Shotstack Ruby SDK <!-- omit in toc -->

Ruby SDK for the Shotstack Ruby video editor and cloud video editing API.

Shotstack is a cloud based video editing platform that enables the editing of videos using code.

The platform uses an API and a JSON format for specifying how videos should be edited and what asset and titles should be used.

A server based render farm takes care of rendering the videos allowing multiple videos to be created simultaneously.

For examples of how to use the SDK to create videos using code checkout the Ruby demo repo: https://github.com/shotstack/ruby-demos

Contents <!-- omit in toc -->

Using the Ruby SDK

Installation

gem install shotstack

Video Editing

The Shotstack SDK enables programmatic video editing via the Edit API render endpoint. Prepare JSON edits using the provided schema classes and POST to the API for rendering.

Video Editing Example

The example below trims the start of a video clip and plays it for 8 seconds. The edit is prepared using the SDK models and then sent to the API for rendering.

require "shotstack"

Shotstack.configure do |config|
  config.api_key['x-api-key'] = "H7jKyj90kd09lbLOF7J900jNbSWS67X87xs9j0cD"
  config.host = "api.shotstack.io"
  config.base_path = "stage"
end

api_client = Shotstack::EditApi.new

video_asset = Shotstack::VideoAsset.new(
  src: "https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/shotstack-assets/footage/skater.hd.mp4",
  trim: 3
)

video_clip = Shotstack::Clip.new(
  asset: video_asset,
  start: 0,
  length: 8
)

track = Shotstack::Track.new(clips: [video_clip])

timeline = Shotstack::Timeline.new(
  background: "#000000",
  tracks: [track])

output = Shotstack::Output.new(
  format: "mp4",
  resolution: "sd")

edit = Shotstack::Edit.new(
  timeline: timeline,
  output: output)

response = api_client.post_render(edit).response

puts response.id

Status Check Example

The example request below can be called a few seconds after the render above is posted. It will return the status of the render, which can take several seconds to process.

require "shotstack"

Shotstack.configure do |config|
  config.api_key['x-api-key'] = "H7jKyj90kd09lbLOF7J900jNbSWS67X87xs9j0cD"
  config.host = "api.shotstack.io"
  config.base_path = "stage"
end

id = "75143ec6-4b72-46f8-a67a-fd7284546935"
api_client = Shotstack::EditApi.new

response = api_client.get_render(id, { data: false, merged: true }).response

if response.status === "done"
    puts response.url

Video Editing Schemas

The following schemas are used to prepare a video edit.

Edit

An Edit defines the arrangement of a video on a timeline, an audio edit or an image design and the output format.

Example:

require "shotstack"

edit = Shotstack::Edit.new(
  timeline: timeline,
  output: output,
  merge: merge,
  callback: "https://my-server.com/callback.php",
  disk: "local"
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
timeline Shotstack::Timeline A timeline represents the contents of a video edit over time, an audio edit over time, in seconds, or an image layout. A timeline consists of layers called tracks. Tracks are composed of titles, images, audio, html or video segments referred to as clips which are placed along the track at specific starting point and lasting for a specific amount of time. -
output Shotstack::Output The output format, render range and type of media to generate. Y
merge Shotstack::MergeField[] An array of key/value pairs that provides an easy way to create templates with placeholders. The placeholders can be used to find and replace keys with values. For example you can search for the placeholder {{NAME}} and replace it with the value Jane. -
callback string An optional webhook callback URL used to receive status notifications when a render completes or fails. See webhooks for more details. -
disk string The disk type to use for storing footage and asset for each render. See disk types for more details. [default to local]
  • local - optimized for high speed rendering with up to 512MB storage
  • mount - optimized for larger file sizes and longer videos with 5GB for source footage and 512MB for output render
-

Timeline

A Timeline represents the contents of a video edit over time, an audio edit over time, in seconds, or an image layout. A timeline consists of layers called tracks. Tracks are composed of titles, images, audio, html or video segments referred to as clips which are placed along the track at specific starting point and lasting for a specific amount of time.

