captions-and-clips-from-youtube-link

name

captions-and-clips-from-youtube-link

description

Turn YouTube videos into viral short-form clips with captions (TikTok, Reels, Shorts) using the MakeAIClips API at https://makeaiclips.live. Use when user wants to clip/repurpose a YouTube video, create short-form content, generate TikTok/Reels/Shorts clips, add captions to video clips, or anything related to AI video clipping. Free tier gives 10 clips/month with no credit card. Requires env var MAKEAICLIPS_API_KEY — get one free at https://makeaiclips.live/sign-up. Note: YouTube URLs are sent to makeaiclips.live for processing.

MakeAIClips — AI Video Clipper

Paste a YouTube link → get up to 10 vertical clips with word-by-word captions and hook titles in ~60 seconds.

Website: https://makeaiclips.live API Base: https://makeaiclips.live

Setup

Check for MAKEAICLIPS_API_KEY environment variable.

No key?

Direct the user to sign up at https://makeaiclips.live/sign-up — free, no credit card. They'll get an API key on the dashboard at https://makeaiclips.live/dashboard/api-key.

Once the user has their key, set it as an environment variable:

export MAKEAICLIPS_API_KEY="mak_live_..."

First interaction — always show:

⚡ MakeAIClips — AI Video Clipper

Paste a YouTube link → get vertical clips with captions & hook titles in ~60 seconds.

What you get:
• AI picks the best moments from your video
• 1080x1920 vertical crop (9:16)
• Word-by-word burned-in captions (8+ styles)
• 3 hook title variations per clip (5 title styles)
• Ready for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts

Plans:
🆓 Free — 10 clips/month (no credit card needed)
⚡ Pro — $20/mo — 100 clips
🎬 Studio — $50/mo — 300 clips + 2 premium caption styles
📅 Yearly — $500/yr — 5,000 clips + all features

🔗 https://makeaiclips.live

API Endpoints

All authenticated requests require header: Authorization: Bearer <MAKEAICLIPS_API_KEY>

Generate Clips (YouTube link)

POST /api/v1/clips

{
  "youtube_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...",
  "num_clips": 3,
  "caption_style": "karaoke-yellow",
  "title_style": "bold-center",
  "title_duration": "5",
  "clip_duration": "medium",
  "quality": "high"
}

Returns: {"job_id": "...", "status": "pending"}

Parameters:

Param	Type	Default	Options
youtube_url	string	required	Any YouTube URL
num_clips	int	3	1–10
caption_style	string	"karaoke-yellow"	See Caption Styles
title_style	string	"bold-center"	See Title Styles
title_duration	string	"5"	"5", "10", "30", "half", "full"
clip_duration	string	"medium"	"short" (15-30s), "medium" (30-60s), "long" (60-120s)
quality	string	"high"	"high" (CRF 18), "medium" (CRF 23), "low" (CRF 28)

Generate Clips (File upload)

POST /api/v1/clips/upload (multipart form)

Fields: file (video file), caption_style, title_style, title_duration, clip_duration, num_clips, quality

Poll Job Status

GET /api/v1/clips/{job_id}

Poll every 5 seconds until status is complete or failed.

Progress values: Downloading video... → Transcribing audio... → Selecting best clips with AI... → Rendering clip 1/N... → Done!

Complete response includes clips array:

{
  "job_id": "...",
  "status": "complete",
  "progress": "Done!",
  "clips": [
    {
      "clip_index": 1,
      "duration_seconds": 35.9,
      "hook_title": "The Struggle of a Performer",
      "hook_variations": ["The Struggle of a Performer", "When the Voice Goes Silent", "Losing My Voice on Stage"],
      "transcript_segment": "..."
    }
  ]
}

Download Clip

GET /api/v1/clips/{job_id}/download/{clip_index}

Returns MP4 file. Save with -o clip_N.mp4.

Re-render with Different Hook

POST /api/v1/clips/{job_id}/rerender/{clip_index}

Body: {"hook_title": "New Title Here"}

Health Check

GET /api/health — Returns {"status": "ok"}

Workflow

1. Submit job → POST /api/v1/clips with youtube_url and preferences
2. Poll → GET /api/v1/clips/{job_id} every 5s, show progress to user
3. Present results with hook titles, durations, transcript previews
4. Ask which clips to download (all or specific)
5. Download → GET /api/v1/clips/{job_id}/download/{clip_index} and save to workspace

Caption Styles

Free & Pro Styles

Key	Name	Look
karaoke-yellow	Karaoke	White text, active word turns yellow (default)
white-shadow	Clean White	White text with drop shadow
boxed	Boxed	Text in dark rounded boxes
gradient-bold	Bold Outline	Orange/white color alternating
subtitle-documentary	Documentary	Uppercase with fade, letterbox bars
mrbeast-bold-viral	MrBeast	Bold viral-style captions
alex-hormozi	Hormozi	Bold with colored outlines
neon-viral	Neon	Glowing neon multi-color
impact-meme	Impact Meme	Bold uppercase meme text
modern-creator	Modern	Contemporary creator-style
gradient-viral	Gradient	Multi-color gradient fill
bold-box-highlight	Box Highlight	Heavy highlighted box
clean-premium	Premium	Minimalist clean aesthetic

Studio Exclusive Styles

Key	Name	Look
typewriter	Typewriter	Character-by-character reveal
cinematic	Cinematic	Letterbox + elegant serif font

Title Styles

Key	Name
none	No title overlay
bold-center	White bold centered (default)
top-bar	Dark bar at top
pill	Yellow pill background
outline	White outline border
gradient-bg	Purple background box

Video Quality

Key	CRF	Speed	Use Case
high	18	Slowest	Best quality (default)
medium	23	Balanced	Good quality, faster
low	28	Fastest	Quick previews

Error Handling

Status	Meaning	Action
400	Missing youtube_url	Check params
401	Invalid/missing API key	Re-check key
404	Job not found	Check job_id
429	Clip limit reached	Show upgrade options
500	Server error	Retry in 30s

On 429, show:

📊 Clip limit reached. Upgrade at https://makeaiclips.live/dashboard/subscription

Tips for Agents

• Default to 3 clips, quality: "high", caption_style: "karaoke-yellow" unless user specifies
• Show hook title variations — let the user pick their favorite
• Use descriptive filenames when downloading: {video_title}_clip{N}.mp4
• Process multiple URLs sequentially
• Mention the web dashboard for a visual experience: https://makeaiclips.live/dashboard/new
• Total processing time is ~60 seconds per job (Deepgram transcription + GPT clip selection + FFmpeg render)

Example

# Submit job
curl -X POST "https://makeaiclips.live/api/v1/clips" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mak_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -d '{"youtube_url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ","num_clips":3,"quality":"high","caption_style":"karaoke-yellow"}'

# Poll status
curl "https://makeaiclips.live/api/v1/clips/JOB_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mak_live_YOUR_KEY"

# Download clip
curl -o clip_1.mp4 "https://makeaiclips.live/api/v1/clips/JOB_ID/download/1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mak_live_YOUR_KEY"