Documentation

Fractal Video Shufflr is a desktop app for creators who want to produce dynamic edits in minutes instead of hours. It automatically selects segments from your source footage, shuffles them with your rules, and merges the clips into an MP4. The goal is to compress the tedious parts of editing into a fast, repeatable flow—so you can focus on storytelling, sourcing, and publishing.

Tip: In the app, hover over buttons and controls to see quick hints explaining what they do.

Who this is for

• Shorts/TikTok/Reels creators who want fast, high‑tempo compilations.
• Faceless YouTube channels that rely on curation, remixes, or commentary.
• Long‑form editors who need b‑roll shuffles, montage sequences, or quick alternate cuts.
• Solo creators and small teams who want predictable outputs and time savings.

What Fractal Video Shufflr does

• Random segment selection: chooses segments based on your min/max clip lengths and target duration.
• Optional auto‑cut detection: Pro can detect jump cuts to drive smarter segment boundaries.
• Shuffle and merge: shuffles clips, normalizes resolution/FPS, and outputs a single MP4.
• Images as clips: import .jpg/.jpeg/.png/.webp; stills are auto‑converted into short motion clips with a subtle zoom so they blend naturally.
• Audio options: keep audio or export without it for music‑over visuals and B‑roll compilations.
• Session history: track previous outputs, reopen results, and quickly access your save folder.

Pro features at a glance

• Advanced Editor: Plan and preview with per‑section controls (end‑times, per‑section Remove audio), include/exclude/refresh clips, merged/sequential preview, project save/open, and a prominent status indicator. Voiceover is auto‑aligned only over pages where audio is removed; other pages keep source audio. You can also paste YouTube links as source videos and they will auto‑download.
• Thumbnail Creator: Generate eye‑catching 16:9 thumbnails from a prompt, search and add images, quickly iterate variants, and save the best to your Personal Thumbnail Space.
• Find Images: From inside any section, search the web and add selected stills directly to your plan. Stills are auto‑converted into short motion clips so they blend with your footage.
• Add Custom: Generate a quick text‑based clip with animated text over a solid, image, or video background—complete with live preview—then add it straight into your current section.
• WebM import: bring in .webm sources; exports stay MP4 for wide compatibility.
• Quick settings & sliders: on‑screen toggles and sliders for Remove Audio, Auto‑detect Cuts, Review Before Merge, Script Shufflr visibility, clip length, and total duration.
• Pages & ordered merge: group files into pages (e.g., Hook → Body → Outro), shuffle within each, and preserve section order—ideal for templated edits.
• Review before merge: preview a plan of random segments and refresh any you don’t love before final render.
• Script Shufflr: AI‑assisted script rewriting that keeps context in a single thread.
• Niche Finder: research channels, outliers, trending keywords, and top videos by channel.
• YouTube integration: authenticate and pull your channel uploads/metadata to inform planning and research.
• Premium history controls: larger previews and one‑click Play/Show in Folder on previous outputs.
• Advanced flags: transitions, high quality, and smart shuffle toggles.
• Autosave (Pro+): Drafts, edit plans, and workspace states are preserved and recoverable after restarts.

Platinum features at a glance

• Create with AI: A guided flow that turns an idea or script into a draft edit plan with pages, clip rules, and a reviewable outline you can refine before exporting. Automatically find source videos and create a fully edited video in minutes. Designed for faceless channels and repeatable formats.
• Personal Thumbnail Space: A dedicated workspace to collect, organize, and iterate on thumbnails. Save candidates from research, add notes/tags, and export versions for upload. Compare variants side‑by‑side to spot winning patterns.
• Unlimited Voiceover Generation (ElevenLabs): Unlimited AI voiceover creation via ElevenLabs is included with Platinum — no extra usage fees or keys required.
• Unlimited AI image & video generation (multi‑model): Generate images and videos using multiple AI models with Platinum. Managed access included — no separate API keys needed. Generate full picture‑only videos in a consistent style from a reference image, and use Sora to animate selected images for more dynamic results.
• Find Videos: Search YouTube and Yarn.co for matching clips, preview and 1‑click download, then instantly add to your project and export — perfect for sourcing B‑roll and dialogue moments fast.
• Research: Enter an idea, script, or YouTube link and let AI do the research for you. Automatically generates search keywords, finds relevant YouTube videos, and presents them in a scrollable grid. Includes search history to quickly revisit past research.
• Music Generation: Create AI‑generated music tracks using Suno and Minimax through AIML API. Simply describe the type of song you want, generate it, and add it to your project. All generated songs are saved to your history with options to play, rename, or open in folder.
• Prompt Generator: Generate reusable prompt templates from scripts or YouTube videos (Script mode) or from thumbnail images (Thumbnail mode). Save prompts to your library, view, copy, or remix them with adjustment notes to create new variations. Perfect for creating consistent script styles or thumbnail generation prompts.
• Similar Channel Finder: Instantly surface channels similar to any target channel to expand research, spot patterns, and discover collaboration or inspiration opportunities across your niche.
• Niche Finder superpowers: Personal saves and a dedicated Thumbnail Gallery to spot visual patterns at a glance. Load more without losing your place. Dive deep into the gallery to find the best thumbnail and title ideas for your next video.
• No OpenAI API key required: Use Create with AI and TTS without bringing your own API keys — access is included on Platinum.
• Priority updates: Early access to new capabilities and optimizations focused on scaling your production loop. All updates are designed for multi‑channel automation and multi‑editor workflows.
• Scale Multiple Channels: Built for creators managing multiple channels solo or with a small team. Create with AI, automatically find source videos, quickly edit videos, and organize a personal idea space.
• Join Discord: Once subscribed, get access to our Discord channel for instant support, the quickest updates, and behind‑the‑scenes development.

What you’ll accomplish with this guide

• Install and configure the app on macOS or Windows (with FFmpeg/ffprobe).
• Understand the UI and core workflow from file selection to final MP4 export.
• Use Pro workflows to plan, iterate, and template edits with Pages and Review.
• Leverage Script Shufflr for narration or voiceover drafting.
• Research with Niche Finder and the Chrome extension to find high‑performing content.
• Troubleshoot common issues (FFmpeg, permissions, quotas, subscriptions, auth).
• Apply best practices for shorts/long‑form, file organization, and performance.

How Fractal speeds up your workflow

• Batch randomness with guardrails: you define rules, Fractal does the selecting.
• Structure without friction: Pages preserve narrative flow while shuffling within parts.
• Iteration loops: Review Before Merge gives you a planning pass to refresh weak segments quickly.
• Research backed production: Niche Finder and the Chrome extension help you spot what works—then build to that bar, faster.
• Context‑aware scripting: Script Shufflr keeps the same conversation thread for consistent, multi‑pass rewrites.

Free vs Pro vs Platinum

Free: MP4 import, shuffle/merge pipeline, core settings, history list, updates.
Pro: WebM import, Quick settings/sliders, Pages & ordered merge, Review before merge, Script Shufflr, Niche Finder, YouTube integration, premium history controls, advanced flags, Autosave.
Platinum: Create with AI workflow, Personal Thumbnail Space, and included AI + TTS access.

Licensing & disclaimers

• The app is provided “as is,” without warranties of any kind. Use at your own risk.
• You are responsible for ensuring you have rights to any media you import, and for complying with platform policies when publishing outputs.
• Using third‑party services (e.g., Stripe, YouTube, model providers) is subject to their respective terms.

Terms of use

• Respect YouTube’s Terms of Service and policies when researching, fetching metadata, or publishing derived content.
• When using Script Shufflr, ensure your prompts and outputs comply with your model provider’s use case policies.
• Do not distribute the software or outputs in violation of applicable laws or licensing obligations.

Support & contact

• Releases & updates: See GitHub Releases.
• Subscription management: Use Manage/Unsubscribe links in the app header or visit the Pro page.
• Bug reports/feedback: Share details (OS, app version, steps) when reporting issues to help reproduce quickly.

Submit ideas & feature requests

• What to include: Your use case, desired outcome, and any mockups or examples.
• How to share: Use the feedback channels listed above. We triage ideas by impact and feasibility.

Billing & refunds

• Subscriptions are handled via Stripe. Manage your plan and billing info from the in‑app Manage link or the Pro page.
• Refunds follow the policy shown in the checkout/portal. Contact support via the portal if needed.

