Can a complete beginner edit a video with AI?

Yes. You describe what you want in plain English and the AI does the editing. Start with a short recording, ask for a simple first cut, and fix one thing at a time.

What should my first prompt say?

Who the video is for, its shape and rough length, what must stay and what should go. For example: “Make a 60-second 16:9 video. Keep the product demo, cut the false start and long pauses, and add readable captions.”

Is Valmera free for a first edit?

Creating an account and uploading are free; editing requires a subscription. Current plans are at valmera.io/subscribe.

Do I need to use the timeline?

No. You can do everything in chat. The timeline and the editable transcript are there when you want to adjust something by hand, like fixing one word in the captions.

Can I edit a video I recorded on my phone?

Yes. Phone recordings are usually MP4 or MOV files, which Valmera accepts up to 14 GB and 3 hours. Upload them in the browser.

Why did the AI get a word or a cut wrong?

Mumbled speech, unusual names and people talking over each other can be misheard, and a cut can be clean but still feel abrupt. Quote the words and say what should change; the agent fixes that spot without redoing the rest.

Can I get a subtitle file or post straight to TikTok?

No. Valmera burns captions into the MP4 and doesn’t export SRT or VTT files, and you download the MP4 and post it yourself.

AI Video Editing for Beginners: Edit Your First Video

You don’t need editing experience to edit a video with AI. Pick a short recording, describe the result you want in a sentence or two, watch the preview, ask for fixes in plain English, and export. In Valmera, the agent does the cutting, captions and framing; your job is knowing what the video should say.

Before you start

Pick one to three minutes of footage with clear audio. Valmera can’t remove background noise, so a clean recording matters more than any edit.
Files: MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV or WebM, up to 14 GB and 3 hours (upload details).
Creating an account and uploading are free. Editing requires a subscription (see plans).

Six steps to your first AI-edited video

1
Choose one short recording
Start with one to three minutes of footage you’re allowed to use. Note the sentence or demo that matters most; that’s what the edit must protect.
2
Write what you want in one paragraph
Say who the video is for, its shape (16:9 or 9:16), roughly how long it should be, what must stay and what should go.
3
Upload and let Valmera index it
Upload an MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV or WebM file up to 14 GB and 3 hours. Valmera builds a word-level transcript with speaker labels, finds silences and shot changes, and makes a fast preview copy, with progress shown as it works.
4
Ask for a simple first cut
Remove the false starts and long pauses, keep the key explanation, and add readable captions. Add music and effects later, once the story works.
5
Review, then fix one thing at a time
Watch the preview with sound. If something’s wrong, quote the words or give the time, say what to change and what to keep.
6
Export and post
Export renders a full-resolution MP4 from your original file. Paid exports end with a brief Valmera end card. Download it, watch it once more, and post it yourself.

Every edit is non-destructive: your original file is never modified, and anything cut can be restored.

Worked example: plan a 45-second cut from 78 seconds

Here’s a 78-second screen-tutorial recording, planned on paper before editing. Deciding what stays is the real skill; the AI handles the cutting.

Source range and content	Decision	Reason
0:00–0:08: A false opening: the speaker stops and restarts.	Remove	Remove the abandoned take.
0:08–0:24: Tip one: show the viewer the finished result first.	Keep	Keep the first useful idea.
0:24–0:29: A long pause while the speaker adjusts the microphone.	Remove	Remove the pause; keep natural breathing elsewhere.
0:29–0:47: Tip two: keep the cursor visible and don’t crop out the menu used in the demo.	Keep	Keep the advice and its warning.
0:47–1:07: A weaker repeat of tip two.	Remove	Remove the duplicate.
1:07–1:18: Closing reminder: close private tabs before recording.	Keep	Keep the closing instruction.

The kept ranges add up to 45 seconds (16 + 18 + 11). Keeping the warning about the demo menu matters more than hitting an exact length. If you want 30 seconds but also all three sections, decide which to shorten; an AI will follow conflicting instructions as best it can, so don’t give it any.

Copy a first request

Replace the bracketed parts with your own details.

Your first request

This recording explains [one main point] to [audience]. Make a [rough length] video in [16:9 or 9:16]. Keep [the essential sentence or demo]. Remove [the false start, repeated take or long pause]. Add readable captions. Keep my original audio and framing for now, with no music yet.

The 78-second example

Remove the false opening at 0:00–0:08, the pause at 0:24–0:29 and the repeated explanation at 0:47–1:07. Keep the other three sections in order, especially the tip about not cropping out the menu. Keep 16:9, add plain captions, and no music.

A precise follow-up

The caption on the sentence about the pointer says “course,” but I said “cursor.” Fix that word and keep everything else the same.

You can also fix a word yourself: in Studio, edit the transcript line and save, and the captions update. The timeline and transcript docs show how. Want a printable checklist? Download the blank first-edit brief.

When something looks wrong, say what you see

What you notice	What to type
A sentence you needed is gone	Restore the sentence that starts “[first words]” and keep the other cuts.
A name is misspelled	Change “[wrong spelling]” to “[right spelling]” everywhere in the captions.
The vertical crop hides something	Use blurred padding instead of cropping so the whole frame stays visible.
Speech sounds rushed after a cut	Add back a little of the pause before “[words]” so the sentence lands.
Music drowns out the voice	Lower the music 4 dB and keep it ducked under my voice.

Fix one thing at a time on your first video, and say what to keep so nothing else changes. A vertical crop is aimed shot by shot, so check that a moving subject stays in frame; the reframing docs explain the options.

Five checks before you post

Meaning: does the edit still say what the speaker meant, including warnings and instructions?
Cuts: are the first and last words of each sentence intact, with a natural rhythm?
Captions: are names, numbers and unusual words correct and easy to read?
Picture and sound: are the subject and important on-screen details visible, and is the speech clear?
Delivery: is this the final version, in the right shape, with a clean start and end?

Watch the downloaded MP4, not just the preview. Captions are burned into the picture (there’s no separate SRT or VTT file), and you post the video yourself. See export and delivery.

What to learn next

Add one new skill per video: music under your voice, b-roll on key mentions, or a vertical version for Shorts. The prompt library has a prompt for each, and the step-by-step guide covers the full workflow. Keep your best first request; reusing its structure makes the next video faster.

Prefer Claude or ChatGPT? Connect Valmera’s MCP server and give your assistant the same brief. It can edit, render previews and export the final MP4 for you.