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Manual

The DriftEdit manual

Everything DriftEdit does, from the first video of somebody who has never edited to the expert tools: each panel, each preset, step-by-step workflows, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Start here

  1. 1Welcome to DriftEditWhat DriftEdit is, what you need to use it, what is free, and how this manual is organised.
  2. 2Your first videoFrom nothing to a finished video cut to the beat, in about five minutes, even if you have never edited before.
  3. 3The studio at a glanceThe five areas of the studio, what each one is for, and how the same editor looks on a phone.
  4. 4Importing and the Media binWhat files DriftEdit opens, how to bring them in and keep them organised, and what to do when a file goes missing.
  5. 23GlossaryThe words of video editing and music used in this manual and in the studio, explained simply.

Everyday editing

  1. 5Auto modeHow auto mode reads a song and your footage, every style, every setting, and how to make a style your own.
  2. 6The timelineTracks and clips, selecting, moving, trimming and cutting, the editor's tools, snapping, the music grid, markers, in and out points, groups, nesting and automation.
  3. 8Effects, looks and VFXApplying and adjusting effects, grading with looks, wheels, curves and LUTs, placing VFX, and making effects of your own.
  4. 9TransitionsPutting a transition on a cut, changing its length, switching transitions off, and making transitions of your own.
  5. 10Text, titles and captionsTitles and their styles and animations, emphasis on words, captions from speech or a file, caption styles, and captions spoken by an AI voice.
  6. 11SoundVolume, pan and fades, the track EQ and filters, slowed and reverb, stems, a cleaner or isolated voice, and the Library's sounds and beats.
  7. 12Techniques and still framesThe editor's moves applied in one press and timed to the song, still frames that cut your subject out of a frame, the talking-video tools, and techniques of your own.
  8. 13Overlays, 3D and the LibraryLight leaks, grain, frames and backgrounds laid over the picture, 3D scenes and models, stickers, and overlays of your own.
  9. 14TemplatesReady edits with slots for your own clips and words, and templates of your own made from any edit.
  10. 15ExportMaking the finished video: size, frame rate and quality, a part of the edit, several shapes at once, sound or a single frame, and the AI options.
  11. 16Projects, files and your accountHow your work is saved, opening and duplicating projects, project files, the free plan's 48-hour lock, and what signing in keeps on your account.
  12. 17Keys and preferencesThe keyboard shortcuts and how to change them, layouts for Premiere Pro and CapCut users, the theme, the language and the lessons.

Going further

  1. 7Keyframes, speed and motionMaking a value change over time with keyframes and easing, the graph editor, speed ramps, reverse, boomerang, freeze and stutter, and slow motion that stays fluid.
  2. 18AI models on your deviceThe AI models DriftEdit runs in your browser, what each one does, how big it is, and where your data goes (nowhere).
  3. 19Working with an AI agentLetting Claude, Cursor or any MCP client edit with DriftEdit, on your computer or from anywhere, and what an agent can do.
  4. 20WorkflowsStep-by-step recipes for the videos people make most: a car edit to phonk, a travel montage, a talking video for YouTube, captions for a reel, a lyric video and more.
  5. 21TroubleshootingWhat to do when a file will not import, playback stutters, an AI tool will not run, an export fails, the sound is out of sync, or your work seems to be missing.
  6. 22ReferenceEvery auto mode style, effect, VFX, transition, text style, caption style, animation, overlay, sound and beat in DriftEdit, listed from the catalogue itself.