ShortmakerCS Changelog

Version 1.4.2

New Stage Motion for Story Card

• Story Card still-image scenes can now use optional Stage Motion to move the complete animated image stage instead of only moving elements inside the frame.
• Six GPU-driven motion styles are available: pullback, side float, tilt swing, quarter turn, perspective flip, and bend orbit.
• Stage Motion can rotate, tilt, pull back, flip, and reposition the finished image scene while keeping the transformed card readable against a clean background.
• The selected motion is represented consistently in preview and final render planning, with refreshed cache identities for the new behavior.

Base Motion and effects stay alive during stage movement

• Base Motion now continues underneath Stage Motion instead of appearing to pause during a rotation or perspective move.
• Local Story Card effects remain animated while the complete stage is transformed.
• Effect time, progress, and fade remain continuous across clipped carrier windows, so an effect does not restart or disappear at a Stage Motion boundary.
• Transition safety now trims only the unsafe part of a movement window instead of disabling motion for the complete image scene.

Four clearer Beat Composer preview choices

• Beat Composer now presents four differentiated preview variants so creators can compare rhythm, visual energy, and edit direction before entering Beat Lab.
• The preview experience includes clearer play and pause behavior, scrubbing, mute, volume, and selection controls.
• The chosen variant is preserved more reliably when moving into Beat Lab and preparing the final render.
• Variant generation received stronger differentiation so the four choices are less likely to feel like minor copies of the same edit.

Stronger Beat Card effects and final-render consistency

• Beat Card visual effects received another quality and variety pass for stronger, cleaner, and more clearly differentiated moments.
• Automatic effect placement and target handling were improved so local effects stay closer to the intended subject or beat moment.
• Verified Beat effects are routed more consistently through the same GPU path used by the final render.
• Committed Beat Lab edits and automatic Beat Card effects are protected more reliably from preview through export.

Playback, audio, cache, and render reliability

• Fixed preview cases where MP4 audio could stop or the interface could appear frozen shortly after playback started.
• Improved preview Play/Pause behavior and remembered preview playback settings.
• New runtime checks prevent Stage Motion from being reported as active when its real GPU pass was not executed.
• Render and preview caches now distinguish the updated Stage Motion execution and continuity contracts.
• Diagnostics now report missing movement, invalid runtime plans, and GPU pass failures more directly instead of silently producing a static result.

Version 1.3.2

One-time purchase distribution

• ShortmakerCS is distributed through Lemon Squeezy for €14.99 as a one-time purchase.
• No subscription is required.
• The former temporary free-access messaging has been removed from the current release information.

New Promo Studio for finished Shorts

• Result Review can now open a dedicated Create Promo workspace for finished Story Card and Beat Card results.
• Promo Studio automatically adapts its proof flow, timing, and audio behavior to the card type instead of forcing one generic template onto every Short.
• Creators can export a promo video or hero image and choose quick 6-second, standard 15-second, or detailed 30-second video lengths.
• Three presentation styles are available: Punchy, Clean, and Cinematic.
• Story promos can animate source images with Fan In, Stack Slam, Grid Burst, or Diagonal Sweep entrances before revealing the finished result.

Promo text, design, audio, and branding controls

• Promo copy, labels, typography, colors, and field placement can be customized inside the editor.
• A selected Result Review moment can lead the promo so the strongest part of the finished Short becomes the proof point.
• Creators can keep relevant Story narration, preserve the finished Beat track, add background audio, and assign image entrance sounds.
• The optional ShortmakerCS marketing call-to-action can be disabled for neutral creator showcases.
• Promo choices are remembered so repeated exports do not require rebuilding the same setup every time.

Beat Card and Beat Lab now match the final render more closely

• The committed Beat Lab variant, carrier, and edited effects are now locked through final render preparation instead of being replaced by a preview selection.
• The preview deck no longer overwrites the version explicitly chosen for rendering.
• Verified Beat effects now use the same first-class GPU effect path in the final render, reducing cases where the preview looked stronger than the exported video.
• Cross-variant preview paths are rejected before they can silently attach the wrong preview to a Beat Lab result.
• The duplicate Beat Card render action was removed so the normal Use for render flow remains the single source of truth.

Cleaner effect placement and safer visual recipes

• Recipe-made effect bundles now separate strongly overlapping targets instead of stacking several effects onto the same small area.
• Placement guards now apply to fallback recipes as well as normal recipe plans.
• Target visibility is measured more accurately, helping effects stay on-screen and closer to the intended subject.
• Unsupported or parked spark and color-trail effects are kept out of automatic variant previews unless verified replacement evidence is available.

