How to Add and Export Guides in Kdenlive

This article provides a quick, step-by-step walkthrough on how to create guide markers on your Kdenlive timeline and export them as a plain text file. Utilizing guides helps streamline your editing workflow, and exporting them is highly beneficial for creating timestamps, video chapters, or reference sheets for external use.

How to Add a Guide Marker in Kdenlive

Guides are markers placed on the timeline ruler to flag specific points in time. To add one:

1. Position the timeline playhead (the vertical line indicator) at the exact frame where you want to place the guide.
2. Right-click on the timeline ruler (the timecode strip at the top of your timeline tracks).
3. Select Add/Edit Guide from the context menu. Alternatively, you can press the keyboard shortcut G.
4. A dialog box will appear. Enter a name for your guide, select a color/category if desired, and click OK.

How to Export the Guide List to a Text File

Once your guides are set, you can easily export them into a text document:

1. Locate the Guides tab in your user interface (usually grouped with the Project Bin or Effects tab). If it is not visible, go to the top menu and select View > Guides to open the panel.
2. In the Guides panel, you will see a list of all the markers you have created.
3. Click on the Export icon (represented by an arrow or document icon) at the top of the Guides panel.
4. In the export menu, choose your desired output format. For a standard text file, choose the plain text or YouTube chapters template.
5. Choose the destination folder on your computer, name your file, and click Save.