My AI Video Editing Workflow + Prompt

This is the setup behind my AI video editing workflow: put the footage and script in a folder, open Claude Code there, give it a detailed editing brief, and have it build and render the video with HyperFrames.

You'll find the setup steps first, then an editable version of my starting prompt. Before you paste it, fill in the square-bracketed placeholders with your own file locations and style preferences.

One prompt starts the edit after setup. You still need to watch the finished video and may need a correction round. Setup and permissions are separate steps.

What each tool does

HyperFrames is free and open source. Local rendering does not use HeyGen credits, but Claude Code and optional services may have their own costs. Official quickstart.

1. Get the basics ready

This walkthrough uses a Mac and Claude Code, matching my workflow. Windows users can use the same brief, but should follow each tool's Windows installation instructions and use their own Windows file paths.

You need:

• Claude Code installed and signed in with an account that includes access.
• Node.js 22 or newer, with npm (which provides npx).
• FFmpeg for the local video render.
• Your raw footage and a text or Markdown copy of your script.

Follow the Claude Code quickstart to install and sign in. Download a supported LTS installer from Node.js. For FFmpeg, use the official download page; on a Mac that already has Homebrew, the command is brew install ffmpeg.

Open Terminal on your Mac and run these checks one line at a time:

claude --version
node --version
npm --version
ffmpeg -version

What you should see: version numbers for each tool, with Node showing v22 or higher. If a command says “not found”, finish that tool's installation and reopen Terminal before continuing. HyperFrames lists Node.js 22+ and FFmpeg as requirements in its official repository.

2. Make one folder for your video

Create a folder in Finder, for example my-ai-reel. Put a copy of your footage and script inside it. If you have your own font files, add a folder for fonts you have permission to use.

my-ai-reel/
  raw.mp4
  script.md
  fonts/         (optional, your font files)

The agent will create a new editing project and the finished MP4 inside this working folder. Keep your original footage elsewhere too.

A file path is simply the full address of a file on your computer. In Finder, select the file, hold Option, and use Copy as Pathname from the context menu. Or drag the file into Terminal to see its path.

To open Terminal in your folder, type cd (including the space), drag the folder from Finder into Terminal, then press Return. All the relative paths in your editing brief will start from this folder.

3. Add HyperFrames to Claude Code

For a new Claude Code setup, the current HyperFrames docs recommend the plugin. Run these lines in Terminal:

claude plugin marketplace add heygen-com/hyperframes
claude plugin install hyperframes@hyperframes
claude plugin details hyperframes

Check that the inventory includes hyperframes, general-video and media-use. Then start a fresh Claude Code session by running claude in your working folder. If a session was already open, run /reload-plugins there.

The plugin's entry command is /hyperframes:hyperframes. You can type / to find it. Official plugin setup.

Already using standalone skills? The official alternative is:

npx skills add heygen-com/hyperframes

Choose Core Skills, select Claude Code, then restart your session in the folder. This route uses /hyperframes. Use one installation method for the agent, so duplicate copies don't cause confusion. Standalone quickstart.

These instructions describe the current setup, checked on 2 October 2026. They do not assume my original installation used today's plugin route.

4. Copy and customise the prompt

This is an editable version of my starting brief, with personal file locations and brand details replaced by placeholders. Fill in every square-bracketed item before pasting it into Claude Code. For example, use ./raw.mp4 for footage, ./script.md for your script, ./edit-v1/ for a fresh project folder and ./my-reel-final-v1.mp4 for the output, if those match your working folder.

For style placeholders, you can write “Choose a simple, readable style for me” if you have no preference. Supply any specific font files you want to use. Select your installed HyperFrames entry skill when you submit the prompt.

I want to edit a video into a short reel. Build it end to end with HyperFrames and render the final MP4.

**Project and output:**
- Build everything from scratch in a new project folder: [NEW PROJECT FOLDER PATH].
- Do NOT open, copy or reuse previous edits or their scripts. Ignore memory notes about earlier editing pipelines.
- Do NOT overwrite existing footage, scripts, projects or renders.
- Save the final render as: [NEW OUTPUT MP4 PATH AND FILENAME].
- When you're done, tell me the total time taken and the final duration.

**The brief:**
1. Raw footage: [YOUR RAW VIDEO FILE PATH]
2. It's currently [YOUR RAW VIDEO DURATION], a talking head. There are repetitions and pauses you'll need to cut.
3. The script is in: [YOUR SCRIPT FILE PATH]
4. One reel.
5. 60s ideally, 90s max.
6. For IG, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, so 9:16.
7. Cut out mistakes and dead air.
8. Captions burned in. 
9. Yes to on-screen graphics, to keep viewers engaged.
10. No music. Just add SFX to keep viewers engaged.
11. Keep it fast-paced.
12. Go ahead and edit it. Don't ask me more questions unless you're truly blocked.

**Brand guidelines:**

COLOURS
- Main video text: [REPLACE WITH YOUR TEXT COLOUR]
- Moving / active word: [REPLACE WITH YOUR HIGHLIGHT COLOUR]
- Background / graphic surface: [REPLACE WITH YOUR BACKGROUND COLOUR]
- Dark text / graphics: [REPLACE WITH YOUR DARK TEXT OR GRAPHIC COLOUR]
- Accent: [REPLACE WITH YOUR ACCENT COLOUR, OR WRITE "NONE"]

FONTS
- Main headlines: [REPLACE WITH YOUR HEADLINE FONT AND WEIGHT]
- Main video text / subtitles: [REPLACE WITH YOUR SUBTITLE FONT AND WEIGHT]
- Emphasis: [REPLACE WITH YOUR EMPHASIS FONT, OR WRITE "USE THE SUBTITLE FONT"]
- Small tags / labels: [REPLACE WITH YOUR LABEL FONT AND WEIGHT]

SUBTITLE STYLE
- Capitalisation: [REPLACE WITH YOUR PREFERENCE, SUCH AS SENTENCE CASE]
- Spoken-word emphasis: [DESCRIBE HOW YOU WANT ACTIVE WORDS HIGHLIGHTED, OR WRITE "NO HIGHLIGHT"]
- Position: [DESCRIBE WHERE YOU WANT CAPTIONS PLACED]
- Other preferences: [ADD YOUR OWN STYLE NOTES, OR WRITE "CHOOSE A SIMPLE, READABLE STYLE"]
- Keep captions readable and in sync with the speech.

5. Let it build, then watch the MP4

The agent should work in the new project folder, make the cut, add the requested elements and render the output to the filename you gave it. Keep the session open while it works. Respond if it needs access to your footage or gets genuinely blocked.

Before calling the edit finished, open the exported MP4 and check:

• Did it remove the repetitions without cutting off words?
• Are captions accurate, readable and in sync?
• Are names and brand spellings correct?
• Is the voice clear, with sound effects at a comfortable level?
• Does the ending finish naturally?
• Is the final shape and duration what you asked for?

The editable project is useful for fixes. The MP4 is the file you upload to your social platform. A working preview does not prove the exported file is correct.

If a correction is needed, be specific. For example, this new follow-up example keeps the first render intact:

At 00:18, the caption says “cloud” but I say “Claude”. Fix that caption, check the surrounding timing, and render a new MP4 with -v2 added to the filename. Keep the first version unchanged.

Sources and related post

Setup checked on 2 October 2026 against the official pages below. This guide was checked against documentation, not tested through a fresh installation and full edit on a beginner's computer.

• HyperFrames quickstart
• HyperFrames plugin setup
• HyperFrames repository and requirements
• Claude Code quickstart
• Node.js download
• FFmpeg download