TimeBolt: Fast Video Editing for Anyone Creating Online Courses, Podcasts, or Vlogs.

I resisted making tutorial videos for a long time because I don't like editing. Specifically I don't like editing me teaching as I step students through a process during a screen record. I have a tendency to insert long pauses not just in the middle of sentences but between multiple words in the middle of sentences as my pace matches what I'm doing onscreen.

This makes for very long and very slow paced video tutorials. To counteract this I have to edit out all the pauses. This can take hours, or even days on particularly long tutorials.

For example, when I created my main course, The Lazy Animator Beginner's Guide to Cartoon Animator, I literally injured the thumb on my right hand, operating my mouse, as I spent weeks taking out all my pauses (seriously, I had to wear a thumb brace for a few weeks to fix the pain).

Recently I came across TimeBolt, a very affordable, fast editing application with the featured purpose of removing all the pauses from your video (and even audio if you're recording podcasts). It's phenomenal, taking seconds to identify and remove pauses from your recording.

As well you can edit and fine tune TimeBolt's cuts, so if you want more padding at each side of your audio or you want to leave a silent section in, it's very easy to adjust using the single track timeline.

It does have a few other features including adding transitions instead of jump cuts, or just fast forwarding the silences. There's also the ability to add background music to the video, as well as different export options including exporting each section as individual clips (rather than one complete video), or exporting directly to Premiere, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Camtasia.

While I was extremely impressed by TimeBolt I did spend quite a lot of time trying to find a free alternative. While there is at least one or two out there, Jump Cutter Ultra for video (not very user friendly), and Audacity is excellent if you're just working with audio (seriously just use Audacity if you're only working with audio), I couldn't find anything as simple as TimeBolt for video.

I also trialed a few paid options like WiseCut and KapWing's SmartCut but both of them wouldn't open the FLV files I record to with OBS while TimeBolt would. Plus both of those are cloud based while TimeBolt is a desktop app. As well TimeBolt's pricing options were more to my liking with a monthly or annual fee, or a one off, lifetime license.

Using TimeBolt in Practice

For my first actual project with TimeBolt I filmed an hour and a half screen recording of me rigging a character for my upcoming animation featuring Mia and The Tourist (which I've covered the script writing, storyboarding, and background creation of previously in this blog). This resulted in a 1.8GB .FLV file complete with every pause, distraction, and more.

I found when I opened this file in TimeBolt it would open fine, and strip out all the pauses but wasn't able to show the video preview. When I rendered the file out it gave me an incomplete file. Prior to this I had not seen this issue but I figured it was probably stretching the software's limits somewhat.

Unfortunately without the video preview committing to its edits wasn't possible as I knew some of the silences had to stay in. So I opened the file in my video editor (ShotCut) and proceeded to edit out the 'big' unwanted pauses where I was thinking, trying to work something out or telling my dog that it wasn't play time. I actually only reduced the time by 15 minutes but when I exported the file I also made the overall file size two thirds smaller.

TimeBolt's editor window showing the video preview and timeline with
all the removed pauses marked in red.

I realize I probably reduced the overall quality of my source video doing this but the quality is still perfectly fine for a screen record tutorial. This new file I loaded into TimeBolt and it opened with no trouble, complete with video preview.

It removed all those smaller pauses I didn't need, automatically sped up long pauses where I wasn't speaking, and I was able to preview TimeBolt's edits, making any adjustments. Overall it reduced my footage from 75 minutes to 28 minutes in seconds. Basically doing the worst part of an editing job.

To finish up, I exported the file from TimeBolt, imported it back into my editor, added all my titles, added addition composition edits, and speed up some footage even further. The final 20 minute video showing my character rigging process is below. It only took me a few hours to edit in full, instead of a few hours just to remove all the pauses.

Get a 20% Discount with My Code

You can trial TimeBolt for free (though it does watermark the output) to see if it works well for your needs. If you decide it is for you you can take advantage of my affiliate code coupon, just enter 'ARTTIME' in the coupon code box at checkout and get an initial 20% off whatever license you choose (I recommend the annual license as the best value for a first time user).

* Note: This article contains TimeBolt affiliate links. Using them helps to keep this website free.

Comments

Eight 2D Animation Apps For Your Phone or Tablet Mobile Device

M obile productivity apps have become so capable that they can be great alternatives to their PC/MAC equivalents or serve as great tools in their own right when you're away from your desk. While some apps simply mimic their desktop counterparts, others offer well thought out, touch-friendly interfaces that are easier and more fun to use. Every so often I check out what's available for 2D animation for Android devices, since that's what I use, that can complement my workflow with Reallusion's Cartoon Animator 5. Some may be available for Apple devices as well. Below I've listed six free (F) apps (with optional paid (P) upgrades) on the Google Play Store that you might want to explore. Some are just fun apps on their own while others may be useful as part of your workflow on bigger animation projects. Not all are exclusively animation apps and could be used on any production. JotterPad (F/P) The name JotterPad makes this sound like a notepad application but it's ...

