02 — Getting Started

02 — Getting Started

System Requirements

Component Requirement
Operating System Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit)
RAM 8 GB minimum; 16 GB recommended
Storage 500 MB for the app; additional space for generated media
Internet Required for AI generation features
GPU Not required; all AI runs on provider cloud infrastructure

Installation

  1. Download the latest installer (.msi or .exe) from the official product page.
  2. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts.
  3. When Windows SmartScreen prompts you, click More info → Run anyway (the app is code-signed but may trigger SmartScreen on first install).
  4. Launch HF AI Video Studio from the Start menu or desktop shortcut.

First Launch

On first launch, the editor opens to an empty project. Before you can use any AI features, you need to add at least one API key.

Adding API Keys

  1. Click the Settings icon (⚙️) in the top-right corner of the header bar.
  2. The Settings dialog opens. Make sure you are on the API Keys tab.
  3. Enter the keys you have. You do not need all four immediately — start with Replicate to unlock most AI generation features.
Key Where to Get It Required For
Replicate replicate.com/account/api-tokens Image, video, talking head, audio generation, voice synthesis
OpenAI platform.openai.com/api-keys Whisper transcription, GPT-Image models
Google Cloud console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials Google Cloud STT transcription
Gemini aistudio.google.com/apikey Gemini transcription, AI text polish

Each field in the Settings dialog has a clickable link that opens the provider’s key page in your system browser.

  1. After entering your keys, click Save. Keys are stored locally on your machine and are never transmitted to HF servers.

Setting Up Cloud Storage (Optional)

Cloud storage is only required if you plan to use Talking Head or Long-Form Pipeline features, which need to upload reference images to an accessible URL.

To configure it:

  1. Open Settings → Cloud Storage.
  2. Select your storage type: AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, or any other S3-compatible service.
  3. Enter your Access Key ID, Secret Access Key, Bucket Name, and (if needed) Region or Base URL.
  4. Save.

AWS / Cloudflare users: Your bucket must have CORS headers configured to allow browser-based uploads. See your provider’s documentation or the docs/AWS_S3_SETUP.md file included with the app for step-by-step instructions.

Configuring Your Export Folder

By default, exported files are saved to your system’s Downloads folder with an auto-generated timestamp in the filename (e.g., edited_video_20260413_143022.mp4).

To change the export destination:

  1. Open Settings → Export.
  2. Set a custom folder path (e.g., C:\Users\YourName\Desktop\Projects).
  3. Save.

Activating Your License

  1. Open Settings → License.
  2. Enter your license key.
  3. Click Activate. The app will validate the key and display your account status.

If you haven’t purchased a license, visit the product page for pricing and purchase options.

Previous: Introduction | Next: Interface Overview →