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Editing & Export tools

The technical layer most creator advice ignores. Pick the right bitrate, stay inside platform safe zones, normalize loudness, lock shutter speed, and export to spec — without opening three different apps.

Tool 1 ~10 seconds to run

Bitrate Calculator

Pick your resolution, frame rate, codec, and target quality tier. We compute the minimum recommended bitrate (for clean motion), the ideal VBR ceiling (for the codec's sweet spot), and the CBR fallback (for live or strict playback environments).

What's different here: Most bitrate calculators give you one number. We return three tiers per codec so you can match the use case (post delivery, live stream, archival).

Bitrate recommendations will appear here.

What this solves

Default export presets in most NLEs are conservative — they target archival delivery, not social media. That costs you upload time and storage for no visible benefit. This tool finds the codec's efficient minimum.

How to interpret

Use VBR target as your final export bitrate in your NLE. Use CBR only for live streaming or strict platform upload limits. Below the minimum line you'll see compression artifacts on motion.

FAQ

What about HDR?

HDR adds ~20–30% bitrate. Use the High tier as your floor.

Why does HEVC look better at the same bitrate?

Better compression efficiency: HEVC and AV1 hit VMAF scores that H.264 reaches at ~30–50% higher bitrate.

Tool 2 ~5 seconds to run

Aspect Ratio Safe Zone Visualizer

Pick a frame shape. We render an SVG of the safe area where text, faces, and CTAs won't be covered by platform UI overlays (handles, captions, like buttons). Also marks the "click-bait area" where the algorithm places ads.

What's different here: Most "safe zone" templates show one ratio. We render four and overlay the platform-specific UI for each, so you know exactly which percentage of your frame is invisible on TikTok vs Reels.

What this solves

The most common caption-cropping mistake: text positioned in the bottom 15% of a 9:16 video gets covered by the platform's caption track, the share button, or the username strip. The visualizer shows you exactly where that strip is.

How to interpret

Red zones are covered. Yellow zones are partially covered (e.g. translucent gradient). Green is the genuinely visible "active area". Anything you want viewers to read must stay green.

FAQ

Why do overlays differ between platforms?

Each platform places UI in different spots. TikTok puts caption strip at the very bottom; Reels puts username higher; Shorts has a Subscribe button in the bottom right.

What's the CTA hotspot?

The center-third area, where viewers' eyes naturally settle on mobile. Placing CTAs in the bottom-third actually underperforms for most niches.

Tool 3 ~5 seconds to run

LUFS Loudness Normalizer

Enter your measured integrated LUFS (from any DAW, e.g. "youlean", "Auphonic"). We tell you how much to gain up or down for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts targets — and warn if peak will clip after the adjustment.

What's different here: Most loudness guides tell you the target but not the actual gain delta. We compute the delta, check against true peak, and warn about clipping.

Per-platform adjustment will appear here.

What this solves

Platforms normalize audio differently. If you mix for YouTube (-14 LUFS) and upload to TikTok (-16 LUFS), your voice will be quieter than the surrounding feed. Worse: a hot master will clip on Reels.

How to interpret

Apply the suggested gain. If peak clip warning is red, apply a limiter at -1 dBTP before the final gain stage. Use the "Universal" tier for cross-posting — it lands in the middle of every platform's window.

FAQ

What is LUFS?

Loudness Units Full Scale — a perceived-loudness standard (ITU-R BS.1770). Replaces peak-normalization for streaming.

Should I use one master for all platforms?

Only if you publish mainly on one platform. For cross-posting, render separate masters at each platform's target.

Tool 4 ~3 seconds to run

Shutter Speed Calculator

Pick your frame rate, choose a motion style (cinematic, natural, action), and get the exact shutter speed. Includes the 180° rule, plus overcrank/undercrank variants for stylized motion.

What's different here: Calculators usually give the 180° answer. We also offer four motion styles so you can deliberately break the rule — sometimes the "wrong" shutter is the creative choice.

Shutter speed will appear here.

What this solves

Wrong shutter speed is what makes iPhone footage look "video-y" even when framed well. Matching the 180° rule immediately makes a clip feel more cinematic.

How to interpret

Round to the nearest standard shutter your camera offers (1/50, 1/100, 1/125, etc). The denominator rule: shutter denominator = 2 × fps.

FAQ

When should I break the 180° rule?

Use 90° (sharper) for fast action and sports. Use 360° (more blur) for stylized motion, dream sequences, or comedic timing.

Does this apply to phone video?

Phones auto-choose shutter; you can lock it with apps like Filmic Pro or Blackmagic Camera.

Tool 5 ~10 seconds to run

Export Specs Generator

Pick a platform. We generate the full export checklist — codec, container, bitrate, audio, color space, frame rate, and the two most-forgotten settings (start timecode and metadata tags). Output as a copy-pasteable export panel.

What's different here: Most export guides are paragraphs of text. We return a structured panel you can paste into your project notes — and we include the metadata flags that affect platform discovery.

Export checklist will appear here.

What this solves

Uploading a video in the wrong aspect ratio, with the wrong audio loudness, or with the wrong color space triggers platform-side transcoding that degrades quality. Starting from correct export settings avoids that.

How to interpret

Use the output panel as your NLE export preset. The "advanced" rows (color space, metadata) are the ones most creators miss — they're the difference between "uploads fine" and "looks great".

FAQ

Why Rec.709?

It's the broadcast standard for sRGB. Uploading Rec.2020 (HDR) to a non-HDR platform causes color shifts on mobile.

Why does TikTok want mov?

.mov (QuickTime) preserves metadata better than .mp4 on some Android phones. Both work; mov is the safer default.