Promo export and editor fixes

• Beat promo proof timing now scales more appropriately across 6, 15, and 30-second exports.
• Finished Beat audio can loop across longer promos instead of ending early.
• Locked Beat variant overlays are saved more reliably.
• The Promo Studio received a larger working area, clearer help previews, styled selection menus, and safer initialization behavior.
• Several export and editor edge cases now fail safely without changing the finished Short.

Version 1.2.1

Temporary free-access testing phase

• Version 1.2.1 temporarily opened the current feature set for broader testing and feedback.
• The previous 24-hour trial gate and payment prompts were disabled during that testing phase.
• Discord remained optional for community support and feedback.

Current availability

• The temporary free-access phase has ended.
• ShortmakerCS is currently sold through Lemon Squeezy for €14.99 as a one-time purchase.
• No subscription is required.

Version 1.2.0

Story Card now works better with your own audio

• Story Card can now use a creator-provided narration audio file as the main timing source, even when no script text is entered.
• Shortmaker can prepare captions from external narration audio through the existing transcription bridge and burn them into the final render.
• Finished videos with audio can be recognized as source material, while Shortmaker avoids duplicating the same audio into the final mix.
• Scene Director previews now stay clean: captions are prepared for final output but are no longer shown inside the Scene Director preview.
• Custom audio and generated narration are handled more consistently across Story Card duration, preview preparation, and final render setup.

Resource Hub now exposes Story Card resources

• Resource Hub now scans more generated Shortmaker files, including generated audio, caption sidecars, Scene Director previews, timing maps, and audio proxies.
• Story resources can be exported more easily, including Base Motion preview files together with their timing maps when available.
• Audio resources from the Resource Hub can be dragged back into a Story Card and used as custom narration.
• Base Motion resources are checked before reuse so missing timing maps or duration mismatches are rejected instead of silently causing broken previews.
• The Resource Hub now acts more like a control center for files Shortmaker creates while working on a Short.

Safer recipes, renders, and finished-video handling

• Recipe compatibility checks now warn creators when a recipe needs image boundaries but the current project only contains one finished video.
• Render preflight can now stop dangerous raw-frame paths before they overload RAM or SSD activity.
• Long finished videos are clearly limited in the current Story Card workflow instead of being treated like normal image-based stories.
• Scene Director now blocks unsupported long source videos before wasting time on a Base Motion preview render.
• A new Shortmaker-style source-video limit dialog shows the first frame, detected duration, frame estimate, current limits, and what needs to change.

Feedback and first-use learning improvements

• After the first successful final render, Shortmaker can ask for lightweight feedback directly inside the app.
• Creators who skip feedback now receive a friendly thank-you message instead of being pushed toward Discord.
• The source-video limit dialog includes an optional future-support feedback field so creators can say what video support they want next.
• Demo project assets are now included so new users can reach a successful first render faster.
• Feedback is designed to be lightweight and optional, with no account or Discord join required.

Review and maintenance tools

• Result Review now includes a caption review option for editing generated subtitle sidecars while keeping their timing intact.
• Resource Hub now includes a storage view for generated audio, captions, previews, temp files, and review snapshots.
• Storage cleanup moves files into Shortmaker Trash instead of permanently deleting them immediately.
• Result Review can run a lightweight proof check to compare before/after sample frames and estimate whether a visible change was produced.
• Render results now explain more clearly which Scene Director events, captions, and output resources were actually applied.

Version 1.1.0

Schedule Assist calendar

• Added a stronger Schedule Assist calendar for planning Shorts directly inside the Publish window.
• Creators can now switch between Day, Week, and Month views to see upcoming slots and recent channel activity more clearly.
• The calendar now separates exact-date posts from same-weekday history so planning no longer mixes old Mondays with the current week.
• Selected days now show a clearer decision view with posts on that date, same-weekday guidance, suggested slots, and the planned upload time.
• Schedule cards received a visual polish pass with stronger hover feedback, calmer backgrounds, and clearer creator-focused labels.

Planned YouTube uploads are now visible

• Videos already scheduled on YouTube are now shown in the Day, Week, and Month calendar views.
• Scheduled videos use their own status badge so creators can tell them apart from already-published posts and local Shortmaker drafts.
• Occupied time slots are marked so it is easier to avoid planning two Shorts for the same time.
• Time suggestions now avoid known scheduled YouTube slots when possible.
• Scheduled cards show the planned local time instead of fake views or likes that do not exist yet.

Clear local time and YouTube time

• Schedule Assist now shows the creator's local time and the UTC time sent to YouTube in the same decision area.
• The app now explains that creators should pick the time they want on their own clock while Shortmaker handles the YouTube conversion.
• This reduces timezone confusion when scheduling Shorts for a specific release time.
• Suggested slots can be applied with one click, but creators can still choose a custom time.
• The planning UI is clearer about what is a suggestion and what is already scheduled.

