Real timeline edits
Trim, split, ripple, move, duplicate, delete, retime, close gaps, add transitions, add captions, adjust volume, and apply motion on an editable timeline.
Timeline tools Features
AI video editing that lands on a real Mac timeline.
AVE is not a prompt box pretending to be an editor. It is a local Mac video editor where AI can understand footage, propose a plan, and execute supported timeline actions you can inspect.
What AVE can do
Built for the boring parts editors actually lose time on.
Find the moment, build the first pass, adapt the format, add the caption pass, close the gaps, and still keep a timeline you can touch. See these in real use cases.
Footage-aware planning
Plans can use imported assets, transcripts, visual notes, clip metadata, and current timeline context, so suggestions are grounded in the project.
Transcript + visionMulti-format editing
Create deliverables for 16:9, 4:5, 1:1, 9:16, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Shorts, YouTube, websites, and custom formats.
Platform formatsGraphics and polish
Use titles, lower thirds, shapes, brand-aware styling, camera presets, color correction, opacity, masking, and motion actions when the edit needs finish.
Graphics layerLocal-first by default
Local project folders, local media analysis, local execution, native rendering, and encrypted storage for BYO provider keys in the desktop app.
Private by defaultReady for Apple Silicon Macs
Download AVE 1.0.0, drag it into Applications, import footage, and start editing on macOS 14 or later.
macOS 14+ Comparison
AVE compared with the tools around it.
The goal is not to replace every pro editor, web editor, or generation tool. AVE sits in the gap: a real local timeline with AI that can help operate it.
Capability
AVE
Traditional NLEs
Web/template editors
Generation-first AI
Real timeline edits from AI
Plans can turn into supported edits on the AVE timeline.
Powerful manual tools, but the editor performs the work.
Often template or transcript driven, with less timeline depth.
Usually creates media assets, not a controllable edit timeline.
Review before changes land
Plan mode previews the edit path before timeline mutation.
Manual review is natural, but AI planning is usually separate.
May offer quick automation, but edits can be abstracted away.
Prompt output is reviewed after generation, not as a timeline plan.
Footage-aware search
Uses transcripts, visual notes, metadata, assets, and timeline context.
Metadata search exists, but semantic AI context varies by app.
Strong for transcript-first workflows, weaker for full NLE context.
Usually works from prompts and references, not project history.
Multi-format campaign output
Plans 16:9, 4:5, 1:1, 9:16, social, web, and custom deliverables.
Possible, but usually manual duplication and reframing.
Fast presets, but less control when the edit needs nuance.
Can generate variants, but continuity and editorial control are harder.
Local-first privacy posture
Local projects, media, analysis, execution, and export by default.
Usually local, but AI workflows may be separate or cloud tied.
Cloud upload is commonly part of the workflow.
External services are usually required to create the media.
Bring your own AI stack
Local models, installed assistants, custom API endpoints, and BYO Runway.
Plugin ecosystems vary, but provider routing is not the core model.
Provider choices are usually owned by the product.
You use the provider, then still need an editor for the final cut.
Editing core
A real Mac video editor, not a prompt box.
AVE includes the editing surface you expect before AI enters the room: local projects, sequences, tracks, clips, assets, captions, graphics, playback, preflight, and export.
Multi-track timeline with video, audio, and graphics tracks.
Multiple saved sequences per project for drafts, ratios, and versions.
Clip trimming, splitting, ripple edits, movement, duplication, deletion, retiming, and source replacement.
Transitions, titles, lower thirds, shapes, color correction, volume, fades, pan, EQ, opacity, transforms, masks, and motion.
Native export preflight and local MP4 rendering.
AI workflow
Ask for creative work in editor language.
AVE uses AI where it helps: understanding footage, planning edits, finding moments, and proposing changes that can be reviewed before they touch the timeline.
Ask mode for questions, simple commands, captions, search, and timeline help.
Plan mode for approval-gated, project-aware edit plans.
Auto, Fast, and Reason execution routing for different levels of AI involvement.
Transcript search, visual search, talking-head identification, rough-cut analysis, and asset ranking.
Reviewable tool calls with accepted, declined, retried, and inspected changes.
Providers
Use local models, CLI assistants, or your own API.
The app separates creative reasoning from local execution. Assistant choices can change, but supported timeline operations still go through AVE tools.
Local model options for private planning work.
Installed assistant support when you prefer command-line AI tools.
Custom API endpoint support for teams with their own provider setup.
BYO Runway text-to-video generation and import.
Encrypted provider-key storage through the desktop app.