Example:

require "shotstack"

timeline = Shotstack::Timeline.new(
  soundtrack: soundtrack,
  background: '#000000',
  fonts: fonts,
  tracks: tracks,
  cache: true
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
soundtrack Shotstack::Soundtrack A music or audio soundtrack file in mp3 format. -
background string A hexadecimal value for the timeline background colour. Defaults to #000000 (black). -
fonts Shotstack::Font[] An array of custom fonts to be downloaded for use by the HTML assets. -
tracks Shotstack::Track[] A timeline consists of an array of tracks, each track containing clips. Tracks are layered on top of each other in the same order they are added to the array with the top most track layered over the top of those below it. Ensure that a track containing titles is the top most track so that it is displayed above videos and images. Y
cache bool Disable the caching of ingested source footage and assets. See caching for more details. [default to true] -

Soundtrack

A music or audio file in mp3 format that plays for the duration of the rendered video or the length of the audio file, which ever is shortest.

Example:

require "shotstack"

soundtrack = Shotstack::Soundtrack.new(
  src: 'https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/shotstack-assets/music/disco.mp3',
  effect: 'fadeIn',
  volume: 1
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
src string The URL of the mp3 audio file. The URL must be publicly accessible or include credentials. Y
effect string The effect to apply to the audio file
  • fadeIn - fade volume in only
  • fadeOut - fade volume out only
  • fadeInFadeOut - fade volume in and out
-
volume float Set the volume for the soundtrack between 0 and 1 where 0 is muted and 1 is full volume (defaults to 1). -

Font

Download a custom font to use with the HTML asset type, using the font name in the CSS or font tag. See our custom fonts getting started guide for more details.

Example:

require "shotstack"

font = Shotstack::Font.new(
  src: 'https://shotstack-assets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/fonts/OpenSans-Regular.ttf'
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
src string The URL of the font file. The URL must be publicly accessible or include credentials. Y

Track

A track contains an array of clips. Tracks are layered on top of each other in the order in the array. The top most track will render on top of those below it.

Example:

require "shotstack"

track = Shotstack::Track(
  clips: clips
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
clips Shotstack::Clip[] An array of Clips comprising of TitleClip, ImageClip or VideoClip. Y

Clip

A Clip is a container for a specific type of asset, i.e. a title, image, video, audio or html. You use a Clip to define when an asset will display on the timeline, how long it will play for and transitions, filters and effects to apply to it.

Example:

require "shotstack"

clip = Shotstack::Clip.new(
  asset: asset,
  start: 2,
  length: 5,
  fit: 'crop',
  scale: 0,
  position: 'center',
  offset: offset,
  transition: transition,
  effect: 'zoomIn',
  filter: 'greyscale',
  opacity: 1,
  transform: transform
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
asset asset The type of asset to display for the duration of this Clip. Value must be one of: Y
start float The start position of the Clip on the timeline, in seconds. Y
length float The length, in seconds, the Clip should play for. Y
fit string fit Set how the asset should be scaled to fit the viewport using one of the following options [default to crop]:
  • cover - stretch the asset to fill the viewport without maintaining the aspect ratio.
  • contain - fit the entire asset within the viewport while maintaining the original aspect ratio.
  • crop - scale the asset to fill the viewport while maintaining the aspect ratio. The asset will be cropped if it exceeds the bounds of the viewport.
  • none - preserves the original asset dimensions and does not apply any scaling.
-
scale float Scale the asset to a fraction of the viewport size - i.e. ting the scale to 0.5 will scale asset to half the size of the viewport. This is useful for picture-in-picture video and scaling images such as logos and watermarks. -
position string Place the asset in one of nine predefined positions of the viewport. This is most effective for when the asset is scaled and you want to position the element to a specific position [default to center].
  • top - top (center)
  • topRight - top right
  • right - right (center)
  • bottomRight - bottom right
  • bottom - bottom (center)
  • bottomLeft - bottom left
  • left - left (center)
  • topLeft - top left
  • center - center
-
offset Shotstack::Offset Offset the location of the asset relative to its position on the viewport. The offset distance is relative to the width of the viewport - for example an x offset of 0.5 will move the asset half the viewport width to the right. -
transition Shotstack::Transition In and out transitions for a clip - i.e. fade in and fade out -
effect string A motion effect to apply to the Clip.
  • zoomIn - slow zoom in
  • zoomOut - slow zoom out
  • slideLeft - slow slide (pan) left
  • slideRight - slow slide (pan) right
  • slideUp - slow slide (pan) up
  • slideDown - slow slide (pan) down
-
filter string A filter effect to apply to the Clip.
  • boost - boost contrast and saturation
  • contrast - increase contrast
  • darken - darken the scene
  • greyscale - remove colour
  • lighten - lighten the scene
  • muted - reduce saturation and contrast
  • invert - invert colors
-
opacity float s the opacity of the Clip where 1 is opaque and 0 is transparent. [default to 1] -
transform Shotstack::Transformation A transformation lets you modify the visual properties of a clip. Available transformations are Shotstack::RotateTransformation, Shotstack::SkewTransformation and Shotstack::FlipTransformation. Transformations can be combined to create interesting new shapes and effects. -

VideoAsset

The VideoAsset is used to create video sequences from video files. The src must be a publicly accessible URL to a video resource such as an mp4 file.

