> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.flora.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.flora.ai/editor/timeline-editor.md).

# Timeline Editor

The Timeline Editor is FLORA's video editor, built directly into the canvas. It's a real multi-track timeline for trimming, sequencing, captioning, scoring, and rendering video — so the clips you generate in FLORA go all the way to a finished MP4 without leaving your workflow. Because the editor is a **node**, the finished cut flows right back onto the canvas as a new video you can keep building on.

## Overview

The Timeline Editor turns a node into a full video-editing workspace, connected live to the clips that feed it. In it you can:

* **Assemble a sequence** from your generated clips, laid out end to end on a single track
* **Trim and split** clips to the exact frames you want
* **Layer up to 10 tracks** of video, audio, text, captions, images, and shapes
* **Style each item** — position, size, crop, rotation, opacity, playback rate, volume, and fades
* **Caption and title** with your choice of font, stroke, and alignment
* **Render a finished MP4** server-side, saved back to the canvas as a new version
* **Export to a pro editor** as an EDL / XML / FCPXML bundle with your source media

This is ideal for cutting a social clip, assembling a product teaser, finishing an ad, or scoring a short — all without exporting to CapCut or Premiere just to put together what you already made in FLORA.

{% hint style="info" %}
The Timeline Editor reads its clips **live from the nodes wired into it** and always uses each node's latest generation. That link back to your graph is what makes it different from a standalone editor — see [Connected inputs & live updates](#connected-inputs-and-live-updates).
{% endhint %}

***

## Getting Started

### Adding a Timeline Editor Node

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Add the Node**

From the node menu, select **Timeline** to add it to your canvas. (You can also add the node first and connect clips afterward — order doesn't matter.)
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Connect Source Clips**

Connect clip nodes to the Timeline node. Each connected input becomes one layer, in the order you connected them. Select several nodes to wire them all in at once.

| You connect…  | You get…                        |
| ------------- | ------------------------------- |
| A video node  | A video clip                    |
| An image node | A still clip (with a thumbnail) |
| An audio node | An audio track                  |
| A text node   | An editable text layer          |
| {% endstep %} |                                 |

{% step %}
**Open the Editor**

**Double-click** the Timeline node, or click **Open Timeline Editor** in the node toolbar. The editor opens in place — the node becomes the editing surface, and the canvas stays pannable around it.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Edit and Render**

Arrange, trim, and style your clips, then open the **Export** panel and choose **Edited File** to render a finished MP4 back onto the canvas.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
The Timeline Editor is a paid feature — available on Starter and above (see [Plans & limits](#plans-and-limits)).
{% endhint %}

***

## The Editor Interface

The editor unfolds around the node itself — there's no full-screen takeover, and the FLORA chrome stays visible. It has three regions.

### The Preview

The live playback area, shown right on the node. It reflects whatever the playhead is over. Opening reframes the canvas so the node clears the surrounding chrome; if you pan or zoom the node out of view, a **Recenter** toast brings you back.

### The Properties Sidebar

On the right — a tools row plus an inspector that changes with your selection, organized into collapsible sections (at parity with the [Layer Editor](/nodes/layer-editor.md)).

| Selected item           | Controls                                                                               |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Video clip**          | Playback rate, volume, crop, rotation, rounded corners, position, size, opacity, fades |
| **Audio clip**          | Volume, playback rate, fade in/out, timing                                             |
| **Text / caption**      | Font (Google Fonts), stroke, alignment, position, size, opacity, rotation              |
| **Image / shape / GIF** | Position, size, crop, rotation, opacity, rounded corners                               |

### The Timeline Drawer

Slides up along the bottom, holding the playback controls and the timeline — tracks, clips, playhead, and ruler. Clips show **film-strip thumbnails** (and audio shows a **waveform**), and each track has **hide** and **mute** toggles to solo or silence a layer. Drag the top edge to **resize its height**, and snap its **width** between default and full canvas width.

***

## Editing Clips

Your connected clips start on a **single track, end to end, in connection order** — a standard sequential assembly you then refine.

### Arranging

* **Drag** a clip left or right to reorder or move it; other clips make room.
* **Drag** a clip up onto another track to layer it (overlays, text, picture-in-picture). You can use up to **10 tracks**.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Snapping** helps clips line up against each other and the playhead. Toggle it with the `N` key or the snapping toggle.
{% endhint %}

### Trimming

Drag a clip's **left edge** to change where it starts, or its **right edge** to change where it ends. Trimming is non-destructive — you're changing the in/out points of that placement, not the source media.

