Getting started
Your first video.
One step at a time.
Learn to edit with Claude Cowork or ChatGPT Work. Make a short clip, tighten the opening, add captions, then give them your own style. One recording. A few small edits. You’re the director.
What you’ll make
- Find the momentOne short clip from your recording
- Tighten the openingA small trim you can hear
- Add captionsWords that follow the speech
- Make it yoursCaption styling from a reference
A 30–60 second MP4
Watch after each change. By the end, you’ll know how to ask for a cut, give a specific note, and change the look.
First, pick a recording
Use a short video with clear speech: an interview, a narrated demo, or you explaining an idea. A minute or two is enough to start. Save it in a folder you can give your desktop agent access to. Nothing ready? Record a quick explanation on your phone and copy it to your computer.
Give your agent the video
Open your agent, share the folder containing your recording, and send it a message. Everything from here happens in that conversation.
Which app are you using?
In Claude Cowork
- Open the Claude desktop app and start a Cowork task. Select Cowork if your app shows a separate mode.
- Give Claude access to the folder containing your recording. Keep the desktop app open while it uses your files.
- Send the message below in that conversation. Claude handles preparing moviestar and checking the recording.
Send in Claude Cowork
Help me learn to edit video with moviestar. Install it from PyPI (https://pypi.org/project/moviestar/) if needed and handle the setup. Open the recording in the folder I've shared and briefly tell me what's in it. If there are several videos, ask which one to use. Keep my original unchanged. We'll build one edit together, one change at a time.
What you’ll get: Your agent can open the recording and describe what’s in it. Let it finish preparing moviestar before you continue.
Good to know: This lesson starts with spoken footage so you can try trimming and captions. You can bring generated clips into the second-video bonus later.
Make your first clip
Start with the short clip you might post on TikTok or YouTube Shorts. Let the agent find a moment that makes sense on its own. We’ll add the finishing touches afterward.
Make the first cut
Use moviestar to find one complete, interesting 30–60 second moment in the recording I shared and make a vertical clip. Keep the speaker or main subject visible. Leave captions and styling for later. Show me a playable preview with audio and keep the project so we can edit this same clip next.
What you’ll get: A playable 30–60 second vertical clip with sound. Watch it all the way through. Can you follow the idea without the original recording?
Good to know: Want a different moment? Say “Use the part where I explain why we built this.” For a wide video, ask “Keep it landscape.”
Trim the opening
Now make one small edit. Listen to the opening: is there a pause or a lead-in before the point? A trim changes where the clip begins or ends.
Try a trim
Using moviestar, tighten the opening of the current clip: remove any lead-in or silence before the first complete sentence, without cutting off a word. If it already starts cleanly, tell me and keep it as it is. Keep the rest of the edit unchanged and show me a playable preview with audio.
What you’ll get: The same clip with a tighter opening, or confirmation that it already starts cleanly. Listen for a complete first word and a natural start.
Good to know: Be specific: “Start when I say ‘here’s the trick’” or “Remove the last two seconds.” These are examples—use words or timing from your own clip.
Don’t like the result? Say “Undo that last change.” You can keep giving notes in this conversation.
Add captions
Add the captions you’ve seen on social videos: words appearing in time with the speaker. Keep the styling simple so you can check the text first.
Add the words
Using moviestar, add readable word-by-word captions to the current clip, timed to the speech. Use simple white text with enough contrast to read it. Keep the current cut and framing, and keep captions clear of the speaker's face. Show me a playable preview with audio so I can check the words and timing.
What you’ll get: Your trimmed clip with captions. Watch with sound to check timing, then mute it to see whether the words are easy to follow.
Good to know: Spot a mistake? Tell the agent the exact correction: “Change ‘movie star’ to ‘moviestar’ in the captions.” Use the spelling that’s right for your recording.
Make the captions yours
Now change the look of those same captions. A reference video lets you point to a style without knowing font names or editing settings.
Try this reference
A moviestar video,
made with moviestar.
Watch James’s moviestar demo and notice the captions. Use it below, or replace the link with a video whose caption style you like.
