FAQ

General

What is StoryFab?

StoryFab is an AI-powered desktop video editing application that automatically transforms long videos into short, shareable clips optimized for social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.

Is StoryFab free?

Yes. StoryFab is open-source under the MIT License and is free to use for personal and commercial purposes.

What platforms does StoryFab support?

StoryFab runs on Windows 10/11, macOS 12+ (both Apple Silicon and Intel), and Linux.

Does StoryFab require an internet connection?

No. StoryFab is designed to work fully offline. The only optional online features are AI script generation (which requires an API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, or DeepSeek). Whisper transcription and voice synthesis run entirely locally.

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Installation

The installer won't open on macOS

macOS may block apps from unidentified developers. Right-click the .dmg file and select Open, then click Open in the dialog. Or run:

sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/StoryFab.app"

FFmpeg not found

StoryFab requires FFmpeg to be installed. See Installation → FFmpeg for installation instructions.

If FFmpeg is installed but in a non-standard location, set the CUTDECK_FFMPEG_PATH environment variable.

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AI Features

How does highlight detection work?

StoryFab analyzes audio energy, visual scene changes, and speech patterns to score segments. Higher-scoring segments are more likely to be engaging moments. See AI Analysis for details.

Which AI provider should I use?

Provider	Best For	Cost
DeepSeek	Best value, good quality	Very low
OpenAI GPT-4o	Highest quality	High
Anthropic Claude	Balanced quality/safety	Medium

All three are free to set up with your own API key. StoryFab does not charge for AI usage.

Can I run Whisper without an internet connection?

Yes. Whisper runs entirely locally using the faster-whisper Rust crate. No internet required.

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Export

Why is the exported video so large?

Use a lower quality preset (Settings → Export → Quality → Low). This increases the CRF value, resulting in smaller files with slightly reduced quality.

Can I export with subtitles only (no voice-over)?

Yes. In the export dialog, leave Script disabled and enable Burn Subtitles. This will embed the Whisper-generated subtitles directly into the video.

What video formats are supported?

Input: MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WebM
Output: MP4 (H.264 + AAC)

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Troubleshooting

StoryFab crashes on startup

Check the logs at:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\StoryFab\logs\
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/StoryFab/logs/
• Linux: ~/.local/share/StoryFab/logs/

File a bug report at GitHub Issues with the log output.

Video processing is very slow

• Use a GPU-enabled Whisper model (if you have an NVIDIA GPU with CUDA)
• Close other resource-heavy applications
• Reduce the number of concurrent tasks
• Use a faster Whisper model (e.g., tiny instead of medium)