Your first video starts here.

Start with these three steps

1. Open New project

   Start with “Create a video without signing up” or “New project.”

   Open
2. Add media

   Choose your files or free media from “Media,” then add them to the Storyboard.

   Open
3. Check the preview

   Check text, Scene transitions, and audio timing before you Export.

   Open

Watch the videos

Japanese narration and captions. The tutorial uses a sample project. Check the Credit estimate shown when you run an operation.

1. Start creating videos

Use the language menu at the top right to switch the interface between Japanese and English. Video text and narration are not translated automatically.

Open Settings at the bottom left of the editor to view your account and studio settings. If you are not signed in, a registration and sign-in dialog opens. You can close it and continue editing without registering.

Open DirecTune on a PC. People who are Japanese nationals and access the service from Japan can start with “Create a video without signing up.”

The device check verifies the features needed for video, audio, and export. Follow the on-screen instructions when the check appears.

Select “New project” to open the setup page, then choose a name, video aspect ratio, and template. The default is portrait 9:16; landscape 16:9 and square 1:1 are also available.

Before registration, your edits and media are saved temporarily in this browser, with a 500 MB total media limit. Sign up when you use AI generation or Export, and continue in the same browser. Clearing browser data removes this temporary work.

2. Import media

Open “DirecTune free media library” from “Media” in the editor and search by title, tag, or type. Select photos or videos and click them or drag them to the Storyboard. Audio is added to the track for its type. If you open the library from “Audio,” it is added to the selected track.

Each tag shows the number of media items matching the current type, keywords, and selected tags. Selecting several tags finds items containing all of them. Counts stay the same when you change pages.

Choose Popular (import count) to find frequently used media. Tracking counts each material once per saved project, from the start of tracking. Guest edits count when the project is saved after registration. Signed-in members can like or dislike each material; select the same rating again to remove it. Administrators can also view import and rating counts.

Free media library imports cost 0 Credit and are outside personal storage limits and the Free plan's seven-day expiry. Check the creator, source, and usage terms on each media card.

“DirecTune PREVIEW” and the audio confirmation sound on library previews are replaced with the original media during final Export. The “DirecTune.app” watermark on Free exports is separate and remains visible.

3. Arrange scenes and add movement

Drag media from the library to the Storyboard to add a Scene at the green insertion line, or click to add it at the end. Drag a handle to reorder scenes. A video Scene starts with the media's duration; keep the whole project within three minutes.

Select a Scene to adjust its duration, video start position, scale, rotation, 3D movement, and brightness. Text can have its own Motion.

Click the Color adjustment or Text heading on the right to expand or collapse its controls. Choose effects in the Effects tab on the right, and use Apply to all scenes to apply the selected effect throughout the project.

Click the small square between Scenes to open “Edit transition.” Choose a cut, dissolve, or another transition, then select “Apply.” Use “Undo” for the previous edit and “Redo” to restore an undone edit.

4. Adjust audio

Use “Audio” in the left menu to switch between “Music,” “Narration,” and “Sound effects.” Uploads, “Import saved audio,” and free media are added to the selected track. The Music and Narration tabs also open AI generation.

You can place up to 80 audio clips in a project of up to three minutes. Select a clip in the lower track to edit its video start time, source start time, duration, volume, and looping. Drag it horizontally, or use “Previous” and “Next” to reorder clips.

You can reuse the same source, and overlapping clips play together. Removing a clip leaves the source media intact. Audio after the end of the video is not exported, so add a Scene or shorten the audio.

5. Generate media with AI

AI generation, writing assistance, article video generation, and Export require an account. You can transfer content entered before registration. Registering alone does not automatically start generation or Export.

1. Open “AI generation,” choose Video, Image, Music, or Narration, and enter what you want to create. Prompts must contain at least eight characters.
2. Video generation offers 5, 10, or 15 seconds; images offer 1K or 2K; Music is 30 seconds; and Narration accepts up to 600 characters with a Japanese voice and speaking speed.
3. Use the free prompt assistance when helpful. Accepting a suggestion alone does not generate media.
4. Select “Generate with AI,” then check your balance and the Credit estimate in the confirmation dialog. Select the “Generate for an estimated … Credit” button to start. The estimated Credit is reserved at the start and settled using the generation service’s actual charge.
5. Completed media is added automatically to a scene or the appropriate audio track when there is room. If a limit prevents placement, adjust the existing clips before adding it. If a result is uncertain, check Generation history, the media library, and pending Credit on My page before submitting another job.

