One Edit in 9:16 and 16:9

The same edit as a vertical Reel and a horizontal YouTube cut.

Pipeline: Basic edit (cut): cuts, captions, looks, speed, split screens, stock, voices and music.
Format: 9:16 and 16:9
Upload: The clips for the edit, shot horizontally or vertically.

The prompt

Type your own words into the fields: the [BLANKS] fill in as you go. Copy it and send it to Claude or ChatGPT with Cut Express connected.

Prompt

Make a [LENGTH IN SECONDS]-second edit about [TOPIC] from the clips I uploaded, for [PLATFORM]. Look at the contact sheets before you cut.

Start in 9:16: cover crop with the subject kept in frame on every scene (set the focus), hook first, cuts on the action, [LOOK] look, captions from the speech in [CAPTION COLOR].

Show me the timeline before you render. When v1 is done, render the same timeline again as 16:9 for YouTube: re-check each scene's focus, use fit blur where a vertical clip would crop too much, and move the captions so they never sit on a face.

The blanks

[LENGTH IN SECONDS]: How long the finished video runs, as a number of seconds. Reels and Shorts hold best between 15 and 60.
[TOPIC]: What the video is about, in one sentence.
[PLATFORM]: Where the video goes (TikTok, Reels, Shorts, YouTube, LinkedIn); it sets the pace and the safe areas.
[LOOK]: The color look by mood, for example "warm and soft", "teal and orange", "crisp and bright", "black and white", "film".
[CAPTION COLOR]: The color of the highlighted word in the captions, as a name or a hex code like #FFD23F.

Tips

Ask for 9:16 first when the video lives on phones. Horizontal footage cropped to vertical needs the focus checked on every scene.
Every version stays in your account, so v1 and v2 are both one click away.

New to prompting video? How to write a good prompt for Cut Express covers the story, the hook, captions, sound, pace and how to iterate with versions.

The real render behind this prompt

This prompt was written from one we used to make a video for this site. Here is that video and the exact prompt that made it.

The exact prompt

Make a 12-second motion video about Cut Express versions, starting in 9:16. Animated scenes only. Brand: dark #0B0B0A, yellow #FFD23F, violet #9D8CFF, no emoji.

Beats:
0–3 s: a vertical frame labelled "v1 · 9:16" with simple vector shapes as content.
3–6 s: a chat bubble types "now a 16:9 version for YouTube".
6–9 s: the frame morphs smoothly into a wide frame labelled "v2 · 16:9"; a version stack (v1, v2) slides in at the side.
9–12 s: end card: "Every version kept. Same timeline." and the cut.express wordmark.

Then render the same timeline again as 16:9 so I have both versions.

Paste it in Claude. Get the MP4.

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Basic edit9:16

Shorts From One Long Video

Several vertical Shorts cut from one long video, each with captions.

Upload: One long video with speech (a podcast, a talk, a stream, a course lesson).

I uploaded [LONG VIDEO], about [TOPIC]. Inspect it with moments and a transcript, then find the [NUMBER OF CLIPS] strongest moments that make sense on their own, each about [LENGTH IN SECONDS] seconds.

Before you render, list them for me: the in and out times, the first line said and why it works as a hook. Wait for my pick.

For each one I pick:
- Start on the hook line, no warm-up. Cut the silences and the false starts on the speech.
- 9:16, cover crop kept on the speaker's face. A slow punch-in on the key sentence.
- Captions from the speech: bold preset, 3 words per line, the key word in [CAPTION COLOR], bottom third.
- Clean the voice (denoise and enhance). No music unless I ask.
Render each as its own video titled "[SERIES NAME] 1", "2", and so on.

Fill in Tips

Basic edit9:16 and 16:9

Teaser for a New YouTube Video

A 30-second teaser that sells your new YouTube video without spoiling it.

Upload: Your finished YouTube video.

I uploaded my new YouTube video, "[VIDEO TITLE]". Make a [LENGTH IN SECONDS]-second teaser for it. Inspect it with a transcript and moments first.

- Open on the most surprising line or image in the video, then 4 to 6 fast cuts of the best moments, never the ending: [WHAT NOT TO SPOIL].
- A text at the top for the first 2 seconds: "[HOOK LINE]", white with a black stroke.
- Captions from the speech, pop preset, highlight [CAPTION COLOR].
- End card for 2 seconds: "Full video on my channel" over a dark frame of the video.
- [MUSIC] under the voices, ducked when anyone speaks.
Render it in 9:16 first. Then render the same timeline again as 16:9 for the community tab, as the next version.

Fill in Tips

Basic edit9:16

Talking Head With Jump Cuts

A tight talking-head video with the silences cut, punch-ins and captions.

Upload: One or more takes of you talking to the camera.

I recorded a talking-head video about [TOPIC]. Inspect it with a transcript and use the speech cuts.

- Keep only the best take of each sentence and cut every silence and "um". The finished video is about [LENGTH IN SECONDS] seconds.
- Start on "[HOOK LINE]" even if I said it later.
- A punch-in zoom (about 1.2x) every 2 or 3 cuts, on the words that matter, so it never looks like one static shot.
- Captions: bold preset, upper case, 2 to 3 words per line, highlight [CAPTION COLOR], just under the middle of the frame.
- Clean my voice: denoise 40 and enhance. [LOOK] look, a little sharpening.
Show me the timeline (each kept line with its time) before you render.

Fill in Tips