I'm building a video editor around one uncomfortable idea: less can be better

I've been working on a desktop video editor called MotionCut.

There are already plenty of great editors out there, so I'm not trying to win by having more effects, more AI features, or more buttons.

I'm trying something a little different.

I want to see how far you can push simplicity without making the editor feel limited.

For example, if someone wants to make a YouTube video, short, tutorial, or social post, they probably spend most of their time doing a relatively small number of things:

• cutting and rearranging clips

• working with audio

• adding text

• adjusting speed

• basic color corrections

• transitions

• keyframes

• exporting

Yet the interfaces around these workflows can become incredibly dense.

I'm not saying advanced tools aren't important. They absolutely are.

The question I'm interested in is:

At what point does adding more capability actually make a product worse for the majority of its users?

That's the problem I'm exploring with MotionCut.

I'm still early enough that fundamental decisions can change, which is why I'm posting this here rather than waiting until everything is finished.

If you've built or used creative software, I'd especially like to hear where you think the line is between:

simple enough to understand immediately

and

so simplified that you start fighting the software.

I'd also be interested in examples of products that you think got this balance particularly right.