Changelog

• v2.0.54 — Fix Create with AI reliability; Phase 2 insertion now respects Remove audio setting (original audio plays when unchecked); YouTube downloader now pulls many more videos; Home → Create: leaving Remove audio unchecked now preserves audio.
• v2.0.51 — Added AI Shuffle for better shuffle output; updated Skip Shuffle to Skip Shuffle and Save Clips (saves your clips); improved shuffling visuals; show loading indicator when adding MP4 files; save create‑area settings across app restarts.
• v2.0.49 — Added Skip Shuffle button to clip without shuffling; fixed VoiceOver playback order in Advanced Editor planned clips list; fixed occasional empty pages in Create with AI.
• v2.0.47 — Advanced Editor (Planned clips → List): new Analyze Clips uses AI to find faces and on‑screen text; filter to only show high‑face/high‑text clips; refresh analyzed clips to fetch replacements.
• v2.0.46 — System: fixed auto‑update on macOS and Windows; Advanced Editor: list view order fixed; VoiceOver now mutes planned‑clip audio during autoplay; planned‑clips mini‑player gets autoplay controls incl. playback speed and a timer label; Help: new Quick Editing Tips; collapsing right sidebar enlarges left.
• v2.0.36 — Advanced Editor: Create with AI gains new Any category and pulls more relevant cross‑niche footage; speed, reliability, and usability improvements; added list view for planned clips; can collapse other pages to focus on planned clips (control near status indicator); updated Help guides in header.
• v2.0.35 — Advanced Editor: improved reliability of source downloads in Create With AI; fixed Open Clips Location to open your clip save directory; Homepage: removed Platinum badge (subscription status now shown in Settings and header); Script Shufflr: fixed voice sync attempts when no ElevenLabs key is set; Idea Browser: adding a saved channel no longer toggles category filters; Settings: import/export now shows a status indicator.
• v2.0.30 — Script Shufflr: Set default for Auto‑continue count; Text‑to‑Speech: add your ElevenLabs key to generate voiceovers in‑app; Script Shufflr: Create Voiceover from a saved script (choose save location and playback); extra delete confirmation dialog to prevent accidental script deletion; Shuffle & Merge: allow all MP4 files to be added; Settings: Export Data and Import Data (scripts, saved channels, saved video ideas); Header: shows Platinum active when applicable.
• v2.0.29 — Advanced Editor: faster Create With AI; planned preview defers auto‑loading; quick actions near Pages to add and generate a new preview; drag & drop files around within/between pages; duplicate files; fixed audio removal edge case; script in Inspector; scrubber + play/pause for planned preview.
• v2.0.25 — Advanced Editor: bug fixes; timestamp click opens clip replacement popup (preview, choose new source, set start/end); drag‑and‑drop to re‑order planned clips; Script Shufflr: edit saved scripts and add new scripts manually; Audio: added TTS on Home → Audio (ElevenLabs key, fetch voices, generate VO).
• v2.0.24 — Idea Browser: Channel Save; Clear Recent Channel Search History; Shuffle & Merge: ensure unique segments (no re‑use); Advanced Editor: fixed images not merging; Create With AI fixed empty mp4s; website docs updates.
• v2.0.22 — Idea Browser/Thumbnail Space: Focus Sidebar now keeps history (auto‑saves on clear, max 1,000); Thumbnail Space: added Copy transcript on saved items; Focus sidebar visual fixes; hide Add to Thumbnail Space if item already saved.
• v2.0.21 — Thumbnail Space updates (additional improvements and fixes).
• v2.0.19 — Idea Browser: Focus Sidebar now shows view counts correctly; restrict by min views; highlight recent hits (≤7 days and ≥30k views shows ).
• v2.0.18 — Idea Browser completed: search YouTube, copy transcripts, blackout low‑view tiles, save ideas to Thumbnail Space (Platinum), search channels; Focus Sidebar for quick analysis; AI Recs tab fix; performance and UX improvements.
• v2.0.17 — Clip previews start mid‑video to avoid black frames; app launches fullscreen; Script Shufflr auto‑continue fixes; script clean function added.
• v2.0.15 — Focus Mode (bigger view, faster turnaround); floating toolbar; Script Shufflr prompt library + auto‑continue; many Pro improvements.
• v2.0.13 — Create With AI fixes and stability; Advanced Editor fixes; project Title field.
• v2.0.10 — Advanced Editor autosave + Projects Hub; Create With AI completed for Pro Yearly promo + Platinum.
• v2.0.9 — Free: bug fixes and UI cleanup; Platinum: Personal Thumbnail Space; Platinum: Create video with AI (beta).
• v2.0.8 — Advanced Editor: add photos with auto motion; mix photos with video.
• v2.0.6 — Fix Niche Finder on Mac; add Thumbnail Gallery; YouTube connect beta access request; Mac update flow note.
• v2.0.5 — Advanced Editor: per‑section Remove audio; choose which section to shuffle.
• v2.0.4 — Advanced Editor: status indicator; BGM/VO preview; fix preview length; toolbar refresh; save/open projects; choose save folder; auto‑play after compile.
• v2.0.3 — Advanced Editor: per‑section end time.
• v2.0.0 — Major release: auto‑updates; Niche Finder; Advanced video editor; many features and improvements.
• v1.1.31 — Niche Finder improvements + stability; Settings shows update availability; groundwork for signed apps and improved auto‑update.
• v1.1.28 — Pro: Niche Finder (Top channels, trending, filters); YouTube Channel connector beta; jump‑cut detection updates and fixes.
• v1.1.22 — Script Shufflr: full flow with OpenAI key; outline + script; Continue steps then Done to save.
• v1.1.20 — Pro: Pages added (upload files per section; merge in order to match script parts).
• v1.1.19 — Pro: Audio controls (add BGM/Voiceover, levels, ducking); status icon; ongoing Pro enhancements.
• v1.1.17 — Fix Auto‑detect cuts (scene detection) stability.
• v1.1.0 — Major design changes; introduced premium features; many bug fixes; installers linked.
• v1.0.28 — Add auto‑scene detection option (scene/jump‑cut based shuffling).
• v1.0.26 — Add drag‑and‑drop area; customizable save location; Open Save Location button; visual updates.

Recent highlights

• v2.0.24: Idea Browser Channel Save; Clear Recent Channel Search History; shuffle uniqueness fix; Advanced Editor image/AI export fixes; site docs updates.
• v2.0.25: Advanced Editor clip replacement popup (timestamp click), drag‑and‑drop reordering of planned clips; Script Shufflr manual scripts + edit; Audio TTS added.
• v2.0.29: Create With AI faster and more reliable; planned preview defers auto‑loading; quick actions near Pages to add and regenerate preview; Advanced Editor drag‑and‑drop files between pages; duplicate files; fix audio removal edge case; script in Inspector; scrubber + play/pause for planned preview.
• v2.0.30: Script Shufflr default Auto‑continue; Create Voiceover from scripts; Settings data export/import; MP4 add fix; header shows Platinum active.
• v2.0.35: Create With AI reliability; Open Clips Location fix; Settings import/export status; Script Shufflr voice sync fix; Idea Browser saved‑channel filter fix.

Patch Notes

Removed YouTube channel connection section. This beta feature is being discontinued for now.

v2.0.59

• Fixed TTS voice generation which broke from my community help section update
• Fixed issue where AV1 MP4 files were not accepted or took a super long time to import. All MP4 files should load instantly now
• Fixed issue where sometimes if you pressed “remove audio” it did not remove audio
• Fixed issue where if you added voiceover and background music, neither would be added to the final output
• Fixed issue in the Advanced Editor where the VoiceOver would not play alongside your preview in the clips inspectors list view
• Changed “re‑plan video” button to be a refresh icon instead of a play icon (the button underneath the “Pages” headline text)
• Added a guided tour to the Advanced Editor so you can learn how to use it with a tutorial. This auto‑plays when you open the Advanced Editor. To replay, go to the top of editor → Help → Restart Guided Tour

v2.0.60

• Major overhaul to the code. Cleaned it up to make it easier to add new features without messing old ones up. Expect more features with each update now!
• Major overhaul to YouTube downloader. Now, you can log in to YouTube via the app to fix YouTube download issues
• Major overhaul to Create With AI. Updated it to create more pages and only download very specific necessary clips. Working on adding in ability for AI to add images, transitions, and captions next. Other future features include logo removal, auto‑caption removal, and additional footage sources. With this release, the Skip clip analysis checkbox is now enabled. You can perform clip analysis to get better output from Create With AI.
• Added new VoiceOver addition to Create With AI modal. Now if you click “Create with AI” then upload a VoiceOver, the total length will match the VoiceOver. You can also preview VoiceOver. Including the script with the VoiceOver will add them both to the final project, helping the AI create a better video.
• Please keep in mind that the way you configure your settings determine the output. This goes for the Advanced Editor, the Create With AI, and the basic Shuffle and Merge on the homepage. Your configuration will affect the time and length of the final video and also how it looks. More tutorials to showcase but using the tool is the best way to learn.
• For example, if you click Create With AI, enable “clip analysis”, and select “unlimited source footage”, you will get a super detailed result. If you skip clip analysis, then you will get less detailed results. More features like these to help fine tune coming soon. Thank you for patience as I iron out all issues and create the first AI editor to ever exist :)

v2.0.64

• More improvements to Create With AI so it is always reliable when downloading videos.
• Added guided tour to the main homepage. Now press the “Guide Me” button to learn how to use the app
• Tons of UI changes so the app feels more smooth and responsive

v2.0.65

• Enabled voiceover generation in the “Create With AI” workflow. Now you can generate voiceover based on whatever script is given when you press “Create!”
• More UI improvements / tweaks
• Updated “Create With AI” — now you can choose how many source videos are downloaded
• Fixed a few more bugs

v2.0.66

• Guided tour is now restricted to Pro only
• The progress bar was removed when shuffle + merging in the last update. I added that back in
• Fixed bug where sometimes you would get “Processing failed” when trying to shuffle and merge with auto‑detect cuts on.
• Just a heads up that I will be reworking the Niche Finder so it’s more useful. Right now, it’s not very helpful but it can be so much better and I will get to it eventually….

