04.24.2025 As a finishing editor and colorist, one of my biggest pain points can be editing in 23.976 to maintain native frame rate, then delivering in 29.97 DF or 59.94 for broadcast / 23.976 for streaming services – and reliably figuring out real-time runtime. Master timelines can have multiple 5 or 10 second commercial breaks that need to be subtracted to come up with that true runtime, and the head slate requirements for film, broadcast and streaming can be incredibly detailed – HGTV requires 23.976 in/out segment timecode but 29.97 DF runtimes. 🤯
I am very often bouncing between a timecode calculator, a timecode converter, and a handwritten run sheet just to keep track – all with a delivery deadline looming on my shoulders. And last week while preparing our post production template for Season Three of a 7 episode PBS series, I discovered that one of my favorite online timecode converter sites that I’ve relied upon for many years, Bodenzord’s Timecode Converter, no longer works. After a long, fruitless search for a fast and reliable replacement I asked myself: “Can I build the accurate, flexible, fast-entry timecode calculator and converter I’ve always been looking for with nothing but conversational speech prompts in collaboration with ChatGPT, having never learned one ounce of HTML, JavaScript or CSS myself?”
To my great surprise, it turns out that the answer is “yes”! And here it is!
In just under 5 days and a whole lot of talking to a computer, copying code, testing HTML iterations, experimentation and brainstorms between myself and AI – I went from a simple proof of concept to a full-blown, fast-entry (you can really fly with a number keypad!) accurate Timecode Calculator with rock solid math that does more than I ever thought was possible in one web application.
Features I’m particularly fond of: per line addition / subtraction, real-time calculation and frame conversion, customizable label field, drag and drop reordering of entries, enable / disable entries, CSV export, mobile optimization. It’s the most fun I’ve had designing something in a long time – and it is exactly because I didn’t have to get neck-deep in code and syntax and logic and math.
It’s a free tool so check it out and pass it around if you like it and find it useful! I created the Timecode Tool I’ve long been searching for, and if it benefits the Film community and fellow Finishing Editors and beyond – what more could I ask! Well – I do have this crazy dream that we will one day get handed more accurate picture-locks as a result of this tool being out there. And tips are graciously accepted if you find it particularly useful in your workflow (there’s a link at the bottom of the Timecode Calculator).
P.S. – it works beautifully on a Mac or iPad in Safari and Chrome – and it is optimized to function with a limited interface on iPhones as well. I have done zero testing on Windows or Android. I’m a Mac guy, I’m not a programmer or web developer and I built this for me – but it’s standard code, so it should be fine across platforms.
Enjoy! And feel free to leave a comment below. Constructive feedback is welcome.