Guide

How to edit videos with Claude

Claude can cut your raw recordings, add animations and make whole videos, without you knowing anything about video editing. With FrameJam you watch each version and click the exact frame you want changed, instead of describing timestamps in chat.

What you need

The Claude desktop app (the Code tab) or Claude Code.
Node 22 or later, and ffmpeg.
A raw recording to edit, or an idea for a video.

1. Install FrameJam

Open the Claude desktop app, switch to Code and start a new chat. Paste this and send it:

Run `npx -y framejam install claude` and open the link it prints in your built-in browser.

The installer adds the FrameJam plugin and opens FrameJam in Claude's built-in browser. Quit and reopen Claude once so the plugin loads. You'll find it under Customize → Plugins, with three skills, /framejam:start, /framejam:playbook and /framejam:style, and a connector that links the chat to FrameJam on your computer.

From then on, type /framejam:start in any chat to open FrameJam next to it. The install docs cover Claude Code in a terminal, ChatGPT and Cursor.

2. Ask for the first edit

Copy the path of your raw recording (on a Mac, select the file in Finder and press ⌥⌘C), paste it into the chat and say what you want, as you would to an editor:

~/Downloads/intro-raw.mov This is the intro of my next YouTube video. Cut out all the dead space and remove the retakes: when I redo a line, keep the last take. Make it snappy, with no dead space left. Then add animations on top in a typical YouTube intro style that make it more fun to watch.

Don't want to write the prompt? Use a playbook instead. A playbook is a saved method for one kind of video. For an intro, YouTube Hook knows what the opening of a long video needs. Copy the prompt from its page, or just write:

Make a video with the FrameJam playbook YouTube Hook. My raw intro: ~/Downloads/intro-raw.mov

Claude transcribes the recording, cuts it, adds the animations and renders an mp4. After a few minutes the edit shows up on FrameJam's projects page. The intro at the start of the walkthrough came out of this, one prompt and one round of feedback.

Only want the cleanup, without animations? Clean Cut removes pauses, filler words and retakes and adds nothing.

3. Point at what to change

Giving feedback in chat means typing things like "from second five to six, change this element". In FrameJam you comment right on the video instead. In the walkthrough, the first review had five comments:

The whole video: "Make the whole video slightly faster, 1.1x."
A spot in the frame: click a graphic and write "Remove this." Claude gets an image of that frame with your pin on it, so it knows exactly which element you mean.
A range: drag across the filmstrip and write "Put the official Claude logo in here, bouncing in when it appears."
The current moment: pause and type, like "Make this prompt box look like the real Claude interface."

Press Finish review (or ⌘↵). Claude gets every comment with its timestamp and frame image, replies with something like "Got your 5 comments, applying them now", and starts on the next version. More on the review page.

4. Compare the new version

A few minutes later, version two appears in the same project. Use the version switcher at the top right to flip between versions and check each change landed. Leave more comments for another round, or tell Claude it's done.

You don't need to start with FrameJam, either. If you already edit with your own skill, keep using it and type /framejam:start when you get to feedback.

Edit short-form videos with a playbook

The same works for shorts. Show & Tell Short turns a raw talking-head clip from your phone into a finished vertical short: it cuts the dead space, fills the top half with animations of what you're talking about, and adds captions all the way through. Each playbook page shows it in a few styles, and you can pair it with any other look from the styles.

~/Downloads/short-raw.mov Use the Show & Tell Short playbook in FrameJam with the Midnight Glow style.

For a short that switches layout with what you say, try Dynamic Layout Short.

Make an animated music video from a website

Claude can also make a video from nothing but a link. The last part of the walkthrough runs in Cursor, to show the plugin works the same there. Type /framejam:playbook to pick a playbook on a page, choose Kinetic Music Video, and give Claude the website:

Make a music video for this business: https://example.com. Pull all the material from the website yourself, and start with a storyboard.

It writes the song, then a storyboard: the video as still images, one per shot, that you can comment on before anything gets animated. Version two is the full music video, with the footage moving on the beat. The storyboard is optional, but it gives you more say before Claude does the heavy work.

There are more playbooks to try, like narrated explainer videos, founder launch videos and motion design showreels.

Questions

Can Claude edit videos by itself?

Claude doesn't edit pixels directly. It writes the edit as code and commands (ffmpeg, Hyperframes, Remotion or whatever your project uses) and renders an mp4. FrameJam is where you watch that render and tell Claude what to change.

Which Claude do I need?

The Code tab in the Claude desktop app, or Claude Code in a terminal. FrameJam installs as a plugin in both. It works the same way in ChatGPT and Cursor.

Which model works best?

Opus does slightly better on edits. Sonnet is also very good at it and costs less, and you don't need fast mode.

How much of my Claude usage does an edit take?

Less than you'd think. In the walkthrough, the first edit of the intro and a round of five comments used about 9% of a five-hour usage window, with Opus in fast mode. Sonnet uses less.

Can I use my own editing skill?

Yes. Edit with whatever skill or method you already use, and type /framejam:start when you get to feedback. A playbook is just a skill that FrameJam ships.

Does my video get uploaded anywhere?

No. FrameJam runs on your computer and keeps projects in ~/.framejam. Claude sees the comments you write and the frame images they point at.

What does it cost?

FrameJam is free and open source. Editing uses your Claude plan. Some playbooks can also use paid services, like a transcription or image generator, and each playbook page says which.

FrameJam is free, local and open source. Install it in Claude, or join the Discord to see what others are making.