Video Scenes

Video scenes embed existing video files into your composition. Use them for b-roll, product footage, screen recordings, or any pre-made video content.

Scene types

Program supports two types of video scenes:

Video file scenes

Reference a specific video file by URL or upload.

{
  type: "video_file",
  config: {
    url: "https://example.com/my-video.mp4",
    fileId: "file_abc123",
    trimStart: 0,
    trimEnd: 10
  }
}

Video lookup scenes

Dynamically find videos based on a search query. Great for stock footage.

{
  type: "video_lookup",
  config: {
    query: "office meeting",
    source: "pexels",
    license: "free"
  }
}

Adding video scenes

Via AI

Ask the assistant to add video content:

Add a 5-second video clip of a city skyline

The AI will create a video lookup scene with appropriate search terms.

For specific files:

Add the video from https://example.com/intro.mp4

Via CLI

Use the addScene tool with a video configuration:

program tool exec addScene \
  --title "Product Demo" \
  --duration 10 \
  --type video_file \
  --config '{"url": "https://example.com/demo.mp4"}'

For video lookup:

program tool exec addScene \
  --title "B-Roll" \
  --duration 5 \
  --type video_lookup \
  --config '{"query": "office meeting"}'

In the editor

Video scenes appear in the timeline with a thumbnail preview. Click to select, drag to reposition, or resize to adjust duration. Double-click to open the scene settings where you can change the source URL, adjust trim points, or switch to a different video file.

Trimming

Extract a portion of a longer video:

{
  trimStart: 5,   // Start at 5 seconds
  trimEnd: 15     // End at 15 seconds
}

The video scene will play the 10-second clip from 5s to 15s of the source video.

Rendering

Video scenes use Remotion's OffthreadVideo component under the hood:

• Off-thread processing: video decoding happens on a separate thread, keeping the main render smooth
• Automatic sync: playback matches the composition timeline
• Error handling: missing or broken videos show a fallback message

Supported formats

Most common video formats work:

• MP4 (H.264, H.265)
• WebM
• MOV
• And more

Performance considerations

Combining with code

Layer video scenes with code scenes for overlays:

1. Video scene plays the footage 2. Code scene renders on top (text overlays, graphics, lower thirds)

The composition stacks scenes in order from bottom to top.

Stock video sources

Video lookup scenes can search various stock footage providers. Available sources depend on configured integrations.

Common searches work well:

• "nature landscape"
• "tech office"
• "hands typing keyboard"
• "abstract particles"

For audio content like narration and music, see Audio Scenes.