feat: v1.9.0 — Silero VAD, CrisperWhisper, RVM, emotion highlights, OTIO export

Silero VAD neural silence detection as alternative to energy threshold,
with auto mode that tries AI first then falls back. CrisperWhisper
verbatim filler word detection via HuggingFace transformers for far
more accurate um/uh identification. Robust Video Matting backend for
temporally consistent background removal. Florence-2 auto watermark
region detection. Emotion-based highlight extraction via deepface facial
expression analysis. Engagement scoring blends hook strength, emotional
peak, pacing, and quotability with LLM scores. OpenTimelineIO export
for universal NLE interchange (Resolve, Avid, FCP). Improved thumbnail
scoring with composition balance and motion blur penalty. UXP panel
gains project media browsing and AbortSignal polyfill. Frontend adds
detection method selectors, scan debouncing, and capability cache reset.

Author: SysAdminDoc

CLAUDE.md

@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@
 - Lint: `ruff check opencut/` — codebase is fully clean, pre-commit enforces on every commit
 
 ## Version
-- Current: **v1.8.0**
+- Current: **v1.9.0**
 - All version strings: `pyproject.toml`, `__init__.py`, `CSXS/manifest.xml` (ExtensionBundleVersion + Version), `com.opencut.uxp/manifest.json`, `com.opencut.uxp/main.js` (VERSION const), `index.html` version display, README badge
 - Use `python scripts/sync_version.py --set X.Y.Z` to update all 18 targets at once (including UXP files)
 

Install.ps1

@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ Write-Host "  \___/| .__/ \___|_| |_|\____\__,_|\__|" -ForegroundColor Cyan
 Write-Host "       |_|                               " -ForegroundColor Cyan
 Write-Host ""
 Write-Host "  Open Source Video Editing Automation" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
-Write-Host "  Installer v1.8.0" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+Write-Host "  Installer v1.9.0" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
 
 $isAdmin = Test-IsAdmin
 if ($isAdmin) {

OpenCut.iss

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 ; Fully self-contained installer — bundles server exe, ffmpeg, and CEP extension
 
 #define MyAppName "OpenCut"
-#define MyAppVersion "1.8.0"
+#define MyAppVersion "1.9.0"
 #define MyAppPublisher "SysAdminDoc"
 #define MyAppURL "https://github.com/SysAdminDoc/OpenCut"
 

README.md

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 # OpenCut
 
-![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.8.0-blue)
+![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.9.0-blue)
 ![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-green)
 ![Platform](https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-Windows%2010%2F11-0078D4)
 ![Python](https://img.shields.io/badge/Python-3.9+-3776AB?logo=python&logoColor=white)
 ![Premiere Pro](https://img.shields.io/badge/Premiere%20Pro-2023+-9999FF?logo=adobepremierepro&logoColor=white)
-![Routes](https://img.shields.io/badge/API%20Routes-142-orange)
+![Routes](https://img.shields.io/badge/API%20Routes-148-orange)
 
 > A free, open-source Premiere Pro extension that brings AI-powered video editing automation, caption generation, audio processing, and visual effects -- all running locally on your machine. No subscriptions, no cloud, no API keys. Replaces the need for paid Premiere extensions.
 
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 
 **Option A -- Installer exe (recommended):**
 
-Download `OpenCut-Setup-1.8.0.exe` from [Releases](https://github.com/SysAdminDoc/OpenCut/releases) and run it. The installer handles everything: server exe, FFmpeg, CEP extension deployment, registry keys, desktop shortcut, and optional Whisper model download. **No Python or FFmpeg needed.**
+Download `OpenCut-Setup-1.9.0.exe` from [Releases](https://github.com/SysAdminDoc/OpenCut/releases) and run it. The installer handles everything: server exe, FFmpeg, CEP extension deployment, registry keys, desktop shortcut, and optional Whisper model download. **No Python or FFmpeg needed.**
 
 **Option B -- From source (requires Python 3.9+ and [FFmpeg](https://ffmpeg.org/download.html) on PATH):**
 
@@ -47,14 +47,14 @@ Clone the repo and run `Install.bat` as Administrator. It handles FFmpeg check,
 
 ## Features
 
-OpenCut v1.8.0 includes **142+ API routes**, **8 panel tabs** with **50+ sub-tabs**, and covers every major video editing automation task — with workflow automation, project templates, i18n, Docker support, SQLite job persistence, 10 themes, keyboard shortcuts, and a UXP panel for Premiere Pro 25.6+.
+OpenCut v1.9.0 includes **148+ API routes**, **8 panel tabs** with **50+ sub-tabs**, and covers every major video editing automation task — with Silero VAD, CrisperWhisper filler detection, Robust Video Matting, emotion-based highlights, OpenTimelineIO export, Florence-2 watermark detection, and a UXP panel for Premiere Pro 25.6+.
 
