How to Upload Your First Video to OpenClip
You're one upload away from turning your long-form video into a library of viral short clips. Here's exactly how to get started with OpenClip in under 15 minutes.
Prerequisites
- An OpenClip account (Starter, Pro, or Business plan)
- A video file in MP4 or MOV format (or a hosted video URL)
- Clear audio in your source video for best transcription accuracy
- Knowledge of which platforms you want to publish clips to
Steps
Create your OpenClip account
Visit OpenClip and sign up for an account. OpenClip offers paid plans (Starter, Pro, and Business) — choose the tier that matches your volume needs. Once your account is set up, log in to access your dashboard where all your projects and clips will live.
Tip: Review the plan limits before uploading. Each plan has different video length limits and monthly processing quotas. Start with a shorter video (30–60 minutes) for your first upload to get familiar with the workflow.
Prepare your video file for upload
OpenClip works best with MP4 or MOV files. Before uploading, make sure your video meets these requirements: the file is in MP4 or MOV format, the audio is clear (not heavily distorted or background-noise-heavy), and the file size is within your plan's limits. If your video is in another format (AVI, MKV, WMV), convert it to MP4 using a tool like HandBrake first.
Tip: Audio quality is the single biggest factor in transcript accuracy. If your video has poor audio, captions and clip detection will be less precise. Consider a quick audio cleanup before uploading.
Create a new project
From your OpenClip dashboard, click 'New Project' or the equivalent button to create a workspace for your video. Giving your project a clear, descriptive name (e.g., 'Podcast Episode 42 — Interview with Jane') makes it easier to manage as you build up a library of processed videos.
Tip: Use consistent naming conventions for your projects from day one. As you scale to batch processing multiple videos, organized project names save significant time when retrieving specific clips.
Upload your video file or paste a URL
Drag and drop your video file into the upload area, or browse your computer to select it. Alternatively, if your video is already hosted online, paste the URL into the URL input field. OpenClip will begin ingesting your video — upload time depends on your file size and internet connection speed.
Tip: For large files (over 1GB), use a wired internet connection if possible. Upload speeds on Wi-Fi can fluctuate and may cause timeouts for very large files.
Let OpenClip process your video
Once uploaded, OpenClip's AI begins analyzing your video. This includes transcribing all spoken content, identifying viral moment candidates using AI scoring (hook strength, narrative completeness, and viral potential), and detecting speaker faces for tracking. Processing time varies based on video length but is typically much faster than the video's actual duration.
Tip: You don't need to stay on the page while processing happens. OpenClip will notify you when your clips are ready — use this time to plan which platforms you want to publish to.
Review your AI-generated clip candidates
When processing is complete, OpenClip presents you with 5–15 clip candidates extracted from your video. Each candidate is scored for its viral potential. Review the clips, watch the previews, and select the ones that best match your content goals. You can approve some, skip others, and adjust which clips you want to export.
Tip: Don't just go with the highest-scored clip automatically. Watch the previews with your audience in mind — context and relevance to your specific community matter as much as general viral scores.
Choose your caption style and export format
Before exporting, select a caption preset from OpenClip's 10 available styles (Default, Dan, Dan Reveal, Pop, Mozi, Kendrick, Sara, Lucy, Tayo, Beast) and choose your target aspect ratio — 9:16 for TikTok/Reels/Shorts/Twitter. Then export your clips as MP4 files ready for upload to each platform.
Tip: Bold, high-contrast caption styles like 'Beast' or 'Pop' tend to perform best on TikTok and Instagram Reels where viewers are watching with sound off and need captions to engage.
What You'll Achieve
Your first long-form video successfully uploaded, processed, and transformed into 5–15 AI-generated short clips with captions — ready to export and publish across TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X.
Features
Fast Upload & Processing
Drag-and-drop uploading with AI processing that's faster than real-time video length
AI Viral Detection
AI analyzes your transcript to find the most clip-worthy moments automatically
Speaker Tracking
AI face detection keeps your speakers centered in every extracted clip
10 Caption Presets
Choose from professionally designed caption styles with word-level sync
Vertical Short-Form Export
Export clips in 9:16 vertical for every major social platform
5–15 Clips Per Video
One long-form video upload yields a full library of short-form clip candidates
Frequently Asked Questions
Upload Your First Video Today
Join thousands of creators and agencies using OpenClip to turn long-form content into a library of viral short clips — starting with your very first upload.