Chapterframe runs on your Mac, but the images, voices and video it makes come from AI services you choose. This first video covers the two things to do before anything else: take the guided walkthrough, and connect an AI service with your own API key.
Start with the walkthrough
Open the Help menu and choose Show Walkthrough. It moves through the main parts of the app one step at a time and opens each panel as it goes. Nothing in the tour generates or renders, so you can click through it without spending anything. You can reopen it from the same menu whenever you need a reminder.
Why you need API keys
Chapterframe connects to services such as OpenAI, Grok and Gemini. OpenAI transcribes your audio and writes the script, Grok makes keyframes and storyboards by default, and Gemini can read text aloud as narration. Each service needs its own API key: a private password that lets Chapterframe make requests in your name.
The key also decides who pays. Chapterframe estimates what each job will cost before you send it, but the charge appears on your account with that provider, not on a Chapterframe bill. Your provider’s billing page is the final record.
Create a key with OpenAI
Sign in to the OpenAI Platform and open the API keys page. Create a new secret key and give it a name you will recognise later, such as “Chapterframe”. In the video the expiration is set to Never so the key keeps working. If your organisation rotates keys, pick a date instead and replace the key when it expires.
OpenAI shows the full key only once. Copy it straight away and keep it somewhere safe, such as your password manager. If you lose it, delete it and create a new one.
Paste it into Chapterframe
In Chapterframe, open Settings and choose Connections. Pick the service you are connecting, paste the key into the field and choose Save to Keychain. Chapterframe stores the key in macOS Keychain, not in your project files, so it is not included when you export a chapter.
That’s it. Once OpenAI is connected, Chapterframe can transcribe and script your chapters, and you can start rendering. Repeat the same steps for each other service you plan to use.
In short
- Take the built-in walkthrough from the Help menu.
- Create an API key with each provider; it is shown only once.
- Paste it into Settings → Connections and save.
Practise it
These lessons turn the video into step-by-step exercises with troubleshooting notes:
- Install a sample and take the tour: Start the engine, import a sample chapter, and follow the Mac walkthrough.
- Connect your services and set a budget: Save provider keys, understand local and cloud work, and inspect costs before generation.
AI generation and GPU rentals are billed by the provider you choose. Prices and offers shown in the video are examples from when it was recorded.