How to find duplicate takes in your footage and pick the best one
Wedding and event shooters roll the same shot three or four times: the ring detail, the first look, the venue sign. Basecut groups those repeat takes automatically, marks one as the best take, and lets you compare them side by side with one key, without deleting anything.
Last checked 2026-10-26, against Basecut 4.1.1.
Where a step names Basecut, it is our product, so judge that part on your own footage. Grouping takes before you rate them is worth doing whatever tool you use: it turns twelve similar clips into four decisions.
What counts as a take group
| Grouped together | Not grouped |
|---|---|
| Back-to-back files with nearly the same frame | Similar shots recorded at different times of the day |
| Same kind of shot from the same camera | The same moment from a second camera |
| Separate recordings of one setup | The chunks of one long recording (always one take) |
Step by step
1. Import the shoot in capture order
Point Basecut at the card or folder as it is. Takes are grouped in the order the files were recorded, so keep the original file names.
2. Watch the rough view for repeats
Within seconds of import, the import card counts clips that look like a repeat of another take, alongside shaky, soft and dark or blown clips. This is a measurement, not an AI guess.
3. Let the analysis group the takes
When back-to-back files show nearly the same frame, with the same kind of shot from the same camera, Basecut puts them in one take group. Each card gets a Best take or Alt take badge. The chunks of one long recording always count as one take.
4. Open Swap take to compare
Press S on any take, or click Swap take, to see every take in the group with its stars, measured quality and a preview. Press 1 to 9 to pick one. The pick moves to the top and the others drop just below it.
5. Keep, reject and move on
Press A to keep a clip, R to reject it and U to undo. Reject moves a clip to the junk bin inside Basecut; nothing is deleted from your drive.
6. Send everything to your editor
Every take still reaches Resolve, Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro and the organized folders, tagged with its group, so the alternates are one click away if the client wants a different smile.
Where it goes wrong
- Renamed or re-ordered files break capture order, so takes may not group. Import the original card structure.
- A second camera on the same moment is a different angle, not a duplicate, and is not grouped.
- The best take is a measured guess. Expression, timing and what the couple will love are still yours to judge.
For the full rating pass, see How to sort and rate video clips automatically.
More guides
Questions people ask
Can software find duplicate takes in video footage?
Yes. Basecut compares a representative frame of each clip with the files recorded just before and after it, and groups near-identical shots from the same camera into a take group, with one marked as the best take.
Does it delete or hide the other takes?
No. Grouping is a label by default: the alternates keep their own ratings and still go to your editor and folders. Reject only moves a clip to the junk bin inside Basecut, and your original files are never touched.
How does it choose the best take?
The current pick is the take with the highest star rating, then the one the AI marked best, then measured quality. Your own star clicks and Swap take choice override it.
What about a speaker who restarts a line?
Spoken takes with a false start carry a Restart take tag, so you can spot the clean attempt quickly. Search by the line itself also finds every attempt.
Will it group two different shots of the same view?
Sometimes, when they look nearly identical. That is why grouping never changes a rating on its own, and Swap take shows every take with a preview before you choose.
Twelve takes, one decision
Basecut groups repeat takes, marks the best one, and lets you swap with a key, then sends every take to Resolve, Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. Mac and Windows. 14-day free trial, 5 free exports, no card.
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