# Compose (https://morphic.com/docs/compose)













Compose is Morphic's agentic video editor, a full multi-track timeline that turns your clips into a finished video without leaving Morphic. Tell Copilot the edit you want, and it makes the change for you, or edit the timeline yourself.

Here's a quick tutorial with an overview of Compose on Morphic:

<YouTube id="WKft4uhKl7E" />

## Open Compose [#open-compose]

1. Open a file in Morphic
2. Click 'Compose' in the top bar, after 'Canvas' and 'Copilot'

Or go straight to Compose at [studio.morphic.com/compose](https://studio.morphic.com/compose).

<img alt="Compose on Morphic: the media browser on the left, the preview in the middle, settings on the right and the timeline along the bottom" src="__img0" />

## Key terms [#key-terms]

| Term     | Meaning                                                                        |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Timeline | The strip along the bottom. Left is the start of your video, right is the end. |
| Clip     | One piece of media on the timeline: a video, image, sound or some text.        |
| Lane     | One row of the timeline. Video goes in video lanes, sound in audio lanes.      |
| Playhead | The vertical line on the timeline. It marks the moment shown in the preview.   |
| Trim     | Shorten a clip by dragging its end.                                            |
| Export   | Turn the timeline into one video file you can download.                        |

## Manual editing and Copilot [#manual-editing-and-copilot]

Each one suits different work.

|          | Manual                           | Copilot                                                                    |
| -------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Best for | One change you can see and click | The same change in many places, or a change you cannot find                |
| Speed    | Instant                          | Seconds, while it reads the timeline                                       |
| Cost     | Free                             | About 1 credit per step                                                    |
| Reach    | The controls in the panels       | The panels, plus lane and overall levels that have no control of their own |

Most people use both: cut by hand, then ask for the tedious parts. Copilot can also build a timeline for you from any chat in the file, so you can start an edit without opening Compose. Work through the pages below in order, and pick up [Edit with Copilot](./edit-with-copilot/index.mdx) whenever a job sounds repetitive.

## Editor layout [#editor-layout]

* Left: your media. Drag it onto the timeline.

<div style="{ maxWidth: 460 }">
    <img alt="The media browser in Compose, open on the Assets tab with four video clips" src="__img1" />
</div>

* Middle: the preview.

<img alt="The Compose preview showing the frame under the playhead, with the Timeline tab above it" src="__img2" />

* Right: settings for whatever you have selected, or the chat.

<div style="{ maxWidth: 460 }">
    <img alt="The right panel with a clip selected: Video, Adjust and Audio tabs, then Transform and Transition settings" src="__img3" />
</div>

* Bottom: the timeline.

<img alt="The Compose timeline: the tool bar and playback controls, then a video lane and an audio lane holding two clips" src="__img4" />

Hide or show a panel from the 'View' menu at the top left.

## Quick start [#quick-start]

1. Drag a clip from the left onto the timeline
2. Drag a second clip so it sits after the first
3. Click 'Play' to watch them back
4. Drag the end of a clip inwards to shorten it
5. Click 'Export' at the top right to save it

<Video src="/assets/compose-add-clip-drag.mp4" poster="/assets/compose-add-clip-drag.poster.webp" width="1600" height="1008" title="Dragging a clip from the Assets tab onto the timeline, where it lands on a new lane with its sound on the audio lane below" />

That is a finished video. The rest of these pages make it better.

## All Compose guides [#all-compose-guides]

In the order you would actually work:

1. [Start a project](./start-a-project.mdx): set the shape of your video, and save and share it
2. [Add your media](./add-your-media.mdx): get clips, sound and graphics onto the timeline
3. [Cut and arrange](./cut-and-arrange.mdx): trim, reorder, and join your shots
4. [Motion and framing](./motion-and-framing.mdx): move and resize a clip, and animate it
5. [Color](./color.mdx): grade the picture
6. [Audio](./audio.mdx): levels, fades, and the mix
7. [Text and captions](./text-and-captions.mdx): titles, stickers, and subtitles
8. [Edit with Copilot](./edit-with-copilot/index.mdx): what you can ask for, and what it costs
9. [Writing Copilot requests](./edit-with-copilot/ask-for-an-edit.mdx): phrasing that gets the result you meant
10. [Export a video](./export-a-video.mdx): save the finished file
11. [Keyboard shortcuts](./keyboard-shortcuts.mdx): the keys that make editing fast
12. [Troubleshooting](./troubleshooting.mdx): what to do when something will not work

That's what Compose is on Morphic. Use it when a set of clips needs to become one finished video.

***

If you have any trouble or have any questions, feel free to reach out. We're happy to help. Write to us at [**support@morphic.com**](mailto:support@morphic.com)**.**