Video with Plinken Run
The browser handles video on its own: MP4 (H.264) import, timeline playback, the video monitor, MP4 export. With Plinken Run connected, heavy video work runs natively with the hardware codecs on this computer, and formats the browser cannot touch become available. Video editing itself needs the Pro plan or higher regardless of the runner; see Plans & credits.
Turning it on
Section titled “Turning it on”Settings → Runner → Video has two switches:
| Switch | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Use Plinken Run for video | On | Imports, master bounces and original-quality cuts go to the runner when it is connected. Off keeps every job in the browser. |
| Runner decodes preview video (experimental) | Off | The runner decodes the video monitor’s preview frames instead of the browser. |
The line This runner: … under the switches lists what the connected runner can do, which depends on the platform and the installed codecs.
Importing
Section titled “Importing”Drop a file onto a video track or into the Video Assets browser panel as usual. The browser accepts MP4 (H.264). With the runner connected, these sources import too:
| Containers | MP4, M4V, MOV, MKV, MXF, AVI, MTS, M2TS, WebM |
|---|---|
| Video codecs, macOS | H.264, HEVC, ProRes |
| Video codecs, Windows | H.264; HEVC when Microsoft’s HEVC Video Extensions are installed |
| Audio codecs | AAC, PCM; ALAC on macOS |
The runner downloads the original itself, transcodes it to Plinken’s editing format and hands the result back; peers see the import progress. Files up to 64 GB are accepted. When the browser cannot read a file and no runner is connected you see “This browser can’t read … files. Plinken Runner on macOS imports them with hardware acceleration.” Connect the runner and drop the file again.
More on the import pipeline: Importing video.
Bouncing the master
Section titled “Bouncing the master”The Bounce Master (Runner) panel in the video monitor renders the program output together with the project mix:
| Codec | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| H.264 (MP4, AAC audio) | Yes | Yes |
| HEVC (MP4) | Yes | With the HEVC Video Extensions |
| ProRes 422, 422 HQ, 4444 (MOV, 24-bit PCM audio) | Yes | No, the panel says “ProRes needs a macOS runner — this Windows runner bounces H.264” |
Options: Place on timeline registers the result as an imported video with a scrub proxy and thumbnails; Include audio is on by default. On the Mac, H.264 and PCM masters are bit-for-bit reproducible between runs.
The ordinary Bounce panel on the Grid also uses the runner when it is connected, which is how its H.265 (HEVC) and ProRes choices become available. See Rendering & export.
Original-quality cuts
Section titled “Original-quality cuts”Export original quality… in a video region’s menu writes the cut from the original file without re-encoding, so the result is identical to the source. The browser can do this for H.264 sources in Chrome, Edge and Safari 17+; the runner does it for the same sources on any supported browser and fetches the original itself. One clip per export.
Output on a second display
Section titled “Output on a second display”With the runner connected, the Native Engine page (right-click the header runner button → Engine…) lists every display with an Open on … button. The runner opens a borderless fullscreen window on that display showing the program output of the video monitor, synced to the timeline.
- Press Escape in the output window to close it. On Windows, focus returns to the browser.
- Any other key you press while the output window is focused is forwarded to the browser, so transport shortcuts keep working.
- The runner’s own window shows decode timing and missed frames under Video while the output is open.
The runner renders video, image, color, shape and shader layers with their effects and masks. Text, caption, Lottie, 3D-scene and camera layers are currently browser-only and show as transparent on the output window.
Versions must match
Section titled “Versions must match”Each video job stamps the version of the video pipeline it was made with. If the app and the runner disagree, the runner refuses the job and Plinken asks you to update the runner. See Updates.