Example:

require "shotstack"

videoAsset = Shotstack::VideoAsset.new(
  src: 'https://shotstack-assets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/footage/table-mountain.mp4',
  trim: 5,
  volume: 0.5,
  crop: crop
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
src string The video source URL. The URL must be publicly accessible or include credentials. Y
trim float The start trim point of the video clip, in seconds (defaults to 0). Videos will start from the in trim point. The video will play until the file ends or the Clip length is reached. -
volume float Set the volume for the video clip between 0 and 1 where 0 is muted and 1 is full volume (defaults to 0). -
crop Shotstack::Crop Crop the sides of an asset by a relative amount. The size of the crop is specified using a scale between 0 and 1, relative to the screen width - i.e. a left crop of 0.5 will crop half of the asset from the left, a top crop of 0.25 will crop the top by quarter of the asset. -

ImageAsset

The ImageAsset is used to create video from images to compose an image. The src must be a publicly accessible URL to an image resource such as a jpg or png file.

Example:

require "shotstack"

imageAsset = Shotstack::ImageAsset.new(
  src: 'https://shotstack-assets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/images/earth.jpg',
  crop: crop
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
src string The image source URL. The URL must be publicly accessible or include credentials. Y
crop Shotstack::Crop Crop the sides of an asset by a relative amount. The size of the crop is specified using a scale between 0 and 1, relative to the screen width - i.e. a left crop of 0.5 will crop half of the asset from the left, a top crop of 0.25 will crop the top by quarter of the asset. -

TitleAsset

The TitleAsset clip type lets you create video titles from a text string and apply styling and positioning.

Example:

require "shotstack"

titleAsset = Shotstack::TitleAsset.new(
  text: 'My Title',
  style: 'minimal',
  color: '#ffffff',
  size: 'medium',
  background: '#000000',
  position: 'center',
  offset: offset
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
text string The title text string. Y
style string Uses a preset to apply font properties and styling to the title.
  • minimal
  • blockbuster
  • vogue
  • sketchy
  • skinny
  • chunk
  • chunkLight
  • marker
  • future
  • subtitle
-
color string Set the text color using hexadecimal color notation. Transparency is supported by ting the first two characters of the hex string (opposite to HTML), i.e. #80ffffff will be white with 50% transparency [default to #ffffff]. -
size string Set the relative size of the text using predefined sizes from xx-small to xx-large [default to 'medium'].
  • xx-small
  • x-small
  • small
  • medium
  • large
  • x-large
  • xx-large
-
background string Apply a background color behind the text. Set the text color using hexadecimal color notation. Transparency is supported by ting the first two characters of the hex string (opposite to HTML), i.e. #80ffffff will be white with 50% transparency. Omit to use transparent background. -
position string Place the title in one of nine predefined positions of the viewport [default to center.
  • top - top (center)
  • topRight - top right
  • right - right (center)
  • bottomRight - bottom right
  • bottom - bottom (center)
  • bottomLeft - bottom left
  • left - left (center)
  • topLeft - top left
  • center - center
-
offset Shotstack::Offset Offset the location of the title relative to its position on the screen. -

HtmlAsset

The HtmlAsset clip type lets you create text based layout and formatting using HTML and CSS. You can also set the height and width of a bounding box for the HTML content to sit within. Text and elements will wrap within the bounding box.

