# Find a complete idea inside a longer video.

A short clip should stand on its own. Start with a complete idea and a recognizable payoff, then adapt the framing and captions for the place it will be watched.

Source: https://vibeclip.ai/skills/long-video-to-shorts/
Updated: 2026-11-01

This is an original VibeClip workflow brief, not an installable Agent integration. Use it with the editing tools you have available. VibeClip is in development.

## Inputs

- The complete source video and a time-aligned transcript
- Intended audience, platform and target clip duration
- Any context, attribution or statements that must accompany an excerpt

## Copy this brief

Find three self-contained short clips in this long video. For each candidate, give source in/out times, a plain-language hook and the payoff. Preserve context and do not turn a qualification into a stronger claim. Choose one candidate for a vertical edit, reframe around the subject, realign captions and check it without the original introduction. Keep the other candidates as a written shortlist.

## Review the result

- [ ] The clip makes sense without the full video’s introduction.
- [ ] The excerpt preserves qualifications and speaker attribution.
- [ ] Vertical framing keeps the relevant subject visible.
- [ ] The hook matches what the clip actually delivers.

## Select ideas, not just energetic moments

A lively sentence may attract attention without explaining anything. Look for a question with an answer, a problem with a demonstration or a short argument with an example. Note the source range and any missing context before judging whether the segment can stand alone.

Make a shortlist instead of immediately producing many clips. For each candidate, state what the viewer will learn and where the payoff occurs. This makes it easier to compare editorial value and avoids polishing several nearly identical excerpts.

## Rebuild the opening honestly

A short version may need a concise on-screen question to establish context. That question must be answered by the excerpt. Do not make a provocative claim in the title that the speaker never makes, and do not remove the qualification that gives a statement its meaning.

Check references such as “this result” or “the second option.” If the antecedent is outside the clip, include the necessary setup or choose a different boundary.

## Compose the vertical version

Reframing is an editorial decision. Track the subject, preserve gestures that matter and account for multiple speakers. A desktop demonstration may need an enlarged detail or a new layout instead of a center crop. Review captions and labels after the new composition is set.

## Judge the standalone result

Watch the clip without returning to the source introduction. Can a new viewer identify the topic, understand the point and see the payoff? Compare important statements with the original context before exporting.

## Reference

See [ChatCut Long video to shorts](https://chatcut.io/skills/long-video-to-shorts), [aspect-ratio planning](/blog/video-aspect-ratios/) and the [talking-head editing brief](/skills/talking-head/). Highlight selection and automatic reframing depend on the actual tools available.