Video Editing

Use Claude Code to transcribe, label, and plan structure before touching any video file:

"Here's the transcript of a 4-hour recording. Identify the 8 strongest segments
for a 24-minute vlog. Give me FFmpeg cut commands for each segment."

Outputs: edit decision list with timestamps, FFmpeg commands, Remotion scaffold.

Rule: Get the story right in Layer 2 before touching anything visual.

4. Layer 3 — Deterministic Cuts (FFmpeg)

Extract a segment:

ffmpeg -i raw.mp4 -ss 00:12:30 -to 00:15:45 -c copy segment_01.mp4

Batch cut from edit decision list (CSV: start,end,label):

while IFS=, read -r start end label; do
  ffmpeg -i raw.mp4 -ss "$start" -to "$end" -c copy "segments/${label}.mp4"
done < cuts.txt

Concatenate segments:

for f in segments/*.mp4; do echo "file '$f'"; done > concat.txt
ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i concat.txt -c copy assembled.mp4

Normalize audio levels:

ffmpeg -i segment.mp4 -af loudnorm=I=-16:TP=-1.5:LRA=11 -c:v copy normalized.mp4

Reframe for social platforms:

# 16:9 to 9:16 (TikTok/Reels)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "crop=ih*9/16:ih,scale=1080:1920" vertical.mp4
# 16:9 to 1:1 (Instagram)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "crop=ih:ih,scale=1080:1080" square.mp4

Scene change and silence detection:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "select='gt(scene,0.3)',showinfo" -vsync vfr -f null - 2>&1 | grep showinfo
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -af silencedetect=noise=-30dB:d=2 -f null - 2>&1 | grep silence

5. Layer 4 — Programmable Composition (Remotion)

Use Remotion for overlays, motion graphics, data visualizations, reusable templates, and composable scenes.

import { AbsoluteFill, Sequence, Video } from "remotion";

export const VlogComposition: React.FC = () => (
  <AbsoluteFill>
    <Sequence from={0} durationInFrames={300}>
      <Video src="/segments/intro.mp4" />
    </Sequence>
    <Sequence from={30} durationInFrames={90}>
      <AbsoluteFill style={{ justifyContent: "center", alignItems: "center" }}>
        <h1 style={{ fontSize: 72, color: "white", textShadow: "2px 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.8)" }}>Title</h1>
      </AbsoluteFill>
    </Sequence>
  </AbsoluteFill>
);

npx remotion render src/index.ts VlogComposition output.mp4

Rule: If you will do it more than once, make it a Remotion component.

6. Layer 5 — Generated Assets (ElevenLabs / fal.ai)

Generate only what you need — not the whole video.

Voiceover with ElevenLabs:

import requests, os
resp = requests.post(
    f"https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/text-to-speech/{voice_id}",
    headers={"xi-api-key": os.environ["ELEVENLABS_API_KEY"], "Content-Type": "application/json"},
    json={"text": "Narration here", "model_id": "eleven_turbo_v2_5", "voice_settings": {"stability": 0.5, "similarity_boost": 0.75}},
)
with open("voiceover.mp3", "wb") as f:
    f.write(resp.content)

Generated thumbnail or b-roll via fal.ai:

generate(app_id: "fal-ai/nano-banana-pro", input_data: { "prompt": "tech vlog thumbnail, dark background, code on screen", "image_size": "landscape_16_9" })

7. Layer 6 — Final Polish (Descript / CapCut)

Human layer: pacing, captions, color grading, audio mix, platform export. AI clears the repetitive work. You make the final creative calls.