Example:

require "shotstack"

htmlAsset = Shotstack::HtmlAsset.new(
  html: '<p>Hello <b>World</b></p>',
  css: 'p { color: #ffffff; } b { color: #ffff00; }',
  width: 400,
  height: 200,
  background: 'transparent',
  position: 'center'
)

Arguments:

Argument | Type | Description | Required :--- | :--- | :---: html | string | The HTML text string. See list of supported HTML tags. | Y css | string | The CSS text string to apply styling to the HTML. See list of support CSS properties. | - width | int | Set the width of the HTML asset bounding box in pixels. Text will wrap to fill the bounding box. | - height | int | Set the height of the HTML asset bounding box in pixels. Text and elements will be masked if they exceed the height of the bounding box. | - background | string | Apply a background color behind the HTML bounding box using. Set the text color using hexadecimal color notation. Transparency is supported by ting the first two characters of the hex string (opposite to HTML), i.e. #80ffffff will be white with 80% transparency [default to transparent]. | - position | string | Place the HTML in one of nine predefined positions within the HTML area [default to center].

  • top - top (center)
  • topRight - top right
  • right - right (center)
  • bottomRight - bottom right
  • bottom - bottom (center)
  • bottomLeft - bottom left
  • left - left (center)
  • topLeft - top left
  • center - center
| -


AudioAsset

The AudioAsset is used to add sound effects and audio at specific intervals on the timeline. The src must be a publicly accessible URL to an audio resource such as an mp3 file.

Example:

require "shotstack"

audioAsset = Shotstack::AudioAsset.new(
  src: 'https://shotstack-assets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/music/unminus/lit.mp3',
  trim: 2,
  volume: 0.5,
  effect: 'fadeInFadeOut'
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
src string The audio source URL. The URL must be publicly accessible or include credentials. Y
trim float The start trim point of the audio clip, in seconds (defaults to 0). Audio will start from the trim point. The audio will play until the file ends or the Clip length is reached. -
volume float Set the volume for the audio clip between 0 and 1 where 0 is muted and 1 is full volume (defaults to 1). -
effect string The effect to apply to the audio asset:
  • fadeIn - fade volume in only
  • fadeOut - fade volume out only
  • fadeInFadeOut - fade volume in and out
-

LumaAsset

The LumaAsset is used to create luma matte masks, transitions and effects between other assets. A luma matte is a grey scale image or animated video where the black areas are transparent and the white areas solid. The luma matte animation should be provided as an mp4 video file. The src must be a publicly accessible URL to the file.

Example:

require "shotstack"

lumaAsset = Shotstack::LumaAsset.new(
  src: 'https://shotstack-assets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/examples/luma-mattes/paint-left.mp4',
  trim: 5
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
src string The luma matte source URL. The URL must be publicly accessible or include credentials. Y
trim float The start trim point of the luma matte clip, in seconds (defaults to 0). Videos will start from the in trim point. A luma matte video will play until the file ends or the Clip length is reached. -

Transition

The Transition clip type lets you define in and out transitions for a clip - i.e. fade in and fade out

Example:

require "shotstack"

transition = Shotstack::Transition.new(
  in: 'fade',
  out: 'fade'
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
in string The transition in. Available transitions are:
  • fade - fade in
  • reveal - reveal from left to right
  • wipeLeft - fade across screen to the left
  • wipeRight - fade across screen to the right
  • slideLeft - move slightly left and fade in
  • slideRight - move slightly right and fade in
  • slideUp - move slightly up and fade in
  • slideDown - move slightly down and fade in
  • carouselLeft - slide in from right to left
  • carouselRight - slide in from left to right
  • carouselUp - slide in from bottom to top
  • carouselDown - slide in from top to bottom
  • shuffleTopRight - rotate in from top right
  • shuffleRightTop - rotate in from right top
  • shuffleRightBottom - rotate in from right bottom
  • shuffleBottomRight - rotate in from bottom right
  • shuffleBottomLeft - rotate in from bottom left
  • shuffleLeftBottom - rotate in from left bottom
  • shuffleLeftTop - rotate in from left top
  • shuffleTopLeft - rotate in from top left
  • zoom - fast zoom in
The transition speed can also be controlled by appending Fast or Slow to the transition, e.g. fadeFast or CarouselLeftSlow.
-
out string The transition out. Available transitions are:
  • fade - fade out
  • reveal - reveal from right to left
  • wipeLeft - fade across screen to the left
  • wipeRight - fade across screen to the right
  • slideLeft - move slightly left and fade out
  • slideRight - move slightly right and fade out
  • slideUp - move slightly up and fade out
  • slideDown - move slightly down and fade out
  • carouselLeft - slide out from right to left
  • carouselRight - slide out from left to right
  • carouselUp - slide out from bottom to top
  • carouselDown - slide out from top to bottom
  • shuffleTopRight - rotate out from top right
  • shuffleRightTop - rotate out from right top
  • shuffleRightBottom - rotate out from right bottom
  • shuffleBottomRight - rotate out from bottom right
  • shuffleBottomLeft - rotate out from bottom left
  • shuffleLeftBottom - rotate out from left bottom
  • shuffleLeftTop - rotate out from left top
  • shuffleTopLeft - rotate out from top left
  • zoom - fast zoom out
The transition speed can also be controlled by appending Fast or Slow to the transition, e.g. fadeFast or CarouselLeftSlow.
-

Offset

Offs the position of an asset horizontally or vertically by a relative distance.

