How AetherCut handles your files

1. The browser reads the file

When you drag a video onto the editor (or click the upload area), the browser fires a change event with a File object. That object is a handle to bytes the browser has read off your disk. It is a JavaScript reference. Nothing leaves the page.

AetherCut calls URL.createObjectURL(file). The browser returns a blob: URL — a pointer to those bytes, still living entirely in the browser's memory. We assign that URL to a hidden <video> element so the editor can play, scrub, and seek through your footage.

2. The editor reads frames, not the file

When you make a cut, AetherCut doesn't read the original file again. It seeks the hidden video to a timestamp, copies one frame into a <canvas> element, and draws the timeline thumbnails from that canvas. The MOV / MP4 / MKV bytes on your disk are never re-uploaded — they're already in browser memory.

3. Export writes a new file to your downloads

On export, AetherCut feeds canvas frames into either the WebCodecs VideoEncoder API (Pro tier, supported browsers) or the browser's MediaRecorder (fallback). Both encoders run inside the browser process. The output blob is handed to a <a download> link, which the browser writes to your local Downloads folder.

Our servers see none of this. The only HTTP request that crosses our network during a full edit-and-export workflow is the one that loaded the editor's JavaScript in the first place.

Verify it yourself

• Open DevTools (F12 on most browsers).
• Click the Network tab.
• Drop a video into the editor and make a cut.
• Export.
• Filter the requests by Media or XHR.
• Count the outbound video bytes. The number you are looking for is zero.

If the number isn't zero, email the founder at AethercutAdmin@gmail.com and we will treat it as a P0 bug.