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Wizard Mode: Fill a Video Template Without Touching the Timeline

Published September 16, 2026 5 min read By the ExpoCut team

Templates are only fast if filling them is fast. ExpoCut’s Wizard mode turns a 20-slot template into a form: type the text, pick the photo, tap Next, and the finished video plays while you do it. When you need the real editor, it’s one tap away — and one tap back.

Quick answer

In ExpoCut, open Templates on the home screen, tap a template to see its live preview, then Use this Template. The slot filler takes you through the template’s slots (1/8, 2/8…) — a text field or a media picker above a live canvas that updates as you type — with Next, Skip, and Use defaults to accept the sample content for the rest. You land in Wizard mode: the finished video plays above a strip of slot chips (All · Text · Image · Video · Audio); tap any chip to change that slot. Timeline in the top bar opens the full editor with every layer; Wizard brings you back.

  • Preview first: the template card plays a live preview with real sample media before you commit.
  • The slot filler is a form over a live canvas — what you type appears in the frame immediately.
  • Use defaults accepts the sample text for the remaining slots; Skip leaves one slot as-is.
  • Wizard mode = slot chips grouped by All / Text / Image / Video / Audio; tap to swap text, photo, clip or music.
  • Timeline ⇄ Wizard is a two-way switch — trim a layer in the timeline, then come back to change a slot.

A good template is a finished video with holes in it. Wizard mode is the fastest way to fill the holes: a form, a live canvas, and a chip strip that lets you change any slot later — without ever opening the timeline unless you want to.

Step 1 — Preview, then commit

The Real Estate Property template's preview screen: the finished video playing at 9.6 s of 12 s with a Hughes Avenue feature list and a phone-number badge, a play/pause scrubber, a Live preview label and a Use this Template button. Live preview — real samples, real motion Use this Template
Tap a template on the Templates tab and it downloads its samples and plays. What you see is the real project, not a thumbnail. Use this Template starts the wizard.

Step 2 — Fill the slots

  1. Read the slot

    Each screen names the slot (New text, Headline, Image…), says whether it’s optional, and suggests the sample content.

  2. Type or pick

    Text slots have a field; media slots open the same Add Image / Add Video / Add Audio pickers as the editor. The canvas below updates live.

  3. Next, Skip, or Use defaults

    Next saves and moves on; Skip keeps the sample for this slot; Use defaults keeps the samples for every remaining slot and finishes.

The slot filler at 1/8: label New text (Optional), Suggested REAL ESTATE, a field reading JUST LISTED, and a live canvas of a wooden interior where the same words are already rendering; Cancel, Skip and Next buttons below and Use defaults top right. Slot 1 of 8 Use defaults — skip to the end Type — the canvas updates live Next / Skip
Slot 1 of 8. Typing “JUST LISTED” re-renders the canvas as you go, so you see the fit before you tap Next.

Step 3 — Wizard mode

Wizard mode: the finished template plays on the canvas (feature list and phone badge), a Timeline button sits top-centre, a scrubber reads 9.6 s / 12.0 s, and a slot strip shows chips All, Text, Image, Video, Audio above cards New text (JUST LISTED), Corporate music, Elegant interior, Canister and more, each labelled Tap to change. Timeline — open the full editor All · Text · Image · Video · Audio Slot chips — tap to change
The wizard view. The video plays on top; every slot is a chip below. Filter the chips by type, tap one to change it — a text chip opens the field, a media chip opens the picker — and the canvas re-renders.

Wizard mode is where most template edits should stay: swap the photo, fix a name, change the music. Export straight from ••• when it looks right.

Step 4 — Timeline when you need it

The same project in the full editor: JUST LI rendering mid-animation on the canvas, a Wizard button top-centre, and the timeline rows V1 (11.6 s music/video), T2, S9, T10 with the template's layers. Wizard — back to slots The template’s real layers and rows
Timeline opens the full editor: every layer of the template on its rows, with the whole toolset. Wizard in the same spot takes you back — both views edit the same project.

Keep the layout, change the content. Media you drop into a slot keeps the slot’s size and timing, so a portrait photo in a square hole gets cropped, not stretched. If you need a different framing, switch to Timeline and use Crop or Fit on that layer.

Where to go next

Preview, fill, tap a chip — the template does the editing; you do the choosing.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use a video template on my phone?

Open Templates, tap a template to watch its live preview, then Use this Template. Fill the slots one at a time — the canvas shows each change — or tap Use defaults to keep the sample content. You land in Wizard mode where every slot is a chip; tap one to change it, then export.

Can I edit a template beyond its slots?

Yes. Tap Timeline in the top bar to open the full editor with every layer of the template — trim, reorder, add effects, change fonts. Tap Wizard to return to the slot view; both edit the same project.

What is the difference between Skip and Use defaults?

Skip leaves the current slot with its sample content and moves to the next one. Use defaults accepts the sample content for every remaining slot and jumps straight to Wizard mode — useful when you only need to change the first few.

Fill it, don't build it

Live-preview templates, a slot-by-slot wizard, and a full timeline one tap away — finished videos in minutes.

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