Cut Shorts from a locked long take, not from a bin of misses
cut_video keeps ranges; edit_video reframes them to 9:16. Clipping a long miss, or clipping before picture lock, manufactures Shorts you will never publish.
Converting to Shorts is two decisions: which seconds, then which rectangle. cut_video keeps [start, end) ranges and stitches them in order. edit_video makes the result 9:16. The tool does not detect the "best" moment. You name the ranges. If the parent is still in taste, your ranges are a guess about a performance that may not survive, and you will name them again.
Convert a video to Shorts is the job. Both operations are standard editor bills; edit_video still has a free 480p preview. estimate_cost on the actual parent.
Segments are KEEP ranges
To pull 0:45–1:15 and 4:20–4:50 from a ten-minute file, you list those ranges, not the parts to delete. Get that backwards on a locked master and you ship the boring bits. Get it backwards on a miss and you have also spent the cut.
A long generate that is "wrong throughout" does not become a good Short by trimming. Trimming a bad take is how teams convince themselves they are editing. They are hiding. Regen the shot, or pick a different parent that actually has a moment.
Reframe after the cut, on the clip you kept. Cropping the whole ten minutes to 9:16 first is an export of material you will throw away.
The AI video generator made the parent, or you uploaded it. Shorts are children. Children wait.
Order
- Watch the long file. If it is not the parent, stop.
- Mark KEEP ranges.
cut_video. Preview the stitch.edit_videoto 9:16. Then captions on the Short, not on the parent.
If you needed a smoothed transition at the seam, say so to edit_video. cut_video is a hard cut by default.
FAQ
Can the tool pick highlights for me?
No. You specify ranges. If you cannot name them, you are not in this tool yet. You are still watching.
Should I caption the long-form first so the Short inherits cues?
No. The Short has a different clock and crop. Caption the child.
What if I want three Shorts from one parent?
Three cut passes (or three range sets) from a locked parent is the point of the tool. Three cut passes from three unlocked generates is a factory of leftovers.
Is this the same as trim-a-video?
Trim is one KEEP range. This page is the "pull the moments, then verticalize" version of the same cut_video tool. Both wait for a parent you believe.