Example:

require "shotstack"

offset = Shotstack::Offset.new(
  x: 0.1,
  y: -0.2
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
x float Offset an asset on the horizontal axis (left or right), range varies from -1 to 1. Positive numbers move the asset right, negative left. For all asset except titles the distance moved is relative to the width of the viewport - i.e. an X offset of 0.5 will move the asset half the screen width to the right. [default to 0] -
y float Offset an asset on the vertical axis (up or down), range varies from -1 to 1. Positive numbers move the asset up, negative down. For all asset except titles the distance moved is relative to the height of the viewport - i.e. an Y offset of 0.5 will move the asset up half the screen height. [default to 0] -

Crop

Crop the sides of an asset by a relative amount. The size of the crop is specified using a scale between 0 and 1, relative to the screen width - i.e a left crop of 0.5 will crop half of the asset from the left, a top crop of 0.25 will crop the top by quarter of the asset.

Example:

require "shotstack"

crop = Shotstack::Crop.new(
  top: 0.15,
  bottom: 0.15,
  left: 0,
  right: 0
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
top float Crop from the top of the asset -
bottom float Crop from the bottom of the asset -
left float Crop from the left of the asset -
right float Crop from the right of the asset -

Transformation

Apply one or more transformations to a clip. Transformations alter the visual properties of a clip and can be combined to create new shapes and effects.

Example:

require "shotstack"

transformation = Shotstack::Transformation.new(
  rotate: rotate,
  skew: skew,
  flip: flip
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
rotate Shotstack::RotateTransformation Rotate a clip by the specified angle in degrees. Rotation origin is set based on the clips position. -
skew Shotstack::SkewTransformation Skew a clip so its edges are sheared at an angle. Use values between 0 and 3. Over 3 the clip will be skewed almost flat. -
flip Shotstack::FlipTransformation Flip a clip vertically or horizontally. Acts as a mirror effect of the clip along the selected plane. -

RotateTransformation

Rotate a clip by the specified angle in degrees. Rotation origin is set based on the clips position.

Example:

require "shotstack"

rotateTransformation = Shotstack::RotateTransformation.new(
  angle: 45
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
angle int The angle to rotate the clip. Can be 0 to 360, or 0 to -360. Using a positive number rotates the clip clockwise, negative numbers counter-clockwise. -

SkewTransformation

Skew a clip so its edges are sheared at an angle. Use values between 0 and 3. Over 3 the clip will be skewed almost flat.

Example:

require "shotstack"

skewTransformation = Shotstack::SkewTransformation.new(
  x: 0.5,
  y: 0.5
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
x float Skew the clip along it's x axis. [default to 0] -
y float Skew the clip along it's y axis. [default to 0] -

FlipTransformation

Flip a clip vertically or horizontally. Acts as a mirror effect of the clip along the selected plane.

Example:

require "shotstack"

flipTransformation = Shotstack::FlipTransformation.new(
  horizontal: true,
  vertical: true
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
horizontal bool Flip a clip horizontally. [default to false] -
vertical bool Flip a clip vertically. [default to false] -

MergeField

A merge field consists of a key; find, and a value; replace. Merge fields can be used to replace placeholders within the JSON edit to create re-usable templates. Placeholders should be a string with double brace delimiters, i.e. "{{NAME}}". A placeholder can be used for any value within the JSON edit.

Example:

require "shotstack"

mergeField = Shotstack::MergeField.new(
  find: 'NAME',
  replace: 'Jane'
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
find string The string to find without delimiters. Y
replace replace The replacement value. The replacement can be any valid JSON type - string, boolean, number, etc... Y

Output Schemas

The following schemas specify the output format and tings.

Output

The output format, render range and type of media to generate.

