Every feature explained
A plain-English walkthrough of every option in wavreel, so you always know exactly what each button does and when to use it.
Transcription engine
How wavreel turns your audio into text
Cloud (Whisper API)
wavreel sends your audio to OpenAI's Whisper service, which is one of the most accurate transcription tools available. This gives the best results and is the fastest option. Requires an OpenAI API key to be configured by the site owner.
When to use: Use this when accuracy matters most and you're comfortable with audio being processed online.
On-device (private)
wavreel runs the Whisper AI model directly inside your browser using your device's GPU (or CPU as a fallback). Your audio never leaves your computer or phone. The first time you use it, it downloads a ~80MB model file — after that it's cached and instant.
When to use: Use this if privacy is important to you, or if you don't have a cloud API key configured.
Paste transcript
You provide the text yourself, so no transcription happens at all. You can paste plain text (wavreel figures out the timing from your audio length), or paste an SRT or VTT subtitle file with timestamps already included.
When to use: Use this if you already have a script, if you want to control the exact caption text, or if transcription is struggling with your audio.
Media source
Where your video visuals come from
Videos + Images (default)
wavreel searches for a matching video clip first. If it finds one, great — you get a dynamic moving background. If no video is available for a scene, it falls back to a photo. This is the most visually interesting option.
When to use: Recommended for most videos. Gives the best results.
Videos Only
Only video clips will be used. If no video is found for a particular scene, that scene will have no background (it will be black). Use this if you specifically want a motion-video aesthetic throughout.
When to use: Use when you need a consistent video-only look and are OK with some scenes potentially being blank.
Images Only
Only still photos will be used — no video clips. This is the classic wavreel behavior and is very reliable since the Pexels photo library is vast.
When to use: Use when you want a cleaner, slideshow-style result, or if video clips aren't matching your content well.
Video format
The shape and size of your output video
9:16 Vertical (default)
A tall, portrait-orientation video — 1080×1920 pixels. This is the native format for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and phone screens. If you're making social media content, use this.
When to use: Posting to TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, or anywhere primarily viewed on phones.
16:9 Horizontal
A wide, landscape-orientation video — 1920×1080 pixels (standard HD). This is the classic YouTube / TV / presentation format.
When to use: Posting to YouTube (standard), embedding on websites, using in presentations, or displaying on TVs and monitors.
Scene editing
How to review and change individual scenes
Scene list
After wavreel finishes processing, you'll see a list of all the scenes it created. Each scene shows: the timing (e.g. 0.0s–3.5s), the caption text, a description of the visual, and a thumbnail of the image or video clip chosen.
When to use: Always shown after processing completes.
Video / Image badge
Each scene has a small blue 'video' or purple 'image' label showing what type of media is being used for that scene.
When to use: Visible in the scene list when using Videos+Images or Videos Only mode.
Swap media (click thumbnail)
Click any thumbnail to open a panel with alternative options. You'll see a grid of up to 8 alternatives that were fetched for that scene. Click any of them to swap — the preview updates immediately.
When to use: Use this when the auto-selected visual doesn't match your content.
Search for different media
In the swap panel, there's a search box with a 🔍 button. Type different keywords and press Enter (or click the button) to search for completely new media. wavreel will fetch new options using your new search terms.
When to use: Use when the existing alternatives are all wrong and you want to try a completely different visual direction.
Live preview player
Watch your video before rendering
Video preview
A fully interactive video player that shows exactly how your finished video will look — with captions, transitions, and your audio playing in sync. No rendering needed to see this.
When to use: Always shown after processing completes.
Timeline bar
Below the player, a color-coded timeline shows all your scenes as blocks proportional to their duration. Hover over a block to see the scene caption.
When to use: Useful for getting a quick overview of your video's pacing.
Rendering
Creating the actual MP4 file
Render Video button
Click this to start encoding your video. wavreel renders the video entirely in your browser — nothing is sent to a server. On modern computers with Chrome or Edge, it uses the WebCodecs API for fast, high-quality H.264 encoding. On older browsers, it falls back to MediaRecorder.
When to use: Click when you're happy with your scenes and want to produce the final file.
Render progress bar
Shows you how far along the rendering is (as a percentage). Rendering typically takes 15–60 seconds depending on video length and your device speed.
When to use: Visible during rendering.
Download Video
Once rendering finishes, a download button appears. Click it to save an MP4 file to your device. The file is fully self-contained and ready to upload anywhere.
When to use: Click after rendering completes.
Paste transcript format
What you can paste when using 'Paste transcript' mode
Plain text
Just paste normal text — sentences or paragraphs. wavreel splits it into scenes and distributes the timing automatically based on your audio's total length.
When to use: Use when you have a script but no timestamps.
SRT format
Paste a standard .srt subtitle file. Each block looks like: 1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,500 This is the first line of text. wavreel parses the exact timestamps and uses them for scene timing.
When to use: Use when you have accurate timestamps from a subtitle generator or editor.
VTT format
Paste a WebVTT file (starts with WEBVTT). Same as SRT but with slightly different timestamp formatting (dots instead of commas). wavreel handles both automatically.
When to use: Use when your subtitle file is in .vtt format.