kept, and optionally trim black bars on each export.
• Keep HDR in 10-bit HEVC for phones, Apple devices, and YouTube, or tone-map it to SDR for everywhere else.

Quick start

Outtake needs a Plex Media Server it can reach and read access to the media files Plex plays. The image ships FFmpeg. Save this as docker-compose.yaml:

services:
  outtake:
    image: ghcr.io/papagolabs/outtake:latest
    container_name: outtake
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - outtake-data:/data
      - ${OUTTAKE_MEDIA_PATH:-/path/to/your/media}:/media:ro
    environment:
      OUTTAKE_LOG_LEVEL: info
      OUTTAKE_LISTEN_ADDR: 0.0.0.0:8080
      OUTTAKE_PUBLIC_BASE_URL: ${OUTTAKE_PUBLIC_BASE_URL:-http://localhost:8080}
      OUTTAKE_PLEX_MEDIA_ROOT: ${OUTTAKE_PLEX_MEDIA_ROOT:-}
      OUTTAKE_LOCAL_MEDIA_ROOT: ${OUTTAKE_LOCAL_MEDIA_ROOT:-/media}
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  outtake-data:

Point OUTTAKE_MEDIA_PATH at the directory that holds the files Plex plays, then start it:

export OUTTAKE_MEDIA_PATH=/path/to/your/media
docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:8080 and choose Login With Plex. The first Plex account to log in owns Outtake.

Documentation

• Setup: installing Outtake and configuring it
  • Install: Docker Compose, Docker, a build from source, or a host binary
  • Configuration: every OUTTAKE_ variable, media paths, and host names
  • Storage and Databases: files, S3, SQLite, and Postgres
  • Kubernetes: example manifests and an example Helm chart
  • Upgrading: what changes in each version, and what to do before and after updating
• Guide: using Outtake once it is running
  • Logging In and Servers: the owner account and the server Outtake uses
  • Making Clips: marking a selection, exporting it, and managing clips
  • Profiles and Settings: quality, size, HDR, previews, and appearance
  • HDR and Playback: when clips keep HDR and what your browser plays
• Troubleshooting: fixes for common problems and how to report one
• CLI Reference: every command and flag

The site's source is under docs/.

License

Outtake is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0.

Contributing

Development commands and repo conventions live in AGENTS.md.