1. Choose the shots for your montage
Start with at least two video clips or photos. Put them in the order you want them to play, and choose a frame that suits the finished video. A travel recap, product montage or music-led reel is a useful fit.
- Mix wide views, details and movement when the footage supports it.
- Keep important actions inside the part of each shot you want to use.
- For dialogue or a narrated demonstration, preserve the spoken explanation before deciding which sections belong in a montage.
2. Add your music track
Upload your own audio or choose a track from the built-in library. Listen for the pulse, changes in energy and a useful ending. Beat Edits analyzes the track to find tempo and hits; the selected music shapes the resulting cut.
3. Generate the montage and choose the timing
Run Beat Edits to sequence and time the shots. Cut on the hits is on by default, so the montage can follow detected impacts in the track. Turn it off to use a steady BPM grid and adjust the tempo when that produces a better rhythm.
- Play the sequence with sound and watch whether the cuts suit the music.
- If detected hits feel irregular, compare the steady-grid version.
- Individual cuts remain editable on the timeline.
4. Adjust Style, Energy, Motion and Length
Style combines transitions and cut rhythm: Punchy, Smooth, Glitch, Clean, Retro and Velocity are available. Energy controls zoom punches and supported accents, with Off, Subtle and Hard options. Motion adds slow zoom movement on photos. These controls do different jobs, so change one at a time and compare the result.
- Use Length to extend the montage with repeats when you want a longer sequence.
- Sync to the drop is available when a drop has been detected.
- Revert restores the state from before the Beat Edits pass.
5. Review the opening, joins and ending
Check that the montage starts clearly, keeps useful action in each shot and finishes at a deliberate point in the music. Reduce the effects or adjust individual cuts when they distract from the footage. Export the finished video after a full playback; Creator supports up to 1080p and Pro up to 4K.
✖ Using a music grid to cut through dialogue
Why it fails: The cuts can interrupt a spoken explanation or remove needed context.
✔ Better approach: Keep the dialogue intact and use beat-synced cutting for a deliberate montage section.
✖ Leaving every accent at the strongest setting
Why it fails: Effects can compete with the movement already present in the shots.
✔ Better approach: Compare Subtle or Off and keep the treatment that suits the footage.
✖ Ignoring repeats when extending Length
Why it fails: A longer montage can reuse shots and feel repetitive.
✔ Better approach: Review the repeats or add more useful source shots.
Start this editing workflow in Cubix
Choose the shots and track, then review an editable beat-synced montage.
Editing workflows in Cubix
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions around this editing workflow.