Niche Finder — major updates

• I removed many of the tabs, they were useless.
• Consolidated everything to 4 tabs
• Updated the Outliers tab to be more useful. It now shows all details about a channel and lets you go through all channels we have. More changes soon...
• Updated Idea Browser Focus sidebar. It now pulls in subscriber count for all channels. It also shows video likes and comment count
• Idea Focus sidebar now lets you search for videos, filter by sub count and so much more.
• Find hot videos and niche channels all over YouTube and save them forever using your Thumbnail Space.
• Added error message to Shuffle and Merge if you try to merge files that are not long enough for total length and you do not check “re‑use clips”

MAJOR UPDATE — v2.0.68

• Fixed weird bug where the Idea Browser took 30 seconds to load...
• Added Similar Channels feature to the Fractal Niche Finder for PLATINUM supporters!
• Open the Idea Browser, open your Focus sidebar and click “Find Similar Channels”
• It will open the “Similar Channels” tab and start finding channels for the high view video you selected to find similar channels to
• It will take about 5 minutes max to find channels. Then you see all stats about the channel.
• Click a channel and it opens it up in the Idea Browser so you can quickly sort through the channel’s best performing videos in your Focus sidebar
• Click “Find Similar Channels” on the new channel you found to keep going and find even more channels and more video ideas
• You can also export Similar Channels list to PDF so you can keep store of all similar channels in a nice to view file
• Use this tool to find infinite competitors, ideas, niches, etc!
• Updated Idea Browser Focus bar to only include long‑form videos by default. Check the “include shorts” option to add shorts back into the list
• Added Home and Studio Button to Idea Browser

Where to find updates

• GitHub Releases: Latest installers and release notes live on GitHub.
• Website: The landing page links to the newest stable build for macOS and Windows.

Compatibility

• Outputs are standard MP4 files compatible with major editors and platforms.
• If you encounter issues after an update, reinstall the previous version from Releases and report the regression.

Staying up to date

• Check Releases periodically for improvements to Pro features (Pages, Review, Script Shufflr, Niche Finder, YouTube integration) and bug fixes.
• On macOS, manual replacement in Applications may be required between versions.

Local by default

• Settings, history, and temporary processing files are stored locally on your machine.
• Outputs are saved only to your chosen folder. The app does not upload your media.

Networked services (Pro features)

• Subscription: Uses Stripe to create/manage subscriptions. Requests include plan details and your email when provided.
• YouTube integration: Connect to fetch your channel and uploads; requires authentication.
• Script Shufflr: Generates text to assist with scripts. Content is used only to fulfill your request.

Autosave and local storage (Pro+)

• Autosave is local: Drafts, edit plans, and thumbnail workspace data are stored on your device.
• Recovery: Your last in‑progress state restores on reopen after unexpected exits.
• Exports only when you choose: Content leaves your device only when you export or share it.

Chrome extension permissions

• Host permissions: Limited to YouTube domains to analyze page tiles and apply masking.
• Storage: Saves your threshold, enabled state, and saved video links in Chrome sync storage.
• Clipboard write: Used only when you click Copy all to copy saved URLs.

See the site’s Privacy page for policy details. If you have questions, contact support via the links on the Pro page.

Is the app free?

Yes, the core shuffle/merge app is free. Pro supports development and unlocks advanced features (WebM import, Quick settings/sliders, Pages, Review, Script Shufflr, Niche Finder, YouTube integration, premium history, advanced flags).

Can I import images?

Yes. Import .jpg/.jpeg/.png/.webp and Fractal will convert them into motion clips with a subtle zoom so they can be shuffled alongside videos. Images are silent; add BGM/VO if you want audio over these clips.

What formats are supported?

MP4 is supported in Free. Pro can import WebM (final export remains MP4 for compatibility).

How are random segments chosen?

The planner randomly samples start times and lengths within your min/max rules until it reaches your total duration. With Pages (Pro), randomness happens inside each section and the section order is preserved.

Can I keep or remove audio?

Yes. Toggle Remove audio to export silent visuals, or keep audio for commentary/previews. Pro adds an Audio card to mix BGM/voiceover and duck music under narration.

Does the app need internet access?

Core shuffling works offline once FFmpeg/ffprobe are installed. Pro services (subscription, Niche Finder, YouTube, Script Shufflr) require connectivity.

How do I update?

On macOS, go back to the homepage and click Download Mac to get the latest version, then drag VideoShuffle.app into your Applications folder and click 'Replace' when prompted. You can also download the latest build from GitHub Releases. If macOS blocks the app, run the quarantine fix noted below.

Where are my outputs saved?

In your configured save location (set in Settings). Use Open Save Location in the main UI to open that folder.

How do I manage my subscription?

When Pro is active, links for Manage and Unsubscribe appear in the header. Ensure your subscription email is set in Settings.

How can I submit feature ideas?

Describe your use case and desired outcome, then send via the channels in Licensing & support under “Submit ideas & feature requests.”

Does the app autosave?

Yes (Pro+). Create with AI drafts, Advanced Editor plans, and Thumbnail Space changes are autosaved locally and restored on reopen.

Where is Create with AI?

Available on Platinum from the main workspace. It generates a draft plan you can refine before exporting. It automatically finds source videos and creates a fully edited video in minutes.

What is Personal Thumbnail Space?

A Platinum workspace to collect and iterate on thumbnails. Add candidates from research, tag them, compare variants, and export. See Platinum features.

Export logs

If an export fails or freezes, you can send us your export log to speed up diagnosis.

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/VideoShuffle/logs/
• Windows: %APPDATA%/VideoShuffle/logs/
• Fallback: /tmp/videoshuffle-logs/ (advanced)
• Filename: export_<timestamp>_<id>.log

The app also returns a logPath with export results; copy it from the UI or dev tools.

Logs include progress markers, ffmpeg step start/end/error, and basic context (app version, platform, output resolution/fps). No media contents are logged; local file paths may appear.

FFmpeg / ffprobe errors

• spawn ENOENT: Install both ffmpeg and ffprobe, ensure they’re on PATH, and enable Use system FFmpeg (from PATH) in Settings.
• Version check: Run ffmpeg -version and ffprobe -version in your terminal. Restart terminal after editing PATH.

macOS can’t open the app

Run this once in Terminal, then re‑open the app:

xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/VideoShuffle.app

No output or very short output

• Increase Total duration and ensure Min/Max clip lengths fit your inputs.
• Verify the inputs are long enough and not corrupt; try converting problem files to MP4 first.

WebM import blocked

• WebM import is Pro‑only; convert to MP4 with FFmpeg or upgrade to Pro.

Pro activation not unlocking

• Enter the same subscription email used at checkout in Settings.
• Check network connectivity and retry. The header should change to Pro active when confirmed.

Script Shufflr errors

• If generation is unavailable, try again later or restart the app.
• For rate limits, wait and retry smaller prompts; restart the app if controls appear unavailable after an update.

YouTube integration

• If Device Auth fails, retry and ensure you authenticate the intended Google account.
• Quota exceeded: wait and try again later; enable caching and reduce full library refreshes.

Extension not applying

• Open a YouTube tab and click Apply in the popup. Verify the threshold and Enable black‑out.
• Refresh if YouTube layout changes; ensure the site matches allowed host permissions.

Image preview accuracy

• If your plan includes images, the in‑app player may switch to a merged preview to reflect synthesized motion clips more accurately. Exported results are unaffected.

Disk space / temp files

• Ensure enough free space for temporary clips; reduce total duration or input count if needed.

