← All guides

On your phone? For the best view, read this guide on a computer. The prompt and screenshots are easier to see and copy on a bigger screen.

AI VideoCapCutChatGPT

5 min read5 steps1 big prompt

How to Edit Videos With CapCut Inside ChatGPT

One folder. One prompt. One finished video.

I edited my last reel without opening an editing app. I put everything in one folder, gave ChatGPT one prompt, and tweaked the result in plain English.

“Make it cinematic”

“Change the camera angle”

“Huge captions behind me”

“Split screen”

Install the pluginOne prompt from CapCut.
Make one folderFootage, assets, references, brand kit.
Send the big promptIt edits the whole video.
Tweak in plain EnglishJust say what you want changed.
Save it as a skillReuse it on every new video.

The Result

See It in Action

This is the finished reel next to my raw take. Drag the line to compare. Every effect in it started as a line I said on camera.

RawEdited

Drag the line. Raw on the left, edited on the right.

Step 01 · Install

Install the CapCut Plugin

Before you start

This runs through the CapCut plugin inside a ChatGPT desktop (Codex) task, not a regular ChatGPT chat in the browser.
You need the ChatGPT desktop app on your computer.
You need a CapCut account. You sign in to authorize the plugin during setup.
Your account and region need access to the plugin. CapCut says availability may vary by app version, account and region.

Open CapCut × Codex and copy the setup prompt. Paste it into a new task in the ChatGPT desktop app.

CapCut page titled Copy this prompt into any ChatGPT desktop task, with the setup prompt highlighted

CapCut setup prompt

Download and read https://sf16-sg.tiktokcdn.com/obj/eden-sg/962370eh7nupenuhbo/capcut_codex_plugin/SKILL.md, then follow it exactly to install and authorize the CapCut plugin.

Follow the install and authorization steps, and sign in to CapCut when it asks. You are ready when you see Plugin installation: Complete and CapCut authorization: Complete. Then open a new task for your edit, as the installer tells you to.

ChatGPT desktop task showing Plugin installation complete and CapCut authorization complete

Good to know: CapCut’s page says it is “now available outside the U.S.; U.S. launch coming soon.” Always copy the prompt from CapCut’s own page, since it installs software on your computer.

Step 02 · Folder

Put Everything in One Folder

Make a folder with everything the edit needs:

my-video/
  raw/ your raw talking-head video
  assets/ screenshots, screen recordings, logos
  references/ creator videos whose style you like
  brand-kit/ colors, fonts, logo
  script.txt so names are spelled right

Start a new task in the ChatGPT desktop app, click Choose project, and pick that folder. Now it can see every file.

Pro tip: say your edits out loud while you record, like “make this frame more cinematic” or “add huge captions behind me”, and do a gesture on each one. The edit lands right on that moment.

Step 03 · The prompt

Send One Prompt to Edit the Whole Video

Copy this, change anything that does not fit your video, and send it.

The full edit prompt

Use the CapCut plugin to edit my raw talking-head video into a vertical 9:16 Instagram Reel. Everything is in this project folder: - raw: my raw talking-head video - assets: screenshots and screen recordings to use in the edit - references: videos from creators whose style I want - brand-kit: my logo, colors and fonts - script.txt: my script, for the correct spelling of names How to edit it: 1. My spoken lines are edit orders. When I say an edit out loud (like "make it cinematic", "change the camera angle", "add huge captions behind me" or "switch to a split screen"), do it at the exact moment I say it, timed to my gestures. 2. Keep my face full screen as much as possible, with graphics in the space above my head. 3. Use my assets whenever I talk about what they show. Show screen recordings in full as a split screen, with me in the bottom half. 4. Match the style of my references, using my brand colors and fonts. 5. Captions: 1 to 3 words at a time, never covering my face, with key words in my accent color. 6. Keep all text and graphics inside Instagram's safe zone, away from the top and bottom edges. 7. Cut mistakes, repeated takes and long pauses. 8. Light, natural face lighting. Clean up my voice. Add subtle sound effects on transitions. 9. Before you send it, check that every edit lands on time and nothing covers my face. Storyboard first: before you render anything, make me a storyboard with one row per moment showing the timestamp, what I say, a frame from my raw video and a still of the planned edit. Then stop and wait for my approval. Only render the video once I approve it.

Why the storyboard matters: you see every planned frame before anything renders, so you can fix the plan in one sentence instead of re-rendering the whole video.

Storyboard rows showing a timestamp, the spoken line, the raw frame and a still of the planned edit for each moment — Part of my storyboard. Raw frame on the left, planned edit on the right.

Step 04 · Tweak

Edit It in Plain English

Watch it on your phone, then just say what you want changed. These are real notes I sent:

“For the split screen, make the border slowly come down on top of me with big SPLIT SCREEN text inside.”

“For the camera angle, do a real bird’s-eye view, like I’m looking up into the camera.”

“Move everything further in from the top and bottom so Instagram doesn’t cover it.”

“Put the subtitles in the middle, not on top of my face.”

One sentence per fix. Keep going until it looks right.

Step 05 · Skill

Turn It Into a Reusable Skill

Once the video looks right, don’t start from scratch next time. In the same task, send this:

Save it as a skill

Turn this into a reusable skill

It writes a SKILL.md file with everything it learned from this edit: your style, your rules and your fixes.

Next video: put your new raw video in the folder, type @ and pick your skill, then just say “Edit my video.”

ChatGPT saying Updated and installed your reusable skill, which now uses the CapCut plugin by default, with the saved preferences and SKILL.md — It now uses CapCut by default

Invoke it with CapCut Talking-Head Overlay Edit, with the tooltip CapCut edits with storyboards and short captions — Invoke it on your next video

FAQ

Quick Answers

Does this work in regular ChatGPT chat?

No. It uses the CapCut plugin inside a task in the ChatGPT desktop app. A normal browser chat can’t install or use it.

Is it available where I live?

CapCut says it’s available outside the U.S., with the U.S. launch coming soon, and that access can vary by app version, account and region. Check CapCut’s page for the latest.

Will it render the video straight away?

Not with my prompt. It builds a storyboard first and waits for your approval. Nothing renders until you say the storyboard looks right.

Should I post the first render?

Review it before you export or post. Watch it on your phone and check captions, timing and the top and bottom edges. Then fix anything in plain English.

Can I still fine-tune it by hand?

Yes. CapCut says you can open the full CapCut editor from the conversation for manual timeline control.

← Back to all guides