A good template should be easy for another user to understand and fill without changing the parts that define its design. Before creating the template, decide which media users should replace and choose the workflow that best matches the type of content you are building.
After preparing the project, follow How to Create and Share VN Template? to select replaceable footage, configure template permissions, and publish or share the finished template.
Use Frames for Replaceable Media
If a photo or video is intended to be replaced by the end user, add it using [Frame] under [Elements].
Media placed inside a Frame is automatically selected as user-replaceable when you create the template. This reduces the amount of manual selection required and helps prevent an intended media slot from being left out.
Use Frames for content such as:
- Photos that users should replace with their own images.
- Video clips intended as user footage.
- Poster, cover, or collage image slots.
- Repeated media areas that should keep the same shape and placement.
For the complete template publishing process, see How to Create and Share VN Template?.
Keep Graphics as Design Elements
Graphics are not automatically selected as user-replaceable when you create a template. Graphics are normally used as part of the template's visual design and are expected to remain unchanged when another user fills the template.
Typical Graphics include decorative shapes, labels, icons, borders, badges, or other visual accents. Use Graphics for fixed design elements, and use Frames for the photos or videos that users need to replace.
Before publishing, review the replaceable-media selection screen and confirm that only the intended user media is selected. This helps protect the template's layout and prevents design elements from being treated as content slots.
Use Flow App for Image-Based Templates
When a template is mainly based on images, use the Flow app to create it. Flow provides a more intuitive canvas-based workflow for arranging images and designing content such as:
- Posters and promotional graphics.
- Photo collages and image layouts.
- Video covers and thumbnails.
- Invitations, cards, and other image-first designs.
Using Flow makes it easier to position, resize, layer, and manage image elements before turning the design into a template. Add the user-replaceable images with Frames so they can be identified correctly during template creation.
A Flow design can contain multiple pages. Swipe from right to left on the canvas to move to the next page and build a sequence of image layouts within the same design.
When the design is ready to turn into a video:
1. Select [Make a video with VN].
2. Set the display duration for each image page.
3. Open the generated project in VN and continue editing it directly in the VN app.
This workflow is useful when you want to design image pages in Flow first, then add music, timing, transitions, text, or other video edits in VN.
Use BeatsClips From Music for Beat-Based Templates
When the template is built around a music track, start with [BeatsClips] > [From Music]. This workflow lets you choose the music first, mark its beats, and then build the template around the rhythm.
You can add beats manually for precise control or use [Auto Beats] to generate beat points automatically. Review the beat timing before creating the template, especially around strong transitions, drops, or changes in the music.
See How to Create a BeatsClips Project? for the editing workflow and How to Create and Share a BeatsClips Template? for publishing and sharing steps.
How to Recreate Beat Edits From a Short Video
If you want to recreate a video you saw and the edit is mostly based on music beats, use [BeatsClips] > [From Short Video].
You can use the original video or a screen recording as the reference:
1. Open [BeatsClips] > [From Short Video].
2. Select the reference video or recording.
3. Trim it to the section you want to recreate.
4. Add beat points at the cuts, transitions, or important visual changes.
5. Create the beat template, then fill it with your own photos or videos.
This approach lets you capture the rhythm and timing of the reference without rebuilding every cut manually on the main editing timeline.
The current BeatsClips guide describes this workflow under the video-based creation method: How to Create a BeatsClips Project?.
Create Compact BeatsClips Templates for Sharing
When creating a BeatsClips template that you plan to share, use [BeatsClips] > [From Music] and keep the project short and lightweight. We recommend using a music section of around 10 to 15 seconds.
For the photos or videos that users are expected to replace, add them with [Frame] under [Elements]. Frames are automatically recognized as user-replaceable during template creation and help avoid packaging unnecessary source media into the template. This keeps the template file smaller, making it easier and faster for others to share, download, and open.
To keep a shared BeatsClips template compact:
- Start with [From Music] instead of building a large regular project.
- Select only the strongest 10 to 15 seconds of the track.
- Use Frames for all user-intended photos and videos.
- Avoid including unnecessary media, layers, or beat points.
- Preview the template with replacement media before publishing it.
For the complete publishing workflow, see How to Create and Share a BeatsClips Template?.
Review Before Publishing
Before creating and publishing the template, review the project from the end user's perspective:
- Confirm every photo or video users need to replace was added with a Frame.
- Confirm Graphics and other fixed design elements remain part of the design.
- Use Flow for image-first layouts and BeatsClips for rhythm-first edits.
- For shared BeatsClips templates, use From Music, keep the project around 10 to 15 seconds, and use Frames for user-replaceable media.
- Check the replaceable-media selection before continuing to the publish screen.
- Preview the template with different photos or videos to make sure the crop, layout, timing, and text remain usable.
- Add a clear title, description, cover, and usage permissions before publishing.
A final test helps ensure the template is easy to fill and produces a consistent result for different users and media.