> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.reap.video/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Create Viral Clips

> Create AI-generated social-ready clips from a video upload or pasted link using Reap's clipping workflow.

> **For AI agents:** a documentation index is at [/llms.txt](/llms.txt). Every page is also available as markdown, just append `.md` to the URL.

## Overview

Reap's clipping workflow helps you turn long-form videos into short, engaging clips for social media. Start with a video upload or pasted link, configure your clip settings, and let Reap generate ready-to-edit clips in a few minutes. For finer editorial control, you can also describe what kinds of clips you want in plain language using a clip prompt — see [Add a Clip Prompt](#12-add-a-clip-prompt-optional) below.

This page includes a product walkthrough video, followed by the same workflow as written steps below.

<video controls playsInline width="100%" poster="/images/help-center/clip-settings-poster.jpg" src="https://mintcdn.com/reap/Ho8B5JHCOfMo8AX3/images/help-center/clip-settings.mp4?fit=max&auto=format&n=Ho8B5JHCOfMo8AX3&q=85&s=99d7d47a30a6c7940463768ee1056d00" title="Every setting on the Reap clip setup screen" data-path="images/help-center/clip-settings.mp4" />

## Step-By-Step Workflow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Upload your video or paste a link">
    Open the clipping workflow and add your source video from a local upload or a supported video link.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Get Clips">
    Use the first **Get Clips** action to open the clipping setup screen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your clip settings">
    Configure genre, caption style, Auto Text Hooks, face tracking, language, orientation, resolution, timeframe, and clip length before starting generation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start processing">
    Click **Get Clips** again to begin generating your clips.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## 1. Add Your Source Video

* Upload a local video file, or paste a supported video URL.
* Supported formats: `.mp4`, `.mov`, `.webm`, `.mkv`.
* Supported uploads start at `1 minute` and go up to `180 minutes (3 hours)`.
* Maximum file size: `10 GB`.
* After your video loads, click **Get Clips** to move into the clipping setup flow.

## 2. Select Video Genre

Choose the genre that best matches your video so Reap can optimize the clipping behavior.

* `Talking`
* `Presentation`
* `Gaming`
* `Cinema`

## 3. Choose Caption Style Or Brand Template

* Pick a built-in caption style from the **Caption styles** tab. Click **More Styles** to see the full list.
* If you have reusable brand presets, switch to **Brand templates** and select one there instead.
* To get clips without captions, turn off the switch to the right of the tabs.

## 4. Turn On Auto Text Hooks And Face Tracking (Optional)

Both are in **Beta**.

* **Auto Text Hooks** adds an attention-grabbing one-line text hook to the first few seconds of each clip. You can edit the hook in the editor.
* **Face tracking** follows a speaker who moves around, for example walking across a stage, and keeps them centered in each clip. If the speaker stays in one place, you can leave it off: Reap's AI still reframes the video to keep them in frame. See [Face Tracking](/help-center/face-tracking).

## 5. Set Language And Translation

* Set the main spoken **Language** of the source video.
* Optionally choose a **Translate to** language if you want translated clips.

<Tip>
  Translation is optional. If you do not want translated clips, leave **Translate to** set to `None`.
</Tip>

## 6. Choose Script Mode

Select how the script should be handled:

* `Native` for captions in the original script of the selected language.
* `Roman` for romanized captions, where the spoken language is written using Latin characters.

## 7. Choose Orientation

Pick the aspect ratio based on where you plan to publish the clips.

| Orientation | Best for |
| - | - |
| `Portrait (9:16)` | YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook |
| `Landscape (16:9)` | YouTube, Facebook |
| `Square (1:1)` | Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn |

<Tip>
  Choose orientation based on the target platform first. This usually has the biggest impact on how native the final clip feels.
</Tip>

## 8. Choose Resolution

Select the export resolution for the generated clips:

* `720`
* `1080`
* `2K`
* `4K`

## 9. Set Processing Time Frame

Use the **Processing Time Frame** slider to control which part of the video Reap should analyze.

* Select the full video if you want clips from the entire upload.
* Narrow the range if you only want clips from a specific section.

## 10. Choose Auto Clip Length

Pick the clip-length range Reap should target. You can select more than one range:

* `<30s`
* `30s-60s`
* `60s-90s`
* `90s-3min`

## 11. Add Clip Topics (Optional)

Use **Clip Topics** to guide Reap toward specific subjects you want included in the output.

* Add keywords or topics separated by commas.
* Leave it empty if you want Reap to choose freely from the full video.

<Tip>
  Clip topics are optional. They are most useful when you want the clips to focus on a specific theme, person, or talking point.
</Tip>

## 12. Add a Clip Prompt (Optional)

Use a **Clip Prompt** to describe in plain language what kinds of clips Reap should pull. A prompt is the richest control you have — it can steer clip count, duration, focus, exclusions, editorial mode, and tone, and it overrides generic virality scoring when the two conflict.

<Note>
  Clip prompts are live today in the [Automation API](/api-reference/create-clips#prompt) as a preview feature. Prompts in the app are in **private beta** — [request access](mailto:hello@reap.video?subject=Clip%20Prompt%20Private%20Beta) for your workspace. In the meantime, [Clip Topics](#11-add-clip-topics-optional) is the closest thing in the UI.
</Note>

Examples of what a prompt can do:

* "Highlight reel of the funniest moments — keep clips under 60 seconds."
* "Only product-demo segments where the host walks through a feature."
* "Give me 5 clips, each focused on a single tactical takeaway."
* "Trailer-style cuts that build to a punchline; skip anything about pricing."

For 14 ready-to-use prompts covering every editorial mode — highlight reel, trailer, hooks only, quotes, Q\&A, storytelling, and more — see [Example prompts](/api-reference/create-clips#example-prompts) in the API reference.

The prompt is a preview feature: the field, its name, and its 1000-character limit are stable, but how the AI interprets a given instruction may evolve. Pin a tested prompt for production workflows.

<Tip>
  Combine a clip prompt with the **Processing Time Frame** slider when you want a focused set of clips from a specific section of the video — the slider narrows the source, the prompt narrows the editorial.
</Tip>

## 13. Save Your Settings As Default (Optional)

At the bottom of the setup screen, click **Save as default settings** to save your choices. They'll be preselected the next time you create clips.

## 14. Generate Your Clips

Once your setup is ready:

* Review your selections.
* Click **Get Clips** again to start processing.

Reap will begin generating clips based on your selected settings, and your viral-ready clips should be available within a few minutes.

## What To Adjust First

If you want the best results quickly, prioritize these settings first:

1. `Clip Prompt` (when you have specific editorial intent — see [Add a Clip Prompt](#12-add-a-clip-prompt-optional))
2. `Video Genre`
3. `Orientation`
4. `Auto Clip Length`
5. `Processing Time Frame`

Those choices usually have the biggest effect on how the final clips look and feel.


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