Aether Forge How-to Guide

Step-by-step walkthroughs for editing and encoding.

Aether Forge docs

Video workflow · How-to

Aether Forge how-to guide

From install to a finished export: start a project, bring in footage, cut it on the timeline, add transitions and titles, and encode an upload-ready file. For the full feature reference, see the Aether Forge docs.

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Before you start

  • Aether Forge is a Windows (x64) desktop app.
  • You’ll sign in with your Aethera account to unlock project work and the export queue.
  • It’s early software (alpha) — editing and encoding are solid; sending exports straight to your Aethera library is still being finished, so plan to export locally for now.

Install & sign in

  1. Download from the Download button (/downloads/aether-forge/latest); check version and signing details at /api/downloads/aether-forge/latest.
  2. Run the installer. Choose an install directory if you like; it adds desktop and Start Menu shortcuts.
  3. Sign in with email and password (with two-step verification if your account uses it) or Continue with Google.

Start a project & import

  1. On the “Start editing” dashboard, click New Project (or Open Project to continue an existing .avmp file).
  2. Bring in footage three ways: Import Media (Ctrl + I), Import Folder for a whole shoot, or drag files and folders onto the Media panel.
  3. If a clip won’t preview, generate a proxy for it — that’s normal for some formats and keeps playback smooth.

Your media isn’t copied into the project — Forge references the original files, so keep them in place while you edit.

Make your first cut

  1. Set source marks. Open a clip in the Source monitor and press I and O to mark the in and out points you want.
  2. Drop it on the timeline, then play back with Space and step frames with the arrow keys.
  3. Trim. Drag a clip’s edge to trim; use ripple trims to close the gap automatically.
  4. Cut. Position the playhead and press Ctrl + B to split. Remove a clip with Delete, or Shift + Delete to ripple-delete and close the gap.
  5. Mark as you go. Press M to drop a marker (with an optional note) at moments you want to revisit.
  6. Undo freely with Ctrl + Z — every timeline edit is undoable. Save with Ctrl + S.

Add transitions, titles & color

  1. Transitions. In the Transitions workspace, add a cross dissolve, fade to black, or dip to white between clips (audio crossfades are available for sound).
  2. Titles. In Titles, add a title clip, edit the text, and drag it into place on the Program monitor.
  3. Color. In Color, adjust correction and tint, keyframe changes over time, and apply a .cube LUT for a consistent look (it’s applied precisely on export).
  4. Effects. In Effects, add transform, crop, blur, sharpen, or tint, and keyframe any parameter at the playhead.

Captions & audio

  1. Captions. In Captions, add and style caption entries, or import an SRT. Choose to ship captions as a sidecar file (the default) or burn them into the video on export.
  2. Levels. In Audio, set track and clip gain, watch the live meters, and keyframe gain where you need it.
  3. Fades. Add fade in/out (Linear, Smooth, or Equal-power) and audio crossfades between clips.

Export your video

  1. Open the Export workspace and pick what to render: the selected source (respecting your in/out marks), the current sequence, or a batch.
  2. Choose a preset. For posting to Aethera, pick Aethera Upload 1080p or Aethera Upload 4K; for adaptive streaming use the Aethera HLS Ladder; for smaller files try MP4 H.265 1080p or WebM VP9 1080p. AAC Audio and JPG Thumbnail cover audio-only and stills.
  3. Queue and run. Add the job and watch progress (percent, encoded seconds, time remaining). You can pause/resume, run all, cancel, or retry. Unavailable presets are disabled automatically.
  4. Find your file at the output path you chose, then upload it through the Aethera website.

Press Ctrl + E to jump straight to exporting the current sequence.

Keep it fast

  • Use proxies. They’re on by default; generate them for heavy 4K or long-GOP media so the timeline stays responsive.
  • Trust autosave, which runs every 90 seconds — and you can recover from the dashboard’s “Project recovery” list if something goes wrong.
  • Mind the cache. Thumbnails, waveforms, and proxies share a cache (20 GB by default) — raise it or point it at a faster drive in Settings.
  • Remap shortcuts in Settings to match your muscle memory.

Next steps