Shorts recipe (0:30–1:00)

• Inputs: 10–20 high‑energy clips; similar aspect ratio (vertical or 16:9).
• Min/Max: 1.5s–3s; Total duration: 45s.
• Quick settings: Auto‑detect cuts ON, Remove audio OFF (or ON if adding VO+BGM), Review before merge ON.
• Pages: Hook (10–15s), Body (25–30s), Outro (5–10s).
• Audio: BGM ~25%, duck under VO if present.

Long‑form montage recipe (5–10 min)

• Inputs: 30–80 clips spanning topics/b‑roll.
• Min/Max: 3s–7s; Total: 6:00–8:00.
• Pages: Intro (0:30), Segment A (2:00), Segment B (2:00), Segment C (2:00), Outro (0:30).
• Review before merge: ON; refresh weak clips in each section to maintain pacing.

Content sourcing workflow

• Extension: Set threshold to your niche’s hit bar; save promising videos.
• Niche Finder: Start with Top Outliers → drill into Top Videos by Channel; note repeatable formats and hooks.
• YouTube integration: Pull your uploads to benchmark ideas against your historical performance.

Script Shufflr prompting

• “Rewrite for 60–75 seconds, faster pacing, 3‑beat structure, strong opener and a CTA.”
• “Give me 3 variants of the hook with rising intensity and curiosity.”
• “Condense to exactly 120 seconds, keep these 3 key facts, friendlier tone.”

Organization and reproducibility

• Keep inputs named with source and date; store exports in dated project folders.
• Save screenshots of Quick sliders and note section timings to recreate a run later.
• Prefer consistent resolution/FPS across inputs to reduce variation and processing time.

Remove or keep source audio

• Remove audio: Exports a silent MP4—ideal for B‑roll and music‑over edits.
• Keep audio: Retain source audio for commentary, interviews, or quick previews.

Audio section (Pro)

Enable the Audio card to add background music and voiceover with volume controls and optional ducking.

• Add BGM/Clear BGM: Choose a music track; clear to remove it.
• Add Voiceover/Clear Voiceover: Choose a voice track for narration.
• BGM volume and Voice volume: Adjust relative levels (0–150%).
• Duck BGM when voiceover present: Automatically lowers BGM during voice segments.
• Preview Mix: Renders a short preview mix so you can audition balance before exporting.

Text‑to‑Speech (TTS)

Create a voiceover directly from text.

• Prerequisite: Enable Text‑to‑Speech in Settings.
• Voices: Fetch your saved voices, select one, and enter the text you want spoken.
• Generate: Click to create a VoiceOver track. It appears as the Voiceover in the Audio card and is included in exports.
• Tips: Keep sentences concise to reduce latency; you can regenerate if needed.

Tips

• Start with BGM at ~20–30% and Voice at 100%, then refine by ear.
• Use ducking for dialog‑heavy edits to keep narration intelligible.
• Consider removing source audio from clips when using a dedicated VO track.

Previous Projects

• List of outputs: Tracks your recent exports so you can revisit results.
• Open/Reveal (Pro): Play a past output directly or open its folder via Show in Folder.
• Clear All: Removes entries from the list. This does not delete files on disk.

Script history (Pro)

• Saved Scripts: Searchable list of Script Shufflr sessions.
• Rename titles for organization, Delete individual entries, or Clear All.
• Add New: Create a blank script. It opens in the editor immediately so you can start writing.
• View/Edit: Each row includes quick actions to preview the script (Markdown supported) or edit the text.
• Copy script: Copy the current script to your clipboard for use elsewhere.
• Default naming: New items start as Default Script #N. Click the title to rename.

Storage locations

• Exports: Written to your configured save location.
• Temporary clips: Created during trimming/merge and cleaned up after export; ensure adequate free disk space.
• Settings & history: Stored locally by the app; clearing history affects in‑app lists only.

Housekeeping tips

• Periodically move exports to project folders and archive raw inputs externally to keep your workspace light.
• If you run low on disk space, reduce total duration or batch size, or process in smaller pages.

Autosave recovery (Platinum)

• Work‑in‑progress edit plans and Create with AI drafts restore automatically on reopen.
• Focus Sidebar history: Idea Browser Focus adds cleared items to a rolling history (up to 1,000). See Idea Browser for details.

General

• Dark mode: Toggle dark theme.
• Save location: Choose the folder where exported videos are written. Use Open Save Location in the main UI to jump there.

Video length

• Min clip length: Lower bound for random segment duration.
• Max clip length: Upper bound for random segment duration.
• Total duration: Target length of the final merged video. Accepts seconds or MM:SS format.

Video

• Remove audio: Export without source audio.
• Auto‑detect jump cuts: Use cut detection for smarter segment boundaries (Pro recommended).
• Review before merge (Pro): Enables the planning UI to preview/refresh segments before export.

Subscription

• Subscription email: Enter the email used at checkout to unlock Pro. The header updates when active.
• Manage/Unsubscribe: Links are in the header when Pro is active.

Data import/export

• Export Data: Create a backup of your scripts, saved channels, saved video ideas, and prompt library to a single file.
• Import Data: Restore from a previously exported file. Useful when moving to a new machine or sharing presets across installs.
• Status indicator: A small inline status shows progress/success during import and export operations.

Script Shufflr

• Script Shufflr: Turn on to generate text for scripts.
• Show Script Shufflr (Pro): Toggle to display/hide the Script Shufflr card in the main UI.

Audio / TTS

• Text‑to‑Speech: Enables voiceover generation from text. Fetch voices and generate VoiceOver in‑app.
• Fetch voices: Pulls your available voices after adding a valid key.
• Voice selection: Choose the desired voice before generating.

Pro features

• Smooth clip transitions: Adds basic transition smoothing.
• High‑quality encoding: Prefers quality over speed for the final export.
• Smart shuffle ordering: Experimental ordering to improve perceived flow.

System

• Use system FFmpeg (from PATH): Use your system’s ffmpeg and ffprobe binaries. Recommended.
• App version: The footer or header may display the current version for reference when reporting issues.

Settings persist across sessions. Quick settings in the main UI mirror key options for faster iteration, while the Settings panel offers the complete list.

Autosave (Pro+)

• Status: Always on for Create with AI drafts, Advanced Editor plans, and Thumbnail Space.
• Storage: Autosaved data is stored locally and restored on reopen.

What it does

The extension highlights high‑performing content by masking (black‑ing out) videos under a view threshold. It works across YouTube Home, Search, Channel pages, and Related lists so you can focus on potential hits faster.

Installation

1. Open the Chrome Web Store listing: Fractal Shufflr YouTube Extension.
2. Click Add to Chrome and confirm.
3. Pin the extension from the puzzle icon so it’s easy to access.

Advanced: If you prefer manual install for development, you can still use chrome://extensions → Developer mode → Load unpacked with the videoshuffle/extension folder.

Using the popup

• View threshold: Set the minimum views a video must have to remain visible (default: 100,000).
• Enable black‑out: Toggle masking on/off.
• Apply: Saves settings and applies them to the active YouTube tab.
• Toggle: Quickly flip the enabled state without changing the threshold.
• Status: Shows whether masking is active or if you need to open a YouTube tab.

Saved videos

• Add current: Add the current video URL to a saved list for later reference.
• Copy all: Copy the saved list to the clipboard.
• Clear all: Empty the saved list.
• Sync storage: Settings and saved videos are stored in Chrome sync storage and persist across sessions (limited to recent items).

Permissions & privacy

• Host permissions: https://www.youtube.com/* and https://youtu.be/* so the content script can analyze video tiles.
• Storage: Used for saving your threshold, enabled state, and saved videos list.
• Clipboard write: Used when you click Copy all for saved videos.

Known limitations

• Layout changes by YouTube can temporarily affect masking. Use Apply to re‑run or refresh the page.
• Regional/language variants may change how views are displayed and detected.
• Only tabs matching YouTube URLs are affected.

Use the extension alongside Niche Finder to quickly curate candidates, then bring the best clips or ideas into Fractal for editing.

What it does

Connect your YouTube account to pull channel metadata and uploads. Use this to audit your own library, study performance patterns, and inform your editing plan.

Where to find it

When Pro is active, the YouTube Channel card appears in the main UI. It shows status, sign‑in/out controls, and actions to fetch uploads.

Sign in with Device Auth

1. Click Sign in in the YouTube card to start Device Auth.
2. Follow the prompt to visit Google’s device login page and enter the code shown.
3. Return to the app. Fractal automatically polls until your session is confirmed.

Once signed in, the app can query your channels and list your uploads. Some responses are cached briefly to reduce quota usage.