Example:

require "shotstack"

output = Shotstack::Output.new(
  format: 'mp4',
  resolution: 'sd',
  aspectRatio: '16:9',
  size: size,
  fps: 25,
  scaleTo: 'preview',
  quality: 'medium',
  repeat: true,
  range: range,
  poster: poster,
  thumbnail: thumbnail,
  destination: destination
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
format string The output format and type of media file to generate.
  • mp4 - mp4 video file
  • gif - animated gif
  • jpg - jpg image file
  • png - png image file
  • bmp - bmp image file
  • mp3 - mp3 audio file (audio only)
Y
resolution string The output resolution of the video or image.
  • preview - 512px x 288px @ 15fps
  • mobile - 640px x 360px @ 25fps
  • sd - 1024px x 576px @ 25fps
  • hd - 1280px x 720px @ 25fps
  • 1080 - 1920px x 1080px @ 25fps
-
aspectRatio string The aspect ratio (shape) of the video or image. Useful for social media output formats. Options are:
  • 16:9 - regular landscape/horizontal aspect ratio (default)
  • 9:16 - vertical/portrait aspect ratio
  • 1:1 - square aspect ratio
  • 4:5 - short vertical/portrait aspect ratio
  • 4:3 - legacy TV aspect ratio
-
size Shotstack::Size Set a custom size for a video or image. When using a custom size omit the resolution and aspectRatio. Custom sizes must be divisible by 2 based on the encoder specifications. -
fps float Override the default frames per second. Useful for when the source footage is recorded at 30fps, i.e. on mobile devices. Lower frame rates can be used to add cinematic quality (24fps) or to create smaller file size/faster render times or animated gifs (12 or 15fps). Default is 25fps.
  • 12 - 12fps
  • 15 - 15fps
  • 23.976 - 23.976fps
  • 24 - 24fps
  • 29.97 - 29.97fps
  • 25 - 25fps
  • 30 - 30fps
-
scaleTo string Override the resolution and scale the video or image to render at a different size. When using scaleTo the asset should be edited at the resolution dimensions, i.e. use font sizes that look best at HD, then use scaleTo to output the file at SD and the text will be scaled to the correct size. This is useful if you want to create multiple asset sizes.
  • preview - 512px x 288px @ 15fps
  • mobile - 640px x 360px @ 25fps
  • sd - 1024px x 576px @25fps
  • hd - 1280px x 720px @25fps
  • 1080 - 1920px x 1080px @25fps
-
quality string Adjust the output quality of the video, image or audio. Adjusting quality affects render speed, download speeds and storage requirements due to file size. The default medium provides the most optimized choice for all three factors.
  • low - slightly reduced quality, smaller file size
  • medium - optimized quality, render speeds and file size
  • high - slightly increased quality, larger file size
-
repeat bool Loop tings for gif files. Set to true to loop, false to play only once. [default to true] -
range Shotstack::Range Specify a time range to render, i.e. to render only a portion of a video or audio file. Omit this ting to export the entire video. Range can also be used to render a frame at a specific time point - ting a range and output format as jpg will output a single frame image at the range start point. -
poster Shotstack::Poster Generate a poster image from a specific point on the timeline. -
thumbnail Shotstack::Thumbnail Generate a thumbnail image from a specific point on the timeline. -
destinations AnyOfShotstackDestination[] A destination is a location where output files can be sent to for serving or hosting. By default all rendered assets are automatically sent to the Shotstack hosting destination. ShotstackDestination is currently the only option with plans to add more in the future such as S3, YouTube, Vimeo and Mux. If you do not require hosting you can opt-out using the exclude property. -

Size

Set a custom size for a video or image. When using a custom size omit the resolution and aspectRatio. Custom sizes must be divisible by 2 based on the encoder specifications.

Example:

require "shotstack"

size = Shotstack::Size.new(
  width: 1200,
  height: 800
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
width int Set a custom width for the video or image file. Value must be divisible by 2. Maximum video width is 1920px, maximum image width is 4096px. -
height int Set a custom height for the video or image file. Value must be divisible by 2. Maximum video height is 1920px, maximum image height is 4096px. -

Range

Specify a time range to render, i.e. to render only a portion of a video or audio file. Omit this ting to export the entire video. Range can also be used to render a frame at a specific time point - ting a range and output format as jpg will output a single frame image at the range start point.

