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AI video10 min setup

Edit your Reels with Claude

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Film yourself talking, give Claude the raw clip and your script, and get back a finished Instagram reel with captions, animations, sound effects and music. You never open CapCut or any other editing app. You edit by typing what you want.

The whole flow in one line: install the skill → film vertically → drop the clip in Downloads → type /video-edit with your script → give notes in plain words → post the file it saves.

What you need

  1. The Claude desktop app. Download it from https://claude.ai/download and sign in.
  2. A paid Claude plan with Claude Code (Pro or Max).
  3. A Mac or a Windows PC. Apple Silicon Macs are the fastest.
  4. Your raw video, filmed vertically (9:16) on your phone. Awkward pauses and repeated lines are fine.

This only works in Claude Code, the Code tab in the desktop app. A normal chat can't render video.

Step 1: Install the skill (once)

  1. Open the Claude desktop app and go to the Code tab.
  2. Paste this message and press Enter:
    Install this skill for me: https://github.com/tenfoldmarc/video-edit-skill
  3. Wait until Claude says it's ready. You now have a /video-edit command.

Step 2: First-time setup (once, about 2 minutes)

Type this and press Enter:

/video-edit

The skill asks you a few questions:

  • your name and Instagram handle (shown on the call-to-action card at the end of each reel)
  • your default look: bold, cool girl or cool dude (pick bold if you're unsure)
  • where your clips usually land (for example, your Downloads folder)

It also checks that your computer has the free tools it needs (FFmpeg, Node.js and Python). If one is missing, it gives you the exact line to paste. Install it, then quit the Claude app completely and reopen it.

Step 3: Film your video

  • Film vertically, in 4K if your phone can, so zoom-ins stay sharp.
  • Keep the phone still.
  • Say your script to the camera. If you fumble a line, just say it again; Claude keeps the best take.
  • Write your script down, because you'll paste it in the next step.

Step 4: Ask Claude to edit it

  1. Drop the clip into your Downloads folder (or wherever you told the skill your clips land).
  2. In the Code tab, type /video-edit, say what you want, and paste your script underneath.

This is the exact prompt I used for the reel you just watched. Copy it, then replace the script at the bottom with yours:

/video-edit help edit this reel, make sure the edit follows the script,
and it's very interesting to watch with suitable background music,
and also animations that follow the script.

Don't cut the back part, and also make sure the audio syncs with my lips.

Do use Claude logos and the Claude cute mascot.

Script:
<paste your script here>

Claude then:

  1. transcribes your clip word by word and matches it to your script
  2. cuts the dead air (or keeps one continuous take, so your lips stay perfectly in sync)
  3. cuts you out of the background, so big words can sit behind your head
  4. adds captions that pop in on the exact word you say
  5. builds animations for each line (app windows, logos, checklists, typed prompts, the mascot)
  6. adds sound effects and an original background track under your voice
  7. checks everything stays inside Instagram's safe zone, so nothing hides under the buttons
  8. sends you a phone-ready copy to watch

The first version takes about 15 to 25 minutes, because it builds everything from scratch. Later rounds take a few minutes.

Step 5: Give notes in plain words

Watch the result on your phone, then type what you want changed, the way you'd brief an editor. Each round takes a few minutes. These are the actual notes I gave on this reel:

Change to a more suitable background music so that it's not too distracting.
Also I feel it's a bit too bright.
The hook, the first few seconds, needs more animations.

Change to a more inspiring music. The hook had too many animations.

Can you use the music from the WhatsApp tutorial video?

More examples:

  • make it more cinematic (Claude changes the colour grade and the style)
  • add logos orbiting my head when I say "motion graphics"
  • the captions are too small
  • cut the pause before "and within minutes"
  • speed it up a little

That's it: you're editing with words.

Step 6: Post it

Claude saves everything in a project folder (for example ~/reel-edits/<your-reel>/renders/):

  • ...-vN.mp4: the full-quality version to upload
  • ...-vN-phone.mp4: a smaller copy to preview on your phone

Every version is kept, so you can always go back to an earlier one. You can also ask Claude to write your Instagram caption.

Tips

  • Hook first. Ask for strong animation on the first 3 seconds, but not too much. About one animated element per spoken beat works best.
  • Lip sync. If you don't want any cuts, say "one continuous take". The audio then stays perfectly matched to your lips.
  • Ending. Say "don't cut the back part" so the last few seconds and the end card aren't trimmed.
  • Music. Describe the feeling ("inspiring", "calm", "like my last video"). Claude composes an original, royalty-free track and keeps it under your voice.
  • Brand assets. Ask for specific logos or mascots by name, and Claude adds them as animated stickers.

If it doesn't work

  • /video-edit doesn't show up: start a new Code session. If it's still missing, paste the install message from Step 1 again.
  • It says FFmpeg, Node.js or Python is missing: paste the install line it gives you, then quit and reopen the Claude app.
  • It can't find your clip: tell it the full path, for example the clip is ~/Downloads/reel-1.mov.
  • The result looks wrong: describe the problem in plain words (Step 5). You don't need to know the technical fix.

The video-edit skill is made by @tenfoldmarc and is open source at github.com/tenfoldmarc/video-edit-skill. Questions? Comment on the reel or DM me.