Fetching uploads and stats

• Uploads playlist: Fractal resolves your channel’s uploads playlist and paginates through all items.
• Video details: Videos are fetched in batches (up to 50) to retrieve stats (views, etc.).
• Caching: The app may cache responses for a short time when Use cache is enabled for faster repeat loads.

Sign out

Use the Sign out action in the YouTube card to revoke the local session when you’re done.

Troubleshooting

• Pro required: Ensure your subscription is active; the YouTube card is hidden otherwise.
• Auth fails: Retry Device Auth, confirm the code is entered on the correct Google account, and check network connectivity.
• Empty uploads: If the uploads playlist cannot be resolved, try signing out/in or waiting briefly in case of delays.
• Quota exceeded: Wait and retry later; reduce batch requests and enable caching when available.

Video: Fractal Niche Finder tutorial

Opening Niche Finder

When Pro is active, the Advanced Features toolbar appears under the header. Click Fractal Niche Finder to open the research window.

Tabs and when to use them

• Top Outliers: Surfaces channels whose recent performance is far above baseline. Great for discovering breakout niches.
• Recently Added Outliers: A 48‑hour view of new outliers detected—useful for fresh trends.
• Viral on Small: Finds videos with high views on smaller channels—signals replicable formats.
• Real‑time Channels: Recently added/updated channels in the last few hours.
• AI Recs: Model‑assisted recommendations of channels to explore.
• Trending Keywords: Terms trending over a selected window (7/14/30 days) to guide content ideation.
• Top Videos by Channel: Paged view that shows channels with a horizontal strip of their top videos. Use Load more to append additional pages.
• Thumbnail Gallery: Paged grid of thumbnails from analyzed videos. Click any thumbnail to preview it larger; use filters to narrow results. Use Load more thumbnails to append without resetting.

Filters & presets

Use filters to narrow results and improve signal:

• Subs range: Min subs and Max subs to target channel sizes.
• Category: Limit to categories (e.g., Gaming, Tech).
• Min VPS: Minimum views‑per‑subscriber ratio for outlier strength.
• Preset: Quick macros (High Outliers, High Avg Views, Newer Channels).
• Has shorts / Monetized / AI channel / Kids content: Binary filters to fit your content strategy.
• Min Avg Views and Max Days Since Start: Quality and recency controls.
• Trending window (7/14/30d): Applies in Trending Keywords.

Click Refresh Top to re‑pull Top Outliers with the current filter set. Use Prev/Next to page through large result sets (Top Outliers only).

Reading the cards

• Channel cards: Show title, category, subs, and KPI stats like Avg Views, VPS, and Score (outlier measure). Badges indicate shorts/AI/kids/monetization flags.
• Top Videos by Channel: Each channel renders a horizontal row of thumbnails with title and view counts—click to open the video on YouTube.
• Trending Keywords: Terms appear as rows; use them to seed search or script prompts.

Thumbnail Gallery

Browse a visual grid of video thumbnails assembled from the current result set. It’s useful for spotting visual patterns, hooks, and framing styles quickly.

• Open the tab: Click Thumbnail Gallery in the Niche Finder tabs.
• Filters: The same filters apply; adjust them first, then open the Gallery.
• Viewing: Click any thumbnail to open a larger preview; click outside the image or press Close to dismiss.
• Pagination: Click Load more thumbnails to append more without losing your place; the status shows how many have loaded. Dive deep into the gallery to find the best thumbnail and title ideas for your next video.

Search & run

• Use the query box to enter keywords, topics, regions, then click Find Niches. Results will populate the grid.
• Stats above the grid show total analyzed channels and new additions today.

Pagination & performance

• Top Outliers: Use Prev/Next to navigate pages; page size is optimized for responsiveness.
• Top Videos by Channel and Thumbnail Gallery: Use a cursor with Load more to append items without resetting the view.
• Layout: The grid switches between card and row layouts for readability based on the tab.

Quota & error handling

• If you hit YouTube limits for certain actions, you’ll see a message in the status bar. Try again later or reduce intensive queries.
• Ensure you maintain an active internet connection—Niche Finder queries live data sources.

Workflow tips

• Start in Top Outliers to identify niches with above‑baseline performance, then use Top Videos by Channel to study format patterns.
• Use Trending Keywords to seed Script Shufflr prompts and title ideas.
• Prefer smaller ranges of Min/Max subs to focus on replicable opportunities for new channels.
• Thumbnail flow (Platinum): Save standout thumbnails from research into your Personal Thumbnail Space to compare and iterate.

Similar Channel Finder (Platinum)

Quickly discover channels similar to a high‑performing video or channel you’re studying. Use it to expand research, find competitors, and uncover repeatable formats across your niche.

1. Open Idea Browser and use the Focus Sidebar to select a high‑view video.
2. Click Find Similar Channels in the Focus Sidebar.
3. The app opens the Similar Channels tab and begins fetching results (usually within 1–5 minutes).
4. Click any result to open that channel inside Idea Browser; skim its top videos in the Focus Sidebar.
5. Repeat Find Similar Channels on any promising result to go deeper and map the niche.

• Export: Use Export Similar Channels to save a PDF report of your finds.
• Tips: Start from genuinely high‑signal videos. Adjust your Focus Sidebar filters (e.g., include shorts) to broaden or narrow scope.

Prerequisites

• Platinum plan active in the app.
• Idea Browser available (or use the Similar Channels tab inside Niche Finder).

Two ways to start

• From Idea Browser: In the Focus Sidebar on any high‑view video, click Find Similar Channels.
• From Niche Finder: Open the Similar Channels tab, paste a channel @handle or URL, then click Find Similar.

Controls & sorting

• Sort: Toggle by Similarity, Subscribers, or Total views (asc/desc) to prioritize what matters.
• Open channel: Click a result to load the channel in Idea Browser and scan its top videos.
• Load more: Reveal additional candidates and keep exploring laterally.
• Export PDF: Package your findings for sharing or later review.

Why use it

• Map the niche: Uncover adjacent creators and sub‑genres from any proven seed.
• Find competitors: See who wins on similar topics, formats, and pacing.
• Clone repeatable formats: Identify hooks and structures that consistently perform.
• Prospect collabs/ads: Build a targeted list of channels with audience fit.

Troubleshooting

• Platinum only: If you see “Platinum only,” confirm your plan status in Settings.
• No results: Start from a genuinely high‑signal channel or video; try a different seed.
• Slow fetch: Typical runs complete in 1–5 minutes; stay on the tab until results load.

What it is

Script Shufflr helps you rewrite or iterate on scripts with a multi‑pass AI flow that preserves context within a single thread. It’s ideal for narration, hooks, and tightening copy to match high‑tempo edits.

Prerequisites

• Pro subscription active in the app.
• Script Shufflr enabled in Settings.
• Show Script Shufflr enabled in Quick settings (or toggle in Settings).

Starting a session

1. Open the Script Shufflr card (toggle visibility via Quick settings).
2. Paste your script into the input area.
3. Click Shuffl Script to create a new thread for this topic.
4. Review the response in the transcript pane.
5. Click Continue to ask the assistant to iterate again while keeping context in the same thread.
6. Use Reset when switching topics to clear the session and start fresh.

Note: The transcript is assistant‑only for readability. Your original input is not duplicated in the transcript pane.

Script history

• Saved Scripts card: View a searchable list of past sessions.
• Search: Filter by title or text snippets to find a previous idea quickly.
• Rename: Click a title to rename for better organization.
• Add New: Create a blank script (starts as Default Script #N) and jump straight into editing.
• View/Edit: Use row actions to preview in a clean Markdown view or open the editor to modify the body.
• Copy script: Quickly copy the full script to your clipboard.
• Delete: Remove individual entries you no longer need.
• Clear All: Purge the entire script history.

Tips for better outputs

• Short, specific prompts: Describe the audience, tone, and constraints (e.g., "60–90 seconds, punchy hook, 3 beats").
• Iterate with Continue: Ask for variants (more concise, more energy, add CTA, tailor to niche) to quickly get multiple cuts.
• Chunk long scripts: For multi‑minute narration, process in pages with brief summaries to maintain coherence.
• Align to visuals: Mention pacing and scene types if you already know your B‑roll plan.

Auto‑continue

When you know how many additional Continue steps you want, use Auto‑continue to run multiple iterations automatically:

• Set count: Enter a number (0–25) in Auto‑continue.
• Generate: Start a step; Fractal will automatically press Continue until the count reaches zero or the flow completes.
• Live control: The input locks while running and unlocks when finished. You can stop by setting the value to 0 between steps.
• Default count: Use Set default to store your preferred auto‑continue value for future sessions.

Create Voiceover from script

Generate a narrated voiceover directly from a saved script.

