Smart Preview
Overview
Section titled “Overview”Smart Preview generates a 15-second beat-synced draft of your footage using your current project settings. It’s designed to give you a quick taste of what the engine will produce — without waiting for a full render.
You’ll find it on the Welcome Launcher (the Quick Start screen) and it’s available any time you have ingested footage and a music track loaded.
How to Use
Section titled “How to Use”- Open Onset Engine and ensure you have footage ingested and a music track selected
- On the Welcome Launcher, click ▶ Watch Smart Preview
- Wait a few seconds — the engine runs a fast draft render capped at 15 seconds
- The preview opens automatically in your default video player
Re-roll
Section titled “Re-roll”After the first preview, a 🔄 button appears next to the preview button. Click it to generate a different 15-second preview with reshuffled clip selection. This lets you quickly explore different possible edits without changing any settings.
What It Produces
Section titled “What It Produces”Smart Preview uses the same pipeline as a normal draft render, with two key differences:
- Duration cap: Output is capped at 15 seconds (regardless of music track length)
- Quality filter: Only the highest-rated clips are used, ensuring the preview shows your best footage
The output file is saved as *_DRAFT.mp4 in your project directory.
When to Use It
Section titled “When to Use It”| Scenario | Benefit |
|---|---|
| First-time setup | See if your footage and music work together |
| Testing a new music track | Quick check if the beat-sync feels right |
| Demoing to a client | Show a 15-second teaser before committing to a full render |
| Exploring clip selection | Re-roll to see different combinations |