LiquidCat 0.4.5 — Exact GPU trims, native notifications & Linux ARM

🐱 LiquidCat 0.4.5 — Exact GPU trims, native notifications & Linux ARM

Trimming now uses your GPU and only downloads the part you need, notifications are native and show LiquidCat's icon, and there's a new build for Linux on ARM.

✂️ Better trimming

• Exact cuts on the GPU: trimming with Download as-is used to re-encode the cut on the CPU (x264). Now the trimmed part is cut exactly and encoded with your GPU (NVENC, Quick Sync, AMF or VideoToolbox), using the settings in Encoding. Without a GPU it still works on the CPU.
• Only the part you need is downloaded: with a trim, LiquidCat downloads just that section of the video instead of the whole thing, in both Download as-is and Re-encode modes.

🔔 Native notifications

• The "done" notification now uses Windows' own notification system: it appears instantly and LiquidCat no longer runs PowerShell at all, which antivirus scanners often flagged.
• Notifications now show LiquidCat's name and icon. To do this, LiquidCat adds a shortcut to your Start menu (for your user only, no admin rights needed) and keeps it up to date if you move the app.

🛠️ Fixes

• Ctrl+V, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X and Ctrl+A work with Caps Lock on in every text field, including pasting a link.

🧪 Linux & macOS (experimental)

• New: Linux ARM 64-bit build (Raspberry Pi 4/5, ARM laptops), with the matching yt-dlp.
• macOS uses the GPU automatically: the hardware option is now Apple (VideoToolbox) and it's selected by default, instead of starting on the CPU.

📜 Credits

• Added Skia, the graphics engine that draws LiquidCat's interface.

📦 Platforms

• Windows x86_64: LiquidCat-0.4.5-windows-x86_64.exe
• Linux x86_64 (experimental): LiquidCat-0.4.5-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
• Linux ARM64 (experimental): LiquidCat-0.4.5-linux-aarch64.tar.gz
• macOS Apple Silicon (experimental): LiquidCat-0.4.5-macos-arm64.zip
• macOS Intel (experimental): LiquidCat-0.4.5-macos-x86_64.zip

LiquidCat 0.4.4 — Faster yt-dlp & update notices

🐱 LiquidCat 0.4.4 — Faster yt-dlp & update notices

A speed-focused release: yt-dlp starts much faster on Windows, LiquidCat opens without waiting on dependency checks, and you'll now see when yt-dlp or FFmpeg has a new version.

⚡ Faster

• yt-dlp is ~3× faster on Windows: LiquidCat now uses the "folder" build of yt-dlp, which is unpacked once when it's installed instead of every time it runs. You'll notice it when fetching formats and when each download starts. Your current copy is switched over automatically the first time you open 0.4.4 (that first launch takes a few extra seconds).
• Instant dependency check at startup: LiquidCat remembers the version of yt-dlp and FFmpeg, so it no longer has to run them every time it opens.

✨ What's new

• Update notices for yt-dlp and FFmpeg: when a new version is out, its status at the top turns into a download arrow. Click it to update.
• Smarter yt-dlp auto-update: instead of re-downloading every 7 days, LiquidCat checks first and only downloads when there's actually a new version.

🛡️ More reliable update checks

• LiquidCat, yt-dlp and FFmpeg versions are now checked without GitHub's API, which only allows 60 requests per hour per network. People on a shared connection (school, office, VPN) no longer risk hitting that limit.
• Checks happen at most every 8 hours for LiquidCat and once a day for yt-dlp and FFmpeg. Check for updates in Settings and the update arrow always check right away.

📦 Platforms

• Windows x86_64: LiquidCat-0.4.4-windows-x86_64.exe
• Linux x86_64 (experimental): LiquidCat-0.4.4-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
• macOS Apple Silicon (experimental): LiquidCat-0.4.4-macos-arm64.zip
• macOS Intel (experimental): LiquidCat-0.4.4-macos-x86_64.zip

LiquidCat 0.4.3 — Intel GPUs, Linux & macOS

🐱 LiquidCat 0.4.3 — Intel GPUs, Linux & macOS

LiquidCat now encodes with Intel GPUs, detects your graphics card natively, speaks your system's language from the first launch, and comes to Linux and macOS as an experimental preview.

✨ What's new

• Intel GPU support: new Intel (Quick Sync) hardware option for H.264, HEVC and AV1. If your Intel GPU can't encode a format (for example AV1 on older chips), LiquidCat switches to the CPU automatically.
• Faster, more reliable GPU detection: LiquidCat now asks Windows directly (DirectX) instead of running PowerShell. It recognizes NVIDIA, AMD and Intel by their hardware ID, prefers the dedicated GPU on laptops with two, and still works over Remote Desktop.
• Your language from the start: on first launch LiquidCat uses your system's language when it's available (Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, German or Italian), and English otherwise. You can still change it in Settings.

🛠️ Fixes

• Smooth scrolling again: in 0.4.2 the interface was being drawn by the CPU instead of the GPU, so scrolling (especially in Wiki, Credits and Settings) felt choppy at around 15 fps. It now runs on the GPU at well over 100 fps, while keeping the smoother edges.