Example:

require "shotstack"

range = Shotstack::Range.new(
  start: 3,
  length: 6
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
start float The point on the timeline, in seconds, to start the render from - i.e. start at second 3. -
length float The length of the portion of the video or audio to render - i.e. render 6 seconds of the video. -

Poster

Generate a Poster image for the video at a specific point from the timeline. The poster image size will match the size of the output video.

Example:

require "shotstack"

poster = Shotstack::Poster.new(
  capture: 1
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
capture float The point on the timeline in seconds to capture a single frame to use as the poster image. Y

Thumbnail

Generate a thumbnail image for the video or image at a specific point from the timeline.

Example:

require "shotstack"

thumbnail = Shotstack::Thumbnail.new(
  capture: 1,
  scale: 0.3
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
capture float The point on the timeline in seconds to capture a single frame to use as the thumbnail image. Y
scale float Scale the thumbnail size to a fraction of the viewport size - i.e. ting the scale to 0.5 will scale the thumbnail to half the size of the viewport. Y

ShotstackDestination

Send rendered asset to the Shotstack hosting and CDN service. This destination is enabled by default.

Example:

require "shotstack"

shotstackDestination = Shotstack::ShotstackDestination.new(
  provider: 'shotstack',
  exclude: false
)

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
provider string The destination to send rendered asset to - set to shotstack for Shotstack hosting and CDN. [default to shotstack] Y
exclude bool Set to true to opt-out from the Shotstack hosting and CDN service. All files must be downloaded within 24 hours of rendering. [default to false] -

Render Response Schemas

The following schemas are returned by the render request and status request.

QueuedResponse

The response received after a render request is submitted. The render task is queued for rendering and a unique render id is returned.

Attributes:

Attribute Type Description Required
success bool true if successfully queued, else false. Y
message string Created, Bad Request or an error message. Y
response Shotstack::QueuedResponseData QueuedResponseData or an error message. Y

QueuedResponseData

The QueuedResponseData is the response data returned with the QueuedResponse.

Attributes:

Attribute Type Description Required
message string Success response message or error details. Y
id string The id of the render task in UUID format. Y

RenderResponse

The RenderResponse is the response received after a render status request is submitted. The response includes details about status of a render and the output URL.

Attributes:

Attribute Type Description Required
success bool true if status available, else false. Y
message string OK or an error message. Y
response Shotstack::RenderResponseData RenderResponse or an error message. Y

RenderResponseData

The RenderResponseData is the response data returned with the RenderResponse request including status and URL.

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
id string The id of the render task in UUID format. Y
owner string The owner id of the render task. Y
plan string The customer subscription plan. -
status string The status of the render task.
  • queued - render is queued waiting to be rendered
  • fetching - asset are being fetched
  • rendering - the asset is being rendered
  • saving - the final asset is being saved to storage
  • done - the asset is ready to be downloaded
  • failed - there was an error rendering the asset
Y
error string An error message, only displayed if an error occurred. -
duration float The output video or audio length in seconds. -
render_time float The time taken to render the asset in milliseconds. -
url string The URL of the final asset. This will only be available if status is done. This is a temporary URL and will be deleted after 24 hours. By default all asset are copied to the Shotstack hosting and CDN destination. -
poster string The URL of the poster image if requested. This will only be available if status is done. -
thumbnail string The URL of the thumbnail image if requested. This will only be available if status is done. -
data Shotstack::Edit The timeline and output data to be rendered. Y
created string The time the render task was initially queued. Y
updated string The time the render status was last updated. Y

Inspecting Media

The SDK probe endpoint can be used to inspect media hosted online. Simply pass the URL of an asset to inspect.

Probe Example

The example below inspects (probes) a video hosted on GitHub and returns metadata about the file.

require "shotstack"

Shotstack.configure do |config|
  config.api_key['x-api-key'] = "H7jKyj90kd09lbLOF7J900jNbSWS67X87xs9j0cD"
  config.host = "api.shotstack.io"
  config.base_path = "stage"
end

url = "https://github.com/shotstack/test-media/raw/main/captioning/scott-ko.mp4"
api_client = Shotstack::EditApi.new

begin
  response = api_client.probe(url).response
rescue => error
  abort("Request failed: #{error.message}")
end

response[:metadata][:streams].each_with_index do |stream, index|
  if stream[:codec_type] === 'video'
    puts "Example settings for: #{response[:metadata][:format][:filename]}"
    puts "Width: #{stream[:width]}px"
    puts "Height: #{stream[:height]}px"
    puts "Framerate: #{stream[:r_frame_rate]} fps"
    puts "Duration: #{stream[:duration]} secs"
  end
end

Probe Schemas

The following schemas are returned by the probe request.

