Aether Forge How-to Guide

First export checklist

For the smallest successful test, do these in order:

Install the signed Windows x64 build and sign in.
Create a Session edit project.
Import one short MP4 and keep it in its current folder.
Mark a source range, insert it into the timeline, and split or trim it once.
Queue the Aethera Upload 1080p preset and run the export.
Open the resulting MP4 locally before trying the publish step.

If this path fails, stop at the first failing step and use the matching troubleshooting section below. It is much easier to diagnose one source clip and one sequence than a full recording session.

1. Prepare your first test

Use Windows x64 and a local Aether Forge install. Do not start with a network drive, removable drive, or a source that is still being copied.
Choose a short MP4 with ordinary H.264 video and AAC audio if you have one. This gives you a clean baseline before testing unusual codecs, HDR, multi-audio, or RAW stills.
Make sure the destination drive has space for a proxy, cache data, and the final export. The source file is referenced in place, not copied into the project.
If you want to publish, have an Aethera account ready. If you want to link a VTT map video, have an eligible campaign ready as well.

Aether Forge is currently Beta. The workflow below describes supported behavior in release 0.2.1; it does not imply cloud sync, collaborative editing, or an unrestricted compositor.

2. Install and sign in

Choose Download Aether Forge at the top of this page and run the Windows installer.
Accept the default install location or choose another folder. Let the installer create shortcuts if that is useful.
Open Forge and wait for the dashboard to load.
Sign in with your Aethera email and password or choose Continue with Google.
For email/password sign-in, complete the secure browser handoff. Complete two-step verification in the browser when requested, then return to Forge.
If the browser flow reports an error, retry it from the app rather than entering credentials into an unexpected dialog. Keep the service environment set to Production unless you are using an internal build.

3. Choose a project type

On the dashboard, choose the template closest to the deliverable you want:

Session edit: best first choice for gameplay, a recording, or a recap with separate game, voice, music, and effects tracks. Starts at 1920×1080, 30fps.
Trailer: starts at 1920×1080, 24fps with picture, title, dialogue, music, sound-effects, and caption tracks.
Animated map: starts at 3840×2160, 60fps and is arranged for a loop-ready VTT map video.
New Project: starts blank at 1920×1080, 30fps with one video, one audio, and one caption track.

Templates only pre-build the canvas, tracks, bins, and delivery suggestion. You can change the sequence later from the sequence menu with Sequence settings.

4. Import and inspect media

Open the Edit workspace and select Import, press Ctrl + I, or drag the test MP4 onto the Media panel.
For a folder of clips, choose Import Folder. Forge scans recursively and creates media references without moving the files.
Click the imported item and check its thumbnail, duration, frame rate, dimensions, and audio information.
If the file has multiple audio streams, select the stream you want in the Source monitor before inserting it.
If the item is marked offline, make sure the original path is available and choose Relink. Use Check media and batch relink review for a larger set.
If playback is rough or the source does not have a native preview path, choose Proxy for that item or queue the missing proxies. A proxy is a generated editing copy; it does not replace the source or the export.

Do not rename or move the test clip while you are learning. Once you understand relinking, you can reorganize media safely by running a media check and reviewing candidates before accepting them.

5. Set the sequence

Use the sequence selector in the top bar to confirm that you are editing the intended sequence.
For the first test, keep the Session edit’s 1920×1080/30fps settings or open Sequence settings and choose Match available settings for the imported source.
Check that the sequence duration is longer than the content you intend to place. Forge will not accept a duration that cuts off existing clips, captions, or markers.
Use the timeline toolbar to add a video, audio, or caption track if your workflow needs one. Rename tracks so their purpose is obvious.
If you want to make a second version, choose Duplicate sequence before making a major change. Save with Ctrl + S.

6. Make the edit

Place a source range

Open the test clip in the Source monitor and scrub to the frame where the useful moment starts.
Press I to set the source In point. Move to the end of the moment and press O to set the Out point.
Choose Insert to place the range and move later timeline content, or Overwrite to replace content at the playhead.
If the source has video and audio, use the source-patch toggles to choose the target video and audio tracks. Use the stream selector if the file contains more than one audio stream.

Shape the timeline

Press Space to play and Left/Right to step a frame at a time.
Drag a clip edge to trim it. Use ripple trim when the following content should close the gap.
Place the playhead on a problem moment and press Ctrl + B to split the selected edit. Use Ctrl + Shift + B to split all relevant clips or Ctrl + Alt + B to split the target track.
Select an unwanted section and press Delete to leave the gap or Shift + Delete to ripple-delete and close it.
Press M to add a marker for a moment you want to revisit. Press Ctrl + Left/Right to move between markers.
Lock tracks that should not change, and mute or solo audio tracks while you check the edit.

Save a clean baseline

Press Ctrl + S after the first successful cut. If the project file is not where you expect, use Save As and create a named .aforge copy. Keep the source media in place.

7. Add finishing touches

Add a title

Open Titles and choose Add title at playhead.
Enter the text, choose a font and size, then adjust color, alignment, opacity, outline, backdrop, and shadow.
Drag the title in the Program monitor or use the horizontal and vertical position controls.

