AutoCut Volleyball - Help Documentation
Overview
AutoCut Volleyball is an AI-powered video analysis tool that automatically detects and clips individual rallies from your volleyball match footage. Using advanced machine learning and OCR technology, it identifies rally boundaries, reads game information graphics, and helps you create individual rally clips with minimal manual effort.
Key Features
- Automatic rally detection using machine learning
- Broadcast graphics OCR for score and serving team
- Team name auto-detection from broadcast graphics
- Flexible rally editing with precise boundary controls
- Export as individual clips
- Full length video processing for Pro subscribers
- iCloud sync for Pro subscribers
Getting Started
Loading a Video
- Click the Open Video button (or press Cmd+O on macOS)
- Select a volleyball match video file (MP4, MOV, or other standard formats)
- Wait for the video to load and analysis to begin automatically
- Note: First time use after installing a new version may take a few minutes to complete the machine learning model for your device
Setting Team Names
The app attempts to automatically detect team names from broadcast graphics to assist with score detection. You can also manually edit them:
- Find the Away Team and Home Team fields in the toolbar
- Click to edit and type the correct team names
- If there are no team name/score graphics in the video then just leave the fields blank
Analysis Process
Once a video is loaded, the app automatically begins analyzing it:
- A progress bar shows the analysis status
- Rallies appear in the sidebar as they are detected
- You can cancel analysis at any time using the Stop button
- Analysis results are cached for faster re-opening of the same video
Understanding the Interface
Main Layout
The app uses a split-view layout with two main areas:
Sidebar (Left)
- • Rally list with all detected rallies
- • Gaps between rallies (timeouts, replays)
- • Rally count and total duration header
- • Multi-selection support for batch operations
Main Area (Right)
- • Video player
- • Playback controls and speed selector
- • Rally editing toolbar
- • Game info bar with scoreboard data
Rally List Information
Each rally in the list shows:
- Rally Number - Sequential number (e.g., Rally 1, Rally 2)
- Timestamp - Video start time in MM:SS format
- Duration - Length of the rally
- Score - Score at the time of the rally
Visual Indicators
- • Yellow duration - Rallies 30 seconds or longer - check for potential issues with the rally detection
- • Red score - Unexpected score progression detected - check for potential missed rally
- • Gap items - Show 30+ second gaps between rallies in case a rally was missed
Playback Controls
- Play/Pause Button - Start or stop video playback
- Speed Selector - Choose from 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x, or 2x
- Scrubber - Drag to seek within the current rally
- Time Display - Shows current position and duration
Rally Detection
How It Works
AutoCut Volleyball uses a machine learning model trained to identify when rallies start and end. The detection process is not always perfect due to the variable nature of volleyball rallies. However it should get you really close to your desired rally cuts most of the time requiring only minor manual adjustments which the UI is designed to make easy.
What Gets Detected
Rally Boundaries
- • Tries to include the serve
- • Tries to end shortly after the rally is over
- • If you prefer more time before or after the rally you can configure how many seconds to always add
Graphics Data
- • Score
- • Serving team
- • Replays
Gaps Between Rallies
Gaps longer than 30 seconds are listed separately on the off chance that a rally was missed. If needed you can quickly scrub through it and delete it if there isn't a rally in it or create a new rally at the appropriate spot in the gap.
Editing Rallies
Adjusting Rally Boundaries
Fine-tune where each rally starts and ends using these buttons or keyboard shortcuts:
| Action | Toolbar | Keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Extend start earlier | Start left chevron button | Shift+[ |
| Shrink start later | Start right chevron button | Option+[ |
| Extend end later | End right chevron button | Shift+] |
| Shrink end earlier | End left chevron button | Option+] |
Creating New Rallies
Create rallies from gaps or split existing rallies:
- From anywhere in video: Use the timeline scrubber in the video to navigate to a missed rally, press [ to set start, then ] to set end
- From a gap: Navigate to the start of a rally, press [ to set start, then ] to set end
- Split a rally: Seek to the split point and press S or click Split in toolbar
- Create to next rally: Press I when in a gap
- Create from previous rally: Press O when in a gap
Deleting Rallies
Remove unwanted rallies from your list:
- Select the rally(s) you want to delete
- Press Delete or Backspace
- Or click the Delete button in the toolbar
- Multi-select is supported for batch deletion (useful for multiple incorrect rallies from pre-match, between-set, or post-match footage)
Keyboard Shortcuts
Press / or ? at any time to show the keyboard shortcuts overlay (macOS).
