Video Creator

Browser-based non-linear video editor built with Quarkus. Create projects, import media, arrange clips on a multi-track timeline, preview your edit, and export finished video — all from a Kdenlive-inspired web UI.

Rendering and preview use the MLT Framework (melt). Projects and uploaded media are stored in MongoDB (GridFS for binary assets).

In-app user guide: run the app and open /docs, or use Help → About Video Creator in the editor.

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What you can do

Area	Capabilities
Projects	Create, open, rename, search, and delete projects from the main window
Media library	Upload video, audio, and images (picker or drag-and-drop); search, sort, rename, remove
Timeline	Multi-track video and audio editing — move, trim, cut, copy/paste, duplicate, ripple delete, snap, zoom
Preview	Stream a timeline preview with transport controls, scrubbing, and shuttle keys (J/K/L)
Export	Render MP4, WebM, or MOV at High / Medium / Low quality
Editing	Undo/redo, linked A/V sync, track mute/lock, transitions and effects (UI; render wiring in progress)

For a full UI feature checklist see docs/INTERFACE_FEATURES.md. For Kdenlive parity roadmap see docs/KDENLIVE_FEATURES.md.

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Technology stack

Layer	Choice
Runtime	Java 21, Quarkus 3.37
UI	Qute templates, vanilla JavaScript, CSS (KDE Breeze Dark theme)
API	JAX-RS (RESTEasy Reactive), WebSockets (preview progress)
Persistence	MongoDB + GridFS
Video engine	MLT (melt), FFmpeg, Sox (soxi) for media probing

Architecture, layering, and request flows: docs/ARCHITECTURE.md.

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Prerequisites

Requirement	Purpose
Java 21+	Application runtime
Maven 3.9+	Build and dev mode
MongoDB	Project and media storage (Quarkus Dev Services can start a container in dev/test when none is configured)
MLT (melt)	Timeline preview and export
FFmpeg	Media analysis
Sox (soxi)	Audio duration probing

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Quick start

1. Install system tools

Ubuntu / Debian:

sudo apt install melt ffmpeg sox libsox-fmt-mp3

Ensure melt is on your PATH (default config expects /usr/bin/melt).

MongoDB: install locally, or rely on Quarkus Dev Services during development (Docker required for the auto-started container).

2. Run in dev mode

git clone <repository-url>
cd video-creator
mvn quarkus:dev

Open http://localhost:8080 for the main window. Click New Project to open the editor.

Dev mode enables hot reload for Java and static assets.

3. Verify system status

On the main window, the System status panel shows whether preview/export (MLT) and storage (database) are ready. Fix any red indicators before previewing or exporting.

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Build and test

# Compile
mvn compile

# Unit and integration tests
mvn test

# Full verify (tests, Spotless, packaging)
mvn verify

# Production JAR
mvn package
# Runnable: java -jar target/quarkus-app/quarkus-run.jar

Web UI tests use Selenium with headless Chrome. CI sets GITHUB_ACTIONS=true for headless runs (see .github/workflows/build.yml).

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Configuration

Key settings in src/main/resources/application.properties:

Property	Default	Description
quarkus.http.port	8080	HTTP port
mongodb.database	video-creator	MongoDB database name
app.melt-command	/usr/bin/melt	Path to melt binary
app.upload-dir	uploads	Temporary upload directory
app.output-dir	output	Rendered preview/export files
app.default-crf	23	Default video quality (lower = higher quality)

Override locally via application.properties in the project root or %dev profile without committing secrets or machine-specific paths.

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Project layout

src/main/java/dev/vepo/youtube/creator/
├── project/          # Domain: Project, Media, Clip, value objects
├── service/          # Application services (media, video processing, timeline)
├── infra/            # Mongo serializers, exception mappers
├── VideoEditorController.java   # Web UI + multipart endpoints
├── VideoEditorResource.java     # JSON REST API
└── DocumentationController.java # /docs user guide

src/main/resources/
├── templates/        # Qute HTML (main window, editor, docs)
├── documentation/    # USER_GUIDE.md → rendered at /docs
└── META-INF/resources/   # CSS, JavaScript, icons

docs/                 # Architecture, design system, feature catalogs

Agent and contribution conventions: AGENTS.md.

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Contributing

We welcome bug reports, documentation improvements, and pull requests. See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup, workflow, and PR guidelines. Please follow our CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md. To report security issues privately, see SECURITY.md.

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Documentation

Document	Audience	Contents
/docs (in-app)	Users	Workflows, menus, shortcuts, troubleshooting
docs/ARCHITECTURE.md	Developers	Layers, stack, request flows
docs/DESIGN_SYSTEM.md	UI contributors	Theme tokens, layout, Kdenlive-inspired patterns
docs/INTERFACE_FEATURES.md	Contributors	Web UI feature checklist
docs/KDENLIVE_FEATURES.md	Product / dev	Kdenlive parity roadmap
docs/UI_ELEMENTS.md	UI contributors	Element inventory and selectors

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License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.