I just wanted to convert an PNG to WebP and cut a few seconds from a video! so I built FastEdit
This started with a very stupid problem.
I had a simple media task:
- convert PNG to WebP
- trim a short video
- compress a file enough so I have good light house score
- crop something before uploading
The kind of thing that should take 30 seconds.
Instead, every option was bad in a different way.
One site wanted me to upload the file.
Another had ads everywhere.
Another let me edit the file, then asked me to pay when I tried to export.
Another added a watermark.
Another technically worked, but the UX felt like it had not changed since 2009.
And then there are the "proper" tools.
Install a desktop app. Open a full editor. Figure out export settings. Or use ffmpeg and start searching for the right flags again.
All of that is fine when you are doing serious editing.
But most of the time, I was not doing serious editing.
I just wanted to fix the file and move on.
So I built FastEdit:
https://fastedit.net
FastEdit is a free browser-based image, GIF, and video editor/converter.
The goal is simple:
- Local
- no account
- no watermarks
- no random export limits
- no "subscribe to download"
- no bloated editor for tiny file chores
It runs locally in the browser using WebAssembly, so the file stays on your device.
What it does
FastEdit is for the small media tasks that show up right before you post, ship, send, or publish something.
Things like:
- Converting images
- MP4 to GIF
- GIF compression
- image compression to a target size
- crop and resize
- trim video
- add text or logo overlays
- blur or redact parts of a clip
- create favicons
- resize thumbnails and social images
Basically, the annoying "last-mile" file chores.
I do not want to open Photoshop for this.
I do not want to install another app for this.
I do not want to upload private screenshots, client assets, or product recordings to a random converter site just to change a format or cut three seconds from a clip.
I want:
- Open the page
- Drop the file
- Fix the thing
- Export
- Leave
That is the whole product philosophy.
Why local-first matters
A lot of online converters and editors are somewhat convenient for one task, but they usually require uploading the file.
For many files, that is probably fine.
But sometimes the file is:
- a client screenshot
- a private screen recording
- a product demo before launch
- a bug report with user data
- an internal image
- something you simply do not want copied to another server
FastEdit loads the app, then processes the file in your browser.
That means the actual media work happens on your machine.
No upload queue.
No remote worker.
No server copy to delete later.
Just your browser doing the work.
What I am not trying to build
I am not trying to replace professional creative tools.
If you need advanced video editing, use a real video editor.
If you need serious image manipulation, use a real image editor.
FastEdit is intentionally for the boring stuff.
The little tasks that interrupt actual work.
The file is too big.
The format is wrong.
The GIF needs a caption.
The clip has dead air.
The screenshot has something private in it.
The platform wants a weird size.
The avatar needs to be under 256KB.
Those tasks should not require a full editing workflow.
Current features
Right now FastEdit supports:
- image, GIF, and video conversion
- basic video effects
- compression
- crop and resize
- video trimming
- text overlays
- image and logo overlays
- blur and redaction
- batch processing
- target file size exports
- platform presets for things like Discord, Telegram, YouTube, Instagram, GitHub, favicons, and more
- local browser-based processing
It is completely free right now.
No account.
No watermark.
No paid export button hiding at the end.
Tech side
The core idea is to push as much processing as possible into the browser.
The app uses browser APIs and WebAssembly-based processing so common conversion and editing workflows can run locally.
That gives a few benefits:
- fewer privacy concerns
- no upload wait
- no server-side processing queue
- no per-file cloud processing cost
- works well for quick edits
- easier to offer for free
The tradeoff is that performance depends on the user's device.
Big files are limited by browser memory and local CPU power.
But for the kind of small, annoying file tasks I built this for, that tradeoff feels worth it.
Feedback wanted
I would love feedback from other developers and indie hackers.
Especially on:
- Is the positioning clear?
- Would you use this for README GIFs, product screenshots, demo clips, favicons, or launch assets?
- What small media task still annoys you?
- Does the no-upload angle matter to you?
- Is anything confusing in the first 30 seconds?
You can try it here:
I built it because I was tired of needing five different sketchy websites or one giant overpowered app for basic media chores.
Trying to make the boring file-fixing part of shipping things suck a little less.