Quick Start

iLoveVideoEditor renders MP4 videos from scenes built in the browser-based Studio or submitted through the REST API. This guide covers the API workflow.

Base URLs

Environment	URL
Production	https://api.ilovevideoeditor.com

What you need

1. An API key from Account > API Keys in the dashboard.
2. A scene payload. Build one visually in the Studio or see the API Reference for the schema.

Create an API key

1. Sign in at https://ilovevideoeditor.com/dashboard.
2. Go to Account > API Keys.
3. Click Create key. Copy the key immediately — it is only shown once.

Treat API keys like passwords. Rotate them if they leak.

Render your first video with cURL

curl -X POST https://api.ilovevideoeditor.com/v1/render \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "videoJSON": {
      "name": "Hello World",
      "layers": [
        {
          "type": "composition",
          "width": 1920,
          "height": 1080,
          "fps": 30,
          "sourceDuration": 5
        },
        {
          "type": "text",
          "text": "Hello, world!",
          "start": 0,
          "duration": 5,
          "style": {
            "fontSize": 8,
            "color": "#ffffff",
            "fontFamily": "Inter"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }'

Response:

{
  "jobId": "018f...",
  "status": "pending"
}

Poll for status

curl https://api.ilovevideoeditor.com/v1/render/018f... \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

When status is completed, the response includes a signed url you can download directly:

{
  "id": "018f...",
  "status": "completed",
  "progress": 100,
  "url": "https://pub-….r2.dev/…/render.mp4",
  "error": null,
  "createdAt": "2026-06-26T00:00:00.000Z",
  "completedAt": "2026-06-26T00:01:00.000Z"
}

Download the MP4

curl -L https://api.ilovevideoeditor.com/v1/render/018f.../download \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -o hello-world.mp4

The redirect resolves to a signed R2 URL valid for 24 hours. Use POST /v1/render/{id}/refresh-url to generate a fresh link.

Estimate cost before rendering

curl -X POST https://api.ilovevideoeditor.com/v1/render/cost \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"videoJSON": { ... }}'

The response returns the estimated credit cost, duration, resolution, and fps.

Next steps

• Design scenes visually in the Studio.
• Add motion with the Animations guide.
• Read the REST API Quick Reference for endpoints, authentication, and webhooks.