This Free Claude Skill Turns One Long Video Into Weeks of Short Clips
Can Claude turn a long video into short clips like Opus Clip?
Yes. The skill below reads your whole recording, finds the moments with the strongest hooks, lets you approve them, then edits each one into a branded vertical clip with captions.
Download the clip skill
It is one .md file. Grab it here, then keep reading for how it works and how to set it up.
The skill (one .md file): Click here to download the Long Video to Short Clips skill
Open the Claude desktop app, connect the folder your video is in, attach the skill file to a new chat and say "Clip this video." It walks you through the rest.
Watch the walkthrough
Here is the full walkthrough, about six minutes. I show the 26 clips Claude pulled from two of my classes, then set the skill up from scratch in the Claude desktop app.
Why I built this
I have been paying for Opus Clip to cut my classes and Zoom recordings into short clips. It is a good tool. But every batch it handed me still needed work: the captions, the colors, and the moments it picked.
Claude can now do the whole job. It reads the transcript, picks the moments, and edits the video itself. So I turned off my Opus Clip renewal and built this skill to replace it.
If you record classes, webinars, listing walkthroughs, interviews or a podcast, you are sitting on more content than you think. A strong 45-minute recording usually has five to ten moments worth posting. Most of it never gets used because nobody has time to scrub through it.
What the skill does
Reads the whole recording. It transcribes the video with word-level timestamps, or uses a transcript you already have.
Finds the moments with a real hook. Every candidate gets scored, and the opening line counts double.
Shows you the list first. You see each clip's title, length, opening line and score, and you pick which ones get edited.
Edits each approved clip. Vertical 9:16, your captions, your colors, background noise cleaned up, and dead air and "ums" cut out.
Writes a post caption for each clip, so it is ready to go out.
The hook decides everything
People decide whether to keep watching in the first one to three seconds. So the skill is built around the opening line of each clip, not the length.
It looks for openings like these:
A bold or contrarian claim: "Most agents are pricing listings backwards."
A specific number or result: a real outcome stated up front.
A question the viewer wants answered: "Why do some listings sell in a weekend and others sit for 90 days?"
The start of a story: "So a client calls me at 9 p.m. on a Sunday..."
A warning: "Stop doing this in your listing photos."
A "nobody tells you" line: "Here's the part of the closing nobody explains."
It also skips the openings that kill a clip: "So...", "Next slide", "Like I said earlier" and greetings. And a clip does not have to start where the moment started. If the best line comes 20 seconds into an answer, the clip starts on that line.
You choose the length, Claude chooses the count
Each time you run it, the skill asks how long you want your clips:
Quick hits (10 to 20 seconds): one punchy line or tip.
Standard (20 to 45 seconds): one idea with a setup and a payoff.
Deep dive (45 to 90 seconds): a full story or walkthrough.
Mix it: Claude picks the right length for each moment, up to 90 seconds.
What it will not do is promise you a number of clips. Its job is to find moments worth posting, not to fill a quota. Only clips that score 7 out of 10 or higher make the list. You can set a cap if you only want your best five, but you will never get ten average clips just because you asked for ten.
It is branded to you
This is where it beats a generic clipping tool. On the first run, the skill asks a few questions and saves your answers so you never answer them again:
Your brand colors: hex codes, a description like "navy and gold," or your website so Claude can pull them.
Caption style: karaoke (two lines, each word lights up as it is spoken), bold word pop, clean subtitles, or none.
A hook title: a short headline on screen from the very first frame, so muted viewers know what the clip is about.
Background music: off by default. If you want it, the skill keeps it well under your voice, even when the track builds.
Things that should never make a clip: client names, prices that go out of date, private details.
I recommend the karaoke style. The whole phrase stays on screen long enough to read, which matters because most people scroll with the sound off.
What you need before you start
The Claude desktop app with the folder holding your video connected. Claude works on the file right where it sits, so a two-hour recording is fine.
A video or audio file: .mp4, .mov, .m4a, .mp3 or .wav. Talking-head videos, interviews, Zoom classes, screen-share webinars and audio-only podcasts all work.
ffmpeg on your computer. It is the free tool that does the actual cutting. If it is missing, Claude walks you through installing it. On a Mac it is one command with Homebrew.
Attaching a video straight to a chat works too, but only for smaller files. If the upload fails, connect the folder instead, or export a 720p copy. 720p is plenty for vertical clips.
Do you need a transcript?
No. Claude transcribes the recording itself, because it needs word-level timing to make clean cuts and highlight captions anyway. If you already have a transcript from Zoom, YouTube Studio, Riverside or Descript, include it. It spells names correctly and saves a little time.
How to run it
Download the skill above and save it somewhere you will find it.
Open the Claude desktop app and connect the folder that holds your recording.
Start a new chat, attach the skill file, and say "Clip this video" with the file name.
Answer the setup questions once: colors, caption style, music and clip length.
Review the list of clips Claude found and reply with the numbers you want edited.
Play one clip on your phone and tell Claude if anything needs adjusting. A revision only re-renders that clip.
Want it available every time without attaching the file? Upload it as a skill in your Claude settings, and it kicks in whenever you ask Claude to clip a video.
Record videos that clip well
Say your best lines like a headline. "Here's the thing nobody tells you about..." makes a perfect clip opening.
Repeat the question before you answer it in a Q&A or interview, so the clip makes sense on its own.
Pause for a second between topics. It gives clean cut points.
Tell short stories with a result at the end. Stories are the clips people watch all the way through.
Post one clip every few days instead of all at once. One 45-minute class can fill two weeks of content.
Will this burn through my Claude usage?
Less than you would expect. Claude never watches the video. It reads the transcript and checks a few still frames, and ffmpeg does the heavy lifting on your computer.
The skill is built to keep usage low. It picks clips from the transcript, renders every approved clip in one pass, and saves an edit plan so a caption fix does not start over from scratch. If you have access to more than one model, use the stronger one (like Claude Opus) to pick the clips and a faster one (like Claude Sonnet) for re-renders and small fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a replacement for Opus Clip?
For most people clipping their own talking-head videos, classes and podcasts, yes. Opus Clip is still a good option if you want a point-and-click app. This skill gives you more control over which moments get picked, how the captions look, and how closely the clips match your brand.
Can it clip a podcast with two people?
Yes. On a video podcast, it follows whoever is talking. On an audio-only podcast, it builds an audiogram: your brand colors, a hook title, an animated waveform and big captions.
How long does it take?
It depends on the length of the recording and your computer. Transcribing is the slowest step. You see the list of clips before any editing starts, so you never wait on clips you do not want.
Will it post the clips for me?
No. It saves the finished clips, a cover frame and a post caption for each one in a folder next to your video. You post them wherever you want.
Do I need to be technical?
No. You answer a few questions and approve the clips. If something needs installing, Claude tells you exactly what to do.
Grab the skill and clip your next recording
As an Account Executive with Chicago Title of Colorado, I spend a lot of my time showing agents across Denver Metro how to use AI to get hours back on their marketing. This skill is one of a growing set of Claude tools I share.
Ready to try it? Download the Long Video to Short Clips skill here, then point it at the last class or webinar you recorded.
Want more tools, tactics, and resources like this? Subscribe to my weekly emails at milehightitleguy.com. I share real estate marketing ideas, AI tools, and exclusive invites to upcoming classes and events across Colorado.
Jerad Larkin
The Mile High Title Guy
Chicago Title of Colorado
303.630.9430 | Info@MileHighTitleGuy.com
milehightitleguy.com
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