How do I control video playback?

Trim, loop, mute and set playback rate on a video layer using dot-notation parameters.

Published Mar 25, 2026·Updated Jul 1, 2026

Video element parameters let you control how video content behaves within your template — replace video sources, trim clips, control audio, and enable looping. These work through the same modifications system used for text and images.

Video parameters only apply when rendering as MP4, WebM, MOV, MKV, or GIF. They are ignored for image or PDF formats.

To combine a multi-page template into one final video, use global videoOptions.combinePages in the render request. That behavior is not controlled through element-level modifications.

Supported Parameters#

Parameter	Type	Description
`{id}`	`string`	Replace the video URL
`{id}.trimStart`	`number`	Start time in seconds
`{id}.trimEnd`	`number`	End time in seconds
`{id}.muted`	`boolean`	`true` to mute, `false` to include audio
`{id}.loop`	`boolean`	`true` to loop the video

Where {id} is the parameter name of the video element in your template.

Replacing Video Sources#

Pass a new URL to swap the video content:

JSON

{
  "modifications": {
    "bgVideo": "https://example.com/new-video.mp4"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "mp4",
    "type": "url"
  }
}

Supported Video Formats#

.mp4 (H.264 recommended)
.webm (VP9)
.mov

Trimming Video#

Extract a specific portion of a video by setting start and end times in seconds:

JSON

{
  "modifications": {
    "bgVideo": "https://example.com/long-video.mp4",
    "bgVideo.trimStart": 5,
    "bgVideo.trimEnd": 15
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "mp4"
  }
}

This extracts a 10-second clip from the 5-second mark to the 15-second mark.

Trim from the Start#

JSON

{
  "modifications": {
    "bgVideo.trimEnd": 10
  }
}

Takes the first 10 seconds of the video.

Trim from the End#

JSON

{
  "modifications": {
    "bgVideo.trimStart": 30
  }
}

Starts from the 30-second mark and plays to the end.

Audio Control#

Mute or include audio from video elements:

Mute Audio#

JSON

{
  "modifications": {
    "bgVideo": "https://example.com/video-with-audio.mp4",
    "bgVideo.muted": true
  }
}

Useful when you want to use the video as a visual background with separate voiceover or subtitles.

Keep Audio#

JSON

{
  "modifications": {
    "bgVideo": "https://example.com/interview.mp4",
    "bgVideo.muted": false
  }
}

Looping#

Enable looping for short clips that need to fill a longer duration:

JSON

{
  "modifications": {
    "bgVideo": "https://example.com/short-loop.mp4",
    "bgVideo.loop": true
  }
}

The video will repeat until the total render duration is reached.

Multi-Page Video Elements#

For multi-page templates rendered as video, control video elements on each page independently:

JSON

{
  "modifications": {
    "page1@introVideo": "https://example.com/intro.mp4",
    "page1@introVideo.trimEnd": 5,
    "page1@introVideo.muted": true,

    "page2@demoVideo": "https://example.com/demo.mp4",
    "page2@demoVideo.trimStart": 10,
    "page2@demoVideo.trimEnd": 25,
    "page2@demoVideo.muted": false,

    "page3@outroVideo": "https://example.com/outro.mp4",
    "page3@outroVideo.loop": true
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "mp4"
  }
}

Combining Parameters#

Use all video parameters together for full control:

JSON

{
  "templateId": "<YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID>",
  "modifications": {
    "bgVideo": "https://example.com/product-demo.mp4",
    "bgVideo.trimStart": 0,
    "bgVideo.trimEnd": 10,
    "bgVideo.muted": false,
    "bgVideo.loop": false,

    "title": "Product Launch",
    "title.fontSize": "48px",
    "title.color": "#ffffff"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "mp4",
    "type": "url"
  }
}

JavaScript

const response = await fetch("https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/render", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    Authorization: "Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    templateId: "<PROMO_TEMPLATE>",
    modifications: {
      // Background video — trimmed to best 8 seconds
      bgVideo: "https://example.com/raw-footage.mp4",
      "bgVideo.trimStart": 12,
      "bgVideo.trimEnd": 20,
      "bgVideo.muted": true,

      // Overlay content
      headline: "Summer Sale — 50% Off",
      "headline.fontSize": "64px",
      "headline.color": "#ffffff",
      subtext: "Limited time only",
    },
    response: {
      format: "mp4",
      type: "url",
    },
    videoOptions: {
      subtitleSource: "https://example.com/voiceover.mp3",
      subtitleColor: "#ffffff",
      subtitleBackground: "rgba(0,0,0,0.5)",
    },
  }),
});

Credit Costs#

Video credit costs scale with the duration of the output video — 1 credit per second, billed per second or part thereof. Trimming a video reduces its duration and therefore its credit cost — a shorter clip always uses fewer credits than a longer one.

Check your workspace usage dashboard for current credit usage and limits.

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