Source: Love Mac | Software download link: Angelstruck for Mac

Angelstruck for Mac is a professional multimedia creation and compositing software designed specifically for creative professionals. It integrates powerful video editing, motion graphics design, audio processing, and visual effects compositing capabilities, and is renowned for its non-linear node-based workflow and efficient rendering engine, making it ideal for producing high-quality short films, motion graphics, and visual effects.

I. Core Interface and Workspace Overview

After launching Angelstruck, you will see a highly customizable modern interface, primarily divided into the following core areas:

Menu Bar and Main Toolbar: Located at the top of the window, containing global menus such as File, Edit, Composite, and Effects, as well as quick-access buttons for the most commonly used tools (such as selection, cutting, and zoom tools).
Project Panel (Top Left): Used to manage all imported media assets (video, audio, images), created composite sequences, and generated project elements.
Node Graph Workspace (Center): This is the core of Angelstruck. All editing and effects operations are performed by connecting different functional nodes. Each node represents an operation (such as input, filter, output), and the connections represent the data flow.
Viewer Panel (top right): Real-time preview of the currently selected node or the final composited output. Supports multiple views, zoom, and safe frame display.
Properties & Parameters Panel (right side): When a node is selected, all adjustable parameters for that node are displayed here, such as position, scale, color, effect intensity, and more.
Timeline & Keyframe Panel (bottom): Displays the timeline of the current composition, where you can add, edit, and manage keyframes to control how animations and effects change over time.

II. Complete Workflow: From Creation to Export

Step 1: Create a New Project

After launching the software, click the menu bar “File” > “New” > “Project”. In the pop-up window, set the project name and storage path. The project file (.angproj) will save all editing information.

Step 2: Import Media Assets

Double-click in the blank area of the Project Panel, or use the shortcut Cmd+I, to select the video, image, and audio files you need from Finder. Imported assets will appear in the Project Panel as “media” nodes.

Step 3: Create a Composition and Build the Node Flow

Click the “New Composition” icon at the bottom of the Project Panel, or use the shortcut Cmd+N. Set the composition’s resolution, frame rate, and duration.
A new composition will automatically open an “Output” node in the Node Graph workspace. Drag the asset media node from the Project Panel into the workspace.
Drag the output port (small dot on the right) of the media node with your mouse to connect it to the input port (small dot on the left) of the Output node. The viewer should now display the asset’s frame.

Step 4: Basic Editing and Adding Effects

Trimming: Add a “Trim” node after the media node. Select the node, and in the Timeline panel below, drag the control handles at both ends of the clip to set the in point and out point.
Adding Transitions: In the “Effects” library of the Project Panel, find a “Dissolve” category effect and drag it between the connection lines of two asset nodes to insert it automatically.
Adding Filters: Right-click in the Node Graph workspace and select “Add Node” > “Color Correction” > “Color Balance”. Insert it between the media node and the Output node, then adjust the parameters in the Properties panel on the right.

Step 5: Adding Animation and Keyframes

Take creating a scale animation as an example:

Add a “Transform” node after the media node.
In the Properties panel, find the “Scale” parameter and click the “stopwatch” icon next to it to activate keyframes.
Move the playhead (time indicator) to the starting position and set the scale value to 100%.
Move the playhead to the ending position (e.g., the 2-second mark) and change the scale value to 150%. The software will automatically create a second keyframe here.
Press the spacebar to preview the animation in the viewer.

Step 6: Render and Export the Final Video

Make sure the final endpoint of the node graph is connected to the “Output” node.
Click the menu bar “Compositing” > “Add to Render Queue”, or use the shortcut Cmd+Shift+R. The Render Queue panel will open.
In the Render Queue, click the text after “Output Module” to set the export format (e.g., H.264), codec, quality, and more.
Click the path after “Output To” to choose the save location and file name for the video.
Finally, click the “Render” button at the top of the Render Queue to start exporting the final video file.

III. Advanced Tips for Common Features

Node Graph Organization Tips: After selecting multiple nodes, press Cmd+G to pack them into a “group,” simplifying the view of complex workflows. Double-click a group to enter and edit its contents.
Quick Preview and Proxies: For high-resolution footage, you can switch the “Full” quality to “Half” or “Quarter” at the bottom of the Viewer panel to speed up previews. You can also right-click footage in the Project panel and select “Create Proxy.”
Expression Control: Right-click on an attribute parameter and select “Edit Expression” to enter simple mathematical formulas or link to other parameters, enabling automated linked animations without the need to manually keyframe extensively.
Multi-Project Collaboration: Use the “Import” > “Angelstruck Project” feature in the “File” menu to import all compositions and assets from another project into the current project as references, facilitating team division of labor.

IV. Common Issues and Solutions

Q1: Playback preview is very laggy.
A1: First, try lowering the viewer’s preview quality (e.g., from “Full” to “Half”). Next, check whether a large number of unrendered complex effects are being used; you can try pre-rendering to memory for preview (shortcut Cmd+0). Ensure your system meets the software’s minimum configuration requirements.

Q2: Exported video files are too large.
A2: In the output module settings of the render queue, select the H.264 encoding format and adjust the “Bitrate” setting. For web sharing, a bitrate of 8-15 Mbps is typically sufficient to ensure good image quality while keeping file size under control.

Q3: The node graph is too cluttered and difficult to manage.
A3: Make good use of the “Group” feature (Cmd+G) to package related nodes together. Use “Comment” nodes (added by right-clicking in the workspace) to add text descriptions for different functional areas. Use the shortcut F to automatically fit the selected nodes to the center of the view.

Q4: The software unexpectedly quits and the project is not saved.
A4: Angelstruck enables the auto-save feature by default. After restarting the software, you will usually be prompted to restore the most recently auto-saved project version. It is recommended to confirm that this feature is enabled under “Preferences” > “Auto-Save” and to set a shorter save interval.

V. Angelstruck for Mac Shortcuts Overview

Function Category	Operation Description	Mac Shortcut
File Operations	New Project	Cmd+Shift+N
	Open Project	Cmd+O
	Save Project	Cmd+S
	Import File	Cmd+I
Editing Operations	Undo	Cmd+Z
	Redo	Cmd+Shift+Z
	Copy Node	Cmd+C
	Paste Node	Cmd+V
	Select All	Cmd+A
	Group Selected Nodes	Cmd+G
View & Navigation	Zoom In on Node Graph	Cmd++ (Plus)
	Zoom Out on Node Graph	Cmd+- (Minus)
	Fit Selected Nodes to View	F
	Toggle Viewer Display Quality	Shift+Q
Playback & Preview	Start/Stop Playback	Spacebar
	Render RAM Preview	Cmd+0
	Jump to Composition Start	Home
	Jump to Composition End	End
Compositing & Rendering	New Composition	Cmd+N
	Add Current Composition to Render Queue	Cmd+Shift+R
	Start Render Queue	Cmd+R