Clip Parameters

The Clip object wraps an Asset and controls how it appears on screen. Think of the Asset as your raw content (the video file, image, or text), and the Clip as all the presentation decisions - where it appears, how big it is, what color effects it has, how it fades in and out. This guide documents all available Clip parameters and their interactions.

Editor Architecture

Asset → Clip → Track → Timeline

Asset: Raw content (what to show)
Clip: Presentation control (how to show it)
Track: Layering container (for stacking multiple clips)
Timeline: Final composition (the output video)

This separation lets you reuse the same asset in multiple clips with different visual treatments - same video, but one clip shows it full-screen while another shows it as a small picture-in-picture overlay.

Core Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
asset	Asset	The content to display (`VideoAsset`, `ImageAsset`, `AudioAsset`, `TextAsset`, `CaptionAsset`)
duration	float	Clip length in seconds

Geometry Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
fit	Fit	Scaling behavior: `Fit.crop`, `Fit.contain`, `Fit.cover`, `Fit.none`
position	Position	Anchor point (9 zones: `top_left`, `center`, `bottom_right`, etc.)
offset	Offset	Fine-tune position with `x`/`y` coordinates
scale	float	Size multiplier (`0.0` to `10.0`, default: `1.0`)

Visual Effect Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
filter	Filter	Color treatment (`greyscale`, `blur`, `contrast`, etc.)
opacity	float	Transparency (`0.0` = invisible, `1.0` = opaque)
transition	Transition	Fade `in_`/`out` effects

Scale Parameter

The scale parameter is a size multiplier applied after fit mode. First, the fit mode handles the aspect ratio and scales your content to match the timeline, then scale multiplies that result. This is useful for creating picture-in-picture effects (scale=0.3 for a tiny corner video) or zoom effects (scale=1.5 to enlarge).

from videodb.editor import Clip, VideoAsset, Position

clip = Clip(
    asset=VideoAsset(id=video.id),
    duration=10,
    scale=0.5,  # 50% of original size
    position=Position.top_left
)

import { Clip, EditorVideoAsset, Position } from 'videodb';

const clip = new Clip({
    asset: new EditorVideoAsset({ id: video.id }),
    duration: 10,
    scale: 0.5,  // 50% of original size
    position: Position.topLeft
});

Range: 0.0 to 10.0 (default: 1.0) Example with scale=0.5 and Position.top_left

Opacity Parameter

The opacity parameter controls transparency, letting you create semi-transparent overlays, subtle watermarks, or fade effects. At 1.0 your clip is fully solid, at 0.5 it’s half-transparent, and at 0.0 it’s completely invisible.

from videodb.editor import Clip, VideoAsset

clip = Clip(
    asset=VideoAsset(id=video.id),
    duration=10,
    opacity=0.5  # 50% transparent
)

import { Clip, EditorVideoAsset } from 'videodb';

const clip = new Clip({
    asset: new EditorVideoAsset({ id: video.id }),
    duration: 10,
    opacity: 0.5  // 50% transparent
});

Range: 0.0 (invisible) to 1.0 (opaque) Example with opacity=0.3

Filter Parameter

The filter parameter applies color and visual treatments to your clip. These are global effects that change the entire clip’s appearance - you can make it black and white, blur it for backgrounds, adjust contrast, or create stylistic looks. Each clip can have one filter applied.

Filter.greyscale   # Remove color (black and white)
Filter.blur        # Blur the video
Filter.contrast    # Increase contrast
Filter.boost       # Boost contrast and saturation
Filter.muted       # Reduce saturation and contrast
Filter.darken      # Darken the scene
Filter.lighten     # Lighten the scene
Filter.negative    # Invert colors

Filter.greyscale   // Remove color (black and white)
Filter.blur        // Blur the video
Filter.contrast    // Increase contrast
Filter.boost       // Boost contrast and saturation
Filter.muted       // Reduce saturation and contrast
Filter.darken      // Darken the scene
Filter.lighten     // Lighten the scene
Filter.negative    // Invert colors

from videodb.editor import Clip, VideoAsset, Filter

clip = Clip(
    asset=VideoAsset(id=video.id),
    duration=10,
    filter=Filter.greyscale
)

import { Clip, EditorVideoAsset, Filter } from 'videodb';

const clip = new Clip({
    asset: new EditorVideoAsset({ id: video.id }),
    duration: 10,
    filter: Filter.greyscale
});