• Where: In Saved Scripts, click View on a script, then choose Create Voiceover.
• Choose voice & save location: Pick an ElevenLabs voice and where to save the audio file.
• Playback: Play generated voiceovers back in‑app and use them in the Audio card.

Video: 1‑click Script + Voiceover tutorial

Delete confirmation

When deleting a script, an extra confirmation prevents accidental removals.

Troubleshooting

• Pro required: If gated, ensure your subscription is active and the app shows Pro active in the header.
• Generation unavailable: Ensure you’re on Pro and try again later if services are busy.
• Rate limits or network issues: Wait and retry; large/rapid requests may trigger limits.
• Continue unavailable: If you updated recently, restart the app to ensure all controls are active.

Use Script Shufflr early to shape the narrative, then finalize with Pages and Review‑before‑merge for a well‑paced, on‑brand edit.

What it is

Idea Browser embeds YouTube directly inside the Niche Finder so you can research channels and videos without leaving the app. It adds an optional blackout overlay for low‑view tiles and a powerful Focus Sidebar that grabs videos from the current page and analyzes them for you. Save videos to your personal Idea Space to compare and iterate.

How to open it

• Open Niche Finder (Pro) from the header.
• Click the Idea Browser tab. That’s it — you’re in.

What you can do

• Go to any channel: Type a channel handle (with or without @), paste a YouTube link, or type a keyword and press Enter. We remember your last searches so you can jump back with one click.
• Hide low‑view videos: Turn on Blackout and set a simple number (like 100,000). Videos under that number dim, so strong ideas stand out.
• Watch the Focus Sidebar: A helpful list on the right shows the interesting videos on the page — title, views, how new it is — and quick buttons to act.
• One‑click actions: Copy the video link, copy the transcript (when available), or Add to Thumbnail Space (Platinum) to save it for later. If an item already exists in your Thumbnail Space, the Add to Thumbnail Space button is hidden.

Make it work your way

Click Features to tweak a few friendly settings:

• Blackout number: Move it up or down to change what counts as “good enough.”
• Focus Sidebar: Choose how often it updates, set the minimum views it should show, and make it bigger if you want a large reading view.

Focus Sidebar sorting & filters

The Focus Sidebar now enriches each video with additional stats and lets you sort by what matters.

• Search: Filter the list by matching title or channel text.
• Sort by: Choose Views, Likes, Comments, Date (newest), Subs (channel subscribers), or Views/Subs (VPS).
• Direction: Toggle ascending/descending with the arrow button.
• Include Shorts: Off by default; enable to include YouTube Shorts in the list.
• Min views: Set a minimum in Features to hide low‑signal items by default.

What powers it

• Enriched stats: We fetch views, likes, comments, published date, and cache channel subscriber counts to compute VPS.
• Live updates: Sorting and filters re‑apply as new items appear on the page.
• History‑aware: Switch between Live and History; sorting works in both modes.

Why sort by these

• Views: Surface proven winners quickly.
• Likes/Comments: Spot strong engagement and early traction.
• Date: Prioritize recent uploads for timely trends.
• Subs: Gauge the creator’s size when scanning a mixed list.
• VPS: Adjust performance by audience size to find true outliers relative to subs.

Troubleshooting

• Missing numbers: Some metrics may be unavailable on very new videos or when YouTube hides counts; sorting falls back gracefully.
• Shorts excluded: Turn on Include Shorts if Shorts are part of your research.
• Jumpy list: During auto‑updates, the list may re‑order; pause scrolling or switch to History to review steadily.

Simple workflows

• Channel checkup: Type @channelName → turn on Blackout → the best ideas pop to the top. Use Focus to skim and copy a transcript for notes.
• Keyword hunt: Type a topic → quickly see which titles and thumbnails get real traction. Raise or lower your Blackout number to match your goals.
• Thumbnail pick list: As you spot winners, click Add to Thumbnail Space. Later, compare, jot notes, and choose your favorite.
• Hop from research tabs: In Top Videos by Channel or Thumbnail Gallery, click a thumbnail to open it here for deeper context.

Tips

• Press Enter in the search box to go faster.
• If the page looks different, click Refresh and keep going.
• Think of the numbers as guides — use your eye to choose what truly fits your channel.

Channel save & recent history

Keep an eye on competitors and favorite sources without re‑typing handles.

• Channel Save: Save unlimited YouTube channel handles (with or without @). Your saved list appears for one‑click access.
• Open fast: Click a saved channel to jump directly into its page inside Idea Browser.
• Manage: Remove any saved channel when you no longer need it.
• Recent search history: Recently searched channels are remembered; use Clear Recent Channel Search History to wipe suggestions.

Focus Sidebar history

The Focus Sidebar keeps a rolling history so you don’t lose good finds when the list clears.

• Auto‑save on clear: Anytime the Focus list clears (refresh, navigate, or explicit clear), those items are added to History.
• Capacity: Up to 1,000 videos are stored at a time; oldest entries drop off automatically.
• Use: Revisit titles, re‑copy links or transcripts, and add missed items to your Thumbnail Space.

Video: Advanced Editor tutorial

Quick settings & sliders

Use the compact controls under the main buttons to iterate fast without opening Settings:

• Remove audio, Auto‑detect cuts, Review before merge, and Show Script Shufflr toggles.
• Min/Max clip length and Total duration sliders.

YouTube links as sources: In the Advanced Editor, paste YouTube video URLs as inputs; Fractal will automatically download them for you.

Pages & ordered merge

Create multiple pages to structure your output (e.g., Hook → Body → Outro). Fractal shuffles within each section and preserves section order in the final export.

1. Click Add Section to create a new section.
2. Drop or select files into each section as desired.
3. Optionally, assign per‑section end times to help hit your target duration precisely.
4. Run Shuffle & Merge!. The final video respects your section order while keeping internal randomness.

Tip: Use the per‑section Add Image button to include stills (.jpg/.jpeg/.png/.webp) alongside videos; they are turned into short motion clips automatically.

• Drag & drop: Move files between pages or reorder within a section for precise control.
• Duplicate files: Create a duplicate of a video wherever it’s been added to test variants.

Tips:

• Use a short Hook section with punchy clips and a longer Body section for the main content.
• For long‑form, break into thematic pages to control pacing and topic shifts.

Find Images (Advanced Editor)

Quickly source relevant images without leaving the editor, then add them into any section. Stills are automatically turned into short motion clips so they feel natural in sequence.

1. Open the Advanced Editor and locate a section where you want images.
2. Click Find Images (purple). The Find Images window opens.
3. Type a subject or description (e.g., Golden Gate Bridge at sunset) and click Search.
4. Click thumbnails to select one or many results.
5. Click Add to insert the selected images into the current section.

• Clip behavior: Images are converted into motion clips and follow your Min/Max clip length and Total duration rules.
• Audio: Images are silent. Add BGM and/or VO in the Audio section if desired.
• Preview: Plans that include images may use a merged preview for accuracy.
• Network: Requires an internet connection to fetch results.
• Rights: Ensure you have permission to use downloaded images (licenses/fair use). When in doubt, replace with your own assets.

Add Custom (text video generator)

Create a short motion graphic clip with animated text over a solid, image, or video background—perfect for hooks, captions, and outros.

1. In the Advanced Editor, click Add Custom (purple) inside any section.
2. Choose a Background type: Solid, Image, or Video. Pick color or files as needed; for video, you can set a start time and optionally Remove audio.
3. Enter your Text and style it: font, color, size, position grid, and animation (with duration).
4. Adjust extras as needed: vignette strength, background motion (pan/shrink) and intensity/size, resolution, and clip length.
5. Click Preview to see it live, then Create to render and automatically add the clip to your current section.

• Use cases: Openers, CTAs, lower‑thirds, disclaimers, end cards.
• Readability: Keep high contrast between text and background; use vignette or background blur/motion to separate text.
• Audio: If you use a background video, consider muting it and layering BGM/VO in the Audio section.
• Workflow: Create multiple short customs for multi‑slide sequences.

Review before merge (planned segments)

Preview a full set of planned segments before committing to export. Refresh weak segments without regenerating the whole plan.

1. Enable Review before merge in Quick settings or Settings.
2. Click Shuffle & Merge! to generate a plan instead of immediately exporting.
3. Scroll through the planned clips to preview them.
4. Click Refresh on any segment you don’t like to replace it with a new random pick.
5. Optionally toggle Include/Exclude for specific clips to curate more tightly.
6. When satisfied, click Export to render using the curated plan.

• Timestamp replacement: Click a planned clip’s timestamp (e.g., 4.0s) to open a replacement popup. Preview the original, pick a new source file, and choose start/end times.
• Reorder planned clips: Drag and drop planned clips to change their order before exporting.
• Scrubber + transport: Use the scrubber and play/pause to navigate planned previews faster.
• Deferred media load: Planned preview doesn’t auto‑load heavy media until needed to save resources.

