wyattblue Actions & animations
Instead of just cutting, give each section an action with --when-active
(-w:1, loud) and --when-inactive (-w:0, silent). Defaults: -w:1 nil
(keep), -w:0 cut. Chain actions with commas; they apply in order.
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:0 speed:8 # fast-forward through silence (pitch preserved)
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:0 speed:3,volume:0.5 # speed up AND halve volume of silent parts
-w:0/-w:1 are the silent (label 0) and active (label 1) classes. You can
define more classes with --edit:N/-e:N and act on them with --when:N/-w:N
(N = 2–255) — see the auto-editor skill's "Labels" section. Every action
below works as the value of any -w:N.
Actions
| Action | What it does | Form / range |
|---|---|---|
nil |
keep unchanged | — |
cut |
remove section | — |
speed |
time-stretch, pitch preserved | speed:8, speed:0.5 |
varispeed |
speed via pitch shift (tape/vinyl) | varispeed:2 (0.2–100) |
pitch |
shift pitch only, duration preserved | pitch:12 (octave up), pitch:-7 (−24–24 semitones) |
volume |
scale volume (1=normal, 0.5=−6dB) | volume:0.2 |
deesser |
reduce sibilance | deesser:intensity[:max[:freq]] (each 0–1) |
tone |
wave from a MIDI note (add: generator) |
add:tone:69, add:tone:36:saw |
invert |
invert pixels | — |
zoom |
zoom factor (1=none) | zoom:2, zoom:0.5 (>0–100) |
rotate |
fixed clockwise rotation, expands so nothing clips | rotate:90 (pair with --resolution) |
spin |
continuous spin deg/rate (deg per sec) |
spin:0/120, spin:90/-45 |
drawbox |
filled rectangle | drawbox:x:y:w:h:color |
pos |
place an overlay clip x:y[:scale] |
mainly used inside add / v3 |
add |
overlay a layer: every stream the file holds | add:path[:x:y:scale] |
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 deesser:0.8:0.7:0.4
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 rotate:90 --resolution 1080,1920 # landscape → portrait
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 drawbox:0:0:1920:200:#000000 # redact a strip
Overlays — add
add is virtual: it adds an overlay layer rather than a per-frame effect.
Still images hold for the whole section; PNG alpha is preserved. Omit placement
to scale-to-fit and center. Actions chained after an add apply to that new
overlay, not the base. add brings every stream the file holds: a video with
sound gets a video layer plus its audio layers (mixed in, not a second stream),
an audio-only file adds sound with no picture, an image adds picture with no
sound. In place of a file it takes a generator action: confetti/drawbox
paint a video layer, tone synthesizes an audio one (so add:tone layers stack
into a chord).
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 add:./logo.png # centered, fit to canvas
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 add:./pip.mp4:900:60:0.25 # PiP in the corner, audio included
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 add:./pip.mp4:900:60:0.25,volume:0.3 # ...tucked under the base
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 add:./music.mp3,volume:0.4 # background music, no picture added
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 add:./logo.png,spin:0/-30 # the logo spins, not the base video
auto-editor song.mp3 -bg white -w:1 add:./cover.png # audio + image → video
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 add:tone:69 # 440 Hz tone over the audio
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:0 nil,add:tone:81 # beep the silence, don't cut it
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 add:tone:60,volume:1..0:ease=out # a plucked, decaying note
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 add:tone:36:saw # buzzy bass (sine|saw|square|triangle)
Overlays appear only where their section is kept, so for silent sections use
-w:0 nil,add:... (keep + overlay). With --set-action the range is kept
automatically.
Animations — ramps from..to
zoom, opacity, blur, brightness, volume, and each pos field accept a
ramp. The value interpolates across the section, reaching to on its last frame.
More than two points = keyframes, spread evenly.
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 zoom:1..1.5 # Ken Burns
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 opacity:0..1 # fade in
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 volume:0..1 # audio fade in
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 zoom:1..1.5..1 # zoom in then out (keyframes)
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 add:./logo.png,pos:0..1200:40:1..0.5 # slide + shrink overlay
Easing — :ease=curve[:duration], curve ∈ linear|in|out|inout. A standalone
ease: token sets the curve for every animated action after it. rotate/spin
are not affected by easing.
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 zoom:1..1.5:ease=inout
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 opacity:0..1:ease=in:2sec # ease over 2s, then hold
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 ease:out,zoom:1..1.3,brightness:0..0.3
Target a time range — --set-action
--set-action ACTION,START,END overrides defaults for a range (range syntax;
sec, start/end, negatives all work). The range is force-kept.
auto-editor video.mp4 --set-action nil,0,5sec
auto-editor video.mp4 --set-action speed:1.5,varispeed:1.5,30sec,end
auto-editor video.mp4 --set-action add:./logo.png:600:300:1.0,1sec,2sec
Recipes
auto-editor :mic -w:1 deesser:0.8:0.7:0.4 # record, then clean up speech
auto-editor podcast.mp3 -w:0 cut -w:1 speed:1.15 # cut silence, tighten speech
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:0 volume:0.3 # duck (not cut) the silence
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:1 varispeed:1.25 # nightcore (speed + pitch up)
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:0 pitch:12 # chipmunk the silence, same length
auto-editor video.mp4 -w:0 speed:6,volume:0.4 # fast, quiet silent sections
With :mic, press Ctrl-C to finish capture; actions are applied afterward.
Full reference: https://auto-editor.com/ref/actions.md. For plain cutting / pace / edit methods, see the auto-editor skill.