How to edit a video

This guide walks you through a simple first edit in the Tella editor. You will learn how to cut your recording, add zooms, change layouts, update your background, and crop your screen recording. You can do everything manually, or use Tella’s AI tools to speed things up.

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Get oriented in the editor

In the Tella editor, you will spend most of your time using the tools on the left-side toolbar. When you click a tool, you will see its options in the panel next to it. The first panel you will see is setup, where you can change general settings for your video like its dimensions, title, and description. If the editor ever feels sluggish, look for the Low-res button (the flame icon) in the top toolbar — toggling it on uses lower-resolution video files while editing to keep things snappy. It’s on by default for new videos, and it doesn’t affect your final export quality.

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Step 1: Cut and trim your video

The first edit most people make is removing the parts they do not want.

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Select and delete sections

1. Click Cut in the sidebar.
2. Drag across the part you want to remove. You can also select words in the transcript row.
3. Click Delete, or press Delete or Backspace.

Hold Shift and drag to select several ranges, then delete them together. Use Split or press X when you want to add a boundary at the playhead before selecting a whole segment.

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Trim the start and end

To remove silence or dead time at the beginning or end, drag the first or last edge inward. Use More actions → Show cuts when you want removed content to remain visible while you refine the trim.

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Step 2: Use AI cutting tools (optional, faster)

If you want to speed up cutting, you can use Tella’s AI-powered tools:

• Mistakes: click Find mistakes to identify places where you repeat yourself or start over.
• Buffers: click Remove buffers to remove the silent part at the start and end.
• Silences: choose Natural, Fast, or Faster to control how much silence Tella removes.
• Filler words: remove detected filler words in one action.

If the result feels too choppy, reduce the intensity (for example, choose a more natural setting) and try again.

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Step 3: Add zoom effects

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Add zooms manually

1. Click Zoom in the sidebar.
2. Drag across the time you want to zoom, or select the matching transcript words.
3. Click Add zoom or press Z.
4. Drag the zoom card to move it, or drag its edges to change the duration.
5. Use Scale to control how far Tella zooms in.

New zooms use your last selected Mode. Choose Manual for a fixed target or Auto to follow cursor movement from an eligible desktop-app recording.

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Use manual zoom targets (and create a pan)

If you switch zoom targeting to manual, you can place the zoom target exactly where you want it instead of tracking your cursor. If you place manual zooms back to back, you can create a panning effect that moves from one point to another without zooming out in between.

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Generate zooms automatically (Mac and Windows app recordings)

If you recorded with the Tella Mac or Windows app, you can use Auto Zoom to generate zooms from recorded cursor movement.

1. Open the zoom tool.
2. Choose a zoom style (for example, subtle).
3. Click Generate zooms.

After the zooms are generated, you can still edit them like manual zooms, including scale, position, and duration.

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Step 4: Add layouts

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Choose a base layout

1. Click Layout.
2. Click a bare gap between layout cards to select the base layout.
3. Choose the preset you want. It receives the Base badge.

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Add layout changes on the timeline

Layout changes let you switch away from your base layout for a section of the video.

1. Drag across the time you want to change, or select the matching transcript words.
2. Choose a preset. Tella creates a layout card for that range.
3. Drag the card to move it, or drag its edges to change its duration.
4. Select the card and choose another preset whenever you want to replace it.

When layout cards touch, drag their shared seam to adjust the boundary without opening a base-layout gap.

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Change the base layout later

To change the base layout without changing the layout cards you already added, click a bare gap between cards and choose the preset you want. It receives the Base badge. Use Apply to all clips when you want the same base layout on other compatible clips.

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Generate layouts automatically

To have Tella generate layouts for you:

1. Open Auto Layouts.
2. Pick a template, or let Tella choose the best one.
3. Click Generate layouts and wait for the layouts to appear on the timeline.

After they are generated, you can review them (you can increase playback speed if you want to), then adjust, move, shorten, delete, or replace any layout change.

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Step 5: Change your background

1. Click Background.
2. Select a background you like (you can choose patterns, animated backgrounds, or create your own colors and gradients).
3. To keep a consistent look across your whole video, click apply to all clips.

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Step 6: Crop your screen recording for a cleaner look

If your screen recording includes extra UI (like a browser border or your Mac menu bar), you can crop it out:

1. Click Adjust, then crop.
2. Either set the crop manually using the crop controls (you can also drag on the canvas), or use auto crop to let Tella find a clean crop automatically.
3. Apply the crop (for example, across layouts) to keep the framing consistent.

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Next steps

At this point, your video should be cleanly cut, styled, and ready to share. You can keep editing with additional tools like subtitles and borders, or keep it simple with just a few key edits. When you are ready, share your video as a link or export it. Sharing and exporting is covered in the next onboarding video.