How to turn a long video into shorts with Clippex

Start with a finished example

The example above opens on a morning sky that suddenly looks as if it has a second sun. The roughly 46-second excerpt from NASA’s What Exploded Over Russia? connects the Chelyabinsk meteor with a surprising detail: the asteroid flyby publicized for the same day was unrelated.

The landscape version keeps the dashcam footage, map and explanatory graphics visible. Farther down this guide, a podcast example lets you switch between real 9:16 and 16:9 exports. The right format depends on what the viewer needs to see, not just where you plan to publish.

1. Create your workspace and add a source

Create an account and open Plans & credits if you want to activate the free Trial. It provides 120 credits once per account and workspace, without a card. Then create a project and use the Source step to upload your recording or paste a supported public video link.

Choose a recording with intelligible speech and a topic you want to repurpose. If a link cannot be imported, uploading your own source file is another route. The published examples include source links and attribution so you can compare the edit with the original recording.

2. Choose Basic Clipper or Clipper Pro

Basic is a sensible starting point for a complete answer or explanation that already exists as one continuous passage. Clipper Pro adds a montage review and can assemble several chronological fragments when an idea benefits from more editing.

Choose based on the recording rather than the label alone. A clear tutorial may work well with Basic; a meandering interview may benefit more from Pro. Pro uses a 2× model multiplier, so check the estimated credit requirement before starting.

3. Set the canvas, clip length and scene selection

In Framing & clips, choose the output canvas and the duration range appropriate to your idea. For a vertical short, inspect how the framing treats faces, slides, demonstrations and on-screen text. A close crop that suits a talking head can hide the important part of a software tutorial.

Best scenes prioritizes a smaller selection; Many and All broaden the requested selection and use higher credit multipliers. All does not mean every possible cut will become an export. Candidates still need to pass the editorial checks, so the source determines how many usable clips emerge.

4. Choose readable subtitles

Use the Subtitles step to select the caption style. Consider contrast, text size and where the words will sit relative to the speaker and important source details. Check your intended viewing size rather than judging a full-screen desktop preview alone.

Captions help viewers follow the actual speech. They do not replace a missing setup or repair an incomplete answer. Proper names, specialist terms and fast exchanges deserve a careful listen during the review.

5. Check the estimate and start generation

The credit calculation uses source duration rounded up to 60-second units, multiplied by scene selection: Best ×1, Many ×2 or All ×3. Basic then uses ×1 and Clipper Pro ×2. A 20-minute source with All scenes and Pro therefore uses 120 credits under these settings.

That is a source-based allowance, not a promise of 120 output minutes or a fixed number of clips. Once generation starts, follow the project’s progress through source preparation, analysis, editing and rendering. Processing time varies with source length, selected settings and provider queues.

6. Review every clip as a standalone story

Open the finished project and play each candidate from beginning to end. In the meteor example, the opening raises a concrete question: what lit up the sky? The excerpt identifies the event and resolves the apparent connection to the other asteroid. That gives the viewer a reason to stay through the ending.

In the podcast example, the payoff is a joke about hiding as though a T-Rex can only see motion. Check that the action before it makes the joke understandable. Review captions, framing and the cover together. A model score can help you choose a shortlist; the actual passage still needs to earn its place.

• Listen for unfinished sentences and missing answers.
• Check whether names and pronouns have enough context.
• Inspect the crop at speaker changes and demonstrations.
• Choose a cover and title that accurately describe the clip.

7. Download, then publish with your own context

Download the finished clips from the project. Review the downloaded file too, particularly its audio and final frame, before uploading it to your publishing platform. Add a title and description that reflect the clip’s actual subject, and retain any source credits required for material you are allowed to reuse.

Download within your plan’s storage window. Trial retains project files for three days; Starter and Pro retain them for seven days, and Supreme for 30 days. Finished-project retention counts from completion. Use the current pricing page for the plan details attached to your account.