 ### Cut & Clean
 
 | Feature | Description | Engine |
 |---------|-------------|--------|
-| Silence Removal | Detect and remove silent segments with adjustable threshold | FFmpeg / VAD |
-| Filler Word Detection | Auto-detect and cut um, uh, like, you know, so, actually | WhisperX |
+| Silence Removal | Detect and remove silent segments. Three methods: energy threshold (classic), Silero VAD (neural AI), or auto (tries AI first) | FFmpeg / Silero VAD |
+| Filler Word Detection | Auto-detect and cut um, uh, like, you know, so, actually. Two backends: Whisper (fast) or CrisperWhisper (verbatim, most accurate) | WhisperX / CrisperWhisper |
 | Waveform Preview | Visual waveform with draggable threshold line synced to slider | FFmpeg PCM + Canvas |
 | Trim Tool | Set in/out points to extract a clip portion (stream copy or re-encode) | FFmpeg |
 | Full Pipeline | Combined silence + filler removal in one pass | Multi-stage |
@@ -115,21 +115,23 @@ OpenCut v1.8.0 includes **142+ API routes**, **8 panel tabs** with **50+ sub-tab
 | Auto-Crop Detect | Smart reframe anchor using cropdetect for talking-head content | FFmpeg cropdetect |
 | Merge / Concatenate | Join multiple clips (fast stream copy or re-encoded) | FFmpeg concat |
 | Side-by-Side Preview | Before/after frame comparison modal for effects | FFmpeg + base64 |
-| Watermark Removal | Remove logos via delogo or LaMA AI inpainting | FFmpeg / LaMA |
+| Watermark Removal | Remove logos via delogo or LaMA AI inpainting. Auto-detect watermark region with Florence-2 vision model | FFmpeg / LaMA / Florence-2 |
 | Color Match | Match the color profile of one clip to a reference clip using YCbCr histogram matching | OpenCV |
 
 ### AI & ML Tools
 
 | Feature | Description | Engine |
 |---------|-------------|--------|
 | AI Upscaling | 3 tiers: Lanczos (fast), Real-ESRGAN (balanced), Video2x (premium) | FFmpeg / Real-ESRGAN |
-| Background Removal | Remove video backgrounds | rembg (U2-Net) |
+| Background Removal | Remove video backgrounds. Two backends: rembg (per-frame, more models) or Robust Video Matting (temporal consistency) | rembg / RVM |
 | Face Enhancement | Restore/upscale faces | GFPGAN |
 | Face Swap | Replace faces with reference image | InsightFace |
 | Style Transfer | Neural artistic style transfer | PyTorch models |
-| Auto Thumbnails | AI-scored frame extraction for thumbnails | OpenCV scoring |
+| Auto Thumbnails | AI-scored frame extraction with composition balance, center interest, and motion blur penalty | OpenCV scoring |
 | Auto Zoom Keyframes | Face-detected push-in zoom for talking-head content. Returns keyframes for the Premiere Pro Motion effect | OpenCV + ExtendScript |
 | Multicam Auto-Switching | Speaker diarization → camera cut list. Maps speakers to track indices and generates multicam edits | pyannote.audio + ExtendScript |
+| Emotion Highlights | Detect emotionally significant moments via facial expression analysis. Builds emotion curve to find peaks | deepface + OpenCV |
+| Engagement Scoring | Multi-signal highlight scoring: hook strength, emotional peak, pacing, quotability — blended with LLM scores | Built-in |
 
 ### Export & Batch
 
@@ -140,6 +142,7 @@ OpenCut v1.8.0 includes **142+ API routes**, **8 panel tabs** with **50+ sub-tab
 | Batch Processing | Process multiple clips in parallel | ThreadPool |
 | Transcript Export | SRT, VTT, ASS, plain text, timestamped | Built-in |
 | Auto Thumbnails | AI-scored thumbnail candidates from video | OpenCV |
+| OpenTimelineIO Export | Universal timeline interchange for DaVinci Resolve, Avid, FCP, and any OTIO-compatible NLE | OpenTimelineIO |
 
 ### Panel UX