Cover and publish flow improvements

• Shorts covers are now prepared as upload-safe 1080x1920 sidecar files next to the final video.
• The app also reports when the YouTube API accepts a thumbnail upload, while staying honest that Shorts surfaces may still choose a video frame.
• Publish progress feedback is clearer and no longer jumps from around half complete straight to done for YouTube-only uploads.
• The Publish window now shows better status feedback during preparation, upload, processing, and completion.
• Creator-facing publish messages were cleaned up to avoid developer-style wording.

Caption style and workflow fixes

• Story Card caption style choices are now remembered more reliably when opening Scene Director before rendering.
• Selected caption styles are stored as a user choice and applied again before the render job is built.
• This helps avoid cases where a chosen style such as Punch could fall back to the default style.
• Beat Card Quick Fix controls were hidden from the normal user interface so the main workflow feels cleaner.
• The Publish flow keeps more of the important creator decisions visible without exposing unnecessary internal controls.

Version 1.0.0

Beat Card is now much more reliable

• Beat Card now keeps the chosen variant, Beat Lab edits, and final render much better in sync.
• Effects created by the automatic variant system are no longer lost when adding your own effects in Beat Lab.
• Show Mix preview now shows the selected variant together with your added effects instead of showing only the newest edit.
• Final render now keeps both automatic Beat Card effects and user-added Beat Lab effects.
• Beat Lab editing is safer: adding, previewing, and preparing a mix for render should feel more predictable.

Stronger Beat Card visuals

• Beat Card effects received a major quality pass so shockwaves, sparks, flashes, and body-focused moments feel cleaner and more powerful.
• Effects are placed more consistently around the selected body area or beat moment.
• Preview strength was adjusted so bright flashes are less likely to overpower the whole video.
• Beat-driven effects are now easier to combine with manual Beat Lab edits.
• The selected Beat Card version should now stay closer to what finally gets rendered.

Smoother Story Card motion

• Story Card image motion has been retuned to reduce the strong echo-like distortion that could appear during depth movement.
• Smooth, Cinematic, Max Impact, and Deep Motion now behave more clearly as separate motion styles.
• Deep Motion is more careful with hard edges and detailed images, so depth should look less like a double image.
• Motion is now more camera-like: less forced warping, less unwanted smear, and cleaner movement on still images.
• Story Card keeps the stronger motion options, but the default result should be safer and easier to use.

Preview and render stability

• Improved consistency between preview, Show Mix, and final render.
• Reduced cases where a preview could turn black after adding an effect.
• Reduced cases where effects appeared in preview but did not survive into the final render.
• Improved handling when switching from automatic variants into manual editing.
• Improved GPU render path reliability for video previews and final Shorts output.

Cleaner app feedback

• Logs and app diagnostics are now much less noisy during normal use.
• Repeated internal messages have been replaced with clearer summaries when possible.
• When something fails, the app now tries to report the important step, the reason, and what it did next.
• This should make support easier, because one test run should contain more useful information and less repeated noise.
• Advanced diagnostic details are still available for deeper testing when needed.

Version 0.9.0

Much faster GPU rendering

• ShortmakerCS now uses the GPU much more aggressively while preparing previews, Show Mixes, and final renders.
• Several heavy video steps were moved away from slow CPU paths so supported systems should feel much faster.
• Preview and render stability was improved, including fixes for green preview frames, black first frames, and missing visual effects.
• The app now handles GPU shader loading more reliably, so the newest effects are less likely to be hidden by older cached files.
• Final MP4 creation was cleaned up to produce safer Shorts-ready output for upload testing.

New Beat Card workflow

• Added the new Beat Card workflow for fast music-video style Shorts.
• The Beat Card can create short preview variants so creators can quickly choose a rhythm, scene feel, and edit direction.
• Added preview controls for playing, pausing, rerolling, favoriting, and selecting a version before moving into deeper editing.
• Added Beat Lab as the editing area for adding visual moments and preparing the selected version for render.
• The Beat Card is still Early Access, but it is now ready for wider testing and feedback.

New HeroFX visuals

• Added early HeroFX support for more dramatic local visual moments.
• Body Slam / Shockwave has been upgraded into a much stronger, cleaner local effect that fits better into the video.
• Fixed the visible red target marker that could appear over effects during testing.
• Added first experiments for spark-style effects. These are available for testing, but still need more polish before they are considered final.
• Improved the way local effects use the selected target point, so user-placed effects are easier to test.

