Repurpose: one source, many pieces
A good long piece contains five good short ones. Find them, cut them well, and make each one feel native to where it lands.
Ask first
- The source file and its transcript (SRT or VTT).
- Which platforms get a version (the hub and spokes from the intake).
- Whether the speaker is centred in the frame. It decides crop versus pad.
Find the clips
Tool clips_find with the transcript as text and options min_seconds, max_seconds, count, target_seconds, source (the file name) and crop (center or pad). CLI:
python scripts/sr.py clips --file talk.srt --count 5 --source talk.mp4
Each candidate has a start, end, score, and sub-scores for hook, self-containment, density, payoff and pace, the opening line, a ready-to-run ffmpeg command for a 9:16 cut, and a caption file starting at 00:00:00. Only the transcript is scored, so watch each clip cold, with the sound off, before you trust it.
By hand: look for a complete thought of 20 to 60 seconds that starts on a claim, needs no earlier context, and ends on the payoff.
Cut
The ffmpeg commands crop the centre of a 16:9 frame to 9:16 at 1080 by 1920 and re-encode with libx264 and AAC. If the speaker is off-centre, use crop=pad or cut in the editor. Re-time the captions with subtitles_rechunk (sr-edit-plan).
Make each one native
For every platform:
- A new first frame and a new first line. The clip's mid-conversation start is rarely a good hook.
- A platform-specific caption (
sr-caption). Not the same text everywhere. - No watermarks from other apps. Export clean.
- Different cover text if the platform has a cover.
Spin off text and carousels
Pick two or three points from the source and turn each into a standalone text post (sr-text-post) or one carousel (sr-carousel) with its own example. Do not post a transcript.
Originality
Reported between April and October 2026: YouTube, Instagram and Facebook each announced changes that favour original content over reposts (facts_search id=general.originality_trend). Instagram said it will stop recommending accounts that regularly repost content they did not create. YouTube said it is further prioritising original content from 1 October 2026. Clips cut from your own long video are your own work. The announced changes are aimed at reposting other people's content, so if the source is not the creator's, add real commentary, analysis or new footage.
Schedule
Hub piece first, spokes the next day, never everything at once. Build it with sr-calendar.
Gate
approve on the clip list. Cutting and posting are human.
Do not
- Post a clip that needs the previous five minutes to make sense.
- Cut mid-word to hit a length.
- Use the full-length audio over a clip's cut without checking sync.