Catch the "stuck at 99%" class of export failures before they happen
Exports hang or fail late in the process — often near completion — due to insufficient free space, problematic clips, or unstable settings. This recipe checks disk space, validates export targets, and provides a fallback render path before you waste an hour waiting for a doomed export.
Create a skill called "Export Preflight Disk Guard". Ask me for: - export_path - duration_minutes (or media file/timeline export to infer) - target_bitrate_mbps - safety_multiplier and buffer_gb Then: - Estimate output size, check free space, warn early. - If I choose, generate a fallback plan: export mezzanine then ffmpeg transcode.
This skill estimates your export output size, checks free disk space with a safety
multiplier, and writes a pre-export checklist. If an export fails, it provides a fallback
strategy: export a mezzanine intermediate first, then transcode to final delivery format
with ffmpeg.
Stop audio drift by quarantining variable-frame-rate clips at ingest
Audio slowly drifts out of sync or randomly desyncs in your timeline when footage is variable frame rate — common with iPhone footage, screen recordings, and some OBS workflows. This recipe catches VFR clips at ingest, transcodes them to constant frame rate, and quarantines the originals so drift never reaches your edit.
A playbook for "stops at the same frame" and "freeze mid-render" failures
Renders freeze at a consistent percentage or frame — often caused by a bad clip, a heavy effect, a Fusion comp issue, or "stop render on error" settings. This recipe classifies the failure pattern and gives you a structured triage plan instead of blind re-exports.
Find out your backups are empty before you need them, not during the incident
Verifies your backups are actually restorable — checks completeness, freshness, and integrity. Runs automated restore tests to catch the silent failures that make backup confidence an illusion.
Stop Motion Graphics Templates from breaking at the worst possible moment
MOGRT templates glitch, fail to load font styles, falsely claim fonts are missing, or render incorrect text — especially after updates or on other machines. This recipe adds a dependency-check step so template issues surface early, not during a deadline crunch.