Templates

An .ectemplate file is a ZIP archive (stored, not compressed) containing a complete EffectCraft project plus a manifest.

Structure

my-template.ectemplate (ZIP)
├── manifest.json      # Controls, media, composition info (version 1)
├── project.ecproj     # Full EffectCraft project (binary)
└── poster.png         # Thumbnail (1920×1080 typical)

manifest.json

The manifest is what lakreet-swarm reads to discover controls and media.

{
  "version": 1,
  "format": "effectcraft-template",
  "name": "Comp 1",
  "width": 1920,
  "height": 1080,
  "duration": 10.01,
  "frameRate": 29.97,
  "controls": [
    { "name": "Source Text", "type": "text", "value": "Your Name" },
    { "name": "Opacity", "type": "slider", "value": 100 }
  ],
  "media": [{ "name": "Logo", "item": "logo.png", "files": ["logo.png"] }]
}

Key fields

Field	Description
version	Manifest version (currently 1). lakreet-swarm warns if different.
format	Must be "effectcraft-template".
controls[]	Array of Essential Graphics controls. Each has name, type, value (default).
media[]	Media placeholders. Each has name, item, files[].

Controls

Controls come from Essential Graphics panel in EffectCraft. Only properties added there appear in the manifest.

Supported types

Type	EffectCraft property	Manifest type	Input validation
Text	Source Text	text	Any string
Slider	Opacity, Position, Scale, Rotation	slider	Finite number
Checkbox	Checkbox Control	checkbox	Boolean (many spellings)

Unknown types

If EffectCraft adds new control types, lakreet-swarm falls back to text so renders don't hard-fail. Check inspect --json for the raw type.

Media

Media entries in the manifest represent footage/images used in the template. lakreet-swarm validates that media files exist at render time (via CSV column or --media-dir).

Important: Media replacement works through EffectCraft's pipeline mode (essential.set), not via --values. The actual swap happens during render. lakreet-swarm validates paths up-front; EffectCraft performs the swap.

poster.png

A PNG thumbnail of the composition. Used by the CSV generator and preview gallery.

Warning: Template contains full project

The .ectemplate includes project.ecproj — the entire EffectCraft project (all layers, effects, expressions, footage references). This means:

• File sizes can be large (MB to tens of MB)
• Anyone with the template can open it in EffectCraft and see the full project
• Don't include sensitive assets in templates you share

Version compatibility

EffectCraft evolves quickly. lakreet-swarm tracks tested versions in compat.json and warns via doctor if your EffectCraft version isn't listed.

lakreet-swarm doctor
# [FAIL] EffectCraft version — 0.9.0 — not in compat.json (tested: 0.8.0)

Next steps

• Make a template — hands-on tutorial
• How it works — render pipeline
• Control types reference — input formats & errors