# AI Effects Source: [AI Effects]() Documentation index: [llms.txt]() Last updated: 2026-09-20 AI Effects lets you describe a visual treatment in natural language. ChatCut uses a compatible built-in effect when possible and can create a custom effect or transition when the Library does not cover the request. Effects change timeline playback without rewriting the source video. ## What do I need before writing the prompt? - First check whether **Library** already has the Effect, LUT, Zoom, or Transition you need. A built-in effect can be dragged to the timeline without a prompt. - When asking AI to create or apply an effect, prepare the target video clip or two adjacent clips for a transition. - Decide the time range, intensity, and any faces, products, or text that must remain intact. Optionally prepare reference images, reference video, or color samples. - Use Selection Mode or an `@` mention to identify the target precisely. ## Prompts you can copy Prompt ```text Apply a subtle cinematic grade to @selected-clip. Lower the highlights, add a small amount of teal to the shadows, keep skin tones natural, and do not change the exposure. ``` Prompt ```text Add an eight-frame glass-refraction transition at the cut between @clip-A and @clip-B. Move left to right with soft edges and no bright flash. ``` Prompt ```text Create a circular reveal mask over the first three seconds of @product-shot. Expand from the center of the product, keep the background unchanged, and reveal the full original frame at the end. ``` State the target, effect type, time range, intensity, and anything that must remain unchanged. A prompt that only says “make it cinematic” is harder to control. ## Add a built-in effect manually 1. Open **Library**. If it is hidden, use **Workspace → Library**. 2. Browse **Effects**, **LUTs**, **Zoom**, or **Transitions**. 3. Drag an Effect, LUT, or Zoom onto a compatible video clip. Drag a Transition onto the cut between two adjacent clips on the same video track. 4. Select the affected clip or effect and adjust any available strength, duration, or other controls in the current toolbar. 5. Delete the effect or use Undo to return to the previous state. For portrait background removal, do not generate a custom shader. ChatCut Desktop provides the dedicated **AI Portrait Cutout** effect. See [AI Background Removal](https://pr-444-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/ai-background-removal). ### Edit masks and effect geometry in Desktop ChatCut Desktop 0.3.13 or later includes a native **Linear Mask** with direction, position, feather, and gradient-stop controls. In Desktop 0.4.21 or later, rectangle, circle, linear-mask, magnifier, and local-mosaic geometry can also be dragged directly in the Viewer while the Inspector or floating effect panel is open. One completed drag creates one Undo step. Desktop also exposes blending modes such as **Normal** and **Multiply** for visual items and captions. These controls change how a layer combines with the layers below it; they do not alter the source media file. ## What happens afterward? If a prompt only asks ChatCut to “create” a custom effect, it may remain as a project resource. To use it immediately, say “create and apply it to @target.” Generation may show a credit confirmation; built-in Library effects normally require no generation. To separate a person from the background instead of treating the whole frame, use the built-in effect covered in [AI Background Removal](https://pr-444-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/ai-background-removal). See also [Library](https://pr-444-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/library), [Selection Mode](https://pr-444-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/selection-mode), [Timeline](https://pr-444-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/timeline), and [Generation Confirmations and Auto-Allow](https://pr-444-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/generation-confirmations).