🎬 Annotation Studio

Create annotated video clips with drawings, arrows, circles, and text to teach athletic skills visually.

What Is the Annotation Studio?

The Annotation Studio lets you draw directly on training videos to highlight technique, movement patterns, and coaching points. You can trim clips, add visual annotations, and share them with students.

Key Capabilities

  • 6 drawing tools — Arrow, line, circle, rectangle, freehand, and text
  • Color palette — Red, green, blue, yellow, and white
  • Adjustable thickness — Fine to bold stroke widths
  • Clip trimming — Set in/out points to create focused segments
  • Playback speed — 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x, 2x for movement analysis
  • Undo/Redo — Full history for annotation edits
  • Drill linking — Associate clips with training progressions
  • Video rendering — Burn annotations into the video file

Step 1: Load a Video

You can load video from two sources:

Upload a Local File

Click the upload area or drag and drop a video file (MP4, WebM, MOV). The video loads directly into the viewer.

Load from Cloud Clip Library

If you have previously recorded clips stored in the cloud (R2), they can be loaded by opening an existing annotation in edit mode.

📸 Annotation Studio layout
Video on the left, tools and metadata on the right

Step 2: Draw Annotations

Select a Tool

Choose from the toolbar on the right side:

Tool How to Use Best For
Arrow Click start point, drag to end point Showing direction of movement
Line Click start, drag to end Alignment guides, angles
Circle Click center, drag outward Highlighting body parts, areas
Rectangle Click corner, drag to opposite corner Boxing zones, equipment
Freehand Click and draw freely Motion paths, custom shapes
Text Click to place, type text Labels, coaching cues

Choose Color and Thickness

Select a color from the color palette (red, green, blue, yellow, white) and adjust stroke thickness using the slider. Use bright colors that contrast with the video background.

💡

Contrast tip: Use red or yellow for dark backgrounds (outdoor fields) and blue or white for lighter backgrounds (gym floors).

Undo and Redo

Made a mistake? Click Undo to remove the last drawing, or Redo to bring it back. You can also Clear All to start fresh.

Step 3: Trim the Clip (Optional)

Use the timeline controls to focus on a specific moment:

  1. Play the video to find the start of the segment you want
  2. Click the green In marker to set the start point
  3. Continue playing to the end of the segment
  4. Click the red Out marker to set the end point

The clip will only include footage between your In and Out markers when saved.

Playback Speed

Use the speed buttons to analyze movement at different speeds:

  • 0.5x — Slow motion for detailed technique review
  • 1x — Normal speed
  • 1.5x — Slightly faster for reviewing long clips
  • 2x — Double speed for quick scanning

Step 4: Add Metadata

Fill in the details so clips are organized and searchable:

  • Title — Descriptive name (e.g., "Batting Stance - Elbow Position")
  • Description — Coaching notes about what to focus on
  • Sport — Select the sport (Baseball, Basketball, Fitness, etc.)
  • Skill Focus — Specific skill being demonstrated
  • Tags — Add tags for filtering (e.g., "batting", "form", "drill")

Step 5: Link to a Drill (Optional)

If this clip demonstrates a specific drill from a training progression, you can link it:

  1. Expand the Drill Linking section in the form
  2. Search for or select a drill progression
  3. The clip will appear as a demonstration video in that drill's progression view
🏋️

Drill videos: Linked clips show up in the student's drill progression view, giving them visual examples of what each drill looks like.

Step 6: Save and Render

Save the Annotation

Click the Save button in the header. The annotation is stored with all drawings, metadata, and clip trim points.

Render the Video

After saving, the Render Video button appears. Rendering burns your annotations directly into the video file using FFmpeg, creating a standalone video that shows your drawings without needing the annotation overlay.

  • Rendering requires the annotation to have both a clip and drawings
  • The render status shows as Pending, Processing, Complete, or Failed
  • If you change drawings after rendering, a hint appears suggesting you re-render

Edit Mode

Reopen any saved annotation to edit drawings, metadata, or trim points. A yellow banner indicates you're in edit mode. Changes are saved when you click Save again.