MarkerFlow

MarkerFlow Guide

How to Use MarkerFlow

A practical walkthrough of marking, adjusting, organizing, saving, importing, and exporting your work in MarkerFlow.

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Welcome to MarkerFlow! This guide will walk you through how to efficiently use MarkerFlow for video editing.
Whether you're marking in/out points, adjusting markers, or exporting your work, the instructions below will help you navigate the tool with ease.

1. Marking In and Marking Out

Purpose:
Defining the start (mark in) and end (mark out) points in your video timeline so you can isolate and work on specific segments.

Steps:

  • Mark In:

    1. Navigate to the point on your timeline where you want to start your clip.

    2. Press the designated hotkey “[” for “Mark In”.

    3. The marker will appear at that position, usually indicated by a distinct color.

  • Mark Out:
    1. Navigate to the endpoint of the desired clip.
    2. Press the hotkey “]” for “Mark Out”.
    3. A marker will appear at the end to close the point.

Tip: If you accidentally mark the wrong spot, use the Undo function (e.g., Ctrl+Z) to revert and try again.

2. Adjusting Marker Clips

Purpose:
Refine the position or properties of an already placed marker on your timeline.

Steps:

  • Extending or shorten a Marker (for clip duration):

    1. Click on a marker's edge (mark in or mark out) and drag to extend or shorten the segment.

    2. Ensure that the marker remains aligned with your CTI (Current Time Indicator) for precision.

3. Splitting Clips

Purpose:
Divide a clip into two distinct parts for further editing.

Steps:

  • Navigate the CTI to the point on your clip where you want to split.

  • Press the hotkey for splitting “S”.

  • MarkerFlow will break the clip at the CTI position, creating two separate segments.

Tip: Make sure the CTI is precisely where you want the split to occur before pressing the hotkey.

4. Deleting Clips

Purpose:
Remove unwanted clips or segments from your timeline.

Steps:

  • Single Clip Deletion:

    1. Click on the clip to highlight it.

    2. Press the Delete key to remove it.

  • Multiple Clips Deletion:

    1. Use the drag-to-select feature or click while holding Shift (to select multiple clips).

    2. Press Delete once to remove all selected clips.

Note: Ensure that you are only selecting the clips you wish to delete. Some versions of MarkerFlow may have specific behavior if the Delete key is pressed repeatedly—refer to the on-screen guide for any special instructions.

5. Changing Marker Colors

Purpose:
Visually distinguish clips by assigning different colors, which can help with organization and identification.

Steps:

  • Right-click on a marker to open the color selection menu.

  • Alternatively, when a marker is selected (its edge is highlighted), press one of the number keys (0–9) to assign a corresponding color.

  • The default color assignments mirror Adobe Premiere Pro’s palette with a set of 10 colors, which can be customized in future updates.

Tip: Hover over the marker edge to see the active state before pressing a color key.

6. Zooming In and Out

Purpose:
Adjust the timeline view to focus on specific parts of the project or to see an overview.

Steps:

  • Keyboard Shortcuts:

    • Press Ctrl + to zoom in and Ctrl - to zoom out.

  • Scrollbar Zoom:

    • Drag the scrollbar zoom handle along the timeline.

    • Tip: Ideally, the CTI should remain centered when zooming; if adjustments are needed, check your zoom options in the settings.

Note: If the zoom behavior doesn’t center the CTI or seems too rapid, consider adjusting the speed/settings in the Options menu.

7. Navigation Using Jump Keys

Purpose:
Quickly move through the timeline to review or edit your project.

Available Navigation Keys and Their Functions:

  • Ctrl + Left / Ctrl + Right Arrow:
    • Jump one frames for faster previewing.

  • Ctrl + Left / Ctrl + Right Arrow:
    • Jump one second for faster previewing.

  • Shift + Left / Shift + Right Arrow:
    • Jump five seconds for faster previewing.

  • Alt + Left / Alt + Right Arrow:
    • Jump ten seconds for faster previewing.

  • Ctrl + Shift + Left / Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow:
    • Jump thirty seconds for faster previewing

  • Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Left / Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Right Arrow:
    • Jump sixty seconds for faster previewing

  • Page Up / Page Down:
    • Jumps to the previous or next marker (or clip) in the timeline.

  • Volume Control (for media playback):
    • Up / Down Arrow keys to adjust the volume.

Tip: These key mappings are based on default settings; if you wish to customize them, MarkerFlow will provide a settings option for keyboard shortcuts in a future release.

8. Saving Files

Purpose:
Secure your current project for later editing or export.

Steps:

  • Click “Save” in the main menu or press the designated save shortcut (commonly Ctrl + S).

  • MarkerFlow will create a .MPROJ file containing your project’s markers and clip positions.

  • The file is saved in a default location, which can be configured in the settings.

9. Importing XML

Purpose:
Re-open and continue editing a previously saved MarkerFlow project.

Steps:

  • From the File menu, select “Import XML.”

  • Navigate to the location of your XML file and select it.

  • MarkerFlow will load the XML, recreating your project’s timeline.

  • Tip: Note that if the XML was generated without including video between clips, markers will start from the beginning. Ensure your export settings are as desired for import.

10. Exporting XML

Purpose:
Create an XML file of your project for use in other software (such as Adobe Premiere Pro) or for continuing your work later.

Steps:

  • Select “Export XML” from the File menu.

  • Configure your export settings (e.g., choose whether to "include video between clips" or "only the marked clips").

  • Save the XML file to your desired location.

Note: For best compatibility with Adobe Premiere Pro, ensure that your markers are colored and placed as per your editing decisions before exporting.

11. Exporting Clips (Using FFmpeg)

Purpose:
Generate separate video clips from your edited project.

Prerequisites:

  • FFmpeg Installation:
    To export clips using H.264 (libx264) or any other codec, you must have FFmpeg installed on your system. Due to licensing requirements, MarkerFlow cannot bundle FFmpeg with H.264 encoding support.

    • Visit the FFmpeg website to download and install the appropriate binaries for your operating system.

    • After installation, MarkerFlow will auto-detect the FFmpeg binaries if they are in the system path. If not, you may be prompted to manually locate them via the settings.

Steps:

  • Once FFmpeg is installed and detected, select “Export Clips” from the File menu.

  • Choose your desired export options, such as output format, quality settings, and whether to include subtitles or other enhancements.

  • MarkerFlow will process your project and export clips accordingly.

  • Tip: Refer to the FFmpeg integration documentation (available in the Help section) if you run into any configuration issues.

12. Additional Tips

  • Customization:
    MarkerFlow’s default keyboard shortcuts and color settings are designed to mimic industry standards like Adobe Premiere Pro. Check the Settings menu for options to adjust these mappings to your preference.

  • Interface Navigation:
    Utilize both the scroll bar and keyboard shortcuts for efficient timeline navigation. If you encounter lag or other performance issues, ensure that your media files are stored locally and that your system drivers are up to date.

  • Project Management:
    When saving or importing projects, verify that the video source paths remain consistent to avoid any issues with missing files.