9Video
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User Guide

9Video turns a topic into a complete short video: you type an idea, AI writes the script, finds footage, records the voiceover, and builds an MP4 file — all running right on your machine, for free. It exports all three frame ratios: Vertical 9:16 (TikTok, Reels, Shorts), Horizontal 16:9 (YouTube), and Square 1:1.

Quick summary: open Settings to plug in your API key → go to Create video, type a topic and click Write script → edit each scene → click Create video. The finished video lands in your Library. The left-hand navigation has four sections: Create video, Library (videos you've built), Assets (reusable clips/images), and Settings.

What you need to get started: an LLM API key so the AI can write the script, and (optional but recommended) a Pexels API key to find footage. Voiceover uses the free Edge TTS available out of the box — nothing to plug in for that.

Setting up your LLM, Pexels, and voice keys

Open Settings in the left sidebar. Every key is stored securely on your machine — nothing is sent anywhere else.

LLM — for AI to write the script

  • Base URL: https://api.9cre.com/v1
  • Model: minimax-3
  • LLM API key: paste your key (click the eye icon to check it was pasted correctly)

Pexels — for finding footage

Get one for free at pexels.com/api, then paste it into the Pexels API key field. If you also want still images, add an Unsplash Access Key, from unsplash.com/developers.

Note: you can still create videos without a Pexels key, but footage scenes will automatically fall back to text scenes instead of having background video.

Voice (TTS)

  • Edge TTS (free) — the default, ready to use immediately
  • ElevenLabs (needs a key) — a more natural-sounding voice; pick this engine and paste your ElevenLabs API key

Check before you start: in Settings, look at the status dots — LLM and Pexels green means the connection is fine; FFmpeg and HyperFrames green means the rendering engine is ready.

Creating your first video

On the Create video screen, type your topic into the large field (for example: "5 money-saving tips for students"), then choose:

  • Language and Voice
  • Frame: Vertical 9:16 · Horizontal 16:9 · Square 1:1
  • Length: Short (≈3 scenes) · Medium (≈5 scenes) · Long (≈7 scenes)

Click Write script. The AI builds the script in about 2–3 minutes; you can reopen it quickly from Recent drafts. Choose 9:16 for TikTok/Reels/Shorts, 16:9 for YouTube.

Editing scenes

Once the script is ready, it opens the Edit scenes screen: the middle is the Preview, the left is the scene list, the right is the detail panel for the selected scene — edit the voiceover text, change the scene type, adjust the voice, captions. Every field and control on this screen is covered in the Studio Editor section below.

Choosing footage

For scenes with background video, enter Footage search keywords (comma-separated) — English keywords usually give more and closer results (for example neutron star, galaxy). When you open a scene that has no clip yet, the app automatically picks a clip for you to preview right away, instead of waiting until render time to see the footage. To change it:

  • Search & pick footage — browse Pexels results and pick one yourself
  • Use my own clip — upload your own video/image
  • From library — reuse a saved asset

When building the video, each scene sources footage in priority order: your own clip first, then a manually chosen clip, and finally auto-search on Pexels by keyword. If you haven't set a Pexels key or no clip is found, the scene automatically falls back to a text scene — it never breaks the build.

Building the video

Choose the MP4 format (or WebM if you need a transparent background for an overlay layer), then click Create video in the bottom-right corner. Once done, the video is in your Library — open it, watch it, or reveal it in its containing folder.

Studio Editor

Scene list (left)

  • Drag and drop to reorder scenes
  • + Add scene to add a new scene; Insert template to insert a pre-built scene

Scene panel (right)

  • Scene type — Intro, List, Outro… changes the scene's layout
  • Voiceover text — the content the AI will read (and use as captions), free to edit
  • Number / Item title — only present on "List" scenes
  • Footage search keywords — keywords for the background video, comma-separated
  • Duration (s) — leave blank to follow the voiceover automatically
  • Voice — a per-scene voice, defaults to "Follow video"
  • Speed / Pitch / Volume — fine-tune this scene's voiceover
  • Captions — turn captions on/off for the scene; recommended on to keep viewers watching on short-form platforms
  • Footage / Sticker — choose the background video and add decorative stickers/emoji

Toolbar & other panels

  • Style & audio — primary/secondary color, font, caption style, transitions, background music
  • Overlay — content shown on every scene (logo, watermark…)
  • AI Assistant — type a request (for example "make the opening punchier; add a follow-us call-to-action scene"), the AI proposes each change for you to check off and then Apply
  • Timeline — see the estimated total duration

Edits are auto-saved. Use Ctrl/⌘ + Z to undo, Ctrl/⌘ + Shift + Z to redo, Ctrl/⌘ + S to save.

Frequently asked questions

Does the app cost anything?

9Video itself is free and runs on your machine. All you need are the API keys (LLM, Pexels) — these services usually have a free tier.

Where are videos saved?

In the Library. You can watch them again, open the folder containing the file, or delete them.

Can I go back and edit a video I've already made?

Yes. Reopen the script from Recent drafts (or the project in Library), edit it, then Create video again.

Is my data sent over the internet?

The API key is stored on your machine. The app calls the AI/footage services to write the script and download footage; beyond that, no data is sent anywhere else.

The app says "Missing or invalid LLM API key" — what do I do?

Double-check the Base URL, Model, and LLM API key in Settings.

The preview stays on a purple background, no footage showing?

Choose footage for the scene, or check whether you've set a Pexels key.

The video won't build (rendering engine error)?

Check that FFmpeg and HyperFrames are green in Settings, then try again.

The AI service says it's busy?

The AI server is overloaded — wait a few seconds and try again.