AI-assisted video editing workflows for cutting, structuring, and augmenting real footage. Covers the full pipeline from raw capture through FFmpeg, Remotion, ElevenLabs, fal.ai, and final polish in Descript or CapCut. Use when the user wants to edit video, cut footage, create vlogs, or build video

Video Editing AI assisted editing for real footage. Not generation from prompts. Editing existing video fast. When to Activate User wants to edit, cut, or structure video footage Turning long recordings into short form content Building vlogs, tutorials, or demo videos from raw capture Adding overlays, subtitles, music, or voiceover to existing video Reframing video for different platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram) User says "edit video", "cut this footage", "make a vlog", or "video workflow" Core Thesis AI video editing is useful when you stop asking it to create the whole video and start using it to compress, structure, and augment real footage. The value is not generation. The value is compression. The Pipeline For measured reference driven work, chain taste distillation into taste application , then return here for the editor and final output review. The standalone taste skills can use existing footage; generation is optional. Before live editor or DAW changes, save a versioned project checkpoint and verify the file exists. Save and verify another checkpoint after the changes. An API readback proves the current in memory state, not that it was saved. Keep rendered media, editable projects, and creative approval as separate states in the handoff. For MIDI driven audio, check pitches against the receiving rack's note mapping and audition the result; successful clip creation can still produce silence. For reconstructed projects, validate through native load and save, sort events in timeline order, verify sample links and mute states, then check and audition the exact exported audio for unintended silence. XML parsing alone does not prove that the DAW accepted every clip or produced audible output. Check a bridge's capability handshake before invoking newer commands. Do not enable upload or training data telemetry as a side effect of a creative task; use a supported local control path when consent or capability is absent. Each layer has a specific job. Do not skip layers. Do not try to make one tool do everything. Layer 1: Capture (Screen Studio / Raw Footage) Collect the source material: Screen Studio : polished screen recordings for app demos, coding sessions, browser workflows Raw camera footage : vlog footage, interviews, event recordings Desktop capture via VideoDB : session recording with real time context (see videodb skill) Output: raw files ready for organization. Layer 2: Organization (Claude / Codex) Use Claude Code or Codex to: Transcribe and label : generate transcript, identify topics and themes Plan structure : decide what stays, what gets cut, what order works Identify dead sections : find pauses, tangents, repeated takes Generate edit decision list : timestamps for cuts, segments to keep Scaffold FFmpeg and Remotion code : generate the commands and compositions This layer is about structure, not final creative taste. Layer 3: Deterministic Cuts (FFmpeg) FFmpeg handles the boring but critical work: splitting, trimming, concatenating, and preprocessing. Extract segment by timestamp Batch cut from edit decision list Concatenate segments Create proxy for faster editing Extract audio for transcription Normalize audio levels Layer 4: Programmable Composition (Remotion) Remotion turns editing problems into composable code. Use it for things that traditional editors make painful: When to use Remotion Overlays: text, images, branding, lower thirds Data visualizations: charts, stats, animated numbers Motion graphics: transitions, explainer animations Composable scenes: reusable templates across videos Product demos: annotated screenshots, UI highlights Basic Remotion composition Render output See the [Remotion docs](https://www.remotion.dev/docs) for detailed patterns and API reference. Layer 5: Generated Assets (ElevenLabs / fal.ai) Generate only what you need. Do not generate the whole video. Voiceover with ElevenLabs Music and SFX with fal.ai Use the fal ai media skill for: Background music generation Sound effects (ThinkSound model for video to audio) Transition sounds Generated visuals with fal.ai Use for insert shots, thumbnails, or b roll that doesn't exist: VideoDB generative audio If VideoDB is configured: Layer 6: Final Polish (Descript / CapCut) The last layer is human. Use a traditional editor for: Pacing : adjust cuts that feel too fast or slow Captions : auto generated, then manually cleaned Color grading : basic correction and mood Final audio mix : balance voice, music, and SFX levels Export : platform specific formats and quality settings This is where taste lives. AI clears the repetitive work. You make the final calls. Social Media Reframing Different platforms need different aspect ratios: Platform Aspect Ratio Resolution YouTube 16:9 1920x1080 TikTok / Reels 9:16 1080x1920 Instagram Feed 1:1 1080x1080 X / Twitter 16:9 or 1:1 1280x720 or 720x720 Reframe with FFmpeg Reframe with VideoDB Scene Detection and Auto Cut FFmpeg scene detection Silence detection for auto cut Highlight extraction Use Claude to analyze transcript + scene timestamps: What Each Tool Does Best Tool Strength Weakness Claude / Codex Organization, planning, code generation Not the creative taste layer FFmpeg Deterministic cuts, batch processing, format conversion No visual editing UI Remotion Programmable overlays, composable scenes, reusable templates Learning curve for non devs Screen Studio Polished screen recordings immediately Only screen capture ElevenLabs Voice, narration, music, SFX Not the center of the workflow Descript / CapCut Final pacing, captions, polish Manual, not automatable Key Principles 1. Edit, don't generate. This workflow is for cutting real footage, not creating from prompts. 2. Structure before style. Get the story right in Layer 2 before touching anything visual. 3. FFmpeg is the backbone. Boring but critical. Where long footage becomes manageable. 4. Remotion for repeatability. If you'll do it more than once, make it a Remotion component. 5. Generate selectively. Only use AI generation for assets that don't exist, not for everything. 6. Taste is the last layer. AI clears repetitive work. You make the final creative calls. Native Fusion Presets [ITO Production v1](assets/fusion/ito production v1/README.md) provides restrained highlight bloom, opposing RGB spatial offsets and a luminance/edge halo. The exact files passed prior native import, save/reopen and short motion render checks after two source visual review. These are starting values requiring shot specific review; the halo does not detect or track subjects. [ITO V28](assets/fusion/ito v28/README.md) contains preserved, native verified Fusion graph snippets and an idempotent Lua installer. These are technical compatibility examples, not recommended production defaults : their documented visual limitations require tuning and taste review before use. See the bundle provenance for the scope of prior import and render checks. Related Skills fal ai media — AI image, video, and audio generation videodb — Server side video processing, indexing, and streaming content engine — Platform native content distribution

video-editing