Claude × your video folder

Edit videos by just asking Claude.

Give Claude a folder of clips. Tell it what you want. Get the edited video back.

  • Needs Claude Pro or higher. Video editing works with a paid plan, not the free one.
  • Uses your limit faster. Video is heavy work. Use the usage saver prompt to stretch it.

Watch: connect a folder, add your files, then prompt for great results.

What you can ask for

Most everyday edits, in one sentence.

Trim and cutCut silences, ums, and dead air. Trim start and end.
Reels and ShortsTurn any video into 9:16 with your face centered.
CaptionsAuto transcribe and burn in styled subtitles.
Combine clipsJoin clips with crossfades, intro, and outro.
MusicAdd background music that dips when you talk.
VoiceoverScript it, voice it in your clone, sync it to the video.
CompressShrink files for WhatsApp or email without the blur.
ThumbnailsPull the best frames so you can pick a thumbnail.

Setup

Four steps. About ten minutes.

Do it once. Then every edit is one message.

1

Install Claude Desktop

Get it from claude.ai/download. Needs Claude Pro or higher.

The website can't reach your files. Use the app.

2

Give Claude your video folder

Open Cowork and pick your video folder. Claude only sees that folder.

Use a fresh folder like To edit and keep a backup.

3

Let Claude set up its video tool

Claude uses ffmpeg, a free video engine. Just ask and it sets it up.

Approve the install once if your computer asks.

4

Ask in plain English

Talk like you would to an editor. Claude saves a new file every time.

Start with the "Set the rules" prompt below.

Read this first

Two prompts that save you time and usage.

Claude can make mistakes

Make it check its own work

Audio can drop, captions can drift, a filter can go too far. Tight prompts help, and this one makes Claude catch problems before you do.

After each edit, check your own work before you say it's done:
1. Confirm my voice is audible from start to end, at an even level.
2. Check the captions match my words and timing.
3. Confirm the length, resolution, and file size.
4. Look at 3 frames (start, middle, end).
If anything is off, fix it first, then tell me what you fixed.
Video uses your limit faster

Usage saver

Rendering and re-checking video eats into your plan quickly. Paste this at the start to get more edits out of your limit.

Keep this efficient to save my usage:
- Work on one file at a time.
- Make a 10 second test first. Only do the full export after I say go.
- Use quick low-quality previews while we decide, and export full quality once at the end.
- Don't re-read files you already checked.
- Wait until I list all my fixes, then apply them in one pass.
- Keep replies short: what you did and the file name.

Prompt packs

Copy, swap the [BRACKETS], send.

Swap the orange parts for your own file names.

Polish a talking video

The full pro look in one go: even audio, flattering light, bold captions, smooth cuts.

Make [FILE NAME] look and sound professional:
- Keep my voice at the same level all the way through, including the last line.
- Brighten and warm my face like a soft key light. Keep my background as it is, with no dark vignette.
- Bold uppercase captions, synced word by word, with key words in [amber].
- A quick zoom and blur on every scene change so cuts feel smooth.

Cut the silences

Removes pauses and filler words. Great for talking-head videos.

Open [FILE NAME]. Remove every pause longer than [0.5] seconds and any "um" or "uh" you can detect. Keep the audio and video in sync. Save it as a new file in the "edits" folder. Do not change the original.

Make a Reel or Short

Vertical version of any video, ready to post.

Turn [FILE NAME] into a 9:16 vertical video for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Keep my face centered. Maximum [60] seconds, so pick the strongest part. Export 1080x1920 MP4 to the "edits" folder.

Add captions

Auto subtitles burned into the video, plus a caption file.

Transcribe [FILE NAME] and burn in captions. Style: [bold white text with a black outline], [2 to 4] words at a time, in the lower third. Also save the captions as an .srt file.

Trim start and end

Clean cut with smooth fades.

Trim [FILE NAME] to keep only [00:12] to [02:45]. Add a 0.5 second fade in at the start and fade out at the end.

Compress for WhatsApp

Smaller file, still sharp.

Compress [FILE NAME] to under [25] MB without making it look blurry. Tell me the file size and resolution before and after.

Edit a whole folder

Same edit on every video, one message.

For every video in this folder: [cut silences, add captions, export 9:16]. Process them one at a time. At the end, give me a table with each file name, old length, and new length.

Voice

Your voice, without recording every take.

Good to know: Claude can't clone voices itself. ElevenLabs makes the voice, Claude does the rest.

1

Clone your voice in ElevenLabs

Voices, then Instant Voice Clone. Upload 1 to 3 minutes of clean audio. Only clone your own voice.

2

Connect ElevenLabs to Claude

Settings, then Connectors, then add ElevenLabs.

3

Ask for the voiceover

Use the Voiceover prompts. No clone? Use a ready-made voice.

Stock voices in many accentsDub into other languagesSound effects from a text promptDifferent voices per character

FAQ

Before you start.

Do I need to know coding?

No. You write normal sentences. Claude handles the technical part in the background.

Does this replace Premiere Pro or CapCut?

It's best for repeat edits: cutting, captions, resizing, combining, audio, and voiceovers. For detailed creative work on a timeline, keep your editor and let Claude do the boring parts first.

Are my videos safe?

Claude only works inside the folder you choose. Use the "Set the rules" prompt so it never changes your originals, and keep a backup of important footage.

Can Claude clone my voice?

Not by itself. ElevenLabs creates the voice. Claude writes the script, asks ElevenLabs for the audio, and edits it into your video.

What about long videos?

They work, but take longer. Start with clips under 10 minutes and ask for a 10 second preview first.

Claude says ffmpeg is missing. What now?

Send: Install ffmpeg for me and confirm it works. Approve the install if your computer asks.

Prefer Grok Bot?

The same prompts work in Grok Bot.

Same folder, same prompts, same quality. Grok Bot also needs a Pro plan.