Watch the reference on YouTube ↗Style your existing captions
Use this moviestar video as a caption style reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIDvWAb0ZLM. Look at its caption colors, size, and placement, then use moviestar to apply a similar treatment to the captions on my current clip, using my own footage. Keep the cut, caption wording, and framing unchanged. Show me the full updated clip as a playable MP4 with audio that I can download or open, and briefly explain the styling you changed. If you can't view the reference, ask for screenshots or a style description instead of guessing.
What you’ll get: The full clip with your new caption treatment, ready to watch or download. Compare the colors, size, and placement with the reference.
Good to know: If the agent can’t view YouTube, share a screenshot of the captions or describe them: “White text, yellow highlights, near the bottom.” You can also ask “Use my brand’s blue instead.”
That’s your first video.
You’ve made a clip, tried a trim, added captions, and changed their style. For your next video, describe what you want, watch the result, and give one specific note at a time. Keep the project and recording for future edits.
Leave feedback
Tell us how your first edit went. What felt easy? Where did you get stuck? Your agent can help turn that experience into useful feedback for moviestar.
Tell us how it went
Help me leave feedback for moviestar using its guided feedback flow. Ask me what worked, what was confusing, and what I'd change. Draft a report using only the details I approve. Show it to me before sending, submit it after I confirm, and tell me whether it was accepted. Ask whether I'd like to include an email for a follow-up.
What you’ll get: Your agent shows you a feedback draft, submits it when you’re happy with it, and confirms whether the submission was accepted.
A follow-up email is optional. Include one if you’d like a note when your feedback is addressed; it won’t subscribe you to general updates.
Bonus · Pick one when you’re ready
Try one more thing
Keep working in the same conversation. Each experiment builds on your current edit and keeps the previous version. Watch the result, give a note, and keep the version you like.
Add a second video
End with a short extra shot. You’ll learn how two videos become one sequence. Check that the new ending fits the story and the frame.
You’ll need: Another video file: a product shot, a generated clip, or a different angle. Share it with your agent first.
Try it in the same conversation
Using moviestar, add a 3–5 second shot from the second video I shared to the end of my current edit. Ask which file if it isn't clear. Choose a shot that fits the story, match the existing frame size, and mute that added shot. Keep the existing edit and captions unchanged, with no captions over the new silent shot. Show me a playable preview with audio and keep the previous version.
Add music
Give the same edit a soundtrack. Listen on your phone: can you still understand every word?
You’ll need: A music file you own or have permission to use. Share the audio file with your agent.
Try it in the same conversation
Using moviestar, add the music file I shared under the current edit. Keep the speech clear, lower the music while someone is talking, and fade it out at the end. Keep the picture and captions unchanged. Show me a playable preview with audio and keep the previous version.
Try picture-in-picture
Play two videos at once, with one in a small window. Check that the inset covers neither the subject nor the captions. Watch a moviestar example ↗
You’ll need: A second video, such as a reaction or screen recording. Share it with your agent first.
Try it in the same conversation
Using moviestar, make a picture-in-picture version of my current clip. Keep the current clip as the main picture and use the second video I shared as a small inset for the first five seconds. Use only the main clip's audio. If the second video is too short, use a shorter inset. Keep faces and captions visible. Show me a playable preview with audio and keep the previous version.
Keep moving
A little help if you get stuck
My agent can’t open the recording
Go back to your agent app and check that the task has access to the folder containing your video. Keep the desktop app connected. Ask the agent to confirm it can open the recording before continuing.
My agent can’t view the YouTube reference
Send a few screenshots from the reference, then describe the colors, captions, and pacing you like. Ask your agent to explain the style it can actually see before applying it.
The captions or branding look wrong
Tell your agent which words need correcting and which colors or styling feel off. Point to a specific moment in your preview or reference, and ask it to show you the corrected version.
The first pass is taking a while
Ask your agent which part it’s working on and whether it needs anything from you. Preparing the tools and processing the first recording can take time. Try a shorter recording for a smaller first project.