> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.postqueen.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Image & Video Editing (Polotno)

> Turn on in-app image and video editing in PostQueen with the Polotno SDK

You crop the photo and fix the headline without ever leaving the post
you are writing. That editor is the
[Polotno SDK](https://polotno.com/), and one API key turns it on.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/forceplay/EEHeangkYBPAigbH/images/brand/studio.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=EEHeangkYBPAigbH&q=85&s=f9f49ce0872a80a896e7eabf837d999c" alt="The content studio: one topic returns the caption and the on-brand image, in any language" width="640" height="300" data-path="images/brand/studio.svg" />
</Frame>

## What you get

* Create and edit visuals inside the post composer.
* Work with templates, text and brand assets.
* Update designs in place without re-uploading finished files.
* Reuse and modify visuals across scheduled posts.

Designs are stored as structured data and rendered when needed. She
still does the scheduling, the publishing and the platform-specific
work.

## Setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a Polotno account">
    Sign up at [polotno.com](https://polotno.com/) and open the
    [API dashboard](https://polotno.com/cabinet/) to generate an
    API key.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the API key to PostQueen">
    Set `NEXT_PUBLIC_POLOTNO` in your environment to the key from
    the Polotno dashboard:

    ```env theme={"system"}
    NEXT_PUBLIC_POLOTNO="your-polotno-api-key"
    ```

    In `docker-compose.yaml`:

    ```yaml theme={"system"}
    services:
      postqueen:
        environment:
          NEXT_PUBLIC_POLOTNO: "your-polotno-api-key"
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Restart PostQueen">
    PostQueen reads `NEXT_PUBLIC_POLOTNO` on the server for each
    request, so recreating the container picks up the new value:
    run `docker compose down`, then `docker compose up -d`. Running
    from source, restart the dev server.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Exact steps vary a little by deployment:
[Docker Compose](/installation/docker-compose) and
[Development](/installation/development). Leave the variable unset and
the editor falls back to a demo mode that is not fit for production.

## Licensing

Polotno bills you separately, and a production key is not free.

* You buy and renew the license directly through Polotno.
* PostQueen does not bundle, resell or proxy Polotno licenses.
* Polotno bills you and sets its own terms.

## Reference

* Env var: [`NEXT_PUBLIC_POLOTNO`](/configuration/reference#misc-frontend)
* Polotno docs: [polotno.com/docs](https://polotno.com/docs/)
* Polotno pricing: [polotno.com/pricing](https://polotno.com/pricing/)