Playback Control
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Play / Pause |
| L | Play or increase speed (1x → 1.25x → 1.5x → 1.75x → 2x) |
| K | Pause playback |
| J | Decrease speed or pause and reset to 1x |
| Up Arrow/Swipe Down | Previous rally |
| Down Arrow/Swipe Up | Next rally |
Navigation
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| ← | Seek back 2 seconds |
| → | Seek forward 2 seconds |
| ↑ | Previous rally/gap |
| ↓ | Next rally/gap |
In/Out Points
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| I or [ | Set start / Create rally to next |
| O or ] | Set end / Create rally from previous |
| Shift+[ | Extend start 2 seconds earlier |
| Option+[ | Shrink start 2 seconds later |
| Shift+] | Extend end 2 seconds later |
| Option+] | Shrink end 2 seconds earlier |
Editing
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| S | Split rally at current position |
| Delete | Delete selected items |
General
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd+O | Open video |
| Cmd+E | Export clips |
| Cmd+, | Open settings |
| / or ? | Show keyboard shortcuts |
Exporting Clips
Export Modes
Separate Files
Each rally is exported as an individual MP4 file.
- • Files named "Rally_001.mp4", "Rally_002.mp4", etc.
- • Great for individual rally review
Single File
All rallies are combined into one continuous video.
- • Easy to share as a single file
Export Process
- Click Export or press Cmd+E
- Choose your export mode (Separate Files or Single File)
- Select an output directory
- Review the rally count and total duration
- Click Export to begin
- Monitor progress with the real-time progress bar. Video is not re-encoded during export so it will be ready fairly quickly.
Export Notes
Settings
Clip Settings
| Setting | Description | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-roll Seconds | Extra time added before each clip starts | 0-10 seconds (0.5s increments) |
| Post-roll Seconds | Extra time added after each clip ends | 0-10 seconds (0.5s increments) |
Subscription
Free Plan
- • Limited to 10 rallies per analysis
- • Local storage only
- • All basic features included
Pro Subscription
- • Unlimited rallies per analysis
- • iCloud sync across devices
- • Analysis cache persistence
Subscription Management
- Upgrade: Tap "Upgrade to Pro" to view subscription options
- Manage: Access "Manage Subscription" to modify or cancel through the App Store
- Restore: Use "Restore Purchases" to restore a previous subscription on a new device
Tips for Best Results
Video Quality
- • Use the highest quality video available for better detection accuracy
- • Wide-angle views from behind the court provide the most consistent results
Efficient Workflow
- • Use keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation and editing
- • Review rallies at 1.5x or 2x speed to save time
- • Use multi-select to delete multiple non-rallies at once
Getting Large Videos onto iOS
- • Save the video file to the Files app on your device — this is the default location the iOS app looks for videos
- • AirDrop is the fastest way to transfer large files from a Mac to your device's Files app
- • You can also use iCloud Drive, a USB connection, or any other method that places the file in the Files app
- • Avoid trying to import directly from the Photos library for very large files, as the Files app provides more reliable access
Rally Boundaries
- • Fine-tune start points to capture the serve
- • Extend end points to include the whistle and player reactions
- • Use the 2-second adjustment shortcuts for quick tweaks
Troubleshooting
Scoreboard information is missing or incorrect
- OCR works best with clear, high-contrast overlaid graphics
- Non-standard graphic layouts may not be recognized
- You can manually edit team names in the toolbar
iCloud sync is not working
- Verify you have an active Pro subscription
- Check that iCloud is enabled in your device settings
- Ensure you're signed into the same Apple ID on all devices
- Wait a few minutes and try again – sync may take time
App crashes or becomes unresponsive
- Force quit and restart the app
- Try with a smaller video file
- Update to the latest version of the app
- Restart your device
Quick Reference Card
Essential Shortcuts
Play/PauseSpace
Next/Prev Rally↓ / ↑
Seek ±2s← / →
Set In/OutI / O
Split RallyS
DeleteDel
Quick Actions
Open VideoCmd+O
ExportCmd+E
SettingsCmd+,
Show Shortcuts/
Speed UpL
Slow DownJ
Typical Workflow
1. Open Video→2. Review Rallies→3. Edit Boundaries→4. Export
AutoCut Volleyball - AI-Powered Volleyball Video Analysis
Available on iOS and macOS