Open the app and sign in
The first time you open ZeroOne Promo it asks you to sign in. Pick Continue with Twitch, Google, or Discord - whichever account you already have. Your web browser opens so you can sign in safely, then the app takes over automatically. Promo is free to use while it is in beta.
No ZeroOne Beats account yet? Creating one is free at zeroonebeats.com - sign in with any of the same providers and you are set.
Pick your track
Click Pick a track in the Track panel and choose a song from your computer. Promo accepts most common audio files - MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, OGG and Opus.
As soon as you pick a song, the app fills in the title, artist, tempo and length, drops the song title into the on-screen headline, chooses a matching colour scheme, and studies the beat so the visuals can react to the music. You can change any of that later.
Pick the shapes you need
In the centre column, under Preview as, click the shapes you want to make a video for. You can pick more than one, and each shape keeps its own separate design.
TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts.
Instagram feed posts.
YouTube, X, Facebook.
Tick Show platform UI to lay a mock-up of that platform's on-screen buttons and captions over your video, plus the safe zone (the area that will not get covered). It helps you keep your text and logo where people will actually see them.
Choose what plays behind everything
By default the background is plain black. There are two separate ways to use your own footage, both set from the Scene section in the left column.
Click Open folder to open your loops folder. Copy your video files into it (Promo uses .mp4, .webm, .mov or .mkv), come back and click Refresh loops, then pick your video from the Scene list.
Images go in a separate folder called backgrounds, right next to the loops folder (both live inside Documents\ZOB Promo). Drop your picture there, click Refresh loops, and it appears in the Scene list too.
The little VID and IMG tickboxes next to the word Scene just filter that list - untick one to hide videos or images while you browse.
There is also a separate Image overlay tool (a Pick image button lower down). It puts a picture on top of the video - handy for cover art or a photo - with its own size, position and animation. It is not the background.
Design the look and the text
Down the left side you will find the rest of the controls. None of them are required - the app already gives you a finished-looking video - but here is what each one does.
The colour scheme. Pick a preset, or set your own colours below it.
How your title and artist name are arranged on screen.
The audio bars, waveform or rings that move in time with the music.
Where the logo sits, and how big or faint it is.
Type your Headline and Artist name into the boxes (the headline is already filled with the song title). Press Shuffle at the top to have the app throw together a random look until you like one, or set everything yourself. You can also click and drag anything in the preview - text, logo, the bars - to move it exactly where you want.
Choose the part of the song to use
You usually only want a slice of the track. In the clip strip below the song, open the Auto-pick clip menu and choose one: Loudest 30s, Quietest 30s, First 30s, First minute, or The Drop. Prefer to do it by hand? Drag the two handles on the track to set the start and end, or open the waveform editor for fine control.
Make your videos
When you are happy, click Render. Promo creates one finished video for each shape you ticked. When it is done, your videos are waiting in Documents\ZOB Promo\output - the Open output folder button takes you straight there. To reuse this whole setup another day, click Save project.
Promo builds the video frame by frame rather than screen-recording it, so it never lags, stutters or drifts out of time with the music - even on an older computer. A full song takes a few minutes; a short clip is quicker.
Staying current
When a new version is released you will see an Update available bar at the top of the app - one click downloads and installs it. And the Send feedback button in the bottom-left corner is always there: hit a bug, or want something added? It comes straight to us and genuinely helps shape the app.