### Splitting at the Playhead

1. Move the **playhead** to the exact frame (scrub, or click the ruler).
2. Select the clip.
3. Click the **scissors button** (**Split Clip at Playhead**).

The clip splits into two, and you can trim, move, or delete either half. Split is available only when the playhead sits inside the selected clip.

### The Clip Menu

Right-click a clip for its context menu:

* **Go to Node** — frame the clip's source node on the canvas
* **Cut** / **Copy** / **Duplicate**
* **Bring to front** / **Send to back** — change stacking order where clips overlap

### Duplicating, Copying & Deleting

* **Duplicate** with `Cmd/Ctrl + D`.
* **Cut / Copy / Paste** with `Cmd/Ctrl + X` / `C` / `V`; **Select all** with `Cmd/Ctrl + A`.
* **Delete** with `Delete` or `Backspace` (this also removes the clip's connecting edge on the canvas).

### Styling a Clip

Select any item and shape it from the properties sidebar. **Every item** supports position, size, opacity, rotation, crop, layer order, and **fade in / fade out**. Video clips add playback rate, volume, and rounded corners.

{% hint style="info" %}
There's no keyframe animation in this version, so an item's transform values are **constant for its duration**. To change a look partway through, split the clip and style each part separately. Undo any edit with `Cmd/Ctrl + Z` — undo applies to your edits only, never the surrounding canvas.
{% endhint %}

***

## Text & Captions

Add titles, lower thirds, credits, and timed captions directly to your video.

* **Add text in the editor** — press `T` to drop a new text item.
* **Connect a text node** — it comes in as an editable text layer, linked to its source node (Go to Node works on it, and renaming the node updates the label).

Style text from the sidebar: **font** (Google Fonts), **stroke** (an outline for legibility over busy footage), **alignment**, plus position, size, opacity, and layer order. Stack text above your video by putting it on a higher track.

**Captions** are handled as **timestamped caption pages** — text blocks tied to points in time, so each line shows at the right moment. Style them the same way as text.

***

## Audio

The Timeline Editor handles audio as its own kind of track, so you can lay music or a voiceover under your video and balance the mix.

* **Connect an audio node** (including audio you generated in FLORA), **drag** an audio asset from your library, or **upload** a file in the editor.
* Each source becomes its own layer, so a music bed and a voiceover can run on separate tracks.

Select an audio clip to set its **volume**, **playback rate**, **fade in / fade out**, and **timing** (trim its edges and drag it to line up with the picture). Video clips carry their own audio too, adjustable per clip — lower the video or music volume to let a bed sit under dialogue, and use **Mute** during playback to check the picture on its own.

***

## Connected Inputs & Live Updates

The Timeline Editor doesn't import copies of your clips — it reads them **live from the nodes wired into it**. Each connection is a layer that points back at its source node.

### Always the Latest Generation

The editor reads each connected node's **current active output** — normally the newest generation.

* **Regenerate while the editor is open**, and the layer refreshes to the new result automatically.
* **Regenerate while it's closed**, and the layer is up to date the next time you open.
* If you've selected an *older* generation as a node's active output, the editor mirrors that — it matches what the node is currently showing.

{% hint style="warning" %}
When a source node regenerates, its layer is **replaced, not merged** — a per-clip trim on that clip resets, because it's now different media. Trims on other clips are unaffected.
{% endhint %}

### Go to Node

Every clip remembers where it came from. **Right-click a clip → Go to Node**, or **double-click** it, to frame its source node. Clips are labelled by their **source node's title** (not a file name or ID), and the label updates live if you rename the node. Text clips carry this link too.

### Adding Media Without a Node

* **Drag from your library** — any FLORA asset onto the timeline. Dragged-in assets are standalone (not linked to a source node).
* **Upload a file** — it lands on the timeline *and* appears on the canvas as a connected media node, so it stays part of your graph.

New dropped or uploaded media lands as a new track starting at 0:00 — drag it along the track to place it.

### Good to Know

* **Empty inputs are allowed** — connect a node before it has generated anything; nothing appears until real content exists (you'll see a *"No generations to edit"* notice).
* **Deleting a clip whose source is still connected** is temporary — it returns on reopen. Disconnect the source node to remove it for good.

***

## Playback

### The Playhead

The vertical line marking the current frame; the preview always shows what it sits on. **Click** the ruler to move it, or **drag** to scrub frame by frame. While playing, the timeline follows the playhead so it stays in view.

