Troubleshooting: Common Issues
Here are the most frequent problems Video Tap users run into, with quick fixes for each.
Upload Issues
Section titled “Upload Issues””My upload failed”
Section titled “”My upload failed””Check these: file is under 4 GB, file is MP4, MOV, M4V, or WebM, video is under 2 hours, and your internet connection is stable.
”Can I import from a YouTube or Vimeo URL?”
Section titled “”Can I import from a YouTube or Vimeo URL?””No. Video Tap is now direct-upload only. Download the source MP4 (YouTube Studio, Vimeo Download, etc.) and drag it into the upload area.
Clip Issues
Section titled “Clip Issues””My clips have black bars on the sides”
Section titled “”My clips have black bars on the sides””By default, scenes use the Fit layout, which adds black bars when the source aspect ratio doesn’t match the output. Two ways to fix it:
- Fastest: in the Reframe sidebar, click Switch to 9:16 or 1:1 under Smart Reframe. This sets the aspect ratio and applies a Fill crop to every scene automatically.
- Manual: in the Scenes section, click Reframe on each scene card and pick Fill in the top-right. Drag the FRAME box in the SOURCE pane to position the crop.
”The rendered clip looks different from the preview”
Section titled “”The rendered clip looks different from the preview””The preview and export should match. If you notice a difference, try these steps:
- Make sure you saved your changes before rendering
- Check that the aspect ratio and zoom settings are correct
- Re-render the clip
If it still looks wrong, contact support with the clip details.
”No clips were generated”
Section titled “”No clips were generated””Automatic clips require your video to be at least 60 seconds long and to have a completed transcription. Audio-only files (MP3, WAV) and very short videos won’t generate clips. You can still create clips manually by selecting text in the transcript.
”Scene detection isn’t working”
Section titled “”Scene detection isn’t working””Manual clip creation via transcript selection is the primary method for creating clips. Select text in your transcript and click Create Clip.
Transcription Issues
Section titled “Transcription Issues””The transcription has the wrong language”
Section titled “”The transcription has the wrong language””The language auto-detection sometimes guesses wrong, especially with accented speech or bilingual content. Fix this by:
- Going to Settings in your dashboard
- Setting your Preferred Language
- Re-processing the video (or setting the language before your next upload)
“Names and brand terms are misspelled”
Section titled ““Names and brand terms are misspelled””Add them in Settings → Custom Spelling and Vocabulary Settings. The transcription engine will then expect those terms on future uploads. For videos that are already processed, use the Find and Replace tool in the transcript editor to fix them across the entire transcript. See Custom vocabulary for details.
”The transcript is missing words or sounds garbled”
Section titled “”The transcript is missing words or sounds garbled””This is usually an audio quality issue. Videos with background music, multiple overlapping speakers, or poor microphone quality produce lower-quality transcriptions. For best results, use videos with clean, clear audio.
Billing Issues
Section titled “Billing Issues””My minutes aren’t resetting”
Section titled “”My minutes aren’t resetting””Minutes reset at the start of each billing cycle, not at the start of the month. Check when your cycle started by going to Billing from the team dropdown.
”I was charged but my plan features aren’t showing”
Section titled “”I was charged but my plan features aren’t showing””Try logging out and back in. If that doesn’t fix it, clear your browser cache. The plan update can take a moment to sync. If it’s been more than a few minutes, contact support.
”I see ‘Trial’ but I have a paid plan”
Section titled “”I see ‘Trial’ but I have a paid plan””This is sometimes a display issue. Check the Billing portal to confirm your subscription status. If your plan is active in Stripe but showing as Trial in Video Tap, contact support.
”I ran out of minutes. Can I still see my content?”
Section titled “”I ran out of minutes. Can I still see my content?””Yes. All your existing content (blog posts, clips, transcripts, social posts) stays accessible and downloadable. The minutes limit only prevents you from processing new videos. You can keep editing, exporting, and sharing everything that’s already been generated.
Content Generation Issues
Section titled “Content Generation Issues””My blog post didn’t generate”
Section titled “”My blog post didn’t generate””Blog generation can take a few minutes for longer videos. If it’s been more than 10 minutes, try refreshing the page. If there’s an error message, try regenerating the blog post. Some content that triggers AI safety filters will fall back to a different AI model automatically.
”The social media posts don’t match my video’s tone”
Section titled “”The social media posts don’t match my video’s tone””The AI tries to match the tone of the original transcript. If it’s not close enough, you can regenerate the content or edit the posts directly.
Account Issues
Section titled “Account Issues””I can’t log in”
Section titled “”I can’t log in””- Forgot password: Click “Forgot your password?” on the login page
- Google login: Make sure you’re using the same Google account you registered with
- Email not found: You might have registered with a different email. Check your inbox for the original Video Tap welcome email.
”I can’t invite team members”
Section titled “”I can’t invite team members””Only plans with team member slots can send invitations. Trial and Creator plans don’t include team members.
Still Need Help?
Section titled “Still Need Help?”If your issue isn’t listed here, check the specific documentation pages or contact support@videotap.com. Providing more context such as including your video title or direct link to that clip/video, the exact error message, and what you were trying to do will help us resolve things faster.