Getting Started with pycamtasia

Build a complete Camtasia project from scratch using Python.

Prerequisites

pip install pycamtasia
brew install ffmpeg    # ffprobe needed for media import (macOS)

1. Create a New Project

import camtasia

proj = camtasia.new_project("my-video.cmproj")

2. Import Media

Add files to the media bin. import_media auto-detects duration via ffprobe.

narration = proj.import_media("assets/narration.wav")
slides = proj.import_media("assets/slide-01.png")
demo = proj.import_media("assets/demo.mp4")

for media in proj.media_bin:
    print(f"  {media.id}: {media.source}")

3. Build a Timeline with Clips

Tracks are created on demand. All add_* methods accept seconds.

audio_track = proj.timeline.get_or_create_track("Narration")
audio_clip = audio_track.add_audio(narration.id, start_seconds=0, duration_seconds=30.0)

slide_track = proj.timeline.get_or_create_track("Slides")
slide1 = slide_track.add_image(slides.id, start_seconds=0, duration_seconds=10.0)
slide2 = slide_track.add_image(slides.id, start_seconds=10, duration_seconds=10.0)

video_track = proj.timeline.get_or_create_track("Demo")
video_clip = video_track.add_video(demo.id, start_seconds=0, duration_seconds=15.0)

Inspect what you’ve built:

for track in proj.timeline.tracks:
    print(f"Track '{track.name}': {len(track)} clips")
    for clip in track.clips:
        print(f"  {clip.clip_type}: {clip.start_seconds:.1f}–{clip.end_seconds:.1f}s")

4. Apply Effects and Transitions

Effects

slide1.add_drop_shadow(offset=5, blur=10, opacity=0.5)
slide1.add_round_corners(radius=12.0)
video_clip.add_color_adjustment(brightness=0.1, contrast=0.2, saturation=1.2)

Transitions

Transitions connect two adjacent clips on the same track.

slide_track.transitions.add_dissolve(slide1, slide2, duration_seconds=0.5)

Other types — all accept (left_clip, right_clip, duration_seconds):

slide_track.transitions.add_fade_to_white(slide1, slide2, duration_seconds=0.5)
slide_track.transitions.add_slide(slide1, slide2, duration_seconds=0.5, direction="left")
slide_track.transitions.add_wipe(slide1, slide2, duration_seconds=0.5, direction="right")

5. Use the TimelineBuilder

Cursor-based API for sequential assembly. The cursor advances after audio clips but not after images or titles.

from camtasia.builders import TimelineBuilder

proj = camtasia.new_project("builder-demo.cmproj")
builder = TimelineBuilder(proj)

clip1 = builder.add_audio("assets/intro.wav", track_name="Narration")
builder.add_pause(1.0)
clip2 = builder.add_audio("assets/main.wav", track_name="Narration")

builder.seek(0)
builder.add_image("assets/title-card.png", track_name="Slides", duration=5.0)
builder.add_title("My Presentation", track_name="Titles", duration=5.0)

print(f"Timeline ends at {builder.cursor:.1f}s")

Method

Advances cursor?

Description

add_audio(path)

✓

Import and place audio at cursor

add_pause(seconds)

✓

Gap without a clip

add_image(path)

✗

Visual overlay at cursor

add_title(text)

✗

Text callout at cursor

seek(seconds)

—

Jump to absolute position

advance(seconds)

✓

Move cursor forward

6. Validate and Save

Validate

validate() checks for missing sources, orphaned media, and duplicate clip IDs.

issues = proj.validate()
for issue in issues:
    print(f"[{issue.level}] {issue.message}")

Save

proj.save()

# Or auto-save with a context manager:
with camtasia.use_project("my-video.cmproj") as proj:
    proj.timeline.get_or_create_track("Audio")

Export

from camtasia.export import export_markers_as_srt, export_edl, export_csv

export_markers_as_srt(proj, "output/markers.srt")
export_edl(proj, "output/timeline.edl", title="My Video")
export_csv(proj, "output/timeline.csv")

# Or export everything at once:
proj.export_all("output/")

Next Steps