FAQ

What does Acta Post do?

Enter the durations of your acts and breaks. Acta Post totals them and compares the result with the target runtime, updating the over/under as the cut changes. Every break can have its own length and each show can use separate edit and delivery rates. Share a text or PDF rundown or save an .acta backup to transfer the library.

Who's it for?

Picture editors, assistant editors and producers working to a target runtime.

Do I need an account?

Install Acta Post and start without an account, login or email address.

Does it work offline?

Timing, editing and local backups work offline. Opening the support website or sending a file through an online service uses that service’s connection.

Can I use a hardware keyboard on iPad?

The main shortcuts are:

• Command-N: New Show
• Command-comma: Settings
• Command-O: Import .acta File
• Shift-Command-T: Start To-Time
• Command-C: Copy the over/under value while a show is open
• Command-Z and Shift-Command-Z: Undo and redo
• Escape: Dismiss the current sheet, leave an edit mode or go back when that action is available

In To-Time, Space starts or pauses the clock and Return finishes the current item. Return also confirms the available default action in forms such as Save, Create and Use Time. The iPad command menu shows the commands that are available in the current screen.

How does Acta Post count?

Acta Post stores and totals whole frames and displays the results as timecode. When a frame-rate conversion can’t preserve the exact displayed label, the app identifies the adjustment.

Which frame rates does it support?

23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60.

How is drop frame handled?

Acta Post offers drop frame at the supported 29.97 and 59.94 rates. Drop-frame timecode displays with semicolons, non-drop with colons, following the usual convention.

What if I type a timecode that doesn't exist in drop frame?

Drop frame skips certain frame labels at the top of most minutes, so 00:01:00;00 is a label that never occurs. Enable Autofix bad drop frames to round an invalid label up to the next valid frame or turn it off to correct the entry manually.

Can I cut at one rate and deliver at another?

Set a separate delivery rate to work at one rate and read positions on another clock, such as editing at 23.976 and delivering at 29.97. Change either rate later without rebuilding the rundown.

How do I compare Acta Post with an Avid Media Composer sequence?

Enter the act and break durations from the Media Composer sequence. Acta Post totals those durations as whole frames. Match the frame rates, drop-frame settings, start timecode and included acts and breaks when comparing results. Durations are entered manually; Acta Post doesn’t connect to Media Composer or read the sequence. If matching inputs produce an unexpected result, email the rates and values to support for review.

Can I track more than one show?

Each show keeps its own name, target runtime, start timecode, frame rate and rundown.

Do all my breaks have to be the same length?

Every break has its own duration, so a show with a 2:00 break and a 1:30 break totals correctly.

Can I change the starting timecode?

New shows start at hour one by default. Set another valid starting timecode as needed. Acta Post displays each act’s and break’s positions on the delivery clock. Show or hide those positions on all rundown rows and in exports through Settings.

What's Mute for?

Exclude an act or break from totals without deleting it. Muted items stay marked in the rundown, useful when deciding whether to keep a cold open or break.

What's the example show that's already there when I open Acta Post?

Acta Post creates a sample show on first launch to demonstrate a rundown. Delete it at any time; it won’t be recreated.

How do I set up a new show?

Choose the number of acts to create a rundown with breaks between them. Set a common break length during setup or enter each break’s duration separately.

Can I duplicate a show?

Choose Duplicate from the show list’s swipe actions or long-press menu to reuse an existing rundown for another episode.

Can I reorder shows?

The list keeps your manual order.

What's To-Time?

A stopwatch that records durations during a screening or live segment. Start it, then tap Finish Segment at the end of each rundown item. Review the captured durations before applying them to the show.

Do I have to start at the top?

Choose the rundown item to start on. Timing then continues through the following items.

Does the clock stop between segments?

Timing runs continuously across Finish Segment, with no gap between adjacent items. Pause the clock when the screening pauses.

What happens to my existing durations?

Existing durations stay unchanged until the results are applied. On the review screen, choose to replace existing durations or append the captures as new items. Replacement requires confirmation and shows the number of affected items.

What if an act runs long for a reason I don't want recorded?

Skip This Item discards the elapsed time for that item and leaves its existing duration unchanged. Skipped items appear separately on the review screen.

Can I time just one act?

Choose Time Segment on a row to time that item alone. If it already has a duration, compare the old and new values before replacing it.

Can I get a rundown out of the app?

Export a formatted text file or PDF through the share sheet, with optional delivery-clock start and end times. Muted items are marked as excluded.

