render-edl

Purpose

Execute an edl.json (Edit Decision List) into a finished master.mp4. The EDL encodes all creator-grammar decisions — clip order, pacing, transitions, audio mix, and captions — produced by generate-edit-decision-list. This atom is the assembly step: it reads the contract and renders it deterministically without any interactive prompts.

Supports both source modes:

• conform (source.mode = "file") — trims ranges from existing video files.
• generative (source.mode = "generate") — locates pre-rendered scene clips under <project_dir>/clips/<id>.mp4.

Inputs

• edl (required) — path to edl.json. Must conform to the EDL schema (schema version 1.0).
• output (required) — path for the output master.mp4.
• project_dir (optional) — base directory for resolving relative asset paths. Defaults to meta.project_dir from the EDL; falls back to the directory containing edl.json.
• crf (optional, default 18) — x264 quality setting; lower = higher quality.

Workflow