How to make clips with AI (free guide)
AI clipping tools can turn a three-hour stream or a long podcast into a stack of short vertical clips in minutes. They won't do the whole job for you, though. The clips that get views, and get approved in paid campaigns, still come from a person picking good moments, checking the edit and following the campaign rules. This guide walks through the full workflow, from choosing a campaign to posting.
1. Start with the campaign, not the tool
Before you open any editor, pick the campaign you're clipping for. The rules decide what you make. On ClipPay you can filter 98 live campaigns by platform and niche. When you open one, read the brief carefully and note:
- Source content: which streamer, podcast, show or brand you're allowed to clip, and where the official footage lives.
- Platforms: TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, X, or a mix.
- Required tags: hashtags, @mentions, captions or a link in bio.
- Rate and limits: pay per 1,000 views, minimum views before a clip counts, and the max payout per clip.
- Budget left: once the budget runs out, earnings stop, so a nearly empty budget is a risk.
- Banned content: many campaigns forbid certain topics, reuploads of others' clips, or bought views.
2. The AI tools clippers use
Most tools fall into two groups: ones that find and cut moments from long videos, and ones that polish short clips. Names, features and prices change often, so check each tool's own site. ClipPay isn't affiliated with any of them.
- OpusClip: paste a long video or link and it suggests short clips with a virality score, auto-reframes to vertical and adds captions. It also tries to detect visual moments, not only speech. It has a limited, watermarked free tier.
- Vizard: similar long-to-short clipping with transcript-based editing, so you can trim by deleting words. Its free tier is limited and watermarked; paid plans work on a monthly minutes allowance.
- Klap: built for turning YouTube videos into Shorts in bulk, with a viral score for each clip and multilingual captions. It's priced per finished clip.
- Submagic: mainly a caption and polish tool for short videos: animated captions, emojis, zooms, B-roll and silence removal. Clipping long videos is a separate add-on.
- CapCut: a free mobile and desktop editor with auto-captions, auto-reframe and templates. Good for manual edits and finishing clips other tools cut.
- Descript: edits video like a text document. Delete words in the transcript to cut the video, and remove filler words. Useful for tight podcast clips.
A common setup is one clipper (OpusClip, Vizard or Klap) to find moments fast, then CapCut or Submagic to fix captions and pacing.
3. Step-by-step workflow
Step 1: Get the right source video
Use the footage the campaign points to, such as the creator's VODs, official podcast uploads or a provided Drive folder. Download in the best quality available. Fresh content usually beats old content, because people search for what just happened.
Step 2: Find the hooks
Let the AI suggest moments, but scan the transcript or timeline yourself too. Good clip moments are a strong reaction, a hot take, a funny exchange, a surprising number, or a story with a clear payoff. AI virality scores are a starting point, not a verdict. They often miss inside jokes and context that fans love.
Step 3: Let the AI cut, then fix the cut
Run the source through your clipping tool and pick the best 3–5 suggestions. Then trim each one by hand. Cut dead air at the start, end on the punchline or loop back to the opening, and keep most clips between 15 and 60 seconds unless the campaign says otherwise.
Step 4: Captions
Most viewers watch with the sound off, so captions matter. Use auto-captions from CapCut, Submagic or your clipper, then proofread every word, especially names, slang and numbers. Keep captions big, high-contrast and away from the bottom of the screen, where the app's buttons cover them.
Step 5: Format for 9:16
Export at 1080×1920 (vertical 9:16). For streams, a common layout is face-cam on top and gameplay below. For podcasts, keep the speaker's face centred and switch framing when the speaker changes. Check that auto-reframe didn't cut off faces or on-screen text.
Step 6: Hook in the first 2 seconds
The opening decides whether people keep watching. Start on the most interesting line or reaction, not on a greeting. A short text hook on screen ("He didn't expect this answer") helps, as long as it's honest about what the clip shows.
Step 7: Post on a steady schedule
Consistency beats bursts. Many clippers post one to three clips a day per account and watch which formats perform, then make more of those. Don't flood one account with near-identical clips, and follow any posting limits in the campaign brief. Submit each post link on the campaign platform within its time window.
4. Rules clippers break (and lose payouts for)
- Reused content: reposting someone else's clip, or an unedited chunk of the source, can get flagged by the platform as unoriginal and rejected by the campaign. Add your own edit: cuts, captions, framing, commentary.
- Wrong or missing tags: a missing hashtag or @mention often means the views aren't counted. Copy tags exactly from the brief.
- No ad disclosure: if you're paid to promote a brand or creator, platforms and advertising rules in many countries expect you to disclose it, for example with #ad or the platform's paid-partnership label. Follow both the campaign's instructions and the platform's rules.
- Fake engagement: bought views or bot comments get clips disqualified and accounts banned.
- Wrong audience: some campaigns only pay for views from certain countries. Check before you post.
5. How payouts per 1K views work
Most campaigns pay a rate per 1,000 views (CPM). On ClipPay right now, the top rate is $3 per 1K views and the typical (median) rate is about $1. At $3 per 1K, a clip with 10,000 counted views would earn $30, and one with 100,000 would earn $300, before any per-clip cap.
Real earnings depend on a lot: many clips get few views, minimum view thresholds mean small clips may pay nothing, max payouts cap big winners, and budgets can run out. Treat it as performance-based work, not guaranteed income. Rates change daily, so check each campaign's current terms.
6. Find a campaign and start
Pick one campaign, make five clips with the workflow above, and see what performs. Then refine.