Add a transition

Place two source video clips next to each other on the same track.
Open Transitions and add Cross Dissolve, Soft Dissolve, Fade To Black, Dip To White, or Wipe Left. Adjust the duration if needed.
For audio, select adjacent audio clips and add Audio Crossfade. Title clips do not accept video transitions.

Balance sound and color

In Audio, lower or raise track gain for broad balance, then add clip gain and fades for individual moments. Use meters while checking voice, game sound, and music separately.
In Color, add Basic Correction, Color Tint, Tonal Range, Vignette, or an approved .cube LUT. Use Before/After to compare a correction; the LUT preview is an approximation of export.
In Effects, use Transform, Crop, Blur, Sharpen, or other listed effects. If a parameter supports keyframes, add one at the playhead and change it over time.

Add captions

Open Captions and choose Import SRT, Import WebVTT, or Add caption.
Check each entry’s start, end, text, style, and position. Keep caption entries on caption tracks.
Choose whether captions should be burned into the video or written as an SRT/WebVTT sidecar during export.

8. Export a finished MP4

Open the Export workspace. Press Ctrl + E to move to the export flow quickly.
Choose Match Sequence H.264 when the output should follow the sequence, or choose Aethera Upload 1080p for the standard 1920×1080/30fps Aethera delivery.
Choose the sequence range. If you are exporting a source instead, set Source monitor In/Out marks and choose the selected source range.
Choose an output path and decide whether an existing file may be replaced.
Enable caption burn-in or a sidecar if needed. Pick SRT or WebVTT for the sidecar format.
Choose Queue Sequence or Queue Selected, then choose Run Next or Run Queue.
Watch the progress row and render log. When it completes, open the output file and check picture, sync, captions, and audio before doing anything else with it.

For a 4K animated map, choose Aethera VTT Map 4K60. For a 24fps trailer, choose Creator Trailer 1080p24. These presets are H.264/AAC and are intended for their matching delivery shape; check the output after export.

If the preset is unavailable

Forge disables a preset when the required installed encoder capability is missing. Choose a ready preset or repair the local capability before retrying.
If preflight names missing media, unsupported effects, overlaps, or a codec problem, fix that issue first. A retry of the same graph will produce the same failure.

9. Publish or link to VTT

Publish the completed MP4

Stay in the Export workspace and open the Publish section.
Select the completed H.264/AAC MP4. H.265, WebM, HLS, audio-only, thumbnail-only, and unfinished jobs are not eligible for the current single-MP4 publish flow.
Enter a title up to 180 characters and an optional description up to 4,000 characters.
Choose the visibility advertised by the server. The current public service offers private or public.
Choose Queue Publish Job, then Run Next or Run Publish Queue. Pause, resume, cancel, or retry from the publish queue when necessary.
Use Sync Library after the publish completes, then open the library item to confirm that it is visible as intended.

Publishing sends the completed MP4 only. It does not upload the Forge project, source media, proxies, cache, diagnostics, or local caption and thumbnail sidecars.

Link it as an animated VTT map video

After publishing, refresh the VTT campaign list in the Map Video section.
Choose an eligible campaign and select Link as VTT Map on the completed publish or library item.
If linking fails, retry the link operation. The video does not need to be uploaded again.

Forge links an existing published library video; it does not create a VTT scene or capture a live scene in the desktop editor.

10. Save, recover, and troubleshoot

Save safely

Use Ctrl + S often. Autosave is enabled by default every 90 seconds and can be changed in Settings.
Use Save As before a large experiment or migration so you can return to the previous .aforge file.
Remember that the project references source paths. A project backup without its source media is not a complete editable media backup.

Recover after a crash

Return to the dashboard and open the Project recovery list.
Choose the newest valid recovery copy and open it as a separate working copy first.
Check the last edit, relink any offline media, and save the recovered work to a new current-format project file.

Fix the common first-project problems

Media is offline: reconnect the drive, run Check media, and review relink candidates by metadata rather than filename alone.
Playback stutters: generate a proxy, use Monitor mode Auto or Proxy, and reduce monitor scale to 50% or 25%.
Program preview asks for a render: run Render Program preview and wait for the Preview Cache queue.
Export fails preflight: repair the named missing source, unsupported graph, overlap, or encoder issue; then retry.
Publish is ineligible: confirm that the local export completed as H.264/AAC MP4 and that you are signed in.

For support, keep the exact error, preset, source type, and render log. Diagnostic reports are sanitized and submission is opt-in; never attach credentials, environment files, or original media unless specifically requested through a trusted support process.

After the first project

For a full recording, use bins and separate tracks for gameplay, camera/overlay, game audio, voice, music, effects, and captions.
For a trailer, duplicate the sequence and try the 24fps trailer preset so the first version remains available.
For an animated map, use stills or an image sequence, keep the loop duration explicit, and export with the 4K60 VTT map preset.
For a Replay recap, import the Replay package first, review the marker plan, then choose the matching local recording yourself.
Read the full reference before using uncommon media, advanced retiming, batch queues, or publish/VTT linking.

Your first Aether Forge video