A latch, a shoe landing or paper touching a desk can make a silent AI scene feel physically grounded. The sound needs to belong to the visible action. A convincing recording placed late can be more distracting than a simpler sound aligned to the right moment.
What is Foley sound
Foley artists perform sounds to fit on-screen action using props, surfaces and physical movement. Berklee's Foley artist overview explains the craft's emphasis on matching picture. The work can include footsteps, clothing and object handling. It is a performance and editorial task, not just a label for every sound added after filming.
A sound-effects library, a designed effect or an AI-generated sound can also support an action. Name the source accurately. A generated footstep candidate is not a recording of a Foley artist performing your scene, and a synthetic timing click is not a finished footstep.
Separate action sound dialogue and atmosphere
| Layer | Example in an archive scene | What to review |
|---|---|---|
| Dialogue | Keep the case closed | Words, performance and synchronization |
| Foley or action effects | Latch contact, card landing, case slide | Material, weight, contact and movement |
| Atmosphere | The room's quiet background | Continuity and perspective |
| Music | A restrained suspense cue | Story emphasis and dialogue space |
Keep these layers editable. Use the ADR guide for replacement dialogue and the room-tone inspector for background continuity. One combined audio file is harder to revise when only a prop action changes.
Watch aligned markers and markers six frames late
Watch this clip and view its details
Watch this clip and view its details
These five-second videos are authored vector animation, not AI output. The latch changes state at frame 24, the card reaches its resting position at frame 60 and the case stops moving at frame 84. The sounds are synthetic 1 kHz timing tones with short envelopes, not recorded latch, paper or case sounds. Start at a low listening level and compare the relationship to the action.
Download the silent reference picture, aligned PCM markers, late PCM markers and original cue CSV. The MP4 audio is AAC, so inspect the PCM files for exact sample timing rather than using codec padding as a timing reference. The manifest records the authored events and file hashes.
Spot the action on whole picture frames
- Choose the locked picture and confirm its actual frame rate.
- Find the contact, release or stop that matters to the action.
- Enter one frame number and label per line in the tool above.
- Export the cue CSV and reference-marker WAV for your edit.
- Replace the reference marker with a suitable performed, licensed or generated sound and review the result.
The tool accepts up to eight cues within 59 seconds at integer 24, 25 or 30 fps. It sorts cues, rejects duplicate frames and writes relative timecode from a zero start. Its WAV is mono PCM 16 bit at 48 kHz. It does not load your picture or measure contact automatically. You must inspect and supply the frame numbers.
Choose sound for material and weight
A lightweight card should not sound like a heavy book. A hollow case may need a different body from a solid wooden box. Review the attack, body and tail separately. The first transient should connect to the action, while the remaining sound should fit the material and the room.
For a paper move, spot the start of the slide and the final landing as separate decisions. Do not place a single loud click in the middle and call the whole movement solved. For footsteps, distinguish foot contact from weight transfer and review the walking rhythm at normal playback speed.
Use AI sound candidates in a controlled workflow
Create and approve your picture in Clout AI Cinema or Image and Video, then write a short sound brief for one observable event. Specify the action, material, weight and whether the perspective is close or distant. Generate or record candidates separately from the final mix so you can move, trim and replace them.
For model-specific research, see the HunyuanVideo Foley guide. For a hosted sound-generation route, see the ElevenLabs sound-effects guide. Those guides have their own runtime and provider requirements. This page's reference markers do not test a sound model or establish a Clout integration.
Review the finished action sound
Listen with dialogue and atmosphere present. Check that the effect is not masking a word, exaggerating the object or repeating with an obvious identical pattern. Watch through the cut to the next shot: the tail and room character should support the space rather than jumping abruptly.
Save the picture version, cue list, source rights, raw candidates, accepted take and final export together. If picture changes, recheck the cues. A frame number belongs to a particular cut; copying it into a different edit does not preserve synchronization.