### Playback Controls

| Control             | What it does                                       |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Play / Pause        | Plays from the playhead; pauses in place (`Space`) |
| Seek bar            | Drag to move through the whole composition         |
| Jump to start / end | Send the playhead to the beginning or the end      |
| Loop                | Repeat playback continuously                       |
| Mute                | Silence preview audio                              |
| Fullscreen          | Expand the preview to fill the screen              |

Only Play / Pause has a keyboard shortcut; the rest are buttons.

### Zooming

Zoom the timeline horizontally with the **zoom slider**, or by **pinching / scrolling** on a trackpad while the editor is focused. Zooming affects only the timeline, not the canvas.

{% hint style="info" %}
The in-editor preview is a fast approximation; the final render is produced server-side at full quality. If a clip hasn't rendered yet, the preview shows its source's first frame rather than a blank box.
{% endhint %}

***

## Rendering & Export

The Timeline Editor gives you two ways to get your edit out, both in the node's **Export** panel.

### Render to a Finished Video

Choose **Edited File**. FLORA renders your timeline **server-side** — on FLORA's infrastructure, not in your browser — so you can keep working or close the tab while it runs. You'll see a render-time estimate up front and progress as it renders. The result is an **MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio)**, saved back onto the canvas as a **new version of the Timeline Editor node**.

{% hint style="info" %}
**"Save Edits" vs. "Edited File."** *Save Edits* bakes your current timeline down to a new version. *Edited File* does the same and then downloads the MP4. Either way, a render is what produces a version.
{% endhint %}

### Unexported Edits

Your edits live on the node as you work, but **downstream nodes keep using the last exported version** until you export again. While you have changes that haven't been rendered, the node shows an **"Unexported edits"** badge. Downloading a cut that hasn't been rendered yet triggers a render first, then downloads the result.

### What a Render Costs

Rendering is the one metered action — it draws on your workspace's **credits**, scaled by the **length and resolution** of the output. The editor shows the estimated cost before you render. Editing, previewing, and the NLE export are always free. See [How renders are billed](#how-renders-are-billed).

### Render Quality

Renders use a balanced **Standard** profile by default. Where the picker is available, you can choose **High** (higher quality, slower) or **Compact** (smaller file). Set defaults per profile — output max edge, CRF, encoder preset, audio bitrate — in **Account → Timeline Editor** preferences.

### Export to a Pro Editor (NLE Bundle)

To finish somewhere else, use the **Timeline + Assets** section — pick a format and download a ZIP with the project file plus your source media:

| Format             | Opens in                       |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------ |
| **EDL** (CMX3600)  | Most NLEs                      |
| **XML** (FCP7 XML) | Premiere Pro                   |
| **FCPXML**         | Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve |

The timeline is reconstructed with clips relinked to the packaged sources. This export is client-side and runs no render.

{% hint style="info" %}
Rendering runs server-side. If a server render isn't available and your browser falls back to in-browser encoding, use the latest **Chrome or Edge** — some browsers can't encode MP4 locally yet.
{% endhint %}

***

## Plans & Limits

The Timeline Editor is a paid feature. Output length and resolution scale with your plan; frame rate, format, and track/clip capacity are shared across paid plans. Rendering draws on your workspace's credits.

### Availability

| Plan       | Timeline Editor |
| ---------- | --------------- |
| Free       | Not included    |
| Starter    | ✅               |
| Pro        | ✅               |
| Max        | ✅               |
| Enterprise | ✅               |

If your plan doesn't include it, you'll see *"Timeline export is not included on your current plan."*

### Length, Resolution & Inputs by Plan

| Limit          | Starter         | Pro             | Max           | Enterprise     |
| -------------- | --------------- | --------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| Max duration   | 60 s            | 120 s           | 300 s (5 min) | 600 s (10 min) |
| Max resolution | 1080p (1920 px) | 1080p (1920 px) | 4K (4096 px)  | 4K (4096 px)   |
| Image inputs   | 10              | 15              | 20            | 40             |
| Video inputs   | 10              | 15              | 20            | 40             |
| Audio inputs   | 5               | 8               | 10            | 20             |

Pro adds all aspect ratios (vertical/portrait) at 1080p; Max and Enterprise unlock 4K (up to 4096×2304).

### Shared Across All Paid Plans

| Limit                            | Value                        |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Frame rate                       | 30 FPS                       |
| Output format                    | MP4 — H.264 video, AAC audio |
| Tracks (parallel layers)         | 10                           |
| Timeline items (clip placements) | 100                          |
| Unique source assets             | 40                           |
| Max video file size (per upload) | 500 MB                       |

**Assets** are unique source files (one clip reused five times = 1 asset); **items** are placements on the timeline (that clip in five places = 5 items); **tracks** are the layers items sit on.

