--- title: 'The Clipper Workflow: Source to Posted - OpenClip' description: 'The repeatable clipper workflow: source, moment extraction, captions, vertical export, posting and submission. Built to run under 15 minutes per clip.' canonical: 'https://openclip.app/clipping/clipper-workflow' markdown: 'https://openclip.app/clipping/clipper-workflow.md' --- Operating Playbook # The Clipper Workflow, Start to Submitted Clipping income is production volume multiplied by clip quality. A repeatable workflow is what makes both of those numbers stop depending on how you feel that day. Short answer Operating playbook Figures checked August 2026 A working clipper workflow has six fixed stages: pick an authorised source, extract candidate moments, cut the hook, caption and reframe to 9:16, post with per-post variation, and submit the link immediately with an analytics screenshot. Done as a batch rather than one clip at a time, the whole loop should cost under 15 minutes per clip. Anything slower caps your weekly volume below the level where your median view count becomes meaningful. ## The numbers that matter Under 15 min Target time per clip End to end including sourcing, posting and submission. Above 25 minutes, volume never arrives. 5 - 15 Candidates per long source A single multi-hour VOD is a week of posts if you extract properly. First 2 seconds Hook decision window Where median view count is actually decided. Everything after is retention, not reach. Under 5 min Submission delay Views count from when the post is trackable. Late submission is a self-inflicted loss. ## The playbook 1 ### Batch your sourcing, never clip live Pick your authorised source material for the whole week in one sitting, checked against the campaign rules page before a single cut is made. Sourcing mid-production is the most common cause of a session dissolving into scrolling, and it is also where most rules violations enter the pipeline unnoticed. Tip: Keep a shortlist of two or three sources per campaign so a dead source never stops the line. 2 ### Extract candidates before you edit any of them Run the whole source and produce a list of scored candidate moments first, then choose. Editing as you discover moments means you polish the first thing you found rather than the best thing available, which is the quiet reason many clippers have a low median. Tip: Reject aggressively at this stage. Ten strong candidates beat thirty mediocre ones you will post anyway. 3 ### Cut the hook, then the tail Start the clip as late as it can start and still make sense, ideally on the reaction or the punchline rather than the setup. Then trim the end the moment the payoff lands. Most underperforming clips are three seconds too long at the front and eight too long at the back. Tip: If the first frame does not raise a question, you started too early. 4 ### Caption and reframe in one pass Burned-in word-level captions and a 9:16 crop that tracks the speaker are the baseline format campaigns and platforms both expect. Doing them as one automated step rather than two manual ones is where most of the 15-minute target is won or lost. Tip: Keep captions inside platform safe zones so UI overlays never cover the punchline word. 5 ### Post with variation, submit immediately Vary the caption text, opening frame and trim between posts so nothing looks like a duplicate to either the platform or the campaign. The moment the post is live, submit the link to the campaign and screenshot your analytics. Views only count from when the post is trackable, and screenshots are your only evidence in a dispute. Tip: Screenshot at 24 hours, 72 hours and 7 days. Timestamped analytics is the entire dispute process. ## How this goes wrong ### Editing one clip at a time Per-clip context switching is the biggest hidden cost in the workflow. The same output takes roughly twice as long when sourcing, editing and posting are interleaved instead of batched. ### Skipping the rules check A workflow that does not include reading the campaign rules page before cutting produces beautifully edited clips that get rejected after the views have already accrued. ### Delayed submission Views accumulated before the campaign can track the post are frequently uncounted. A clip that goes viral overnight and gets submitted the next morning is the most expensive version of this mistake. ## Features ### Candidate Extraction AI moment detection returns 5-15 scored candidates from a full source, so choosing comes before editing ### Hook Scoring Every candidate ranked on opening strength, the variable that sets your median view count ### Captions In The Same Pass Word-level burned-in captions with safe-zone positioning, applied automatically ### Face-Tracked 9:16 Speaker tracking keeps the subject centred in vertical crops with no manual keyframing ### Per-Render Variation Different trims, presets and opening frames per export so posts stay distinct ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How long should one clip take to produce? Under 15 minutes end to end, including sourcing, editing, captioning, posting and submission. Above about 25 minutes, weekly volume falls below the level where your median view count becomes a reliable planning number. ### Should I edit clips one at a time or in batches? Batches. Interleaving sourcing, editing and posting roughly doubles the time per clip through context switching, and it is the main reason people cannot sustain a weekly posting target. ### When should I submit a clip link to the campaign? Within minutes of posting. Views generally only count from when the post is trackable, so a clip that takes off before you submit can lose a large share of its earnings permanently. ### How many clips can I get from one long video? Typically 5 to 15 strong candidates per hour of source, depending on the content. A multi-hour stream or podcast is realistically a week of posts if the extraction step is done properly. ### What is the most common workflow mistake? Starting the clip too early. Most underperforming clips open on setup instead of on the reaction, which loses the viewer in the first two seconds regardless of how good the rest of the edit is. ## Run the Whole Loop in One Pass Candidate extraction, hook scoring, word-level captions and face-tracked 9:16 export happen in a single automated pass. The 15-minute target stops being aspirational. [Get Started Free](https://openclip.app/register) ## Related Pages ### Clipping Economy [Duplicate & Unoriginal Content Flags for Clippers](/clipping/avoiding-duplicate-content-flags) [Clip Submission & Proving Views in Disputes](/clipping/clip-submission-and-proof) [The Clipping Tool Stack: What You Actually Need](/clipping/clipping-tools-stack) [Clip Specs by Platform: Ratio, Length, Captions](/clipping/clip-specs-by-platform) ### Guides [How to Become a Clipper: 5 Steps to Your First Payout](/guides/how-to-become-a-clipper) [Whop Clipping: $0.20 to $6 per 1,000 Views (2026)](/guides/whop-clipping-guide) [Hook Optimization Guide: Keep Viewers Watching](/guides/hook-optimization-guide) ### Glossary [Viral Clip Detection: Find Your Best Moments](/learn/viral-clip-detection) [Short-Form Content Explained | OpenClip Glossary](/learn/short-form-content) ### Who It's For [OpenClip for Clippers | Clip Campaign Toolkit](/for/clippers)