Importing Media & Building Projects in Zella

Animated view of importing media into the Zella library

Quick answer (Mac): You can edit any video in Zella, not just recordings - drag a file onto the app or into the Clip Browser. Drag in multiple clips to build a project; they append in order. An image becomes a still clip (a short segment), and an audio file becomes a music/voice overlay. Projects autosave, so you can close and reopen with everything intact.

On iPhone: there’s no drag-and-drop and no Clip Browser. Import from Photos or Import from Files and the clip lands on the timeline like a fresh recording. Projects hand off to the Mac as .zella files. See On iPhone.

On this page: open a file · add clips · images & audio · the project model · combine sources · on iPhone · impact · FAQ

How to open an existing video in the editor

You don’t have to record inside Zella to edit in it:

Drag a video file onto the Zella app icon, or
Drag a video into the editor’s Clip Browser, or
Use the app’s open flow to choose a file.

The editor opens with the clip on the timeline, ready to edit just like a recording. Zella accepts common video files (.mp4, .mov) plus images and audio (covered below).

How to add or append more clips

To build a project with several clips:

In the editor, open the Clip Browser tab (in the left sidebar).
Drag video files into the “Drag video files here” area.
The clips are added to the timeline in the order you add them, each with its full length.

Use this to join several takes, to line up an intro, main section, and outro, or to drop in B-roll (extra footage) between talking-head sections. Order matters - add the intro first, then the body, then the outro.

How to import an image or audio file

Zella knows what to do with pictures and audio:

An image (.png, .jpg) becomes a still clip - a short segment that shows that image (about 5 seconds by default). Zella fits the whole image on screen with black bars around it so it never stretches. Use it for title cards, slides, diagrams, or a logo.
An audio file (.mp3, .m4a, .wav) becomes an audio overlay - background music or a separate voice track that plays under your video.

To import: with a project open, use the open/import command (or just drag) and pick your image and/or audio. The image drops in as a still clip. The audio attaches as an overlay you can move around and set the volume of (chapter 14).

Just an image and audio? Import only an image and an audio file (no video), and Zella builds a project where the image is the main still clip and the audio plays over it. That’s a quick way to make a music-over-image card or a podcast-style clip.

What is a project?

A project holds all the editing you’ve done to your video - clips, cuts, captions, color, titles, callouts, keyframes (points that control motion or effects over time), speed, reframing, and overlays. Projects autosave (save on their own as you work), so you can close and reopen them with your edits still there (chapter 22). Your original video and audio files are linked to, not copied - so keep them where they are (or use the relink option if you move them so the project can find them again).

How to combine clips, images, and audio

Goal: intro card → screen demo with your face → outro music sting.

Record the screen demo with your camera bubble.
Clip Browser → drag in an intro.mp4 (or import a title image as a still).
Reorder so the intro is first.
Import a short music file as an overlay for the outro.
Add a transition between intro and demo.
Reframe and export.

On iPhone

You don’t have to shoot inside Zella to edit inside Zella on the phone either.

Bringing footage in

Import from Photos - pull in a clip you already recorded on your phone.
Import from Files - bring in footage from iCloud Drive, a Files provider, or anywhere else on the device.

Imported footage lands on the timeline like any recording, ready to cut, caption and grade.

Stacking a second video over the first

The phone’s version of layering media is the overlay layer. Drop a second video over your main clip and it gets its own timeline row as a picture-in-picture layer: drag it anywhere on the canvas, choose rectangle, rounded, circle or a background-removed cutout, and set its stacking order. Width and Height are independent sliders, so it isn’t locked to the source’s aspect ratio, and Lock to original ratio snaps it back in one tap.

You often don’t need to import audio at all

Where the Mac expects you to bring your own .mp3, the phone ships the library with it: 43 built-in sound effects, 16 voice changers and music beds with Auto-Duck, all baked into the app behind the Audio button in the timeline toolbar. No files to hunt down, no licences to chase. See Sound on iPhone.

Moving a project between devices

Projects travel in either direction as .zella files:

Phone → Mac - capture and rough-cut on the phone, export a .zella file, and open it on the Mac to finish with a mouse and keyboard.
Mac → phone - start on the desktop and continue on the phone when you’re away from your desk.

Your timeline, cuts, captions and effects travel with the file, so you never restart.

What’s Mac-only here

The Library (⌘L) and the Clip Browser are desktop features, and so is dragging files onto the app icon. On the phone, Photos and Files are the front door.

Full guide: Recording on iPhone → · Export & Mac handoff →

What impact flexible importing has

For creators and video editors, importing turns Zella into a place to finish your videos, not just record them:

One editor for everything - combine Zella recordings, phone clips, B-roll, logo cards, and music on one timeline, instead of jumping between apps.
Reuse your assets - drop in your usual intro, outro, and music every time for a consistent series.
Faster slideshows and promos - a still image plus music gets you a polished card or audiogram (a video built from audio and a still image) in minutes.

Animated editor opening with imported media as a project

Import FAQ

Can I edit a video I didn’t record in Zella? Yes - drag any video file onto the app or into the Clip Browser.

How do I combine several clips into one video? Drag them into the Clip Browser. They line up on the timeline in the order you add them.

What happens when I import an image? It becomes a still clip (a short segment) that you can place anywhere on the timeline.

How do I add background music? Import an audio file. It attaches as an overlay - set its volume and use Auto-Duck (which lowers the music when you talk).

If I move my source files, will the project break? Keep the source files where they are, or use the relink option so the project can find its media again.

How do I edit a clip that’s already on my iPhone? Import from Photos or Import from Files - it drops onto the timeline like a fresh recording. See Recording on iPhone.

Can I move a project from my phone to my Mac? Yes - export it as a .zella file and open it in the Mac app. It works in both directions, and your timeline, cuts, captions and effects come with it.

Pro tips & gotchas

Drag any video, audio, or image into the editor to start a project - you’re not limited to Zella recordings.
Drop in an image plus an audio file to make a still-video (like a podcast clip) - Zella shows the image while your audio plays.
Projects autosave as you work, so you can reopen them from the Library (⌘L) days later.
Moving source files after you import them can break the link - keep your media in a folder you won’t move, or re-import it.
Capture on the phone, finish on the Mac for anything long or fiddly. The .zella handoff carries the whole edit over, so there’s no lock-in to one device.