CosmiCut User Manual

What’s New in 4.0

• Timing controls: reverse a clip or change its speed from 0.1× to 2×, with optional Blend or Flow motion smoothing.
• Clip volume: adjust the volume of each clip individually.
• Mac scroll-wheel scrubbing: use the mouse scroll wheel to scrub project time forward and backward.
• More efficient timeline updates: returning to the Project Timeline after editing a clip regenerates only that clip’s thumbnails, instead of re-rendering the whole timeline.

Quick Start

1. Create a project from the Projects screen.
2. Tap Add your first clip (or Add Clip or Photo) to import media. CosmiCut can detect common packed 3D formats, like side-by-side and top/bottom, and convert them to spatial video during import.
3. Use the timeline to trim, reorder, and split clips.
4. Open a clip to adjust its speed, playback direction, volume, or effects, or convert it to spatial video.
5. Use Effects and Filters for project-wide grading.
6. Add music from the music menu.
7. Tap Export, configure destination, conversion, and output format, then tap Begin Render and Export.

Projects

• Create: Create from the project sheet.
• Copy: duplicate an existing project from the project list.
• Delete: remove with swipe/context controls.

Timeline

Core Actions

• Add media: use Add buttons in the timeline.
• Reorder clips: drag clips to new positions.
• Split clip: use the scissors button at the playhead.
• Transitions: add/remove transitions at clip edges.
• Zoom: adjust timeline zoom with the magnification slider.
• Scrub on Mac: use the mouse scroll wheel to move project time forward and backward.

Project timeline previews use a reduced render resolution to improve playback and scrubbing. Exports render from the original assets at full resolution.

When you return to the Project Timeline after editing a clip, only that clip’s thumbnails are regenerated. The whole timeline no longer re-renders after each clip edit.

Import Sources

• Photos picker (videos and images).
• Files picker (movies and images).
• Packed 3D videos, including side-by-side and top/bottom layouts, are detected and converted to spatial video when possible.

Clip Editor

Open a clip from the timeline to edit clip-level settings.

Trim

• Drag Trim Start and Trim End handles in the clip timeline.
• Minimum trim length is enforced to keep clips usable.
• Thumbnails are reused after trimming, keeping the Clip Editor responsive.

Crop

Crop ordinary or spatial video in the Clip Editor. Drag the crop bounds freely or choose an aspect ratio, then scrub through the clip to check the framing before selecting Apply.

Timing

Use the Clip Editor’s Timing controls to change a clip’s playback direction and speed.

• Reverse Clip: enable this to play the clip backward.
• Speed: move the slider from 0.1× to 2×. Values below 1× slow the clip down; values above 1× speed it up. 1× is the original speed.
• Motion Smoothing: choose Off, Blend, or Flow. With smoothing off, slow motion uses the original frames. Blend and Flow offer two smoothing options.
• Reset Timing: restore the clip’s default timing settings.

Clip Volume

In the Clip Editor’s Audio section, adjust the Volume slider to set the volume for that clip. Use it to balance audio between clips without changing the volume of the other clips in your project.

Auto Enhance (Premium)

In the clip’s effects panel, choose an Auto Enhance setting:

• Use Project Setting (default): follow the project’s Auto Enhance setting.
• On: enable Auto Enhance for this clip, even when it is off for the project.
• Off: disable Auto Enhance for this clip, even when it is on for the project.

Auto Enhance analyzes the clip to improve color, brightness, and contrast without changing your manual effect values. You can continue adjusting the controls below.

Match Reference / Match Style (Premium)

Match Style is labeled Match Reference in the Clip Editor’s effects panel. It matches the clip’s color and tone to a reference image.

1. Open the clip’s effects panel and find Match Reference.
2. Select Choose Photo to use an image from Photos, or Browse Files to select an image file.
3. Wait for Matching reference… to finish. Use Cancel to stop the analysis if needed.
4. Adjust Match Strength from 0% to 100% to control the amount of matching.
5. Select Remove to clear the reference match from the clip.

Both features require Premium access. Selecting a locked control opens the purchase options; controls are temporarily disabled while purchase access is being checked.

Effects and Filters

Filter options include: None, Chrome, Fade, Instant, Noir, Process, Sepia, Thermal, Halftone.

Project-Wide Effects

Auto Enhance (Premium)

Open the Project Inspector and set Auto Enhance to On or Off (the default). Each clip is enhanced separately. Clips set to Use Project Setting follow this choice; a clip’s explicit On or Off overrides it. A reference match takes precedence over Auto Enhance for that clip.

Manual Effects and Filters

Use the project Effects and Filters panel to grade the full timeline output.

• Includes the manual filter/effect controls available in clip editing.
• Applies globally to the rendered project output.
• Reset Project Effects restores project effect defaults and turns project Auto Enhance off. Individual clip overrides still apply.

Music Workflow

• Open the music menu on the project toolbar.
• Choose Choose Music or Replace Music.
• Use Edit Music to trim and align audio.
• Use Remove Music to clear track and trim markers.

Spatial Workflow

Convert a Clip to Spatial

1. Open clip editor.
2. Select depth model:

• Very Accurate and Slow (Depth Pro)
• Less Accurate and Fast (Depth Anything V2)

3. Tap Convert to Spatial.
4. Wait for progress to complete.
5. Preview with the cube button (where supported).

Batch Convert 2D Videos

1. Open the Project Inspector.
2. Choose a Conversion Process.
3. Tap Convert 2D Videos to convert all non-spatial videos in the project.
4. Use Stop Conversion if you need to cancel an in-progress batch.

Spatial GIF

• From clip editor, tap the Spatial GIF button to generate/share.

Export

• Tap Export in project view.
• Choose a Destination: Save to Photos or Save to Files.
• If the project contains non-spatial clips, enable Convert clips to spatial before export to render them as spatial video first.
• When conversion is enabled, choose the Conversion Process.
• Choose an Output Format: Spatial Video, Side by Side, Side by Side Half, Top/Bottom, or Top/Bottom Half.
• Tap Begin Render and Export.

Import/Export Preferences

Settings → Import and Export Prefs:

• Video Import: Photos App or Files App
• Video Export: Ask Each Time, Photos App, or Files App

Watermark

Free mode may include a watermark. Subscription/purchase unlocks watermark-free export.

Keyboard and Mouse Controls

Troubleshooting

Export won’t save to Photos

• Grant Photos permission in system settings.
• Retry export after permission is accepted.

Auto Enhance has no visible effect

• Check the clip’s setting: Off overrides project Auto Enhance, and Use Project Setting follows the project setting.
• Remove an active reference match to resume Auto Enhance for that clip.
• Check that Premium access is available and allow clip analysis to complete.

Spatial conversion is slow

• Try the faster depth model option.
• Use shorter trims before conversion.
• Batch conversion and export-time conversion can take a while on longer projects.

Packed 3D import was not detected

• Use common filenames or formats such as side-by-side, top/bottom, SBS, TB, or OU when possible.
• If detection does not trigger, import the clip as a regular video and use CosmiCut's spatial conversion tools.

3D export formats are unavailable

• Convert all clips to spatial first, or enable Convert clips to spatial before export in the export sheet.

Audio import failed

• Try re-importing from Files app.
• Verify the selected media is a supported audio format.