🧪 Linux & macOS (experimental)

• First builds for Linux and macOS. They compile and package automatically, but have had very little real-world testing, so expect rough edges. Feedback is very welcome.
• On macOS, hardware encoding uses Apple's VideoToolbox: pick any GPU option under Hardware acceleration.
• On Linux and macOS, install FFmpeg with your package manager (sudo apt install ffmpeg / brew install ffmpeg). LiquidCat tells you how, in your language. yt-dlp is still downloaded automatically.
• The macOS app isn't notarized: the first time, right-click LiquidCat.app and choose Open.

📦 Platforms

• Windows x86_64: LiquidCat-0.4.3-windows-x86_64.exe
• Linux x86_64 (experimental): LiquidCat-0.4.3-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
• macOS Apple Silicon (experimental): LiquidCat-0.4.3-macos-arm64.zip
• macOS Intel (experimental): LiquidCat-0.4.3-macos-x86_64.zip

LiquidCat 0.4.2 — What's new popup & smoother edges

🐱 LiquidCat 0.4.2 — What's new popup & smoother edges

A small polish release: a friendlier way to see what's in a new version, and a sharper-looking interface.

✨ What's new

• What's new popup: clicking the update badge now opens a small popup with the highlights of the new version and a Download button, instead of jumping straight to GitHub.
• Compact update badge: the "New version" badge next to the name now fits its text and matches the theme's accent color.

🎨 Visual improvements

• Smoother edges everywhere: LiquidCat now draws its interface with Skia, so rounded corners and borders are properly anti-aliased instead of looking jagged.

📦 Platforms

• Windows x86_64: LiquidCat-0.4.2-windows-x86_64.exe

LiquidCat 0.4.1 — Open-source license & polish

🐱 LiquidCat 0.4.1 — Open-source license & polish

A small follow-up to 0.4.0: LiquidCat now has an official open-source license, refreshed credits, and a handful of visual fixes.

✨ What's new

• GPL-3.0 license: LiquidCat is now officially free software under the GNU GPL v3.0. You can use, study, share and modify it.
• Refreshed credits: both authors, JuanFX and Adaki, now appear with their GitHub profile pictures and roles.
• Clearer Local files: a short, general description of what you can do there, instead of a list of formats.

🛠️ Fixes

• Format labels no longer repeat the frame rate (for example 2160p60 instead of 2160p6060).
• The Activity card shows just the output file name; the full path is still available in Details and Open folder.
• Clicking an empty area now takes the focus away from text fields.

📦 Platforms

• Windows x86_64: LiquidCat-0.4.1-windows-x86_64.exe

LiquidCat 0.4.0 — Floating activity, update alerts & a smoother setup

🐱 LiquidCat 0.4.0 — Floating activity, update alerts & a smoother setup

A big quality-of-life release: a cleaner, more compact interface, faster and more reliable dependency setup, and LiquidCat now tells you when a new version is out.

✨ What's new

• Floating Activity: in Downloader and Local files, the activity card now floats in the corner. It appears when a job starts and hides on its own a few seconds after it finishes. In Queue it stays in place as before. The Cancel button now lives right inside it.
• Technical log on demand: Details opens the full log in its own window, so the main view stays clean.
• Update alerts: LiquidCat checks GitHub when it starts. If a new version is out, a badge appears next to the name; click it to open the release.
• Settings → About: see your version, check for updates manually and open the release notes.
• A window that fits: LiquidCat opens at the size its content needs and adapts when a video preview loads or is cleared.
• New layout: advanced options on top, with Destination and Download side by side.
• Friendlier sounds: soft chimes for “done”, “error” and “formats ready” replace the old system beeps.

⚡ Faster & more reliable setup

• FFmpeg downloads ~70× faster: it now comes from the official GitHub mirror of the same Gyan build (about 15 seconds instead of ~20 minutes), with gyan.dev kept as a fallback.
• Always an up-to-date yt-dlp: LiquidCat uses its own copy and keeps it updated, instead of relying on an older one found on your system.
• No pointless downloads: Update checks first and tells you when you already have the latest version. The dialog now shows a green check (or a red cross) when it finishes.
• Clear YouTube errors: when YouTube asks to confirm you're not a bot, LiquidCat explains what to do in your language.

🛠️ Fixes

• Long links and paths end in “…” instead of being cut off, and scroll to the cursor while you edit them.
• The video description in the preview shows up again.
• Neo Brutalist themes: square corners and more spacing, so the hard shadows line up.
• Error dialogs adapt to their message and are easier to read.
• Local files now starts with your detected GPU instead of the CPU.
• LiquidCat no longer reads your clipboard on its own; use the paste button or Ctrl+V.

📦 Platforms

• Windows x86_64: LiquidCat-0.4.0-windows-x86_64.exe

LiquidCat 0.3.1 — Smarter GPU encoding & crisper text

🐱 LiquidCat 0.3.1 — Smarter GPU encoding & crisper text

A quick follow-up to 0.3.0 that makes re-encoding more reliable on every GPU and gives the interface sharper, easier-to-read text.

