Timeline, transcript and versions
Chat is the fastest way to edit, but you always have direct control. Studio has a program timeline you can drag and trim, a transcript that seeks the player and takes corrections, and a version history: every change, yours or the agent’s, creates a new version of the edit, and your original file is never modified.
How versions work
Valmera stores your edit as an edit decision list (EDL): a recipe of cuts, captions, music, framing and effects applied to your untouched original. Every agent request and every manual change writes a new version.
- The Previous edit and Next edit arrows next to the player step through versions; the counter between them shows where you are.
- One agent request that made several changes counts as one step.
- Selecting an earlier version shows its preview and the conversation as it was then. Later versions aren’t deleted.
Undo and go back
- Step back to the version you want
Click Previous edit next to the player until it shows the version you want. Studio renders its preview if needed, and the chat shows the conversation as it was at that point.
- Decide how to continue
To keep later work, return to the latest version with Next edit and ask for a targeted fix. To take a different direction, stay on the earlier version.
- Make the change
Send a request or make a timeline change. The result becomes a new version built from the version you were viewing; later changes aren’t merged in.
- Export the version you chose
Export always renders the version selected in the player.
- Go back to the version before you added the music.
- Restore the intro but keep the captions and music you added since.
- Start over from the original video.
Type these in Studio chat, or ask Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another assistant connected to Valmera’s MCP server. More in the prompt library.
Starting over from the original also creates a new version, so everything before it stays recoverable. To bring back a single cut passage without touching anything else, see restore anything. For larger revisions, the revision brief template helps you name the version, the moment and what to keep.
Edit the timeline by hand
The timeline shows the assembled video in lanes. Click a block to select it, then use the actions below. Each change writes a new version, and the preview updates.
| Lane | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Video (your footage) | Drag an edge to trim (drag back to restore); delete a block to cut that footage |
| Inserted clips and images | Drag to move; drag the right edge to change how long it plays; delete |
| Overlays and b-roll cutaways | Drag to move; drag the edge to resize; remove |
| Text | Drag to move; drag the edges to change when it appears and disappears |
| Music | Drag to move; drag the edges to resize; Alt/Option-drag to slide the song inside its window; Split at the playhead; delete |
| Sound effects | Drag to retime |
| Voiceover | Drag to move |
Zoom the timeline in and out from its toolbar. Whole-video settings such as the color grade aren’t blocks; change them in chat. Use + Add media in the workspace toolbar to upload extra clips, images or audio, arrange them in the tray, and send them with your next request.
Correct the transcript
- Open the transcript panel. Click any word to jump the player to it; words you’ve cut appear dimmed.
- Click the pencil on the sentence you want to fix (Edit transcript line).
- Fix the text (up to 400 characters), then press Enter or click Save. Esc cancels.
The correction is saved for that video, so captions and later agent requests use the fixed words. When your captions come from the transcript, Studio re-renders the preview to show the fix.
- It corrects words only. It doesn’t cut footage or change what the speaker said in the audio.
- Transcript corrections aren’t part of version history: going back a version doesn’t undo them. Edit the line again to change it back.
- Captions you dictated yourself aren’t tied to the transcript; change their text in chat.
Source time and video time
The transcript shows source time: positions in your original recording. The player and timeline show video time: positions in the current edit. After cuts, speed changes or inserts they differ.
| Kept source range | Plays in the edited video at |
|---|---|
| 0:00–0:10 | 0:00–0:10 |
| 0:20–0:30 (0:10–0:20 was cut) | 0:10–0:20 |
Here a word at source 0:23 plays at 0:13 in the edited video. When you give a timestamp, say which clock you mean, or quote the words instead.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| Previous edit or Next edit is greyed out | You’re at the first or latest version, or a version’s preview is still loading. |
| A timeline change didn’t apply | The agent is still working, or an MCP assistant is editing the project. Wait for it to finish, then try again. |
| Transcript saving is refused | Analysis is still running; try again when it finishes. Lines also can’t be edited when the same video file is shared with another account. |
| The corrected word still shows the old spelling | Wait for the new preview. Dictated captions need their own fix, and a file you downloaded earlier never changes. |
| A new request lost changes you liked | You sent it from an earlier version. Go to the latest version with Next edit and ask again, naming what to keep. |
| The export is an older version | Export renders the selected version. Select the latest one, then export again. |
Limits
- No team seats or simultaneous editing; one editor per project at a time.
- Transcript edits change words, not footage or audio, and sit outside version history.
- Effects, grades and styles are changed in chat rather than as timeline blocks.
- One main video per project.
Tools behind this page: get_edl apply_edit_batch reset_edit restore_range get_transcript get_kept_transcript get_words search_transcript project_state · Full toolset reference
Frequently asked questions
Does Valmera have undo?
Yes. Every agent request and every manual change creates a new version of the edit. Use Previous edit and Next edit next to the player to move between versions, ask to restore a specific passage, or ask to start over from the original. The uploaded file is never modified.
Can I edit the timeline manually?
Yes. Drag the edges of footage blocks to trim or restore, move and resize inserted clips, text, overlays and music, split music at the playhead, retime sound effects and delete blocks. Each change becomes a new version.
Does editing the transcript cut the video?
No. The transcript editor corrects words (for captions and for the agent's understanding); it doesn't cut the recording or change the audio. To cut, ask in chat or trim on the timeline.
Why does the conversation change when I go back a version?
Studio shows the conversation as it was for the version you're viewing. Step forward with Next edit to see later messages again. Sending a new request from an older version continues from that version.
Can I export an earlier version?
Yes. Select the version with Previous edit or Next edit, check its preview, and click Export MP4. Exports always render the selected version.
Can two people edit the same project?
Not at the same time. Valmera has no team seats yet, and a project accepts one editor at a time: Studio or an MCP assistant, not both at once.