How to Edit Videos With Claude (The Simple Guide)
Claude edits every one of my videos now. Short-form, long-form, podcasts, carousels. I'm not even at my computer when it edits. Here's exactly how to get Claude to edit your videos in plain English, even if you've never edited before.
By Torsten Roscoe · Video editor and entrepreneur
Watch: How I use Claude for video editing
Watch the full video on YouTube
Sound familiar?
- You're the only shooter and the only editor in your business.
- You're getting backlogged on videos and you just need help with the edits.
- You've got a full-time job, and managing social media and video on top of it is hard.
- You tried an AI editor once. It didn't work. There's so much trash out there.
- You're short on time. You just need somewhere to start.
That's exactly who this is for. You don't need to get better at Premiere. You need the edit off your plate.
Can Claude really edit videos?
Yes. Editing apps like Premiere Pro, CapCut and DaVinci just sit there and wait for you to do every cut, every caption, every keyframe. Claude is different. You talk to it like you'd talk to a friend, and it thinks and makes the decisions for you.
But out of the box, Claude doesn't know what a good edit is. Just telling it "edit this video" is like handing your car to a brand new mechanic. He's got every tool in the shop, but no know-how. Claude is the tools. It isn't the experience. That's why most AI edits look like slop.
The three things that make Claude edit like a pro
1. Train it with a skill
A Claude skill is a set of written instructions that teaches Claude how to edit. Think of it as the repair manual for your mechanic. Every step, every rule, every trick. My skill is made of rulebooks for each part of the edit: pacing, cutting, hooks, captions, sound design, motion and colour. When Claude gets something wrong, I fix the skill once and it doesn't make that mistake again.
2. Give it bad examples
Claude learns fastest from what NOT to do. Captions way up here, captions way down there, cutting me off mid-word, leaving a card on screen too short. Make a folder, drop every bad edit you see into it, and tell Claude to always check that folder.
3. Talk to it like a director, and be super specific
You're the director. Claude is the brain. Don't talk to it like it knows nothing, and don't be vague. "Make it better" gets you nothing. Tell it exactly where and exactly what:
- "Fix the captions at 22 seconds. They're covering my mouth."
- "At 0:41, cut the pause before I say 'here's why'."
- "From 1:10 to 1:25, I want it to feel calm. No sound effects, slower cuts."
The more detail you give it, the timestamp, what's wrong, and the vision you're going for, the more Claude understands exactly what you want. More on this in Does Claude get video edits right the first time?
"Sounds like a huge learning curve"
That's the number one thing people tell me. But can you talk? That's all you need. You type it, or you just say it out loud with voice dictation, and Claude makes the change.
How to start editing with Claude
1. Get a paid Claude plan
The only thing you actually pay for is Claude. Plans start at about $20 a month. That's one takeout dinner for an editor that works while you sleep. The free plan won't work. It runs on Mac and Windows.
2. Let Claude install the tools
Claude needs a few free video tools. You don't install them yourself. Just say "Hey Claude, install all of these" and it does it for you.
3. Add an editing skill
Write your own rulebooks, or use mine. They're in my AI Editing Bundle, with a course that gives you a step-by-step blueprint to build any style you want, in minutes. So Claude gets your style right away, instead of you guessing how to train it.
4. Hand it your footage
Drop in your raw clip and say something like: "Here's a raw video. Use my editing skill and edit this short-form video for me." Then go live your life. Claude cuts it, captions it and adds the sound effects and animations while you're gone. Here are the exact messages I send.
5. Come back and direct
Watch it, then give notes with timestamps. It won't be perfect every time, just like anything. But Claude does the whole edit for you, and when you tell it exactly what to change, it fixes it.
What kinds of videos can Claude edit?
- Talking-head reels with captions, colour cards and sound effects
- Long-form YouTube videos with graphics and lists
- Shorts cut from long videos, picked and made vertical for you
- Podcasts, synced and switched between cameras
- Carousels and ads for Instagram and TikTok
Your first-edit checklist
- Am I on a paid Claude plan?
- Does Claude have an editing skill to follow?
- Do I have a bad-examples folder Claude checks?
- Did I hand it one short clip to test?
- Did I give at least one note with an exact timestamp?
You can build all of this yourself
Everything in this guide works. But you still have to fill your folders, give it notes, and fix the same mistakes, again and again, until it finally edits like you. That takes months.
And most of you don't have months, right? You're shooting, editing, running a business, all at once.
Just like Nijah. She's a solopreneur, running a business with a full-time job on top. Here's what she left in her review:
"As a solopreneur and with a full time job, it's hard managing social media and video creation, so having an easier workflow is principal." Nijah, verified buyer
Well, look what she says now:
"It integrates with Claude, which holds all my business context, so I can just rock and roll seamlessly. Now it will be a no brainer to video edit, because I can just talk to Claude and make changes with voice dictation. Voila. Let it cook." Nijah, verified buyer
That's the AI Editing Bundle
The same skills and rulebooks behind every video I post. And it's super easy to set up. Claude installs it all for you, and you can start editing today.
Here's what Mark left in his review, right after he got it:
"Awesome stuff. Right out the box, edited a solid usable video!" Mark R., verified buyer
If that sounds like you, go grab the AI Editing Bundle.
If not, no stress. Build your own with the steps above.
About Torsten
I've been in the content game for over 2 years and edited over a thousand videos. My editing packs are used by the editors behind creators like Jake Paul and Kevin O'Leary. Now Claude edits my videos, and I teach other creators to do the same on YouTube and Instagram.
Questions people ask
Is it gonna get it right, or do I have to review everything?
It won't be perfect every time, just like anything. But Claude does the whole edit. You watch it once, give a couple of notes with timestamps, and it fixes them.
Another subscription? What does Claude cost?
About $20 a month to start. For an editor that does long-form, short-form, carousels and ads while you sleep.
How do I get Claude to work with Premiere or DaVinci?
You don't. Claude makes the finished video itself. I don't even pay for Adobe anymore.
Is it for a beginner like me?
Yes. You don't need to code and you don't need editing experience. You talk to Claude in plain English.
How do I tell Claude what to fix?
Be specific. Give the exact timestamp, what's wrong, and what you want instead, like "fix the captions at 22 seconds."
More Claude editing guides
- How to set up Claude to edit videos
- Claude video editing prompts (what I actually type)
- How to make Claude edit videos in your style
- Does Claude get video edits right the first time?
- Why your Claude edits look like AI slop
- How to make a Claude style menu
- How to turn long videos into shorts with Claude
- How to post every day without editing (using Claude)
- How to let Claude edit your videos while you're away
- Will AI replace video editors? (What Claude changed for me)
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic. Claude and Claude Code are trademarks of Anthropic.