How to Navigate & Master ClipNova
Step-by-step guides, Clip Studio controls reference, multi-language translation workflows, and direct YouTube Shorts & TikTok publishing instructions.
1. Quick-Start Guide (First Viral Clip in 3 Minutes)
Go from a raw long-form video or link to captioned, reframed vertical shorts ready for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Reels.
Import Video or Paste Link
Open New Project (/projects/new). Paste a YouTube, Vimeo, Loom, or TikTok URL—or switch to Upload File to drop an .mp4, .mov, or .mkv directly from your device.
Choose Clip Length & Count
Pick your target clip duration (<30s, 30–60s, or 60–90s), preferred aspect ratio (9:16 Vertical by default), and maximum number of clips to extract.
AI Moment & Hook Detection
ClipNova transcribes every word with millisecond timestamps, detects active speakers, and ranks the best moments with a 0–100 Virality Score.
Customize & Export in Studio
Click Open in Studio on any clip to tweak captions, hook banners, framing, or translations, then click Export Clip or Publish directly.
Each generated clip is scored across 4 dimensions: Hook Strength (first 3 seconds), Pacing & Energy, Emotional/Informational Payoff, and Standalone Clarity.
Both URL imports and direct file uploads go through the exact same AI transcription, speaker-tracking, and subtitle pipeline. For private or unlisted raw footage, use Upload File.
2. Clip Studio — Style, Hook Banners & Framing
Master the Style tab inside Clip Studio (/clips/[id]) to control your Hook Banner, Screen Framing Layout, Animated Subtitles, and AI Emojis.
Type a punchy headline in the Hook Banner box. Choose from 5 themes (Red Pop, Cyber Neon, Yellow High, Dark Glass, Comic Bold), 5 fonts, and 3 screen positions (Top, Center, Lower). Under Hook Duration, pick 3s, 5s, 10s, type any custom number of seconds, or select ♾️ Till End to keep the banner visible for the entire clip.
Toggle framing directly above the video player or in the Style tab: 👤 Single Screen tracks the main subject in vertical 9:16; 👥 Split-Screen stacks two speakers top-and-bottom for 2-person podcasts; 🖼️ Cinema Fit centers the full wide frame over a blurred background.
Choose from 6 signature caption templates (Bold Pop, Karaoke Sweep, Neon Glow, Boxed Headline, Minimal Clean, Podcast Lower) and customize the active spoken-word highlight color.
Enable AI Emojis to automatically pair spoken keywords (like fire, money, rocket, idea, warning) with animated contextual emojis either floating above the active word or inline.
3. Trim Boundaries & Word-by-Word Transcript Editing
Fine-tune exact clip start/end times and fix spoken names or typos in the interactive transcript.
Open the Trim tab in Clip Studio to nudge your clip's start and end timestamps with sub-second precision. The live preview player automatically loops inside your trim window.
Click any word in the transcript to jump the video playhead to that exact moment, or edit the text of any word inline to fix brand names, acronyms, or slang before burning in subtitles.
4. Multi-Language Subtitle Translation (50+ Languages)
Translate your clip subtitles into Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, and 50+ languages while keeping word-level synchronization.
Inside Clip Studio → Style → Subtitle Language, click 'Translate...' and select your target language. Our AI translates every sentence and maps word-level timestamps automatically.
Once translated, switch the Subtitle Language dropdown to preview the translated captions live on the video player, then export a dedicated MP4 or SRT/VTT file in that language.
6. AI Script Studio & Brand Kit
Brainstorm original viral short-form scripts before filming and save your default visual identity in Brand Kit.
Don't have a video yet? Enter any topic or niche in AI Script Studio to generate scroll-stopping hooks, body scripts, visual B-roll cues, and calls-to-action tailored to your tone.
Set your default caption template, highlight color, aspect ratio, custom watermark text, and brand voice once so every future project automatically uses your brand defaults.
7. Credits, Billing & Troubleshooting
How processing minutes work, upgrading plans or buying top-up packs, and solving common import issues.
1 credit equals 1 minute of source video ingested (rounded up). Re-editing captions, changing hook banners, or exporting multiple clips from an already-processed project does NOT consume extra ingestion minutes!
Visit Billing & Credits (/billing) to upgrade your monthly plan (Creator, Pro, Business) to unlock watermark-free exports, 1080p/4K resolution, and translations, or purchase one-time credit top-up packs that never expire.
Make sure YouTube or Vimeo links are set to Public or Unlisted (not Private or age-restricted). If a platform link is ever restricted by the host, you can always download the .mp4 locally and use the Upload File tab.