Inspector script panel

Add and view a script in the right‑side Inspector while editing. Projects created via Create With AI automatically attach the generated script; you can also add/edit a script manually for any project.

Behind the scenes, Fractal uses a planning engine to create and refresh segments, then a separate command to export using your curated plan. This keeps iteration quick and predictable.

WebM import

Pro can import .webm sources; the final output remains MP4 for compatibility. If you see a WebM gate message on Free, either convert sources to MP4 with FFmpeg or upgrade to Pro.

Advanced feature flags

• Smooth clip transitions: Adds basic smoothing between cuts.
• High‑quality encoding: Prefers quality settings over speed for the final export.
• Smart shuffle ordering: Experimental logic to bias ordering for perceived flow.

These flags are optional and evolve over time—experiment to see what best fits your channel’s style.

Select your media

• Inputs: MP4 is supported on Free. WebM import is Pro‑only (final export is MP4 either way).
• Images: JPG/JPEG/PNG/WebP stills are supported and are converted into motion clips during trimming so they can be shuffled like video.
• Best results: Use clips with similar aspect ratios; avoid mixing radically different frame rates if possible.
• Tip: Start small (5–10 clips) to validate your settings, then scale up.

Define clip range rules

• Min/Max clip length: Fractal randomly picks segments with lengths within this range.
• Total duration: Target length for the final video. The planner keeps picking segments until it reaches this budget.
• Auto‑detect cuts (Pro): Use jump‑cut detection to snap segments to natural boundaries for tighter pacing.

Audio options

• Per‑section Remove audio (Advanced Editor): Mute only the pages you choose; keep source audio in other pages.
• Voiceover alignment (Advanced Editor): VO is automatically split and aligned to play only over muted pages, preserving original audio elsewhere.
• Keep source audio: Useful for commentary, dialog‑driven content, or quick previews.

Using images as clips

• Supported formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .webp.
• Motion conversion: Stills are auto‑converted into short MP4 clips with a subtle zoom‑in so they feel dynamic in the sequence.
• Clip rules: Your Min/Max clip length and Total duration apply to images just like videos.
• Audio: Images are silent; add BGM and/or VO in the Audio section to score narration or music over them.
• Preview: If a plan contains images, the player may fall back to a merged preview for accuracy.

What happens under the hood

• Probe: Fractal checks your first file to determine a target resolution and frame rate.
• Plan: It randomly chooses segments across your inputs to satisfy the total duration using your min/max rules.
• Trim: Each planned segment is extracted to a temporary MP4 clip, normalized to the target resolution and FPS.
• Images: When a planned segment points at a still image, Fractal synthesizes a short motion clip (Ken Burns‑style) with silent audio so it merges seamlessly.
• Shuffle: The clips are shuffled. If you’re using Pages (Pro), shuffling happens within each section while the section order is preserved. Each planned segment is used at most once—no duplicate reuse in the final plan.
• Merge: The shuffled clips are concatenated into a single MP4 using a fast playlist merge.

Save location and outputs

• Save folder: Configure in Settings. Use Open Save Location to quickly access your exports.
• Format: Output is MP4 for broad compatibility.
• Naming: Files include a timestamp for uniqueness (e.g., merged_1700000000000.mp4).

Handling larger projects

• Disk space: Temporary clips are created during trimming. Ensure you have free space equal to your source size plus headroom.
• Performance: Prefer consistent resolutions/FPS across inputs; reduce total duration or clip lengths to speed up runs.
• Stability: If you encounter errors with certain files, try converting them to MP4 first using FFmpeg.

Reading progress

• During processing, statuses include which segment is being trimmed and an overall percent. When merging completes, you’ll see a success message and can open the output folder.

Once you’re comfortable with the basics, jump to Pro workflows for Pages, Review‑before‑merge planning, and the Quick Settings/Sliders for fast iteration.

Header

• Brand: Click the brand to return to the website landing page.
• Navigation: Download, Features, Guide, FAQ, and Docs links for quick help.
• Pro call‑to‑action: Unlock Pro from the header. When Pro is active, the banner thanks you and reveals Manage and Unsubscribe links. If Platinum is active, the header shows Platinum active.
• Advanced Features toolbar (Pro): A compact bar below the header with a button to open Fractal Niche Finder.

“Create” card

The main workspace where you select files, configure options, and export your shuffled video.

• Select Files: Choose one or more source videos. Free supports MP4; WebM import is Pro‑only (export is always MP4).
• Shuffle & Merge!: Starts the pipeline—segment planning, trimming, shuffling, and merging into a single MP4.
• Open Save Location: Opens the folder where outputs are written. You can change this in Settings.
• Settings: Opens the settings panel for clip rules, system FFmpeg, theme, and Pro features.

Create with AI (Platinum)

A guided flow that turns an idea into a draft edit plan with pages and clip rules. Automatically find source videos and create a fully edited video in minutes. Refine the plan, then export to finish edit in another software or continue adjusting in the Advanced Editor until you get the result you want. Drafts are autosaved and restored on reopen.

Progress & status

During processing, the status area shows step‑by‑step messages (e.g., trimming segments, overall percentage) until the export completes.

Quick settings (Pro)

A compact row of toggles under the main buttons for rapid iteration:

• Remove audio: Export visuals without source audio for music‑over edits.
• Auto‑detect cuts: Use jump‑cut detection to improve segment boundaries.
• Review before merge: Enter a planning flow to preview and refresh segments before the final export.
• Show Script Shufflr: Reveal the Script Shufflr card in the workspace.

Quick sliders (Pro)

Fine‑tune key parameters without opening Settings:

• Min/Max clip length: Guardrails for the random segment generator.
• Total duration: Target length of the final export.

History

• Previous Projects: A list of recent outputs for quick access. Use Clear All to remove entries from the list.
• Pro enhancements: Larger thumbnails plus one‑click Play and Show in Folder for each item.
• Autosave (Pro+): In‑progress plans and Create with AI drafts auto‑restore when you return.

Thumbnail Space (Platinum)

A dedicated workspace to collect, organize, and iterate on thumbnails. Add candidates from research, tag them, compare variants, and export for upload. See Platinum features.

Script Shufflr (Pro)

• Visibility: Toggle via Show Script Shufflr in Quick settings (requires Pro).
• Workflow: Paste your script and click Shuffl Script to start a new thread; use Continue to iterate within the same context; Reset when switching topics.
• Requirements: Ensure Script Shufflr is enabled in Settings.

Theme

Enable dark mode in Settings. The app remembers your preference.

Supported platforms

• macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon)
• Windows 10/11

Required tools: ffmpeg and ffprobe must be available on your system. Fractal uses them to probe, trim, and merge media.

macOS installation

1. Download the latest .dmg from GitHub Releases.
2. Open the .dmg and drag VideoShuffle.app into Applications.
3. If macOS blocks the app as “damaged” or “can’t be opened”, run this once in Terminal, then reopen:
   xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/VideoShuffle.app

Install FFmpeg (Homebrew recommended)

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
brew install ffmpeg

On older macOS (e.g., 11) without Homebrew, use the standalone binaries flow from the Guide.

Verify FFmpeg

ffmpeg -version
ffprobe -version

Windows installation

1. Download the latest .exe from GitHub Releases and run it.
2. Launch Fractal Video Shufflr from the Start Menu or Desktop shortcut.

Install FFmpeg

Follow this guide (download + add to PATH): Windows FFmpeg setup.

Verify FFmpeg

ffmpeg -version
ffprobe -version

Configuring FFmpeg in the app

1. Open Fractal Video Shufflr.
2. Click Settings.
3. Enable Use system FFmpeg (from PATH).
4. Click Save (if applicable) and close Settings.

If FFmpeg isn’t detected, verify that both ffmpeg and ffprobe commands work in your terminal/PowerShell and that your terminal has been restarted after changing PATH.

Updates

• macOS: If auto‑update isn’t available, update manually by downloading the latest .dmg, replacing the app in Applications, and re‑running the quarantine fix if prompted (see above).
• Windows: Download the latest installer from Releases and run it to update.

Uninstall and cleanup

• macOS: Quit the app and delete VideoShuffle.app from Applications.
• Windows: Uninstall from Settings → Apps or Control Panel → Programs.
• In‑app cleanup: Use Clear All in History to remove previous project entries. Your output videos are stored in your chosen save location and won’t be deleted automatically.

Network access

• Offline: Core shuffling and merging works offline once FFmpeg is installed.
• Online: Pro services (subscription verification, Niche Finder data, YouTube, Script Shufflr) require internet access.