How do I back up my shows?

For one show or a selected group, export an .acta backup from the show list. It preserves names, rates, drop-frame settings, start and target times and full rundowns in order. In Settings > Backups & Transfer, Share Library Backup saves active, archived and Recently Deleted shows with transferable settings. Keep the file in a trusted location outside the app. It doesn’t contain App Lock settings or dated recovery-copy history.

How do I get them back?

Import the .acta file. An individual-show backup adds its shows to the top of the active list. If a name is already in use, Acta Post appends “copy” and preserves the existing show. A current backup or shared dated recovery copy offers Add Shows or Replace Current Library. Add Shows keeps the receiving library and settings and imports only active and archived shows, preserving their folders. Replace restores the entire saved library and settings, including Recently Deleted. Older library backups remain importable.

Is there a size limit on backups?

A backup file can be up to 10 MB, hold up to 1,000 shows and hold up to 10,000 items in any one show. These limits prevent a corrupt or hostile file from tying up the app.

Individual-show and older library backups don’t include Recently Deleted. A current backup or shared dated recovery copy does include those shows as they were when the file was made.

Can I undo a full-library replacement?

Open Settings > Backups & Transfer > View Recovery Copies to find the three most recent pre-replacement copies. Restoring one also saves a copy of the current library. Automatic recovery is on by default. On the first use of a day, Acta Post saves a copy if the library or backed-up settings differ from the latest automatic copy. It keeps seven automatic copies separately. Turn automatic recovery off or delete whole dated copies in Settings. Individual shows inside a copy can’t be edited.

Each recovery copy contains the whole library at that moment, including Recently Deleted. Permanently deleting a show from the current library doesn’t rewrite an older copy. Tap a dated copy to preview the saved show names and last-modified dates without restoring it. Share the complete copy to Files for later import. On import, add its active and archived shows to the current library or replace the current library with the entire saved copy.

For a file with the latest edits, choose Share Library Backup in Backups & Transfer. This saves a current file without adding another dated copy on the device. Restoring a recovery copy gives its Recently Deleted shows a fresh 30 days to recover, even if their old countdown expired. The saved file remains unchanged.

Acta Post doesn’t send local copies anywhere. Deleting the app and its data removes them, so save a shared copy outside the app to protect against losing the device.

Is the backup format safe to email around?

An .acta backup is data-only JSON with no executable code, file paths or links. Acta Post validates the whole file before it writes anything to the database and a bad file leaves your existing shows untouched.

The file isn’t encrypted. Anyone who can open it can read its show names, timing settings and rundown details, so use a storage or sharing method that fits the sensitivity of the production.

Does Acta Post sync between my devices?

Not in this version. Use an .acta backup to move shows from one device to another.

What happens when I delete a show?

A deleted show moves to Recently Deleted for 30 days, with the remaining time displayed beside it. Restore it during that period or permanently delete it sooner. Permanent deletion, including emptying the trash, requires confirmation and names the affected shows.

Restore a show or export an .acta backup before the 30 days expire to keep a copy.

What's Archive for?

Move finished episodes off the main list while keeping them available to open or restore.

How much does Acta Post cost?

The planned launch price is a one-time purchase of $4.99 USD in the US storefront. Local prices appear in the App Store. There’s no subscription, no in-app purchases and no advertising.

Are there in-app purchases?

The one-time purchase includes everything described on this page.

Does one purchase cover my iPhone and iPad?

Version 1.0 supports iPhone and iPad as one app purchase.

Can my family use it?

Check the App Store listing at release for Family Sharing availability. Purchase sharing also depends on the family organizer’s and family members’ Apple Account settings.

Which iOS version do I need?

iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later.

How do I report a bug or request a frame rate?

Email support@actapost.app with the issue or requested frame rate. Support is handled by a working picture editor.

What information does Acta Post collect?

The app has no analytics code, advertising or third-party SDKs. Support emails include the sender’s address and any information supplied in the message. See the app privacy policy for details, including Apple’s separate privacy practices.

Where does my work live?

In Acta Post’s local storage on the device. The app doesn’t upload it to us or to a server we operate. Depending on Apple and device settings, iCloud Backup or a computer backup may include that local data. Exporting or sharing a file creates a separate copy.

Can support see my show names or runtimes?

The app doesn’t send us show names or runtimes. Including them in a support email or attachment shares those details with us.

What about files I export?

The app or service chosen in the share sheet handles exported PDFs and backups under its own privacy terms. Read the app privacy policy for details.