Cyan Cut user guide
Create a project, import your footage, arrange the timeline and export your edit. This guide covers the Windows editor and optional AI workflows through Codex or MCP.
1. Install and sign in
English is the default interface. Choose Menu → Language → Tiếng Việt to switch to Vietnamese. The sign-in and Projects screens also offer a language selector. Your choice is saved and shared with the separate Codex window.
Download Setup from the Cyan Cut product page, run the installer and open the app. Sign in using a CyanPro account with access to Cyan Cut.
Use Create account if you are new, or Forgot password to recover access. CyanPro manages your software plan; Codex sign-in is separate.
2. Projects and source files
Choose Create project on the home screen or open an existing project from its cover in Projects. The app autosaves changes. Save an additional .cyan.json project file when needed.
Project files retain editing decisions and source paths. Keep the original video, image and audio files available; saving a project does not automatically collect all media into a new folder.
3. Import and arrange media
Import video, audio, PNG or GIF files from Media. Drag a source onto any timeline row. Rows accept different media types; clip badges identify the source. Add rows where needed. Higher visual rows overlay lower rows.
Select a clip, drag it to move it, or trim its edges within the source range. Split at the playhead and use the right-click menu for quick operations. Pan from empty space or hold Space while dragging. Use timeline zoom controls and Fit to navigate. The eye menu controls thumbnail, waveform and label visibility.
4. Preview transforms
Select a visual clip and move the playhead into its range. Drag the source in the preview to reposition it and drag its corner handles to resize. The inspector provides exact position, scale, rotation and opacity values.
Choose a canvas ratio below the preview, such as 9:16 or 16:9. Resize panels or collapse Codex when more editing space is needed.
5. Audio
Select timeline clips and use Play selection only or Listen to selected audio below the preview or in the right-click menu. Audio audition can play sound muted in the edit. Choose Return to full timeline when finished. These controls do not change the project, track mute settings or export.
Imported video keeps its sound. Adjust volume, mute, fade in and fade out in clip properties. Detach audio creates a separate row and mutes the original video's sound to prevent duplicate playback. Listen to the result before export.
6. Creative libraries
Browse Text, Stickers, Meme, Effects, Filters and Transitions. Preview images help identify presets. Edit text and fonts, transform PNG/GIF stickers, adjust effect intensity and apply transitions at suitable cuts. Import fonts or collect reusable resources in your own library.
Use resources you have permission to use, especially for commercial work.
7. Captions, animation and color
Captions offers subtitle styles and speech recognition when the required model is configured. The first run may require a model download. Review words, names and timing manually before delivery.
Use keyframes and the curve editor to animate properties. HSL, RGB curves, color wheels and LUTs support grading. Compare changes on the same frame and preserve accurate product colors.
8. AI editing
Open Connect AI, choose ChatGPT, Claude/a desktop client or Codex and follow the three steps. Use the copy buttons and example request to test the connection. Advanced configuration stays collapsed. External AI clients use their own accounts and do not require Codex sign-in inside Cyan Cut.
Open Codex and complete its sign-in. Import sources, then describe the goal, duration, aspect ratio, target audience, key message and call to action. Ask AI to inspect available sources before planning. Review the edit, captions and sound after changes.
For ChatGPT, Claude or another client, open the MCP connection guide in the app and follow the setup for that client. Keep Cyan Cut running and bind each chat to its intended project. The activity log shows remote actions. Direct video viewing depends on client support.
9. History and recovery
Open History to restore an earlier step. Future steps remain available until you make a new edit from that restored point. Removing media from a project does not delete the original file on disk; review the affected clips before confirming.
10. Export and cover
Choose Export video, enter a name and output folder, then choose a timeline frame or separate image as the cover. Optionally save a cover JPG or prepend it to the video. Select resolution, frame rate, bitrate, codec and format. Enable sound and any additional audio, GIF or SRT outputs you need.
Export, wait for completion and check the resulting file. Hardware encoding is available when supported and successfully detected; CPU fallback may be used. Performance depends on source media, effects and hardware.
11. Updates and support
Setup can check and download updates inside the app. Portable users download new versions manually. Existing projects are retained.
When a new version is available, a gently pulsing update button appears beside Export video. Open it to view progress, then choose Restart and update when ready. Projects are saved before installation; wait for active jobs to finish.
Update to 0.26.2 or later if a previous sign-in warning remains in the footer after successful account verification. For access problems, check credentials, plan status and device limits, or use password recovery.
Install AI editing libraries
Open AI Libraries → Install missing libraries to scan and add missing packages automatically. Use Check libraries first if you want to inspect the list. Python is prepared when needed, and working libraries are kept. Wait for the ready message before asking AI to run rendering scripts. Manage voice, caption and background-removal models in AI Libraries → AI models.
Download AI models
- Open AI Libraries → AI models and select Vietnamese/multilingual voices, Whisper captions and U²-Net background removal as needed.
- Click Check models to inspect existing files and required setup.
- Click Download missing models. Cyan Cut prepares Python/dependencies if needed, downloads missing or damaged files, verifies SHA-256 and tests the engines before reporting ready. Follow the per-file percentage and MB progress. Keep the app open; you can close/reopen the panel or retry after an error. Completed files are retained.
U²-Net is included with the app. Whisper Tiny is an optional faster model. Model sizes are shown before setup; Python dependencies may add downloads. Once ready, use Voice Over, automatic captions or background removal normally.