| name | ai-video-editing |
| description | Edits real video footage: cuts recordings into highlights, transcribes and structures raw footage, runs FFmpeg operations (trim, concat, reframe, normalize audio), creates Remotion overlays, prepares social-platform cuts. Trigger for 'cut this video', 'edit the recording', 'make a highlight reel', 'reframe for TikTok', 'transcribe this footage'. Not for generating videos from prompts; use /ai-media instead. Not for animation specs; use /ai-animation instead. |
| effort | mid |
| argument-hint | plan|organize|cut|compose [source] |
| tags | ["video","editing","ffmpeg"] |
| requires | {"bins":["ffmpeg"],"anyBins":["npx"]} |
Video Editing
AI-assisted editing for real footage — not generation from prompts. Core thesis: the value is not generation, it is compression.
Workflow
Applies §10.1 KISS (deterministic FFmpeg cuts over reinvented pipelines) and §10.2 YAGNI (compress real footage; generate assets only where footage is missing).
- Load contexts: read
.ai-engineering/manifest.yml providers.stacks; load .ai-engineering/overrides/<stack>/conventions.md per stack + .ai-engineering/overrides/_shared/conventions.md; load .ai-engineering/team/*.md.
- Gate — verify
ffmpeg (ffmpeg -version); install via brew install ffmpeg / apt install ffmpeg / choco install ffmpeg.
- Pick mode —
plan (design the edit structure from raw footage/transcript), organize (transcribe, label, identify segments, generate edit decision lists/EDL), cut (deterministic FFmpeg trim/split/concat/reframe/normalize), compose (programmable Remotion overlays + compositions, optional).
- Run the 6-layer pipeline — Capture → Organization → Deterministic Cuts → Programmable Composition → Generated Assets → Final Polish (human).
- Cross-reference
ai-media for Layer 5 generated assets (voiceover, music/SFX, b-roll).
Detail: 6-layer pipeline + tool table, FFmpeg recipes: extract / batch-cut / concat / proxy / silence detect, social-platform reframing presets.
Common Mistakes
- Forcing one tool to span every layer.
- Ignoring proxy / audio-normalization hygiene.
Integration
Called by: user directly, /ai-build. Calls: ffmpeg (deterministic cuts), Remotion (compositions), /ai-media (Layer 5 generated assets). See also: /ai-media (asset generation), /ai-slides (deck embeds), /ai-visual (cover art).
Examples
User: "cut this 60-minute talk into a 90-second highlight reel"
/ai-video-editing plan recording.mp4
Plans cuts, transcribes, identifies highlight beats, runs FFmpeg trim+concat, normalizes audio, outputs the reel.
$ARGUMENTS
