Alec Cuenca

Free demo guide: edit your videos with AI

Try it tonight

Set up your own AI video editor the same way I did in the demo. Four steps, four prompts to copy.

Download the PDF

What you need

  • A computer. I use a Mac. The kit says Windows works too, but I haven’t tested it.
  • A paid Claude plan. Pro at the very least. Editing uses a lot of your Claude usage, so if you edit often, look at Max. Check today’s prices at claude.ai.
  • One raw video from your phone. Keep it short for your first try.

  1. Get Claude ready

    • Download the Claude desktop app from claude.ai and sign in.
    • Open the Code tab. This is the part of Claude that can do work on your computer for you.
    • Make a new folder called AI Editor and open it in the Code tab. Your videos will live here.

    Tip: Claude asks before it does things. Keep it that way while you’re learning. I only switched mine to auto once I trusted it.

  2. Install HyperFrames (one time only)

    HyperFrames Student Kit is a free video editing kit made by Nate Herk. Full credit to him. Copy Prompt 1, paste it into Claude, and say yes as it goes.

    • If it asks for your computer password, you type it yourself.
    • If an installer needs a click, click it, then tell Claude “done.”

    Expect about 10 to 15 minutes. It can take longer if your computer needs extra tools first.

    Prompt 1: Set up HyperFrames
    I want to edit my videos with AI. Please set up the HyperFrames Student Kit by Nate Herk in this folder: https://github.com/nateherkai/hyperframes-student-kit Follow its README. Install anything it needs that I don’t have yet (Node.js 22 or newer, Git, FFmpeg, and Chrome), then run its setup and its tests. For transcription, set up local Whisper so I don’t need a paid account. I speak Taglish (English and Tagalog mixed), so pick a model that handles it. I’m not technical. Before each step, tell me in one plain sentence what you’re about to do and why, and wait for my okay before installing anything. If you need my computer password or need me to click an installer, tell me exactly what to do. When everything works, render the demo video so I can see it.

  3. Teach it your style, then give it your video

    This is what keeps your videos from looking like everyone else’s. Copy Prompt 2. Claude interviews you one question at a time, then saves your answers as your style file.

    From the demo: pick two fonts, one for big headlines and one for captions. Got a creator whose edits you love? Send Claude the link or a screenshot and ask it to study them.

    Prompt 2: Make it yours
    Before we edit anything, interview me to build my editing style guide. Ask me one question at a time, and wait for my answer before the next one. Ask about: - who my videos are for, and how I want them to feel - my captions: font, size, color, and where they sit on the screen - what the first 3 seconds should look like (hook text on screen or not) - my pacing: calm, or fast with lots of jump cuts - sound effects and music - graphics: when to use them, and what kind - words or phrases I always use, and ones I never want - anything I hate in other people’s edits When we’re done, save it as MY-PREFERENCES.md in this folder. Then add a line to CLAUDE.md telling yourself to read MY-PREFERENCES.md before every edit, and to add my new notes to it after every review.

    Think like an editor: the 5 decisions every edit comes down to

    1. Hook. Will a stranger stop scrolling in the first 3 seconds?
    2. Cuts. Does this part say something new? If not, cut it.
    3. Pace. Is this part slow? Speed it up a little, or jump-cut.
    4. Captions. Can you read it on a phone with the sound off?
    5. Graphics. Does this picture explain something? If not, skip it.

    Prompt 3 already asks Claude to make all five.

    Now put your raw video in the AI Editor folder. Copy Prompt 3 and change [FILE NAME] to your video’s name. Claude shows you its plan first. Say go when it looks right.

    Prompt 3: Edit this video
    Use short-form-edit to turn my video in this folder, called [FILE NAME], into a 9:16 reel. Read MY-PREFERENCES.md first. Then think like an editor: 1. HOOK: find the line that makes a stranger stop scrolling in the first 3 seconds, and start there. 2. CUTS: remove false starts, retakes, repeated lines, dead air, and anything that repeats the hook. Check every cut for repeated or half-said words. 3. PACE: where I talk slowly, speed up a little (about 1.1x) or jump-cut between phrases. 4. CAPTIONS: readable on a phone with the sound off. Keep my words exactly as I said them, Taglish included. 5. GRAPHICS: only where they explain something. Show me your plan first and wait for my go-ahead. Then make a draft and give me a phone-size preview.

  4. Refine

    Watch the draft on your phone with the sound on. That’s where you’ll catch the mistakes. Then copy Prompt 4 with your notes, in plain words. Taglish is fine. Claude fixes the draft and remembers your notes for next time.

    Prompt 4: Refine
    Here are my notes on the draft: [YOUR NOTES, TAGLISH IS FINE]. Fix these, then give me a new phone-size preview. Add my notes to MY-PREFERENCES.md with today’s date and the video name, so you never make the same mistake again. Don’t do the final high-quality render until I say it’s good.

    Want to tweak it by hand? Ask Claude: “Please export this project to CapCut.”

Before you post: AI drafts, you decide. Always watch the final on your phone.

Want the full breakdown, step by step? THE 24/7 EDITOR opens October 14. Join the waitlist