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The Shot Management interface in Kitsu provides a comprehensive view of all shots in your production, with powerful tools for organization, batch operations, and progress tracking.

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Overview

Shot management includes:
  • Hierarchical organization: Shots organized by episodes and sequences
  • Task tracking: View and manage tasks for all shots
  • Metadata management: Custom fields and shot-specific data
  • Bulk operations: Create, edit, or delete multiple shots at once
  • Import/Export: CSV and EDL support for shot data
  • Search and filtering: Advanced query system for finding shots

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Shot List View

The main shot list displays shots in a table format with:

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Default Columns

  • Thumbnail: Preview image for the shot
  • Sequence: Sequence the shot belongs to
  • Name: Shot identifier
  • Description: Shot description (if present)
  • Frame count: Number of frames in the shot
  • Task columns: Status for each task type

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Additional Metadata

Optional columns include:
  • Frame In/Out: Timecode or frame numbers
  • FPS: Frames per second
  • Resolution: Shot resolution (e.g., 1920x1080)
  • Time Spent: Actual time worked on the shot
  • Estimation: Estimated time for completion
  • Custom Metadata: Production-specific fields

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Creating Shots

1

Open Shot Manager

Click the “Manage” button to open the shot management modal.
2

Select Sequence

Choose the sequence where you want to add the shot.
3

Enter Shot Details

Provide:
  • Shot name (e.g., “010”, “020”)
  • Description (optional)
  • Frame count
  • Frame in/out (optional)
4

Create Shot

Click “Create” to add the shot to the production.
When creating shots, tasks are automatically created based on the production’s task types and the sequence’s workflow configuration.

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Editing Shots

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Edit Single Shot

1

Select Shot

Click on a shot in the list to select it.
2

Edit Inline or Modal

  • Click directly on editable fields to modify them inline
  • Or click the edit button to open the full edit modal
3

Update Fields

Modify shot properties:
  • Name
  • Description
  • Frame count
  • Frame in/out
  • Metadata
4

Save

Changes are saved automatically.

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Inline Editing

Many fields support inline editing:
  • Description: Click to edit the description text
  • Frame Count: Click to modify frame numbers
  • Metadata: Click to edit custom metadata values

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Auto-Calculate Frame Count

Kitsu can automatically calculate frame counts from Frame In/Out:
  • Set Frame In and Frame Out values
  • Frame count is calculated as: Frame Out - Frame In + 1
  • Works in reverse: change Frame Out when Frame In changes

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Shot Operations

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Set Frames from Previews

This feature requires shots to have video previews uploaded.
Automatically set frame counts based on preview durations:
1

Select Task Type

Choose which task type’s previews to use (e.g., “Layout”, “Animation”).
2

Extract Frame Counts

Kitsu reads the duration from uploaded video previews.
3

Update Shots

Frame counts are updated for all shots with previews.

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Bulk Thumbnail Upload

Upload thumbnails for multiple shots:
1

Open Upload Modal

Click the “Import Thumbnails” button.
2

Match Images to Shots

  • Upload multiple image files
  • Kitsu matches images to shots by filename
3

Review Matches

Verify that images are matched correctly.
4

Upload

Thumbnails are set as previews for matched shots.

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Deleting Shots

Deleting shots with tasks will cancel them instead of permanently deleting.

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Delete Single Shot

  1. Select the shot
  2. Click the delete button
  3. Confirm the deletion

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Behavior

  • No tasks: Shot is permanently deleted
  • With tasks: Shot is canceled (marked as canceled but not deleted)
  • Canceled shots: Shown with a strike-through in the list

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Restore Canceled Shots

To restore a canceled shot:
  1. Select the canceled shot
  2. Click the restore button
  3. Shot and its tasks are reactivated

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Search and Filtering

The search field supports:
  • Shot names: Type shot number or name
  • Sequence names: Filter by sequence
  • Episode names: Filter by episode (TV shows)
  • Task status: e.g., anim=wip for animation work in progress

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Advanced Filters

Build complex queries: 
e01 s010 anim=wip
This finds shots in episode 1, sequence 010, with animation tasks in WIP status.

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Filter Builder

Use the filter builder for complex queries:
  1. Click the filter icon
  2. Add conditions:
    • Task status
    • Assignees
    • Metadata values
    • Frame count ranges
  3. Combine with AND/OR logic
  4. Apply filter

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Saved Searches

1

Create Search

Build your search query in the search field.
2

Save Search

Click the save icon and name your search.
3

Reuse Search

Access saved searches from the query list for quick filtering.

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Display Options

Big Thumbnails

Toggle larger preview thumbnails for better visual identification.

Contact Sheet

View multiple frames from each shot in a grid layout.

Show Assignations

Display assignee avatars for each task.

Show Infos

Toggle visibility of metadata columns.

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Task Management

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Create Tasks

Add new task types to shots:
1

Open Task Creation

Click “Create Tasks” button.
2

Select Task Type

Choose the task type to create.
3

Choose Scope

Apply to all shots or only selected shots.
4

Create

Tasks are created for the specified shots.

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Delete All Tasks

This operation cannot be undone. Use with caution.
Delete all tasks of a specific type:
  1. Click the delete icon in the task column header
  2. Choose to delete for all shots or selected shots
  3. Type the task type name to confirm
  4. Confirm deletion

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Sorting

Sort shots by clicking column headers:
  • Name: Alphanumeric sorting
  • Sequence: Group by sequence
  • Frame count: Numerical sorting
  • Task status: Sort by task status priority
  • Time spent: Sort by production time
  • Custom metadata: Sort by metadata values
Click the column header multiple times to toggle between ascending and descending order.

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Export Options

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CSV Export

Export shot data to CSV:
  1. Apply any filters you want
  2. Click the export button
  3. CSV includes:
    • All visible columns
    • Current filter results
    • Task statuses and assignees

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Format

The exported CSV includes: 
Episode,Sequence,Name,Description,Frames,Frame In,Frame Out,Anim,Comp,...
E01,S010,010,"Hero walks in",120,1001,1120,WIP,TODO,...

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TV Show Features

For TV shows, shots are organized by episodes:
  • Switch between episodes using the episode selector
  • Each episode has its own shot list
  • “Main Pack” contains shots not in specific episodes
  • “All Episodes” view shows shots across all episodes
When working with TV shows:
  • Select an episode to view only its shots
  • Search works within the current episode
  • Filters apply to the current episode
  • Export respects episode selection

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Keyboard Shortcuts

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Click
Select shot
Select a single shot
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Ctrl/Cmd + Click
Multi-select
Add or remove shots from selection
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Shift + Click
Range select
Select a range of shots

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Best Practices

Use consistent shot naming across sequences:
  • Padding: 010, 020, 030 (not 10, 20, 30)
  • Sequential numbering
  • Leave gaps for potential additions
Keep frame counts accurate:
  • Update when shots are revised
  • Use EDL import for accurate timing
  • Calculate from Frame In/Out when available
Use custom metadata for:
  • Location information
  • Complexity ratings
  • Special requirements
  • Reference links
Periodically review shot lists:
  • Remove obsolete shots
  • Update descriptions
  • Verify frame counts
  • Check task completeness

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Permissions

  • Viewers: Read-only access
  • Artists: Read-only access
  • Managers: Can create, edit, and delete shots
  • Admins: Full access to all features

Related Topics

  • Sequences - Learn about sequence organization
  • Breakdown - Cast assets to your shots
  • Tasks - Learn about task management

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