Creating an AI Digital Avatar and Voice Clone of Myself with Free and Low Cost AI Tools

O ver the years I've looked at various ways of creating and animating a digital avatar, from simply creating a character for Cartoon Animator and voicing and animating it myself, to creating a live motion capture ready Vtuber avatar puppeted and voiced by me in real-time. In the last year or so, making photographic images talk, using AI and AI voice cloning has really progressed. To the point where I wondered if I could create a photographic AI avatar of myself, complete with my cloned voice, that I might use on some of my videos? Creating My Avatar: Artflow To create my avatar image, as far as I'm concerned, Artflow.ai is the best value AI site for creating consistent digital characters (or 'actors' as Artflow calls them). That's pretty much their entire focus. Artflow's actor model training user interface. You get your first actor for free, 100 free credits per month (which equates to 100 still images per month - get an additional 50 credits if you sign...

Inochi2D - Free Open Source 2D VTuber Avatar Rigging and Puppeteering Software (Part 1)

Inochi2D Creator - Free Open Source VTuber Software. If you've been looking for a way to live perform as a 2D cartoon avatar on camera, whether it be for a live stream or for pre-recorded content like educational videos, then VTuber software is a low cost (or even no cost) option worth looking into. In my previous post, How to Become a VTuber - 2D and 3D Software for Creating and Controlling Your Avatar , I took a brief look at the relatively new but completely free and open source Inochi2D which I thought showed great potential for my own needs of creating a live performance character rig for my own TET Avatar that I use for all my promotional materials. While it is possible to live perform my character using Cartoon Animator itself, Reallusion's MotionLive2D capture system isn't great - with lip sync in particular. More importantly though, I can't exactly teach people how to use Cartoon Animator if I'm using Cartoon Animator to control my Avatar. What is Inochi2D...

Five AI Generative Image to Video Tools For Animation You Can Try Free Right Now

The Emo Girl Character created by Start Animating. A I generative video isn't new but it is the next big thing in the visual imaging space as various development teams work to perfect the generated output. Just like generating still images AI video sometimes struggles with physics, arm and hand movement, and the general structure of things. However it is getting better and, as is the catch cry of all AI development, this is the worst it will ever be, because it's improving fast. If you're an animator one current potential use of generative AI video is to animate your key frames, as opposed to generating something entirely from a text prompt. Starting with an image helps to keep your characters and art style consistent across AI generations. With that in mind I tried five, free image to video AI generators to see what their potential might be and whether they can handle cartoon style characters well. Note all but the last entry on the list do not create any sound with the...

Hand Drawn 2D Digital Animation - Get Started with These 3 Free Applications

Penguin Jump Pencil Roughs by TET. Hand drawn 2D animation, more commonly described as 'traditional' animation, where each character movement is meticulously drawn frame by frame is still one of the most versatile forms of the art. Essentially, if you can draw it, then it can be animated. There's really no limits other than your own drawing and animation skills. If you already have a digital drawing tablet or pen display monitor and want to get into hand drawn, 2D digital animation then these three applications are a great starting point and they're all completely free.

Inochi2D - Free Open Source 2D VTuber Avatar Rigging and Puppeteering Software (Part 2 - Inochi2D Session)

In part one of my deep dive into the free VTuber software, Inochi2D , I focused mainly on Inochi2D Creator, which is used for rigging your character avatar in the correct file format for use with Inochi2D Session, the puppeteering part of the software. The two sides of the software are still very much in development and the documentation, particularly for Session, is very thin on the ground. To the point where I don't think I could even do a comprehensive tutorial because I'm not sure I'm even doing things right, and the software could change significantly in a single update. As a result, in this part of my Inochi2D deep dive I'm changing tact from presenting my finished Cartoon Animator TET Avatar, and will be summarizing my experience of getting Session up and running using OpenSeeFace as the recommended webcam motion capture software. To do this I will be using the TET avatar I created in my review of Mannequin , since that can be exported as a full, ready to go r...

The Ultimate Independent Animator's App and Resource List - Animation and Video Life

Image created with Cartoon Animator 4. Being an independent animator is not like a studio animation job. There's so much more to do that is indirectly related to the actual task of animating. Over the years I've sought out many apps, tools, and services that can help me achieve that one single task, expressing myself through animation. Below is my Ultimate Independent Animator's Resource List for 2024 (last updated Oct 2024). It started out as a list of free or low cost apps that could help you in every stage of producing either 2D or 3D animation, and then just kind of grew from there. You may not have been looking for a Time Management App as much as you needed something to get you started in 3D animation but when those commissioned projects start coming in you'll have a head start on maximizing your time. All the apps and services on this list had to meet two main criteria: They had to be useful and relevant to an Indy Animator/artist. The base app/se...

Animation and Video Life

Search This Blog