How to make clips from a video file on your computer (drag and drop)
Drag the video file onto clipscrybe.com, let it transcribe the audio and find the best moments, open each clip in the studio for captions and a 9:16 crop, and download the clips with no watermark on a free account.
When a file is the right input
Links are easiest, but a lot of video never gets a public link: a local OBS recording, a Zoom call, a lecture, a phone video, a stream you recorded locally at higher quality than the VOD, or a clip you already cut and want captioned. For any of those, drop the file.
Everything after the upload is the same as working from a link. The transcript and the audio find the moments, the studio does the captions and the crop, and you download clips.
Step by step
Drop the file
Open clipscrybe.com and drag the video from your computer onto the page, or click to choose it. MP4 and MOV are the usual formats. Free takes videos up to 30 minutes; Pro takes any length. The upload takes as long as your connection allows.
Wait for the transcript
The audio is transcribed and the loud stretches are marked. A 20-minute file takes a minute or two. You can leave the tab; the project is saved to your dashboard if you have an account.
Choose the moments
Free gives you your best clips. On Pro, pick how many (up to 15), how long, and a topic. Swap any clip for a different moment, or search the transcript for a line you remember.
Edit in the studio
Pick a caption style, turn auto edit on for jump cuts and punch-in zooms, let face-tracking crop to 9:16. If it's a screen recording with no face, the crop follows the action instead. Type a sentence in “Describe your edit” for anything else.
Download
Download each clip. No watermark on a free account. The posting caption for TikTok, Shorts or Reels is written for you.
Things that help
- Export the file at a sensible size. You don't need a 4K master to make 9:16 clips. 1080p is plenty and uploads five times faster.
- Keep the audio clean. The transcript drives the captions and the clip picker. If the file has game audio much louder than the mic, the captions suffer. Most recording tools let you balance this before you export.
- Trim before you upload if the file is huge. If the first forty minutes are a “starting soon” screen, cut them in any trimmer first. It saves your monthly hours too.
- Use the facecam box. If the recording has a webcam in a corner, mark it once and every clip puts it on top and the content below.
Hours and limits
Every plan counts the length of the videos you add in a month, whatever the source. Free is 2 hours a month with a 30-minute limit per video and 5 videos a day. Pro is 15 hours with no per-video limit and up to 15 clips a video. Premium Plus is 30 hours. If you have a one-off batch, extra hours are sold as tokens that never expire, so you don't have to change plan for a single busy week. The pricing page has the details.
Privacy
The file is used to transcribe and to cut the clips you ask for. Finished clips aren't stored as videos: the browser makes them again from the saved edits. Projects on Free are kept for 7 days, and on Pro for 90. Only clip videos you have the right to use.
Questions
Which file types work?
MP4 and MOV are the common ones and both work. If a file won't play in a browser, it may need converting first.
Is there a file size limit?
The limit is by length, not size: 30 minutes a video on Free, any length on Pro and Premium Plus. A smaller export uploads faster and gives the same clips.
Is there a watermark?
Not on a free account. Guests see a small one until they sign up, which takes a few seconds and needs no card.
Can I caption a clip I already cut?
Yes. Drop the short file and it's treated as one clip: transcribed, captioned and cropped. See adding word-by-word captions.