Nodaro DocsVideo URL
Paste a YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or X link and get the video as a file for trimming, captions, analysis and remixing. Choose part of long videos.
The Video URL node turns a link to a social video into a video file that your workflow can use. Paste a link from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or X, and the node downloads the video into your library. Every node you connect receives the video file, not the web page, and the download costs no credits.
When to use it
- Re-edit, caption or analyze a YouTube video, or a part of one.
- Remix a TikTok video or an Instagram Reel.
- Use a social video as the motion reference for Motion Transfer.
- Take frames from a video with Extract Frame.
- Transcribe or dub the sound of a video with Transcribe or Dubbing.
Quick start
Add the node
Press Tab on the canvas and choose Automate › Get Content › Video URL. The node is also on the Common and Video tabs, next to the upload nodes.
Paste the link
Paste the link into the node, or into Video URL in the settings panel. The download starts by itself, and the node shows its progress.
Choose a part of a long YouTube video
For a YouTube video of 4 minutes or longer, the node shows the length of the video and asks what to download. Set From and To and click Download this part, or click Download whole video.
Connect the video
Connect the Video output to the next node, such as Trim Video or Add Captions.
How a link is fetched
| Link | What happens |
|---|---|
| TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or X | The whole video downloads as soon as you paste the link. |
| YouTube, shorter than 4 minutes | The whole video downloads as soon as you paste the link, at up to 1080p. |
| YouTube, 4 minutes or longer, or of unknown length | The node shows the length and asks: Download this part or Download whole video. Nothing downloads until you choose. |
| YouTube live stream | It cannot be downloaded. Try again after the stream ends. |
Direct link to a video file (.mp4, .webm, .mov, .avi) | The link passes through as it is. Nothing is downloaded. |
Download part of a long YouTube video
From and To accept a time such as 1:30, 1:02:03 or a number of seconds. The default part is 0:00 to 1:00.
The clip you get can include a few extra seconds on each side, because the cut follows the keyframes of the video. Add a Trim Video node after it when you need an exact cut.
After the download, you can fetch another part of the same link from the settings panel with Download a different part.
What happens when you run a workflow
A run never uses a link that was not downloaded yet. If a connected Video URL node has no file, the run downloads it first and then starts. The node shows its own progress, and Cancel on the message stops the wait, while the download itself carries on.
Two cases stop the run with a message that names the node:
- A long YouTube video with no part chosen. Choose a part, or the whole video, and run again.
- A download that failed. The message says why.
A run fetches only what it needs:
- A Video URL node that is not connected to anything in the run is left alone.
- Transcribe, Suno Cover and Dubbing use only the sound of the link. When they are the only nodes that read it, the run never waits for the video download.
Opening a workflow never starts a download. A node that was downloading when you closed the page picks up that same download if it is still running. Otherwise the node shows Download Video again.
Output
The output, Video, is the downloaded file, or the direct file link that you pasted. The node also fetches the sound of the link in the background, and Suno Cover and Transcribe use it when they are connected.
When a download fails
The node shows one of these messages. Hover the message to see the site's own wording.
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| The video came through without its sound | The site sent a copy without sound. Try again in a moment. If the video really has no sound, choose Download without sound. |
| This video is private | Ask the owner to make it public. |
| This video is age-restricted | It cannot be downloaded. |
| This video isn't available in the region we download from | The site blocks the video by location. |
| The connection dropped while downloading | Try again. The download may already be finished, and the retry picks it up. |
| Too many downloads are running at once | An account can run 4 downloads at a time. Wait for one to finish, then try again. |
| Couldn't fetch this video | Check that the link opens in a private browser window. |
Click Retry Download to try again after you fix the cause.
Credits and storage
The Video URL node costs no credits. The downloaded file counts toward your storage, so delete it from your library when you no longer need it.
Tips
- Sound only. To use only the sound of a YouTube video, use the Reference Audio node instead.
- Choose a short part. A short part downloads faster, and every node after it processes less video.
- Use videos you may use. Download only videos that you have the right to use.
From the API
A Video URL node gets its file only when the editor downloads it. A workflow written through the API or by an AI assistant carries only the link, and a run started from the API does not download it. To use a social video in such a workflow, import it first with POST /v1/download-video. Then put the returned file URL in an Upload Video node, or in the Video URL field of this node. A direct file link passes through that field without a download. See Voice and media.
Frequently asked questions
Related
Trim Video
Upload Video
Reference Audio
Transcribe
Motion Transfer
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