Example with Filter.greyscale

Transition Parameter

The transition parameter controls fade in/out effects, making your clips appear and disappear smoothly instead of cutting abruptly. The fade happens over the first and last N seconds of your clip - so a 2-second fade means the first 2 seconds gradually appear, and the last 2 seconds gradually disappear.

from videodb.editor import Clip, VideoAsset, Transition

clip = Clip(
    asset=VideoAsset(id=video.id),
    duration=10,
    transition=Transition(
        in_="fade",   # Fade in effect (note the underscore)
        out="fade",   # Fade out effect
        duration=2    # Transition duration in seconds
    )
)

import { Clip, EditorVideoAsset, Transition } from 'videodb';

const clip = new Clip({
    asset: new EditorVideoAsset({ id: video.id }),
    duration: 10,
    transition: new Transition({
        in: "fade",   // Fade in effect
        out: "fade",  // Fade out effect
        duration: 2   // Transition duration in seconds
    })
});

Example:

Parameters:

in_: Transition type for entry (use in_ with underscore because in is a Python keyword)
out: Transition type for exit
duration: Length of transition in seconds

Complete Example

Here’s a clip using multiple parameters:

from videodb.editor import Clip, VideoAsset, Position, Filter, Transition

clip = Clip(
    asset=VideoAsset(id=video.id),
    duration=10,
    position=Position.bottom_left,
    scale=0.7,
    opacity=0.3,
    filter=Filter.greyscale,
    transition=Transition(in_="fade", out="fade", duration=3),
    fit=None
)

import { Clip, EditorVideoAsset, Position, Filter, Transition, Fit } from 'videodb';

const clip = new Clip({
    asset: new EditorVideoAsset({ id: video.id }),
    duration: 10,
    position: Position.bottomLeft,
    scale: 0.7,
    opacity: 0.3,
    filter: Filter.greyscale,
    transition: new Transition({ in: "fade", out: "fade", duration: 3 }),
    fit: Fit.none
});

Parameter Reference

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
asset	Asset	Required	Content to display
duration	float	Required	Clip length in seconds
fit	Fit	Fit.crop	Scaling mode
position	Position	None	Anchor point (9 zones)
offset	Offset	None	Fine position adjustment
scale	float	1.0	Size multiplier (`0.0`-`10.0`)
opacity	float	1.0	Transparency (`0.0`-`1.0`)
filter	Filter	None	Color treatment
transition	Transition	None	Fade effects

What You Can Build

Intro & Outro Automation

Use clip positioning and transitions for seamless brand intros

Brand Elements

Overlay logos and watermarks with opacity and positioning

TikTok Lyric Videos

Combine clips with text overlays and visual effects

Faceless Video Creator

Layer multiple clips with filters and transitions

Next Steps

Clip Control Layer

Hands-on experimentation with all Clip parameters, effects, and transitions.

Start Here

Core Concepts

Ingest

Understand

Act

Automate

Open Source Frameworks

Clip Parameters

Editor Architecture

Clip Parameters

Core Parameters

Geometry Parameters

Visual Effect Parameters

Scale Parameter

Opacity Parameter

Filter Parameter

Transition Parameter

Complete Example

Parameter Reference

What You Can Build

Intro & Outro Automation

Brand Elements

TikTok Lyric Videos

Faceless Video Creator

Next Steps

Clip Control Layer

​Editor Architecture

​Clip Parameters

​Core Parameters

​Geometry Parameters

​Visual Effect Parameters

​Scale Parameter

​Opacity Parameter

​Filter Parameter

​Transition Parameter

​Complete Example

​Parameter Reference

​What You Can Build

Intro & Outro Automation

Brand Elements

TikTok Lyric Videos

Faceless Video Creator

​Next Steps

Clip Control Layer

Editor Architecture

Clip Parameters

Core Parameters

Geometry Parameters

Visual Effect Parameters

Scale Parameter

Opacity Parameter

Filter Parameter

Transition Parameter

Complete Example

Parameter Reference

What You Can Build

Next Steps