AI Editing · July 8, 2026 · 6 min read
You recorded a 30-minute talk, a podcast, or a demo, and somewhere in there are three or four moments that would do great as a Short. Finding them by scrubbing the timeline is slow. Here is how to turn a long video into short clips automatically — the AI reads your transcript, picks the best moments, and makes each one a vertical, captioned clip you can post.
What you need
Just a recording with someone talking in it. If you haven't made one yet, record your screen and camera at /record — no install, nothing to download. The free plan records up to 5 minutes at 720p, unlimited and forever; Pro is $7.99/mo when you want longer sessions and higher resolution. Everything below happens in the editor at /edit, in the same browser tab.
Step 1 — Open your recording in the editor
When your recording finishes it lands on the timeline at /edit. You don't export it, download it, or send it anywhere first. The clip finder reads the video that's already sitting in front of you.
Step 2 — Run Find Clips (AI)
Open the File menu and choose Find Clips (AI). Behind the scenes it uses the recording's Whisper transcript — the same word-accurate transcript that powers captions — and asks GPT to find the moments worth clipping. It looks for:
- Hooks — strong openings that make someone stop scrolling
- Insights — the point where you actually explain the useful thing
- Quotable lines — the sentence people would screenshot
You get back 3 to 8 candidate moments, each with a score, so the strongest ones sort to the top. Read the list, ignore the weak ones, and keep the two or three that are genuinely good.
Step 3 — Click Make Short
Pick a moment and hit Make Short. In one step the editor:
- Trims the timeline down to just that moment
- Flips the frame to vertical 9:16
- Turns captions on so the clip is watchable with the sound off
It's a single, undoable step. If the trim starts a beat too early or the reframe crops someone's head, adjust it or press undo and try the next candidate. Nothing is locked in.
Step 4 — Tidy the clip (optional, 60 seconds)
Most clips are post-ready as-is, but two quick touches make them look intentional:
- Pick a caption style — Karaoke or Word Highlight read well on phones. There are 8 to choose from.
- Drag the caption block up or down so it clears the platform's UI at the bottom.
Step 5 — Export for the platform
Choose Export → MP4 and pick the TikTok/Reels preset (1080×1920, 9:16). The exporter uses WebCodecs for a frame-accurate, higher-bitrate file, so the clip lands at the exact dimensions each platform wants. Repeat Make Short for your other picks and you've got a batch of Shorts from one recording.
Make clips from your next recording
Record, let the AI find your best moments, and post — all in one browser tab.
Start free →How it compares to Opus Clip and CapCut
Opus Clip and CapCut both make clips, but they're separate tools that sit outside wherever you recorded. With Opus Clip you upload a finished video, wait for it to process on their servers, then download the clips or bounce them into another editor to finish. CapCut's auto-clip lives in a desktop or mobile app you install and, again, you feed it an exported file.
In EZ Web Streams the clip finder runs inside the same free browser editor you recorded in. There's no upload, no second app, and no export-then-reimport dance. You record, run Find Clips (AI) on that recording, click Make Short, and export — one tab, start to finish. And because the whole editor is right there, trimming, captioning and reframing happen in the same place instead of across three tools.
FAQ
Do I have to upload my video to make clips?
No. EZ Web Streams works on the recording you made in the same browser tab. The AI Clip Finder reads the recording's transcript in place, so there is no separate upload step and no waiting for a file to transfer to another service.
How does the AI decide which moments to clip?
It uses the recording's Whisper transcript, then GPT scans it for hooks, clear insights and quotable lines. It returns 3 to 8 candidate moments, each with a score, so you can pick the strongest ones instead of scrubbing the whole timeline yourself.
Are the clips ready to post to TikTok, Reels or Shorts?
Yes. Clicking Make Short trims the timeline to that moment, flips it to vertical 9:16 and turns captions on. From there you export with the TikTok/Reels preset (1080×1920) and post it.
Is the clip finder free?
The editor and clip tools run in the browser on the free plan. The free plan records up to 5 minutes at 720p, unlimited and forever; Pro is $7.99/mo for longer recordings and higher resolution. You can find and make clips without paying for a separate clipping app.