StoryFolder Help

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Import failed ​

Most failures fall into one of a handful of categories. Walk through these in order and you'll likely resolve the issue.

What did the error message say? ​

If the progress screen shows a specific error, that's your first clue. Common messages:

  • "Could not retrieve video metadata." → URL is private, region-locked, or unreachable.
  • "Unsupported codec." → The video uses a codec FFmpeg can't decode in this configuration.
  • "Download interrupted." → Network connection dropped mid-import.
  • "Processing failed." → A later stage of shot detection or thumbnail generation failed.

If there's no specific message, work through the checks below.

Quick checks first ​

  • Internet — for URL imports, confirm your internet is working by loading a website.
  • Disk space — both the source video and StoryFolder's working cache need room. If your drive is more than ~95% full, free space and try again.
  • Source playback — open the file or URL in VLC or a browser to confirm it actually plays.

URL imports ​

If a YouTube/Vimeo URL won't import:

  1. Open the URL in a browser. If you can't play it (private, age-gated, region-locked, deleted), StoryFolder can't either.
  2. Check the URL format. The supported formats are listed in Import from YouTube or Vimeo.
  3. If it's an unlisted video, try copying the URL again — some unlisted links time out after a while.
  4. Try downloading the video manually (with a browser extension or yt-dlp) and importing the file directly.

File imports ​

If a video file won't import:

  1. Open the file in VLC or QuickTime. If it doesn't play there either, the file is corrupt.
  2. If it plays but won't import into StoryFolder, re-export it as .mp4 (H.264) using HandBrake, Adobe Media Encoder, or QuickTime's Export As…. Try importing the new file.
  3. Check that the file isn't on a network drive that just disconnected. Copy it to your desktop and try again.
  4. Make sure the filename has a supported extension. See Supported formats.

Import stuck at 0% or 99% ​

A separate guide covers these specific cases in detail:

The import succeeded but the shots are wrong ​

This is a detection issue, not a failure. Adjust the AI shot detection sensitivity slider in the editor and use Split / Merge to clean up the few shots that need it:

Retry the import ​

Once you've fixed the underlying issue:

  1. Go to the home screen.
  2. Hover the failed project and click the ⋯ menu.
  3. Pick Delete.
  4. Start the import again.

Still failing? ​

We'd love to take a look. Send us your logs:

→ Send us your logs