We present a fuzzy color histogram-based shot-boundary detection algorithm specialized for content-based copy detection applications. The proposed method aims to detect both cuts and gradual transitions (fade, dissolve) effectively in videos where heavy transformations (such as cam-cording, insertions of patterns, strong re-encoding) occur. Along with the color histogram generated with the fuzzy linking method on Lab* color space, the system extracts a mask for still regions and the window of picture-in-picture transformation for each detected shot, which will be useful in a content-based copy detection system. Experimental results show that our method effectively detects shot boundaries and reduces false alarms as compared to the state-of-the-art shot-boundary detection algorithms. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.