TikTok Clipper — Video → Viral Clips with Subtitles#

What it does#

Takes a long-form video, transcribes it, identifies the most engaging segments for TikTok/Reels, clips them with ffmpeg, and adds TikTok-style animated subtitles.

When to use#

• User sends a video and wants TikTok/Reels clips
• User asks to "clip this", "find viral moments", "cut for TikTok"
• User wants subtitles added to video clips

Pipeline#

Step 1: Transcribe#

bash

# Transcribe with Whisper (word-level timestamps)
python3 SKILL_DIR/transcribe.py --input VIDEO_PATH --output TRANSCRIPT.json

Uses OpenAI Whisper API with timestamp_granularities=["word","segment"] for precise subtitle timing.

Step 2: Analyze & Suggest Clips#

Read the transcript and identify segments that would perform well on TikTok:

• Hooks: Strong opening lines, provocative statements, questions
• Value bombs: Key insights, surprising facts, actionable tips
• Emotional peaks: Enthusiasm, humor, strong opinions
• Story arcs: Complete mini-stories with beginning/middle/end
• Controversy/debate: Polarizing takes that drive comments

Present clips as numbered options with:

• Time range (start → end)
• Duration
• Hook line (first sentence)
• Why it could be viral
• Suggested caption

User picks which ones to cut.

Step 3: Cut clips#

bash

python3 SKILL_DIR/clip.py --input VIDEO_PATH --start MM:SS --end MM:SS --output CLIP.mp4

• Uses ffmpeg with re-encoding for clean cuts
• Converts to 9:16 vertical if needed (crop or pad)
• Ensures TikTok-compatible format (h264, aac, mp4)

Step 4: Add TikTok-style subtitles#

bash

python3 SKILL_DIR/subtitles.py --input CLIP.mp4 --transcript TRANSCRIPT.json --start SS --end SS --style STYLE --output FINAL.mp4

Subtitle Styles Available:

1. bold-center: White bold text, black outline, centered bottom third (classic TikTok)
2. word-highlight: Word-by-word highlight in yellow/green (like CapCut auto-captions)
3. karaoke: Current word scales up + color change (Alex Hormozi style)
4. box: Text with colored background box (MrBeast style)

All styles use ASS (Advanced SubStation Alpha) for rich formatting via ffmpeg.

Step 5: Vertical format#

If source is horizontal (16:9), auto-crop to 9:16:

• Center crop for talking head
• Or blur-background padding (video small in center, blurred fill)

File outputs#

All outputs go to /home/ubuntu/clawd/clips/ with naming: {source}-clip{N}-{style}.mp4

Requirements#

• ffmpeg (installed)
• OpenAI API key for Whisper (in .env)
• Source video file

Notes#

• Max TikTok length: 90 seconds for best performance
• Sweet spot: 30-60 seconds
• Always start with a hook (first 3 seconds matter most)
• Subtitles should be max 2 lines, ~5-7 words per line