ProbeResponse

The ProbeResponse is the response returned after a probe request is submitted. The probe requests returns data from FFprobe formatted as JSON.

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
success bool true if media successfully read, else false. Y
message string Created, Bad Request or an error message. Y
response object The response from FFprobe in JSON format Y

Managing Assets

By default, all assets generated by the editing API are hosted by Shotstack and served via our CDN. The SDK provides access to the Serve API to retrieve information about hosted files. Files can also be deleted.

Assets by Render ID Example

The example below uses a render ID to look up hosted assets associated with the render. Note that multiple assets can be created for a render, i.e. video, thumb and poster. Each asset has a unique asset ID different to the render ID.

require "shotstack"

Shotstack.configure do |config|
  config.api_key['x-api-key'] = "H7jKyj90kd09lbLOF7J900jNbSWS67X87xs9j0cD"
  config.host = "api.shotstack.io"
  config.base_path = "serve/stage"
end

id = "140924c6-077d-4334-a89f-94befcfc0155"
api_client = Shotstack::ServeApi.new

begin
  data = api_client.get_asset_by_render_id(id).data
rescue => error
  abort("Request failed: #{error.message}")
end

data.each do |asset|
  case asset.attributes.status
  when "failed"
    puts ">> Something went wrong, asset could not be copied."
  else
    puts "Status: #{asset.attributes.status}"
    puts ">> Asset CDN URL: #{asset.attributes.url}"
    puts ">> Asset ID: #{asset.attributes.id}"
    puts ">> Render ID: #{asset.attributes.render_id}"
  end
end

Assets by Asset ID Example

Every asset has a unique asset ID, the example below looks up an asset by its asset ID.

require "shotstack"

Shotstack.configure do |config|
  config.api_key['x-api-key'] = "H7jKyj90kd09lbLOF7J900jNbSWS67X87xs9j0cD"
  config.host = "api.shotstack.io"
  config.base_path = "serve/stage"
end

id = "ed43eae3-4825-4c03-979d-f7dc47b9997c"
api_client = Shotstack::ServeApi.new

begin
  asset = api_client.get_asset(id).data
rescue => error
  abort("Request failed: #{error.message}")
end

case asset.attributes.status
when "failed"
  puts ">> Something went wrong, asset could not be copied."
else
  puts "Status: #{asset.attributes.status}"
  puts ">> Asset CDN URL: #{asset.attributes.url}"
  puts ">> Asset ID: #{asset.attributes.id}"
  puts ">> Render ID: #{asset.attributes.render_id}"
end

Asset Schemas

The following schemas are returned by requests to the Serve API.

AssetResponse

The AssetResponse is the response returned by the Serve API get asset request. Includes details of a hosted video, image, audio file, thumbnail or poster image. The response follows the json:api specification.

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
data Shotstack::AssetResponseData Returns an asset resource. -

AssetRenderResponse

The AssetRenderResponse is the response returned by the Serve API get asset by render id request. The response is an array of asset resources, including video, image, audio, thumbnail and poster image. The response follows the json:api specification.

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
data Shotstack::AssetResponseData[] Returns an array of asset resources grouped by render id. -

AssetResponseData

The AssetResponseData contains the type of resource (an asset) and attributes of the asset.

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
type string The type of resource, in this case it is an asset. -
attributes Shotstack::AssetResponseAttributes The asset attributes including render id, url, filename, file size, etc... -

AssetResponseAttributes

The AssetResponseAttributes contains the list of asset attributes and their values.

Arguments:

Argument Type Description Required
id string The unique id of the hosted asset in UUID format. -
owner string The owner id of the render task. -
region string The region the asset is hosted, currently only au (Australia). -
renderId string The original render id that created the asset in UUID format. Multiple asset can share the same render id. -
filename string The asset file name. -
url string The asset file name. -
status string The status of the asset.
  • importing - the asset is being copied to the hosting service
  • ready - the asset is ready to be served to users
  • failed - the asset failed to copy or delete
  • deleted - the asset has been deleted
-
created string The time the asset was created. -
updated string The time the asset status was last updated. -

API Documentation and Guides