Run · AI video · intermediate
Turn a Long Video into 10 Short Clips
AI video General intermediate Opus ClipCapCut
How to use
- Copy the prompt below
- Paste it into Opus Clip, CapCut
- Review the output and follow up with refinements
Prompt
I have a long-form video and I need to turn it into 10 short-form clips for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and LinkedIn. Help me plan the clips, write hooks, and set up the editing workflow.
Source video details:
- Video type: [e.g. "a 45-minute podcast interview", "a 30-minute webinar", "a 20-minute product demo", "a conference talk"]
- Topic: [what the video is about]
- Speaker(s): [who's in the video]
- Video URL or file: [YouTube link or local file]
- Target audience for short clips: [e.g. "founders and indie hackers", "marketers", "developers"]
- Brand/account: [your social media handle]
STEP 1 — Identify the 10 best clip moments:
Help me find clips by looking for these patterns in my video:
- Strong opinion or hot take (controversial = shareable)
- Surprising statistic or data point
- Clear, actionable tip someone can use immediately
- Emotional or funny moment
- "The one thing I wish I knew" type insight
- A story with a clear beginning, tension, and resolution
- Framework or mental model (people save these)
For each clip, provide:
- Timestamp range: [start time] - [end time]
- Clip title (for internal tracking)
- Why this moment works as a standalone short
- Suggested platform: TikTok, Reels, Shorts, or LinkedIn (some moments work better on certain platforms)
STEP 2 — Write hooks for each clip:
The first 2 seconds determine if someone watches or scrolls. For each clip:
- Opening text overlay: [a bold statement or question that creates curiosity, max 8 words]
- Opening spoken words: if the original video doesn't start with a hook, write a 1-sentence intro to prepend
- Format the hook as: "text on screen" + "first words spoken"
Hook formulas that work:
- "Stop doing [common mistake]" — contrarian
- "The [X] strategy that [impressive result]" — result-driven
- "[Number] [things] I learned after [experience]" — listicle
- "Nobody talks about this but..." — insider knowledge
- "Here's why [common belief] is wrong" — myth-busting
STEP 3 — Opus Clip workflow:
- Upload my video to Opus Clip
- Let the AI detect high-engagement moments
- Review the AI-suggested clips against my 10 picks — merge the best of both
- For each clip Opus Clip generates:
- Approve or adjust the start/end timestamps
- Edit the auto-generated captions for accuracy
- Choose the "active speaker" framing (centered face crop for 9:16)
- Set caption style: bold, centered, 2-3 words per line (TikTok native look)
- Export at 1080x1920 (9:16)
STEP 4 — CapCut refinement:
For clips that need more polish, import into CapCut and:
- Add the hook text overlay in the first 2 seconds (bold font, high contrast)
- Add a progress bar at the top (increases watch time)
- Add subtle zoom-in on the speaker's face during key moments (2-5% zoom, slow)
- Add captions if Opus Clip's weren't clean enough (use CapCut's auto-captions)
- Add a branded outro: logo + handle + "Follow for more" (3 seconds)
- Background music: subtle, trending audio from CapCut's library (volume at 15-20%)
- Export: 1080x1920, 30fps, high quality
STEP 5 — Posting strategy:
For each clip, provide:
- Platform(s) to post on
- Caption (with hashtags — 3-5 relevant ones, not 30)
- Best time to post: [based on general best practices for each platform]
- Posting schedule: space clips out over [X] days to maximize reach without flooding
Create a table:
| Clip # | Title | Platform | Post Date | Caption | Hashtags |
|--------|-------|----------|-----------|---------|----------|
STEP 6 — Performance tracking:
After posting all 10 clips, track:
- Views, likes, saves, shares, comments for each
- Average watch time percentage (the most important metric)
- Which hook style performed best
- Which topic/moment got the most saves (saves = high value content)
- Use these insights to pick better moments from your next long video
Give me all 10 hooks written out and ready to use. The hooks matter more than anything else. Related prompts
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