ArtStation video clips are 1 minute: trim an AI turntable to fit

Cut the clip to 60 seconds or less as an MP4 and you meet ArtStation's length rule. ArtStation's help page says video clips accept MP4 files, that a video can be up to 1 minute long, and that clips are short looping videos that auto-play in your project. Sume video trim accepts a duration from 0.2 to 900 seconds, so a 60-second ceiling is a value you send, not a limit of the tool.

The workflow below assumes that you already have a generated or rendered clip. Sume's role is the preparation step between a clip you like and a file the portfolio site accepts, and the checks tell you whether it fits before you spend time uploading.

What ArtStation says a clip is

The page names animations, turntables, visual effects and process clips as the intended uses. It also says what to do with anything longer: upload to YouTube or Vimeo and embed it through the Video option instead. That is the right route for a long film, and the clip route is for short loops.

So the decision is simple. Under a minute and under the size limit, upload the file as a clip. Over a minute, publish to a video host and embed. This post covers the first branch, and it stays within what the page says.

Choose the loop point, then trim

Import the generated video, then send start and duration. For a turntable that you want to end where it began, choose the in-point and out-point so that the last frame is close to the first. Trim does not make a loop, so a clean loop depends on your cut points and not on the tool.

To choose them, run video inspect with frames at a list of timestamps, such as the first second and the last second you plan to keep. The frames come back as durable image URLs, and you can compare them by eye. The inspect limits are 24 stills per call, and timestamps must be inside the clip or the API returns frame_time_out_of_range.

A common mistake is to pick the longest range that fits. For a looping autoplay clip, a shorter cut usually reads better, because viewers see the loop repeat several times as they scroll through the project. Eight to twenty seconds is a normal range for a turntable, but that is a design judgment, and ArtStation's page only sets the upper bound.

The trim request

The payload below cuts 8 seconds starting at 1.5 seconds. The Python builds the JSON that you would post, and it does not call the network. Replace the video URL with your own imported artifact.

import json

payload = {
    "video_url": "https://media.sume.com/artifacts/artf_demo/turntable.mp4",
    "start": 1.5,
    "duration": 8,
    "precision": "exact",
}
assert 0.2 <= payload["duration"] <= 60, "ArtStation clips are up to 1 minute"
print(json.dumps(payload, indent=2))

Then check size

Length is only one of three gates. The size limit for a free account is 25 MB, which for 60 seconds is a ceiling near 3.3 Mbps, and the related post works through it. After the job completes, probe the result and read size_bytes and duration_seconds before you upload.

Keep the audio in mind. The page does not discuss sound for clips, so check how a clip plays on the site, and if the loop is silent, the trim audio field can be set to drop.

If your source is already under a minute and under the size limit, you may not need trim at all. Probe it first. Trim is for the cases where a clip is too long, starts with a dead second, or needs a conform for size.

Cost

A trim job costs $0.02 at the public rate. The result is a new artifact and the source is unchanged, so you can try three in-points and keep the best for six cents.

For the first look at a candidate loop, you can ask inspect for fast frames. With the seek option set to fast, each still moves to the keyframe at or before its time, which is quicker, but the docs say it can be earlier by up to one group of pictures. For a loop point you want precise, which is the default.