6. Create Japanese narration

Open “AI generation” → “Narration,” enter “Text to read aloud,” and choose a voice and “Speaking speed.” Five Japanese voices—three female and two male—and three speeds—slow, standard, and fast—are available. Check the displayed Credit amount before generating.

When there is room, generated audio is added automatically to the end of the Narration track and does not loop by default. You can then adjust its position, duration, and volume like other audio media.

For both typed scripts and article videos, Adjust pronunciation lets you edit the text to speak. Replacing kanji with kana leaves the original script, headings, and captions unchanged. If you change the original script, reset and update the pronunciation text.

Select a placed narration and open Correct pronunciation under Audio. Check the revision Credits, generate, compare it with the original, then select Replace with this audio. The entire audio is regenerated with the same voice and speed; only the selected clip is replaced. Restore previous audio or Undo returns to the previous version while that audio remains available.

If a revision extends beyond the video, into the end card, or over another narration, adjust the placement before applying it. For trimmed audio, save the revision to media and place it manually. Audio without a saved script and voice settings is not eligible. Revisions use storage and generation Credits are not refunded when you discard them. Remove unwanted candidates through the usual saved-media cleanup.

7. Create a summary video from a blog article

Enter a public blog URL in “What kind of video do you want to make?” on the New project page. Social pages requiring sign-in and paid articles cannot be imported. Some public articles may also be unavailable. Follow the on-screen guidance if an article cannot be imported.

1. Select “Review the article and Credit,” then choose an approximate length of 30, 60, or 90 seconds, a narrator, speaking pace, and background music.
2. Select “Review article with these settings” and wait for the summary and image safety checks. On the review screen, check and edit the headings, narration scripts, and image order. No Credit is spent up to this point.
3. Confirm that you have the rights or permission to use the article text and images in a video, and that you have checked the summary.
4. Check your available Credit and select “Create video for 50 Credit.” When Narration generation finishes, the editor opens with the images and headings arranged.

8. Create a video from a product page

Enter a Yahoo! Shopping product page URL on the New project page. Rakuten is not supported yet. Store homepages, search, review and redirect URLs cannot be used. Excluded products include medicines, medical equipment, health foods, financial services and adult products.

1. Select “Review the product and Credit” and choose length, narrator, pace, music and whether to include the price. Narration introduces the product in Japanese as a store staff member.
2. Review the product and store names, price, retrieval time, images and narration. The price is spoken; the retrieval time appears only on screen. When pricing is unsupported, such as for tax-exempt products, a reason is shown and the price scene is omitted.
3. Edit or reorder images, headings and narration, or delete a scene when there are at least four. Price scenes work the same way. Reset and re-enter custom pronunciation after editing, deleting or reordering narration. Article videos use the same controls.
4. Confirm rights to the text and images and that the product is not excluded, then select “Create video for 50 Credit.” Review is free. Drafts last one hour; completed videos can be edited and exported (Export costs another 10 Credit).

9. Check motion and sound

Play the central “Preview” to check Scene length, transitions, readable text, and volume. Choose Standard 540p, Lightweight 360p, or High quality 1080p for Playback quality. If playback stutters, lower the quality and close demanding tabs or apps.

The volume and mute controls under “Adjust preview volume” affect monitoring only; they do not change the final video's volume. Adjust final levels on audio clips or video media.

Select “Create preview” to render a review video with Music and effects. This costs 0 Credit. Create it again after changing media or effects.

10. Export and save

Export uses 10 Credit when it completes. The reservation is released if you cancel or the export fails. Free videos include a 50% opacity “DirecTune.app” watermark at the upper left. Watermark removal or changes are planned for Basic and above, but paid-plan signup and purchase are not available yet.

1. Select “Export,” then choose MP4 or WebM under File format and 1080p or 720p under Quality.
2. Select “Export video for 10 Credit” and keep the PC and browser open until processing finishes.
3. After completion, select “Download” to save the video to your PC, then play it to check the picture and sound.

