Which video guide is right for you?
We have two ways to edit video with AI. They suit different people.
| Compared | Ai Impact Editor kit | This guide |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | The fastest start, with 46 ready-made effects | Matching a style you already like |
| How it learns your look | You pick from our effects | It studies three videos you give it |
| Transcription | Runs on your computer, free | ElevenLabs, a paid API |
| Setup | Download the kit and paste one prompt | Three prompts, plus an ElevenLabs key |
New to this? Start with the Ai Impact Editor kit. Already have a look you want to copy? Keep going.
Before you start
You’ll need:
- A Mac or Windows computer with Claude Code or Codex. Claude Code comes with a Claude Pro or Max plan. Codex comes with ChatGPT plans that include it.
- An ElevenLabs account with API credit. It turns your speech into text with word timings, so the editor knows exactly where to cut. It’s billed separately from your Claude or ChatGPT plan, so check the current API pricing first.
- Three finished videos (MP4) in the style you want. They can be your own, or from a creator you like, as long as you have permission to use the files.
- One short raw recording. Start with 15 to 30 seconds, so you can check everything works before a full edit.
What it installs: the editor sets up free, open-source tools on your computer: video-use (the editing workflow), FFmpeg (cutting and rendering), Python and Node.js (which run them), and HyperFrames (animated captions and graphics). It asks before installing anything. On a Mac it may ask you to install Homebrew first.
What it costs: the prompts and tools are free. Running them uses your Claude or ChatGPT plan allowance and ElevenLabs credits. Your audio is sent to ElevenLabs for transcription.
Step 1: Set up your editor
- Make a folder called AI Video Editor somewhere easy to find, like your Desktop or Documents. Don’t use a synced folder such as iCloud Drive or OneDrive, because large video files can slow syncing or break renders.
- Open it in Claude Code. Open the Claude desktop app, go to Code, choose your computer (Local) if asked, and select the AI Video Editor folder.
- Copy Prompt 1 and paste it into the chat.
Prompt 1: Set up the tools
Set up this AI Video Editor project for Claude Code on my computer. 1. Detect my operating system and the current project folder. Create raw/, references/ and exports/ without overwriting anything that already exists. 2. Install https://github.com/browser-use/video-use by following its current install.md. Read SKILL.md and helpers/, and keep the helper scripts next to the skill. Check that Python dependencies, ffmpeg and ffprobe all work. 3. Register video-use in Claude Code's supported skills folder and confirm Claude Code can find it. 4. Set up https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes using its current instructions for Claude Code. Check Node.js 22+, FFmpeg and Chrome Headless Shell, run npx hyperframes doctor, and fix anything missing using HyperFrames' documented commands. Render a short test clip and confirm the MP4 plays. 5. Help me add ELEVENLABS_API_KEY on my computer. Tell me exactly which file to open, or open it for me. I'll paste the key myself. Never ask me to paste it into this chat, and never print it. 6. Ask me before installing anything that needs my approval, and tell me exactly what to run if you can't do it yourself. 7. Finish with a setup report: each tool marked working, blocked or untested, based on commands you actually ran, with the next step for anything blocked. Check the ElevenLabs key works without showing it. Don't transcribe any footage yet. Wait for my reference videos.
You should now see: three new folders (raw, references and exports) and a setup report.
Connect ElevenLabs when it asks
- Sign in to ElevenLabs and open the API keys page (elevenlabs.io/app/settings/api-keys).
- Create a key with speech-to-text access, and check you have credit.
- Paste the key into the file the editor opens for you, on a line that reads ELEVENLABS_API_KEY= followed by your key. Save the file.
- Go back to the chat and type: “The key is saved. Check the connection without showing it.”
You should now see: a message confirming the key works.
Step 2: Teach it your style
- Add three finished videos to the references folder. Name them reference-01.mp4, reference-02.mp4 and reference-03.mp4.
- Pick videos that look alike. The editor learns what they have in common, so three videos in the same style work far better than three different ones.
- Copy Prompt 2 and paste it in.
- Read the rules it suggests and correct them. For example: “Keep those captions, but use fewer zooms and no sound effects.” Then approve.
