--- title: "Video Editor" description: "A generation-aware timeline editor for sequencing, compositing, animating, and AI-generating media inside NodeTool." canonical: https://docs.nodetool.ai/video-editor markdown: https://docs.nodetool.ai/video-editor.md product: NodeTool source: https://github.com/nodetool-ai/nodetool/blob/main/docs/video-editor.md --- # Video Editor Cut a sequence on a multi-track timeline, bind any workflow to a clip, and generate the footage in place. NodeTool's Video Editor is a non-linear editor where clips can be imported media _or_ live workflow outputs that regenerate when you change their parameters. > **Quick Access:** Open a timeline at `/timeline/:sequenceId`, or add a timeline tab from the workspace. Create a new sequence from the timeline list panel or the Asset Explorer. ![Video Editor — Timeline](assets/screenshots/video-editor-timeline.png) --- ## Overview The Video Editor (timeline editor) is a non-linear, multi-track surface for assembling video, audio, and image clips. What sets it apart from a conventional NLE is that clips can be **bound to NodeTool workflows** — a clip can be the output of a text-to-image, image-to-video, or text-to-speech pipeline, and it stays editable: change a parameter and regenerate just that clip. **Features:** - Multi-track timeline — stack video, audio, and overlay tracks - Imported clips (drag media from the Asset Explorer) and AI-generated clips side by side - Authored text and shape clips with preset-based motion - Clip editing — move, trim, split, duplicate, delete, with snap-to-playhead and snap-to-clip alignment - Real-time preview compositing with a GPU compositor (WebGPU, Canvas2D fallback) and WebAudio mixing - Frame-accurate transport — play/pause, stop, frame-step, skip to clip boundaries, timecode readout - Generated clips bound to any workflow, with parameters exposed in the Inspector - Staleness tracking — edit a bound workflow and the clip is flagged for regeneration - Version history per clip — keep the last N successful generations and restore them - Offline export — render the whole timeline to MP4 at the sequence resolution - Full undo/redo and debounced autosave --- ## Where this fits The Video Editor is the surface where outputs become finished, time-based media. It pulls **assets** in as clips, binds **workflows** to generated clips so footage regenerates when parameters change, and exports the sequence back to a video asset — the same material a sketch, another workflow, or a **Mini-App** can pick up. Every surface shares one asset store and the same model/provider system. See [Key Concepts → How everything fits together](key-concepts.md#how-everything-fits-together) for the full loop. --- ## Opening the Video Editor There are a few ways in: - **Direct route** — navigate to `/timeline/:sequenceId`. - **Workspace tab** — open a timeline as a tab alongside your workflows in `/workspace`. - **New sequence** — create one from the timeline list panel or the Asset Explorer. Each timeline (whether a standalone page or a workspace tab) runs in its own isolated set of stores, so multiple timelines can be open at once without interfering. --- ## Anatomy of the Editor | Region | What it does | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Top bar** | Sequence name, Save, Export, and an activity indicator for running generations | | **Preview** | The composited video with transport controls, timecode, and FPS readout | | **Tracks** | The multi-track timeline — a canvas-rendered ruler, the playhead, and the clips | | **Inspector** | Per-clip controls for transforms, motion, authored content, and generated clip nodes | ![Video Editor — full layout](assets/screenshots/timeline-editor.png) The transcript panel on the left turns a script into beats: each line becomes a voiced, captioned clip on the timeline. ![Transcript panel — one beat per line](assets/screenshots/studio-transcript-panel.png) --- ## Tracks & Clips The timeline holds multiple tracks. Video and overlay tracks composite top-down; audio tracks mix together. **Clip operations:** - **Add** — drag media from the Asset Explorer onto a track, or add a generated clip from the add menu. - **Select** — click a clip; `Shift`/`Ctrl`-click to multi-select. - **Move / trim** — drag the body to move, drag the edges to trim the in/out points. - **Split** — position the playhead and press `S` to cut a clip in two. - **Duplicate / delete** — `Ctrl/⌘ + D` to duplicate, `Delete` to remove. - **Snapping** — clips snap to the playhead and to neighbouring clip boundaries for clean alignment. **Linked clips** that share a link (for example a video and its extracted audio) move and trim together. --- ## Preview & Playback The preview composites every visible, unmuted track in real time. - **Transport** — play/pause, stop, step one frame forward/back, and skip to the previous/next clip boundary. - **Timecode** — frame-accurate `HH:MM:SS:FF` readout, with the sequence FPS shown alongside. - **Scrubbing** — drag the playhead across the ruler to scrub. - **Zoom** — `Ctrl/⌘ + scroll` zooms the timeline anchored at the cursor; a zoom slider sits in the status bar. - **Audio** — per-clip gain and fades, per-track mute/solo and volume, mixed down to a master output. Audio clips render a waveform in the clip body. Video and audio are kept in sync by driving playback against the audio clock. --- ## Generated Clips A clip doesn't have to be a file — it can be the output of a workflow. **Generation modes:** - **Text-to-Image** — generate a still from a prompt. - **Image-to-Video** — animate an image. - **Text-to-Speech / Text-to-Audio** — synthesize an audio clip. - **Workflow** — bind _any_ NodeTool workflow to the clip. When you bind a workflow, NodeTool clones it into a clip-private variant and exposes the workflow's `Input*` nodes as editable parameters in