Troubleshooting

• “spawn ENOENT” or FFmpeg not found: Ensure both ffmpeg and ffprobe are installed and in PATH; enable Use system FFmpeg in Settings.
• macOS can’t open the app: Run the quarantine removal command once (see above) then reopen.
• Permissions: If selecting files or opening the save location fails, try launching the app with normal user permissions (not as root) and ensure your drive isn’t read‑only.
• Windows auto‑update fails: If an update breaks the app, open the installation folder and run the Uninstall VideoShuffle tool (or uninstall from Settings → Apps). Then download the latest installer from the website and reinstall.

Step 1 — Download and install

Grab the latest installer from GitHub Releases. Choose the .dmg for macOS or .exe for Windows.

macOS

1. Open the .dmg, drag the app into Applications.
2. If macOS blocks opening, run this once in Terminal, then try again:
   xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/VideoShuffle.app

Windows

1. Run the installer and follow prompts.
2. When finished, launch Fractal Video Shufflr from Start Menu or Desktop.

Step 2 — Install FFmpeg & FFprobe

Fractal uses FFmpeg/FFprobe to probe, trim, and merge media.

macOS (Homebrew recommended)

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
brew install ffmpeg

On older macOS (e.g., 11), you can use a standalone binary if Homebrew isn’t available. See the Guide on the landing page for copy‑paste commands.

Windows

Follow this guide to install and add FFmpeg to PATH: Windows FFmpeg setup.

Verify install

ffmpeg -version
ffprobe -version

If both commands print version info, you’re good.

Step 3 — First run

1. Open Fractal Video Shufflr.
2. Click Select Files and choose a few MP4 files.
3. Open Settings and enable Use system FFmpeg (from PATH).
4. Set Min Clip to 3s, Max Clip to 5s, and Total Duration to 120s.
5. Click Shuffle & Merge!.
6. Watch the progress bar; when complete, click Open Save Location to see your MP4.

Step 4 — Minimal settings for a guaranteed first success

• Start with 5–10 short MP4 clips (avoid 4K HDR for your first run).
• Min/Max clip length between 3–7 seconds; total duration 1–2 minutes.
• Leave audio enabled initially; once you confirm output works, try Remove audio for B‑roll edits.

Step 5 — Troubleshooting the first run

• FFmpeg not found / spawn error: ensure both ffmpeg and ffprobe are installed and in PATH, then enable Use system FFmpeg in Settings.
• macOS can’t open the app: run the quarantine command shown above once.
• No output/very short output: increase total duration; ensure your inputs are long enough to extract segments.
• .webm import blocked: WebM inputs require Pro (export remains MP4).

That’s it—your first shuffled MP4 is ready. Next, explore Quick Settings (Pro), Pages, and Review for more control.

What it does

Transforms an idea into a draft edit plan. It suggests pages, clip rules, and an outline you can refine before exporting.

Open the workflow

1. From the main app screen, click Create with AI.
2. Describe your video idea or simply paste a complete script then confirm category.
3. Generate a video, review the proposed segments and settings before exporting.

Example workflow A

1. Find your video idea.
2. Create a script.
3. Create a voiceover using whatever tool you want.
4. Open the Advanced Editor and create a project.
5. Add the voiceover to see how long it is and have it ready for export.
6. Click Create with AI.
7. Set Total length to the length of your voiceover.
8. Paste the script and check Skip Script Shufflr and Skip Voiceover.
9. Press Create.
10. Wait for 10–20 minutes.
11. Done!
12. Preview the video.
13. Export and upload to YouTube.

Sources & media options

• Unlimited sources: Lets the AI pull from a wider pool of footage to better satisfy your plan. Use when you want higher visual variety and tighter matches to your script/VO. Note: this can increase download and processing time.
• Include images: Allows the plan to mix still images with video. Helpful for tutorials, listicles, stats, and concepts that benefit from diagrams or screenshots. Images are converted to short motion clips so they merge cleanly.
• Images-only: Restricts media to images (no video). Use for slideshow‑style explainers, quotes, step‑by‑steps, and when your VO or music drives pacing. Add background music and/or VO in Audio for best results.

Focus generation — how and why

• Be explicit: Tell the AI the platform (Shorts, TikTok, YouTube), target length, audience, and tone (e.g., fast‑paced, educational, cinematic). Clear intent yields tighter pages and clip rules.
• Call out visuals: Describe what viewers should see: on‑screen text moments, b‑roll themes, product/feature shots, before/after, charts, or meme cutaways. Mention if captions or transitions are important.
• Guide sourcing breadth: Use Unlimited sources for variety or leave it off for quicker, leaner pulls. If you already have assets, paste links or add files after generation and lock pages you like.
• Choose media mix: Turn on Include images for explainers and research‑heavy topics. Use Images‑only when VO is the hero and you want clear, legible visuals that hit script beats.
• Match VO length: If you have a voiceover, set Total length to match so pacing aligns. Paste your script and check Skip Script Shufflr/Skip Voiceover to keep your originals.
• Iterate quickly: Generate, then use Refresh on specific pages you want to improve and Lock the good parts. Enabling deeper clip analysis (when available) produces more precise matches at the cost of time.

Refine and export

• Refresh elements you want to change, tweak clip rules, and adjust section timings.
• Lock parts you like to keep them during refreshes.
• Export directly to finish the edit in another tool or continue editing in the Advanced Editor.

Autosave (Pro+)

• Drafts are autosaved locally and restored if you close and reopen the app.
• Use explicit export/save actions to create shareable outputs.

Tips

• Start with platform‑specific goals (e.g., Shorts 45–60s) to guide pacing.
• Combine with Niche Finder insights for topic and hook ideas.

Create with AI

A guided Platinum workflow that turns an idea or script into a draft edit plan with pages, clip rules, and auto‑found sources. You can refine the plan, preview, and export — or continue iterating in the Advanced Editor.

Open the workflow

1. From the main workspace, click Create with AI.
2. Describe your idea (or paste a full script) and confirm a category.
3. Optionally set Total length and whether to Skip Script Shufflr or Skip Voiceover if you already have them.
4. Press Create to start the guided flow.

Workflow steps

• Plan: Generates an outline with pages (e.g., Hook → Body → Outro), clip rules, and timing.
• Source: Finds and downloads source files for you when needed.
• Preview: Builds a reviewable planned preview. Use refresh/lock controls to iterate quickly.
• Export: Render a final MP4, or open as a project in the Advanced Editor for fine control.

Key controls

• Total length: Target output length. Match this to your VO length if you already have one.
• Skip Script Shufflr / Skip Voiceover: Bypass generation if you supply your own script/VO.
• Refresh: Regenerate parts you don’t like; Lock keeps favorites during refreshes.

Reliability & downloads

• v2.0.35 improves the reliability of source file downloads during this flow.
• If a download stalls, retry the step; you can also open the resulting project in the Advanced Editor and paste sources manually.

Autosave

• Drafts are autosaved locally (Pro+) and restore on reopen, so you won’t lose progress.

Example: use your own VO

1. Create or import a voiceover and note its duration.
2. Open Create with AI → set Total length to match your VO.
3. Paste your script and check Skip Script Shufflr and Skip Voiceover.
4. Generate, preview, then export or continue in Advanced Editor.

Personal Thumbnail Space

Collect, organize, and iterate on thumbnails in a focused workspace.

• Add thumbnails: Drag and drop images or import from your research flow.
• Organize: Add notes/tags, group related variants, and mark favorites.
• Compare: View candidates side‑by‑side to spot winning patterns.
• Export: Save selected versions for upload or external review.
• Copy transcript: When available, use the Copy transcript action on saved items to copy the full transcript quickly.
• No duplicates: If a video is already in your Thumbnail Space, Add to Thumbnail Space will not appear in Idea Browser Focus.

Included AI + TTS access

On Platinum, AI and voiceover access are included at no extra cost.

New: Add to Thumbnail Space

• From Idea Browser Focus: Click Add to Thumbnail Space on any video card to save its thumbnail and title to your personal list.
• From Thumbnail Gallery/Top Videos: Use Open to jump into Idea Browser, then add from Focus.

New: Per‑thumbnail Notepad

• Notes: Each saved item has a Note action. Write hypotheses, hook ideas, or edits to test. Notes preview inline in your saved list.
• Open: Jump back to the YouTube video in Idea Browser for more context.
• Remove: Clean up candidates as you converge on a direction.

Autosave (Pro+)

• Create with AI drafts, Advanced Editor plans, and Thumbnail Space changes are autosaved locally.
• On reopen, the app restores your last state so you can pick up where you left off.

Access

Platinum features are available on eligible plans. Upgrade from the in‑app header or the Pro page.