Prompt 2: Learn my editing style
Study the finished videos in references/. Use frame samples and the audio or transcript timing to work out the editing choices. Tell me anything you can't verify. Compare pacing, pause removal, zoom timing and size, caption font and position, words per caption, highlighted words, graphics, B-roll, colour and sound. Look closely at the first three seconds. Check extra frames around transitions where you need to. Give me a short list of reusable editing rules, each backed by an example with the filename and timestamp. Separate the patterns that repeat from one-off effects. Only ask me questions where the references disagree. Wait for my approval. Then save the agreed rules as a skill at .claude/skills/my-editing-style/SKILL.md, with a name and description, and check that it can be found. Also save a plain-English summary as editing-style.md in this project. Use the reference videos for analysis only. Never put their footage, music or logos into my edits. Don't edit any raw footage yet.
You should now see: a short style summary and confirmation that your style is saved.
What just happened: your style now lives in two places: a skill (a saved set of instructions the editor reuses) and editing-style.md, a plain summary you can read and edit. Next time, just say “use my-editing-style”.
Step 3: Edit your first video
- Add your raw recording to the raw folder, with a clear name like test-take.mp4. Keep only the clips you want used in that folder.
- Copy Prompt 3 and paste it in.
- Review the plan it shows you (the opening line, the takes it’s keeping and where captions and graphics go). Reply with changes, or say “Approved. Render the video.”
Prompt 3: Edit my footage
Use video-use and my-editing-style to edit the footage in raw/. Read editing-style.md too. If you can't find the skill, sort that out before editing. For this first test, use the whole recording. For later edits, ask me for a target length if I haven't given one. Make a vertical 1080x1920 video. Keep the strongest complete take of each point. Cut false starts, repeated lines and distracting pauses, but keep the meaning and a natural delivery. Never change my original files. Before rendering, show me the opening line, the takes you're keeping, where captions, zooms and graphics will go, and what you plan to cut. Wait for my approval. After I approve, render it and check it. Look at every cut, the audio and sync, caption spelling and placement, and whether any graphic covers my face or what I'm showing. Tell me what still needs a human check. Save it to exports/ as video-v01.mp4 (then v02, v03 for later versions). If the tools render somewhere else first, copy the final file into exports/. Give me the exact file path.
You should now see: your edit plan, then after you approve, a finished MP4 in exports.
Check it and ask for changes
Play the video from start to finish with sound. Check the words around each cut, any names in the captions, and anything shown on screen. Automated checks miss things.
Ask for changes with a timestamp. For example: “At 0:08, make the captions smaller and move them above the bottom of the screen. Keep the same cuts and export video-v02.mp4.”
Your next video: drop the new footage in raw, say which files to use, and ask it to apply my-editing-style. Add any new notes before it renders.
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Get the newsletterTroubleshooting
The editor can’t see my files.
Check that you opened the AI Video Editor folder in Claude Code. Give it the exact file name and ask it to list what’s in raw or references.
An install needs my approval or fails.
Read the request and approve it if it makes sense. If something fails, paste the error into the chat and ask for the next step.
Transcription fails.
Ask the editor to check your ElevenLabs key, credit and the audio format, without showing the key.
My style wasn’t applied.
Ask it to find my-editing-style and read editing-style.md, then try again. Make sure you’re in the same project folder.
There’s no video in exports.
Ask where it rendered and whether the render finished. If the file is somewhere else, ask it to copy the final MP4 into exports.
A cut or caption is wrong.
Give the timestamp and the exact fix, and ask for a new numbered export.
It’s taking a long time.
Render time depends on the clip length, the effects and your computer. Start with a short test, and ask which stage it’s on.
FAQs
Do I need to know how to code?
No. You copy three prompts and move some files into folders. Claude Code does the technical work and asks before installing anything.
How much does it cost?
The prompts and the tools are free. You need a Claude plan that includes Claude Code, or a ChatGPT plan that includes Codex, plus ElevenLabs API credit for transcription, which is billed separately. Check ElevenLabs’ current API pricing before you start.
Can it copy another creator’s style?
It can learn editing choices like pacing, captions and zooms from videos you’re allowed to use. It won’t put their footage, music or logos into your videos.
Does it work with Codex?
Yes. Pick Codex in the selector at the top of this guide and the steps and prompts switch to the Codex versions.
How is this different from the Ai Impact Editor kit?
The kit gives you 46 ready-made effects and free transcription on your computer. This guide teaches the editor a style from videos you choose, using ElevenLabs for transcription.
You’re set up once you’ve watched your first export and checked it. Save this page, because you’ll reuse Prompt 3 every time you have new footage.