11. Save and manage projects

Edits save automatically. Keep the page open while “Saving…” or “Retry saving” is shown, and check the save status. Use “Save and return to projects” to go back to the list.

Use “Undo” and “Redo” to move backward and forward through edits. The shortcuts are Ctrl/Command + Z and Ctrl/Command + Shift + Z.

In the project list, search by name and sort by newest update or name. Each card's menu offers rename, duplicate, move to trash, and restore.

“Empty trash” permanently deletes the affected projects and cannot be undone. Deleting a project leaves its media files in storage. Deleting media from My page affects other projects that use it.

12. Credit and storage limits

My page shows available Credit, expiry dates, pending reservations and settlement, usage history, and storage. Credit purchases are not available.

AI generation adds 15% to the generation service’s actual charge, converts at 1 USD = 100 Credit, and rounds up to a whole Credit with a minimum of 1 Credit. An estimate is reserved at the start and settled after the actual charge is known. Charges already incurred may still be settled if checks or saving fail after generation.

After the current campaign begins, the first 300 new registrations receive 100 Credit valid for one month. From the day after registration, signing in grants 50 Credit once per day in Japan time, even if you were not eligible for the sign-up gift. This Credit is valid for seven days. Check the on-screen terms and expiry dates.

Trash does not count toward the project limit, but media still uses storage. Free-plan media becomes subject to deletion seven days after storage, so keep needed media and finished videos on your PC.

See planned pricing

13. Troubleshooting

If the problem remains, contact support with the displayed error, reference ID, time of occurrence, and steps you took.

I cannot hear sound

Check the PC and browser volume and “Adjust preview volume.” If the finished video is also silent, check the volume and placement of audio clips and video media.

Preview playback stutters

Change “Playback quality” to “Lightweight 360p” and close demanding tabs or apps. You can also check a rendered video with “Create preview.”

I cannot import media

Check the file format and size, available storage, and displayed error. If AVI or GIF conversion fails, convert it to a supported format before importing.

Generated media is missing

Check “Generation history,” the media library, and pending reservations or settlement on My page. Do not submit repeated jobs while the result is uncertain.

Saving fails

Keep the page open, check the connection, and select “Retry saving.” If a conflict appears, record important unsaved changes before reloading.

Media is no longer available

Check the storage expiry and whether the media was deleted. Re-upload the original saved on your PC and replace it.

MP4 export is unavailable

Follow the on-screen guidance, choose WebM, or update Chrome or Edge and try again.

14. Explainer video

Choose Explainer video in the new project template, then enter the title and a two-person conversation directly. File upload is not used. Write "Small title: Heading" to set a small title at the top of the video. Long input lines are split automatically at natural sentence breaks. The limits are 60 lines after splitting, 800 characters total and three minutes. AI does not rewrite the dialogue.

Choose the characters, two different voices, pace and BGM. Every video starts with a three-second title. Automatic BGM plays from the opening title through the final summary; No BGM also keeps the final five seconds silent. Select Generate title image for 0 Credits, edit the final three lines, then select Generate summary background for 0 Credits to review its dedicated background. At least 50 Credits for video creation must be available before either image. Scenes use a 0.2-second dissolve by default. Video creation costs a fixed 50 Credits including speech; export costs 10 Credits. If annotations fail, you can continue without them.

Choose AI-generated backgrounds for each topic or scene to combine the script into at most six visual groups. Each background is shared by its covered lines, and generation progress shows the matching speaker names and dialogue beside every image. It defaults off, preserving stock or plain backgrounds. Reserve 5 Credits per image and settle the actual API cost plus 15%. The maximum reservation is the number of images times 5 Credits, separate from the 50-Credit video. The title image and dedicated final summary background cost 0 Credits. Uncertain orders or missing usage stay reserved and are never automatically reordered. Progress is saved; reload and continue within six hours of starting.

Edit captions, speakers and headings under Dialogue in the editor. Reiko and Mariko use full-body artwork with five expressions: Normal, Happy, Surprised, Troubled and Angry. They blink automatically and move their mouths during narration. Muted or unavailable audio clips keep the mouth closed. Expressions and animation appear in both previews and exports. The Sora and Riku placeholders continue to support expressions and mouth animation. Caption edits do not change speech. Use Revise this line’s pronunciation to revise one audio clip.