Scene Director and editing improvements

• Improved Scene Director preview behavior so effects, audio moments, and timeline actions feel more predictable.
• Improved copy and paste for selected Scene Director events.
• Reduced cases where playing the preview accidentally interrupted editing.
• Cleaned up several disruptive warnings and technical-looking UI details.
• Improved handling for user-made edits so automatic refreshes are less likely to overwrite work.

Image motion and visual groundwork

• Deep Motion and base motion received more GPU-side groundwork for future image-motion upgrades.
• Still-image motion is being prepared for better depth, smoother movement, and stronger atmosphere support in later builds.
• Atmosphere effects such as dust, haze, frost, and heat remain experimental and may still change image contrast too strongly in preview.

Version 0.8.0

Deep Motion for still images

• Added Deep Motion, a new optional base motion mode for still images.
• Deep Motion gives images a stronger 2.5D-style feeling with subtle depth, tilt, and layered movement.
• The existing motion modes stay untouched. Smooth, Cinematic, Max Impact, and Off still work as before.
• Deep Motion is built for images. Video sources skip it unless a future user-controlled video option is added.
• Added a dedicated Deep Motion render path so the new motion does not get hidden by older cinematic motion behavior.
• Improved Deep Motion logging so it is easier to see when the new mode is active in preview and final render.

Creator News

• Added a new Creator News area on the left side of the app.
• Creator News can show update notes, Early Access deals, Discord actions, and community messages from a remote JSON file.
• Earlier license cards were retired during the temporary free-testing phase used at that time.
• Discord remains optional for community and feedback, but it is no longer required for access.
• Added feature feedback messaging so user suggestions can help shape the future roadmap.
• Creator News now stays out of the way while working in cards or Scene Director and no longer shifts the Story Card layout.

Sound Moments in Scene Director

• Audio files can now be placed on the Scene Director timeline.
• Timeline sounds can be previewed with the normal Scene Director play button.
• Added quick sound editing actions for cutting, trimming, moving, and deleting timeline audio clips.
• Final renders can now include these placed sound moments alongside narration and other audio.

Scene Director workflow fixes

• Cleaned up the Scene Director top controls and moved player-style controls closer to the preview area.
• Improved Recipe behavior so recipe-made events can be refreshed without touching user-made Scene Director edits.
• Fixed cases where Hook suggestion entries could stay visible after Hide or Delete.
• Improved timeline refresh behavior after recipe changes and motion changes.
• Improved several logs around Scene Director, Deep Motion, recipe refresh, and timeline state.

Version 0.6.0

New visual guide

• Added a new Guide me button to help new users understand the app without reading a long tutorial.
• The guide now opens a clean Shortmaker-style menu with small visual lessons instead of a wall of text.
• The guide can walk users through creating and using a Story Card step by step.
• Added visual hints for adding images, script text, audio, video, settings, and ElevenLabs setup.
• Guide steps are optional, skippable, and can be closed at any time. No media is required just to learn the flow.
• If the user has no media ready yet, the guide can still explain the idea with placeholders and show where media folders can be added.

Cleaner start screen

• Cleaned up the first-start area so the guide becomes the main help entry point.
• Removed older helper buttons that made the start area feel busier than needed.
• The guide button is highlighted until it has been opened once.

Story Card workflow improvements

• Improved the guided Story Card flow so users can better understand the order of work: style, story, images, narration, audio, captions, preview, and render.
• Added clearer visual guidance for where content belongs inside the Story Card.
• Improved the top navigation explanation so users understand it is not only a status bar, but also a place to move through the workflow.
• Made guide text more creator-friendly and less technical.

Asset Commander and media flow

• Improved visual guidance for images, text, audio, and video.
• Added clearer hints for where selected media should be dropped or used.
• Added a path for users who have not added any media folders yet.
• Kept the flow light: users can explore first and add real media later.

Scene Director usability fixes

• Cleaned up the Scene Director working area so fewer technical labels appear over the video.
• Improved target and toy placement stability after the UI cleanup.
• Fixed cases where placing a toy could appear to do nothing or make the timeline feel empty.
• Reduced cases where old selected effects stayed visible after the playhead moved away.
• Improved handling so effects are less likely to be spawned twice from one action.

Atmosphere effects

• Added early Atmosphere / lens-style effects such as Scene Dust, Heat Haze, Frost Lens, and Moving Air.
• Improved the intended timing so Atmosphere effects should stay closer to the current shot instead of stretching over the whole timeline.
• Started connecting Atmosphere effects more directly to preview and render planning.

Version 0.4.0

• Scene Director controls are calmer and easier to edit.
• Effects can use real visual evidence from the image instead of only guessing.
• Render and Scene Director diagnostics are clearer and less noisy.
• The effects and controls are still evolving. Suggestions are welcome on Discord.