Troubleshooting and FAQ
Questions
Does Creator Toolkit upload my files?
No. Everything is processed on your device and the app works without an internet connection.
Does it change my original files?
No. Every result is a new file in the CreatorToolkit folder. Originals stay where they are.
Can I choose a different output folder?
No. Results always go to ~/CreatorToolkit on Linux and Windows, and to the app's own folder on Android. Move them from there with your file manager.
Can I compress a video to an exact file size?
No. Compress uses quality levels, not a target size. To get smaller files, pick Smaller or Smallest and lower the Resolution cap.
Can I add text, filters or music?
No. Creator Toolkit optimizes and converts files; it is not an editor.
Where is the download?
There is no published release yet. Build the app from source as described in Install.
Troubleshooting
"FFmpeg was not found on this system"
Cause: FFmpeg is not installed, or not on your system path. This only happens on Linux and Windows.
Fix: Install it (sudo apt install ffmpeg on Ubuntu; winget install Gyan.FFmpeg on Windows) and restart the app.
Video compression or MP4 output fails, WEBM works
Cause: Your FFmpeg has no H.264 encoder. Fedora's ffmpeg-free and openSUSE's own ffmpeg leave it out.
Fix: Install the full FFmpeg from RPM Fusion (Fedora) or Packman (openSUSE).
WEBP images fail to save
Cause: On Linux and Windows, WEBP is written by FFmpeg, and FFmpeg is missing or was built without WEBP support.
Fix: Install FFmpeg, or choose JPG or PNG.
"Unsupported output format" for an image
Cause: Compress, Resize and Crop save in the original's format and cannot write BMP, GIF or TIFF.
Fix: Convert the image to JPG or PNG on the Convert tab first.
"Could not open … — is it a valid, unencrypted PDF?"
Cause: The PDF is password-protected or damaged.
Fix: Remove the password in a PDF reader, or check the file opens elsewhere.
My trimmed video starts a little early
Cause: Without re-encoding, a cut starts at the nearest keyframe.
Fix: Turn on Frame-accurate cut (re-encode). The result will be an MP4.
"End time not understood — use 90, 1:30 or 0:01:30"
Cause: The time is not in a format the app reads.
Fix: Type seconds (90), minutes:seconds (1:30) or hours:minutes:seconds (0:01:30).
The PDF hardly got smaller
Cause: Most of the file is scanned images, which Compress does not change.
Fix: This is expected for scans. There is no stronger setting in the app.
Something else went wrong
A failed job shows its error in red under its row in Results. If you cannot solve it, report it on the Creator Toolkit issues page with the error text.