Edit a Short Video With Claude Code

Start with one short clip. Install the free ffmpeg-skill so Claude Code has real video tools, give it the footage and a clear edit request, then watch a draft before asking for the final video.

What this helps you do

Remove pauses and false starts, make a vertical version, add readable captions, even out the volume, and place screenshots beside the lines they explain. Keep the original footage so you can compare the edit or start again.

With ffmpeg-skill installed, one sentence is enough for a basic edit. The work happens on your own computer, and your footage is not uploaded to a video service.

Before you start

• Set up Claude Code on your computer and open a dedicated project folder. New to it? Start with the Claude setup checklist.
• Put copies of your raw clip, script, and owned screenshots in that folder. Keep your originals elsewhere.
• Add a reference reel you have permission to use for style direction. Describe what you like about its pacing or captions.
• Have a video tool available, such as FFmpeg through ffmpeg-skill (set up below) or your chosen composition workflow. Claude Code runs tools to produce the edit. A chat response alone is not a rendered video.
• For the ffmpeg-skill installer, you need Node.js 16 or newer. The tools themselves need Python 3.10 or newer (recommended) and FFmpeg.

Terms to know

• Transcript: the words spoken in the recording, ideally with timestamps.
• Cut list: the portions to keep or remove.
• Render: create a playable video file from the edit.
• Draft: a preview you review before the final export.
• FFmpeg: a free video tool that many editing apps use behind the scenes. It cuts, converts, and processes video files.
• Skill: a folder of instructions and tools an AI agent can load. ffmpeg-skill teaches the agent a fixed editing workflow and gives it 42 FFmpeg-based tools.
• Contact sheet: one image showing frames from across the video, so the agent and you can check the picture at a glance.
• Loudness: how loud a video sounds overall. Evening it out keeps viewers from reaching for the volume button.

Step-by-step

Install ffmpeg-skill

1. Install FFmpeg. In Terminal (Mac or Linux) or PowerShell (Windows), run the line for your system:

   brew install ffmpeg-full          # macOS
   sudo apt install ffmpeg           # Ubuntu or Debian
   winget install Gyan.FFmpeg        # Windows

   On a Mac, use ffmpeg-full. The plain ffmpeg package lacks the filters used for captions and text.

2. Install the skill. Run npx ffmpeg-skill. It copies the skill into Claude Code's skills folder. Using another agent? Add --codex for Codex, --cursor for Cursor, or --all for all three.

3. Check your setup. Run npx ffmpeg-skill doctor. It lists which FFmpeg parts are present and which tools can run. One missing optional part does not stop the other tools.

4. Add a speech engine for captions from audio. Run pip install faster-whisper. The first run downloads a speech model, and your audio stays on your computer. Skip this if you will give Claude a transcript.

5. Restart Claude Code in your project folder so it loads the new skill.

The full install options, including a Claude Code plugin version, are in the ffmpeg-skill repository on GitHub.

Edit your clip

1. Ask Claude Code to inspect the project files, identify the available video tools, and propose an edit plan. Review any proposed installation before it runs.
2. Ask for a timestamped transcript and cut list. Keep the best complete take of each line and protect the meaning of every sentence.
3. Give it the edit brief below. Specify the intended shape, such as vertical 9:16, and where captions should stay clear of your face. For a quick edit, the one-sentence request is enough.
4. Ask for a short preview first. Watch it with sound, then check the captions with sound off. Look for clipped words, awkward cuts, and screenshots appearing before their topic.
5. Request specific fixes using timestamps. For example: “At 0:12, move the graphic above my face. Keep that sentence intact.”
6. After the revised draft passes, ask for the final MP4 and the editable project. Play the exported file from start to finish.

Already happy with your edit? Ask for one step only, such as “Only add captions to [CLIP FILE].”

Copy this

The one-sentence edit. Paste this inside Claude Code after installing ffmpeg-skill, with your project folder open. Replace the bracketed part with your file name.

Use ffmpeg-skill on a copy of [CLIP FILE] to cut the long pauses, make a vertical 9:16 version, add captions, and even out the volume, then show me a contact sheet of the result and keep the original unchanged.

The full edit brief. Paste this inside Claude Code with your project folder open:

Edit a copy of [RAW CLIP] using [SCRIPT] and the screenshots in [FOLDER]. First inspect the files and available video tools. Propose a timestamped cut list before changing footage. Remove dead air and false starts, keep the best complete takes, and preserve the speaker's meaning. Make a vertical 9:16 draft with readable captions that stay clear of the face. Show each screenshot when the speaker names its subject. Use [REFERENCE] only for pacing and layout direction. Save a playable preview and editable project, and wait for my review before the final export. Keep all original files unchanged. Ask before installing software or using a paid service.

Things to know

Claude Code can work with local files and commands, but results depend on the tools available in the project. Rendering takes time and model usage can cost money. Use only footage, music, fonts, and images you have permission to include. Check the actual output rather than relying on a completion message.

• The skill is free. The agent is not always free. ffmpeg-skill is open source under the MIT license, with no account or API key. Your AI agent does the thinking, so it uses the Claude plan or API you already pay for.
• It works beyond Claude Code. The same skill runs in Codex, Cursor, and other agents that read skill files or connect to tools through MCP.
• Editing stays on your computer. FFmpeg and the speech engine run locally, so your footage is not uploaded for editing.
• Your originals stay safe. The tools write new files instead of overwriting the input.
• Captions need words. Either install a local speech engine or give Claude a transcript. Read the captions once, because names and jargon are easy to mishear.
• Look at the result. The skill measures things like length, size, and volume, but it cannot judge whether captions sit in the right place. Check the contact sheet and play the file.

If something goes wrong

• Words are cut off: restore a little footage on both sides of that cut.
• Captions are wrong: correct the transcript and regenerate the affected section.
• A graphic covers your face: name the timestamp and the new position.
• No MP4 was produced: ask for the render command, its result, and the saved file path.
• doctor says the subtitles or text filters are missing: on a Mac, install ffmpeg-full instead of ffmpeg. If doctor still cannot find it, add export PATH="$(brew --prefix ffmpeg-full)/bin:$PATH" to your ~/.zshrc file and open a new Terminal window.
• Captions from speech refuse to run: install a speech engine with pip install faster-whisper, or give Claude a transcript file.
• Claude does not use the skill: restart Claude Code and name it in your request, such as “Use ffmpeg-skill.”
• python3 is not found on Windows: use python in its place.

Final check

The exported MP4 plays fully, speech stays intact, long pauses are gone, captions match the audio, the volume stays even from start to finish, screenshots match the topic, and the originals are still available.