> Shorty lets you direct an edit with a written brief and request changes in words. Give it your footage, explain the result, then review the video. You can avoid manual clip arrangement while keeping responsibility for the final cut. Source: https://shortyedit.com/guides/edit-video-by-typing-instructions --- # What to type when you would rather not drag clips around Shorty lets you direct an edit with a written brief and request changes in words. Give it your footage, explain the result, then review the video. You can avoid manual clip arrangement while keeping responsibility for the final cut. The Shorty team · Updated 24 September 2026 ## Describe a decision, not a mood “Make it premium” is a feeling. “Use fewer cuts, hold the product close-up, and keep the text small and simple” describes choices an editor can act on. You do not need technical vocabulary; you need to say what the viewer should see. Start with the purpose, then add the sequence. For example: show how the lamp changes a desk, open with the dark room, reveal the lamp turning on, and finish on the lit workspace. That is enough of a story to begin. ## Be clear about what should stay Revision requests work better when they name both the change and the constraint. “Replace the opening with the wide shot; keep the rest of the sequence” is more focused than “try another version.” Small requests are also easier to evaluate. In supported Shorty compositions, you can select an editable element and give a targeted instruction. That does not mean every object inside your source video becomes a separate editable layer. If you need exact manual control over every frame, keep a conventional editing workflow available. ## Use the first cut to sharpen your words You may only discover what you want after seeing a version. That is normal. Watch once for the story and again for details. Write down the one change most likely to improve it before sending a long list of competing ideas. If you find yourself describing a highly specific animation frame by frame, words may no longer be the quickest control. Use conversational editing where direction is the main job, and switch to a more precise tool when the work calls for it. ## A brief to adapt to your footage Example direction. Replace the subject, shots, and wording with your own. Create a 20-second desk-lamp video from my clips. Open on the dark desk, show the lamp switching on, then hold the wider lit view. Keep the treatment calm. End with the product name exactly as supplied. Use only approved audio. ## Keep the ideas coming ### A video brief that saves the editor from guessing A useful AI editing brief names the audience, message, source material, sequence, and output. Shorty accepts that kind of direction. The goal is to make the important choices clear without writing a shot-by-shot novel. ### From “I can picture it” to a video brief that works Yes. You can give Shorty your clips and describe the edit you want. You will get a version to review and revise. The closer your description is to what the footage actually contains, the more useful that first version can be. ### You want a video, not an empty timeline Yes. Shorty takes supplied footage and a brief or optional reference, then produces an edited MP4 to review. The work shifts toward directing and checking the result rather than placing each clip yourself. ### More ways to finish your footage Practical answers for the part after the shoot: find the story, choose an editor, write a useful brief, and get the finished video out the door. ### Shorty product facts and limits Shorty turns your own video clips and photos into an edited MP4 from a written brief or optional reference. You can review the result and request revisions. This page collects current product facts, fit, limitations and canonical sources. ### Current plans and allowances Explore this editing workflow in Shorty. ## Your next video starts here. Bring the footage. Tell us the idea. Shape the edit. --- Published by Tools Products FZ-LLC. Canonical HTML: https://shortyedit.com/guides/edit-video-by-typing-instructions