naveedharri Video Editing Skill
Edits, processes, and renders videos using FFmpeg and Remotion.
Intelligent Editing Workflow
This skill enables Claude to act as a smart video editor. Before executing commands:
- Analyze - Examine videos (duration, resolution, audio) using ffprobe
- Transcribe - Get speech content for smart cuts (if needed)
- Ask - Clarify user intent and preferences
- Plan - Propose edit approach for approval
- QA Test - Run automated tests before user preview (see references/qa-testing.md)
- Preview - Only show to user after QA passes
- Iterate - Refine based on feedback
See references/intelligent-editing.md for detailed workflow, questions to ask, and quality checks.
Tool Selection
| Task | FFmpeg | Remotion |
|---|---|---|
| Stitching | Same codec, no effects | Transitions, overlays, programmatic |
| Transitions | Simple crossfades | Multiple types, custom timing |
| Captions | SRT burn-in | TikTok-style word highlighting |
| Teasers | Quick clips | Text overlays, branded elements |
General guidance:
- FFmpeg: Fast CLI operations, batch processing, format conversion
- Remotion: Styled content, animations, preview before render, React components
Reference Files
Read these files as needed using the Read tool:
Intelligence Layer
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| references/intelligent-editing.md | Smart editing workflow, questions, quality checks |
| references/video-analysis.md | Analyze videos with ffprobe |
| references/transcription.md | Whisper transcription for speech analysis |
| references/qa-testing.md | QA tests before user preview |
Core Editing
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| references/stitching.md | Combine multiple clips into one video |
| references/transitions.md | Add fade, slide, wipe between clips |
| references/captions.md | Add subtitles and TikTok-style captions |
| references/teasers.md | Create 30-second teasers/trailers |
| references/title-cards.md | Add chapter headers, bumpers, section titles |
| references/graphics-generation.md | Generate thumbnails, overlays, social graphics |
Technical Reference
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| references/ffmpeg-basics.md | Common FFmpeg patterns and troubleshooting |
| references/remotion-setup.md | Remotion project setup and workflow |
| references/remotion-tips.md | Animations, timing, springs, sequences, and captions |
| references/reference-implementation.md | Complete working code to recreate the project |
Quick Start
Transcription (Fast)
# 1. Setup whisper.cpp (one-time)
npx ts-node scripts/setup-whisper.ts
# 2. Transcribe all videos (GPU accelerated)
npx ts-node scripts/transcribe-fast.ts
FFmpeg (CLI)
# Check installation
which ffmpeg || brew install ffmpeg
# Basic concat (same codec)
ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i list.txt -c copy output.mp4
# Burn in subtitles
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vf "subtitles=captions.srt" output.mp4
Remotion (React)
# Start preview (always do this first)
npm run dev
# Render (only when user requests)
npx remotion render CompositionName out/video.mp4
Key Lessons Learned
Transcription (IMPORTANT)
- Use
@remotion/install-whisper-cpp- NOT Python whisper (10x faster with GPU) - Use
base.enmodel for speed,medium.enfor final quality - Required parameter:
whisperCppVersion: '1.5.5'in transcribe() call - Enable
tokenLevelTimestamps: truefor word-level captions - Whisper.cpp uses Metal GPU on Mac - 8.5min video in ~85 seconds
Teasers
- Never start clips with: "But", "And", "So", "Now", "It", "This", "That", "They"
- Each clip must have an explicit subject - not pronouns or references
- Aim for 3-4 clips totaling 25-30 seconds
- Playback speed: 1.3x for energy (1.5x is too fast)
- Transitions: Smooth fade (0.4s) between clips
- First clip: Must NOT overlap with intro start (avoid repetition)
Captions
- Active word: Yellow
#FFD700 - Spoken words: White
#FFFFFF - Upcoming words: Light gray
#E0E0E0 - Font: Roboto at 48px for 1080p
- Black stroke outline (works on ANY background):
WebkitTextStroke: '3px black', paintOrder: 'stroke fill', textShadow: '0px 0px 4px rgba(0,0,0,1), 0px 0px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.8)'
Remotion Video Trimming
- Use
OffthreadVideocomponent - Set BOTH
startFromANDendAtprops - Convert ms to frames:
Math.round((ms / 1000) * fps)
Edge Cases & Gotchas
File Naming
- Avoid spaces in video filenames: use
intro.mp4notIntro Video.mp4 - Remotion Folder names can only contain letters, numbers, and hyphens
Ports
- Remotion Studio may start on port 3001 if 3000 is in use
Codec Mismatch
- FFmpeg concat demuxer (
-c copy) fails silently with mismatched codecs - Use
ffprobeto check codecs before concatenating - Use filter_complex for different codecs/resolutions
Workflow
- Always preview in Remotion Studio before rendering
- Never render automatically - wait for user approval
- Copy videos to
public/folder for Remotion projects