### How Renders Are Billed

* Render cost is charged in **credits** and scales with the **length and resolution** of the output — a short 1080p cut costs a fraction of a full-length 4K one.
* **Enterprise** plans include a monthly render allowance (about **$100 of render usage per user**) before overages apply.

{% hint style="info" %}
For the credits included with your plan and current render pricing, see the [How Pricing Works](/plans-and-billing/pricing.md) section.
{% endhint %}

### Guardrails

* **Concurrency** — you can run up to **3 renders at once per user**; additional renders queue until one finishes.
* **Device playback** — preview plays in your browser, so heavy timelines can stutter on lower-memory machines. You may see a notice like *"This device supports up to 5 simultaneous video tracks — playback may stutter above that."* It's a warning, not a hard block; the final server render is unaffected. Hide or mute tracks you're not working on to smooth playback.

***

## Keyboard Shortcuts

While the editor is focused, your normal canvas shortcuts are paused — so `Cmd/Ctrl + Z` undoes your last edit and never deletes the node. Shortcuts don't fire while you're typing in a text field.

| Action                    | Shortcut                                   |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Play / Pause              | `Space`                                    |
| Undo                      | `Cmd/Ctrl + Z`                             |
| Redo                      | `Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z` (or `Cmd/Ctrl + Y`) |
| Select all                | `Cmd/Ctrl + A`                             |
| Duplicate                 | `Cmd/Ctrl + D`                             |
| Cut / Copy / Paste        | `Cmd/Ctrl + X` / `C` / `V`                 |
| Delete                    | `Delete` or `Backspace`                    |
| Toggle snapping           | `N`                                        |
| Add text                  | `T`                                        |
| Add media (import)        | `Cmd/Ctrl + I`                             |
| Export EDL / XML / FCPXML | `7` / `8` / `9` (Export panel open)        |

**Split** has no hotkey — use the scissors button. Loop, mute, fullscreen, and jump-to-start/end are buttons, not keys. Zoom with the slider or a trackpad pinch/scroll.

***

## Limitations

| Limitation                  | Details                                                        |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| No transitions beyond fades | No crossfades, dissolves, or wipes — only per-item fade in/out |
| No effects or color         | No filters, LUTs, blur, distortion, or color grading           |
| No keyframe animation       | Per-item transforms are static for the clip's duration         |
| Fixed output specs          | 30 FPS, MP4 / H.264 only                                       |
| Plan-capped length & size   | Duration and resolution are capped by plan (60–600s, 1080p–4K) |
| No Free access              | The Timeline Editor is a paid feature                          |

For anything beyond this — color, VFX, or long-form finishing — use the [NLE export](#export-to-a-pro-editor-nle-bundle) and finish in DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut, or Premiere.

***

## Troubleshooting

### A connected clip isn't showing

The source node hasn't generated anything yet, or its **active generation** isn't the one you expect — the editor shows the node's currently active output.

### My trim reset itself

The source node regenerated, so its layer was rebuilt from the new result. To keep a trim regardless of regeneration, drag the finished asset in from your library (standalone) instead of leaving it linked.

### A clip I deleted came back

Deleting a clip whose source is still connected is temporary. **Disconnect the source node** to remove it permanently.

### Render won't start

You may not be on a plan that includes it, you may be over your plan's duration/resolution cap, or you may be at the 3-renders-per-user concurrency limit. Rendering is server-side, so it continues even if you close the tab.

***

## Tips for Better Edits

* **Preview freely, render once** — editing and previewing are free; you're only billed on render, so lock the cut before you export.
* **Split to restyle** — since transforms are static per clip, split a clip to change a look partway through.
* **Name your source nodes** — clips are labelled by node title, so clear names make a busy timeline readable.
* **Hide or mute tracks** you're not working on to keep preview smooth on heavier edits.
* **Use Go to Node** to jump back and regenerate a weak clip without losing your place in the edit.

***

## Common Use Cases

* **Social clips** — cut generated shots into a vertical reel with captions and a music bed
* **Product teasers** — assemble a 30–60s sequence, trim to the beat, and render a clean MP4
* **Ads & sizzle reels** — quick-cut multiple clips end to end with titles and audio
* **Finishing hand-off** — assemble a rough cut in FLORA, then export the NLE bundle for color and VFX elsewhere


---

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