Help & Workflows

Everything you need to know about the Portrait Video Editor

Getting Started

  1. 1

    Upload your video

    Drag and drop a landscape MP4, MOV, or MKV file (16:9 or wider, up to 5 minutes). You can also drop multiple files at once for batch upload.

  2. 2

    Position the crop

    The editor opens automatically. Press play and drag the green crop box to follow the action. Your movement is recorded in real-time.

  3. 3

    Generate & download

    Click 'Generate Video'. FFmpeg processes the crop path server-side. Download or fine-tune when done.

Workflows

Upload & Edit

  1. 1Go to New Clip and drop your video file
  2. 2Wait for upload to complete (progress shown)
  3. 3Editor opens — press play and drag the crop box
  4. 4The green box shows what will be in your portrait video
  5. 5Release to stop recording, drag again to re-record any section
  6. 6Click Generate Video

Trim + Crop

  1. 1In the editor, set an In point by pressing I or clicking the green Set button
  2. 2Set an Out point by pressing O or clicking the orange Set button
  3. 3The timeline dims the areas outside your trim range
  4. 4Use ±1f / ±1s buttons for frame-level precision
  5. 5Drag the green/orange flag handles directly on the timeline to fine-tune
  6. 6Press play — video auto-stops at the Out point
  7. 7Only the trimmed region is processed when you generate

Precision Editing

  1. 1Pause the video at any frame
  2. 2Drag the crop box or use A/D keys to nudge by 1% (Shift+A/D for 5%)
  3. 3A keyframe is placed at that exact frame
  4. 4Step forward with arrow keys (← → for 1 frame, Shift for 5 seconds)
  5. 5Place another keyframe — the crop interpolates smoothly between them
  6. 6Toggle composition guides (grid icon) for rule-of-thirds snapping
  7. 7Use undo/redo (Cmd+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z) to fix mistakes

Live Recording

  1. 1Press play to start the video
  2. 2While playing, click and drag the crop box to follow the action
  3. 3Your movement is recorded at ~60fps continuously while dragging
  4. 4Release the mouse to stop recording that section
  5. 5The recorded path is smoothed automatically to remove hand jitter
  6. 6Drag again over any section to overwrite it with a new recording
  7. 7Use the Quick Preview button to see sample frames before generating

Keyboard Shortcuts

Playback

Play / PauseSpace
Step 1 frame back / forward← →
Skip 5 secondsShift + ← →
Speed: 0.25x / 0.5x / 1x / 2x1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Crop Position

Nudge crop left / right (1%)A / D
Nudge crop left / right (5%)Shift + A / D

Trim Flags

Set start flag (then press O or click timeline for end)I
Set end flag / complete rangeO
Jump to In pointShift + I
Jump to Out pointShift + O
Nudge In / Out by 1 frame[ / ]
Nudge In / Out by 1 secondShift + [ / ]
Clear all flagsEscape
Set start flag at clicked positionAlt + Click timeline

Editing

UndoCmd + Z
RedoCmd + Shift + Z
Select range to delete keyframesShift + Click timeline
Toggle shortcuts overlay?

Supported Formats

File types

MP4, MOV, MKV

Max duration

5 minutes

Aspect ratio

16:9 or wider (landscape)

Min resolution

640 x 360

Output ratios

9:16 · 4:5 · 1:1

Editor Features

Drag-to-Crop

Drag the green box during playback to record the crop path in real-time

Trim Flags

Set In/Out points with precision controls (±1 frame / ±1 second) or drag handles on timeline

Composition Guides

Toggle rule-of-thirds guides with snap points at 25%, 50%, 75% positions

Live Preview

Real-time 9:16 preview synced with the main video, resizable (S/M/L)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Full keyboard control: A/D nudge, I/O flags, 1-4 speed, arrow frame-step

Quick Preview

See 6 sample frames from your crop before committing to a full generate

Frequently Asked Questions

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