the Inspector — so you can tweak the prompt, seed, or any input and regenerate without leaving the timeline. **Staleness & versions:** - Each clip tracks a content hash of the bound workflow plus its parameter overrides. Edit the workflow (or its inputs) and the clip is flagged **stale**. - A clip moves through states: **draft → queued → generating → generated**, plus **stale**, **failed**, **locked**, and **missing**. - Successful generations are kept as **versions** — restore, favourite, or delete previous results per clip. - Generation runs on the standard `WorkflowRunner`; status streams back over the WebSocket connection keyed by job, so the timeline only listens to the jobs it cares about. **Round-tripping to the node editor:** from a generated clip you can **Open in Node Editor** to edit the bound workflow on the full canvas, then return — the clip auto-marks stale so you can regenerate with the new logic. --- ## Inspector The Inspector swaps based on what's selected: - **Imported clip** — asset info, in/out points, transform, opacity, speed, and volume controls, plus a **Replace Media** action. - **Generated clip** — a vertical **node stack** of the bound workflow's nodes, each with its parameters (reusing NodeTool's property fields) and a per-node status indicator. A clip-actions menu covers Generate, Regenerate, Generate Stale, Duplicate as Variation, Open in Node Editor, Lock, and Revert, alongside the version list. - **Text or shape clip** — content and appearance controls for text, fill, stroke, geometry, and corner radius. Every visual clip includes an **Animate** section. Add an entrance, exit, emphasis, or loop preset, then adjust its timing, easing, and preset parameters. --- ## Effects Clips and tracks carry an effects chain that runs in the same compositor as the live preview: - **Video** — color correction, blur, sharpen, vignette, chroma key. - **Audio** — gain, 3-band EQ, filter (lowpass/highpass/bandpass), compressor. - **Clip transforms** — opacity, blend mode (normal, screen, multiply, add, overlay), speed, and fade-in/out. --- ## Animations Motion presets add animation without a keyframe editor. Select a visual clip, open **Animate** in the Inspector, choose a role and preset, then adjust duration or period, delay, easing, and preset parameters. - **In / Out** — fade, slide, pop, spin, wipe, blur, and colorFade at a clip boundary. Wipe reveals the clip behind a directional mask with an adjustable feathered edge; blur racks from soft to sharp; colorFade blooms grayscale into full color. - **Emphasis / Loop** — pulse, flash, shake, bounce, float, breathe, spin, or Ken Burns motion while the clip is active. - **Word stagger** — on text clips, any animation can run once per word, each word offset in time from the previous (offset and on/off in the inspector; `stagger` on `ui_timeline_animate_clip` for the agent). Words pop, slide, or fade in sequence — motion typography without keyframes. See [plans/motion-typography.md](plans/motion-typography.md). - **Track markers** — shaded edge wedges show entrance and exit windows; a loop icon marks emphasis or repeating motion. Select a marker to open its controls. - **Agent authoring** — timeline tools can list presets, apply or clear motion, and inspect fixed-time frames before export. Preview and export sample the same animation resolver, so transforms and opacity match at each frame. --- ## Export **Export** renders the entire timeline to an MP4 at the sequence resolution. - Rendering is **frame-by-frame** through the same GPU compositor used for preview, so the export matches what you see. - Audio is mixed offline and muxed with the encoded video. - A progress dialog reports the phase (audio mix → video encode → finalize) and the export can be cancelled. --- ## Keyboard Shortcuts | Shortcut | Action | | ------------------------ | ---------------------------------- | | `Space` | Play / pause | | `S` | Split clip at playhead | | `Delete` / `Backspace` | Delete selected clip(s) | | `Ctrl/⌘ + C` / `X` / `V` | Copy / cut / paste clips | | `Ctrl/⌘ + D` | Duplicate selected clip(s) | | `Ctrl/⌘ + Z` | Undo | | `Ctrl/⌘ + Shift + Z` | Redo | | `Ctrl/⌘ + scroll` | Zoom timeline (anchored at cursor) | --- ## Common Workflows ### Assemble a rough cut from your assets 1. Open a new sequence and drag clips from the Asset Explorer onto the video track. 2. Trim and reorder clips; use `S` to split and `Delete` to remove. 3. Add an audio track for music or narration and adjust per-clip volume and fades. 4. Scrub the preview to check timing, then **Export** to MP4. ### Generate a shot in place 1. Add a generated clip and choose **Image-to-Video** (or bind a custom workflow). 2. In the Inspector, set the prompt and inputs exposed from the workflow. 3. **Generate** — the clip streams through queued → generating → generated. 4. Not quite right? Tweak a parameter and **Regenerate**, or **Duplicate as Variation** to compare versions. ### Iterate on a bound workflow 1. Select a generated clip and **Open in Node Editor**. 2. Edit the workflow on the full canvas and save. 3. Return to the timeline — the clip is flagged **stale**. 4. **Generate Stale** to refresh it with the new logic. --- ## Related Features - **[Workflow Editor](workflow-editor.md)** — build the workflows you bind to generated clips - **[Asset Management](asset-management.md)** — organize the media you import as clips - **[Sketch Editor](sketch-editor.md)** — edit stills before or after they land on the timeline - **[User Interface](user-interface.md)** — tour of the main NodeTool views --- ## Next Steps - Bind one of your existing workflows to a clip and generate a shot. - Build a multi-track sequence mixing imported footage with generated clips. - Explore the [Cookbook](cookbook.md) for workflow patterns you can drop onto the timeline. --- _Last updated: July 2026_