Quick Start¶

Getting and Launching Oak¶

1. Download a binary: Visit the GitHub Releases page and download the build for Windows, macOS, or Linux.

2. Build from source: If you prefer to compile it yourself, see docs/build.md in the source tree (Chinese overview in docs/zh/README.md), install the platform dependencies, and build with CMake.

3. Launch: Run oak (or Oak Video Editor.exe on Windows). The default workspace opens on first launch.

Your First Workflow¶

Create or Open a Project¶

• File > New Project: create a blank project (file extension .ove).

• File > Open Project: open an existing .ove project.

• File > Open Recent: quickly reopen a recent project.

Import Footage¶

• Menu: File > Import or press Ctrl+I.

• Supported formats include common video (MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, MXF, etc.), audio (WAV, MP3, FLAC, AAC, OGG, etc.), and images (PNG, JPG, EXR, DPX, WebP, etc.).

• Imported footage appears in the Project / Footage Manager panel in the lower-left.

Create a Sequence¶

• Menu: Sequence > New Sequence (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N).

• In the dialog, choose a preset or set the parameters manually:

  • Resolution, frame rate, pixel aspect ratio

  • Audio sample rate and channel layout

  • Preview resolution and format

• The new sequence becomes the active timeline for editing.

Add Clips to the Timeline¶

• Drag footage from the Footage Manager to the Timeline in the lower-right. This creates a Clip automatically.

• You can also double-click footage to preview it in the Footage Viewer in the upper-left, then use editing shortcuts:

  • , (comma): insert edit

  • . (period): overwrite edit

• With a clip selected, adjust position, scale, rotation, and other properties in the Param Editor.

Add Effects / LUT / Color Grading¶

• Switch to the Node Editor panel, right-click on empty space and choose Add, then pick a node:

  • Geometry: Transform, Crop

  • Color: OCIO LUT, Three-Way Color, OCIO Grading Primary (Linear)

  • Transitions: Cross Dissolve, Dip to Color

• Place the node between the clip output and the Viewer input.

Preview and Export¶

• Press Space in the Sequence Viewer to play/pause. Use I / O to set in/out points.

• Open File > Export (shortcut Ctrl+M):

  • Choose the export range (entire sequence or in-to-out)

  • Choose container format, video codec, and audio settings

  • Enable Run in Background to send the export job to the Task Manager

Common Shortcuts¶

Next Steps¶

Continue reading:

• Basic Features: a deeper look at the interface, tools, and timeline.

• Nodes: the node graph, keyframes, and OpenFX plugins.

• LUT and Histogram: color grading and monitoring.

• Proxy Editing and Audio Sync and Multicam Editing: performance and advanced editing workflows.