✨ What's new

• Automatic CPU fallback: if your GPU can't encode the chosen format (for example AV1 on NVIDIA cards that don't support it), LiquidCat retries the same job on the CPU automatically instead of failing. The Activity card tells you when this happens.
• Max quality · GPU preset: re-encodes the best available source to high-quality HEVC with the GPU detected on your machine (NVIDIA or AMD), falling back to the CPU if needed. It replaces Original · max quality.
• Back to defaults: pick “— Apply preset —” and press Apply to restore the default settings in one click.
• Crisper text: the interface now uses Poppins Medium with slightly larger small sizes, so text no longer looks jagged, especially at 100% display scaling.

🛠️ Fixes

• The header subtitle and some status lines could disappear with the new font sizes; they now always render.
• Dropdown lists are as wide as their selector again.

📦 Platforms

• Windows x86_64: LiquidCat-0.3.1-windows-x86_64.exe

LiquidCat 0.3.0 — Batch import, new languages & a fresh look

🐱 LiquidCat 0.3.0 — Batch import, new languages & a fresh look

Two roadmap items land in this release: batch import and four new languages. It also brings important fixes to trimming and the queue, smarter presets and a cleaner, more compact interface.

✨ What's new

• Batch import: paste many links at once (one per line) or load them from a .txt, and every link goes straight into the queue with your current settings. Duplicates and non-link lines are skipped.
• Multiple local files: pick or drag several files into Local files; each one is converted as its own job in the queue.
• New languages: Português, Français, Deutsch and Italiano join Español and English.
• H.264 compatible: a new quick quality that grabs the best H.264 + AAC tracks without re-encoding, so the MP4 plays on any TV, phone or editor. The format lists now star the tracks that will actually be downloaded.
• New presets: Original · max quality, H.264 compatible, 1080p H.264 + subtitles, 720p light (HEVC), Music MP3 320, Audio M4A · no re-encode, FLAC lossless and Podcast / voice. Your own presets are kept.
• A cat for every theme: each of the 14 themes has its own icon in the header and in the taskbar, smoothly scaled for any display.
• Friendlier Activity: a card with the current job, its progress and a clean event list with icons. The full technical log is one click away under Details.
• Refreshed layout: side-by-side panels, a more compact interface, a bigger title and styled window buttons.

🛠️ Fixes

• Trimming: cutting from 0:05 to 0:08 now gives exactly 3 seconds. It used to cut the wrong segment.
• Queue: downloads and local conversions no longer run at the same time and step on each other (cancel, progress and history).
• Faster downloads: removed a 3–10 s wait before every single download. Playlists keep a short pause to avoid rate limits.
• Cookies: choosing None really disables browser cookies now.
• Fixed the elongated close button in Settings, Wiki and Credits, misaligned card headers, and symbols that didn't render in the Wiki.

⚠️ Known limitations (0.3.0)

• When LiquidCat is closed or pinned, the taskbar shows the default purple icon. The theme icon appears while the app is open.
• Expanded accessibility and keyboard navigation is still on the roadmap.

📦 Platforms

• Windows x86_64: LiquidCat-0.3.0-windows-x86_64.exe

LiquidCat 0.2.5 - Dialog icon and DPI fixes

LiquidCat 0.2.5

Fixes the remaining dialog icon offset and high-DPI text blur.

Fixed

• The dialog status icon now has an explicit 18px size, so the X/check is centered inside its badge instead of shifted left.
• Dialog panels, the shared dropdown and its option rows are rounded to physical pixels (phx), keeping text crisp at 125%/150% Windows scaling.
• Verified the dialog and dropdown at 125% scaling using SLINT_SCALE_FACTOR=1.25.

Download

Windows x86_64: LiquidCat-0.2.5-windows-x86_64.exe

SHA-256: 1cfd2a26a471aa4a66accbc4f0e65a88e964a620fdefc6410be3244bce8d74e2

Full changelog: v0.2.4...v0.2.5

LiquidCat 0.2.2 - Metadata embedding fixes

LiquidCat 0.2.2

Metadata and cover-art fix for downloaded and local media.

Fixed

• Videos now embed the description, date, source URL and channel/artist metadata (MP4/WebM), not just title and artist.
• Audio re-encodes now embed title, artist, album, album artist, description/comment, date and source URL.
• Cover art is embedded for MP3, M4A and FLAC.
• WAV embeds metadata; cover art is not supported by the WAV/FFmpeg container, and the app now labels this clearly.
• Local re-encodes preserve existing metadata and cover art from the source file.
• Metadata and cover embedding are enabled by default for fresh installs.

Download

Windows x86_64: LiquidCat-0.2.2-windows-x86_64.exe

SHA-256: 28503f7938859f259fc9ab3ed5a5a8477f4c6277c537ab1f2b9e9c00afe90764

Full changelog: v0.2.1...v0.2.2