OpenTimelineIO — guide skill for editing & clips

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Academy Software Foundation's interchange format and API for editorial timelines (EDL, FCPXML, AAF adapters).

• Type: Guide · Editing & clips
• Slug: opentimelineio
• Status: live
• Publisher: Academy Software Foundation (community)
• License: Apache-2.0
• Source: https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/OpenTimelineIO
• Works in: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor
• Cost: Free/open source
• Adoption: 2,041 GitHub stars (GitHub, 2026-10-27)

What it does

OTIO is the open standard for passing an edit between tools: a Python/C++ API and file format for tracks, clips, transitions and markers, with adapters for CMX EDL, FCP XML, AAF and more. For agents it is a good neutral 'timeline JSON' to write before rendering or handing off to an NLE.

Use when

• hand an agent's cut to Resolve, Premiere or Avid
• convert between EDL, FCPXML and AAF
• store the edit as data you can diff

Install

• Claude Code: python -m pip install opentimelineio

More editing & clips skills

• Short-form FFmpeg cookbook: copyable commands for Reels: Footage into a 9:16 MP4 with FFmpeg: crop to vertical, burn captions, trim and join, music under the voice.
• Splice AI clips into a video with FFmpeg: Splice generated clips into an original video with ffmpeg without A/V drift: absolute trims, one audio track.
• Chengfeng Videocut: Chinese talking-head editing: word-level transcript, five-pass flub sweep, human review in a Studio, subtitles, export.
• Claude Code Video Toolkit: Open-source video workspace for Claude Code: script, voice, music, visuals and Remotion render on your own GPU account.
• Herk Edit Kit: Nate Herk's kit to edit talking-head videos, reels and Shorts: silence and flub cuts, storytelling, motion graphics.
• Clipify: Long videos into social clips: find funny lines or impact beats, cut, reframe to 9:16, burn word-by-word captions.