Highlight Editor & Rapid Media Export Suite
A free Windows desktop app for turning raw stream clips into finished vertical 9:16 videos ready for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Tiktok, you name it. Load a clip, crop and split it into a 9:16 layout, add highlight boxes and a watermark, cut out the boring parts, adjust the audio, render, and export. Built by a streamer, for streamers - the whole point is making that after-stream editing loop fast instead of painful.
Beta. Things may still change and bugs are expected. If something breaks or feels off, use the feedback/bug-report buttons in the app (About tab), or find us on Discord below - that's exactly what the beta is for.
Discord · Twitch · X / Twitter · Ko-fi · Wiki (full guide + screenshots)
- Import a clip from a file or a URL (Twitch, YouTube, and more).
- Crop and lay it out for vertical Shorts - split game/cam view or a single focused panel.
- Add highlight boxes (picture-in-picture), a watermark/branding, keyframed movement over time.
- Cut out dead air with a frame-accurate multi-cut timeline, adjust audio per-section.
- Render in-app, then export and get a one-click hand-off to YouTube's upload page.
Full walkthrough with screenshots is on the Wiki - this README stays short on purpose.
Portable zip (no install):
- Unzip the
HERMESfolder anywhere - a USB stick, your Desktop, wherever. - Run
HERMES.exe.
Your config, clips, and exports live inside that HERMES folder. Delete the folder and it's
gone, no trace left on your system.
Installer (HERMES-...-setup.exe):
- Run the setup. It installs per-user (no admin prompt needed), adds a Start Menu entry, and offers an optional desktop shortcut + launch-on-startup.
- Your clips, exports, and settings live in
%LOCALAPPDATA%\HERMES, separate from the program files. Uninstalling asks whether to keep or wipe them (keeps by default).
Both are on the Releases page. Windows will probably show a "Windows protected your PC" SmartScreen warning on first run, since the app isn't code-signed yet - click More info -> Run anyway. That's normal for small unsigned apps and will get sorted out down the line.
- Windows 10 or newer, 64-bit.
- That's it. ffmpeg is bundled, no Python install needed.
pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py
You'll also need ffmpeg.exe on your PATH or placed at assets/ffmpeg.exe (not included in
this repo - grab a build from ffmpeg.org).
Source-available, not open-source - you're welcome to read the code and run the official builds, but redistributing, reselling, or shipping a modified/rebranded version isn't allowed without asking first. See LICENSE for the actual terms, and THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md for the open-source pieces HERMES is built on (ffmpeg and a handful of Python packages).
Everything above is free, no ads, nothing paywalled. If you want to support development, the Ko-fi has supporter tiers with perks like a vote in what gets built next - never anything that locks features behind a paywall. Bug reports, feature ideas, and just showing up on Discord all help just as much.