Zencastr Clips is a paid feature that transforms longer-form content into several shorter video clips optimized for a variety of social media platforms. Clips supports content in English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. With AI Clipping, Zencastr’s AI selects the best moments for you, while Manual Clipping lets you choose segments yourself.
Before generating clips, you can customize your upload your video’s aspect ratio, background, watermark, and title and caption styling so that your clips reflect your distinctive brand or style preferences. You can also edit the transcript to ensure captions accurately reflect spoken dialogue.
Manual Clipping is available on all paid plans. AI Clipping is available on the Grow plan or higher.
In this article:
Customization Options for Uploaded Content
You can create clips from both Zencastr recordings and uploaded content, but the customization options differ. For uploaded content, you can adjust the aspect ratio, add a background, apply a watermark, update clip title and caption styling, and use text-based editing to trim sections or correct transcript errors. These tools help refine your clips’ visual presentation and ensure brand consistency.
However, some editing features available for Zencastr recordings are not supported for uploaded videos. Since uploaded files are imported as a single video rather than separate participant tracks, features that rely on participant data, such as video layouts, audio enhancements like noise reduction and leveling, and AI face centering, are unavailable.
Understanding the Clipping Workflow
When clipping an uploaded video, you first define how your clips will look before generating them. Certain visual elements must be selected before clips are generated, as they cannot be changed afterward. These include:
Aspect ratio (vertical, landscape, or square)
Background (image, GIF, or video)
Watermark (logo placement)
Additionally, because captions are created from the transcript, any inaccuracies should be corrected beforehand using text-based editing to ensure captions accurately reflect spoken dialogue.
You also choose the clip title and caption styles during customization, but unlike the elements above, these can still be modified after clips are generated.
Once your video’s look is finalized, you can generate clips in one of two ways:
Manual Clipping – Available on all paid plans, lets you select transcript sections to clip.
AI Clipping – Available on the Grow plan and higher, uses AI to automatically select the best moments to clip.
Accessing the Editor for Clip Customization
To customize how your clips will look before generating them from an uploaded file, you’ll use Zencastr’s Editor.
To open the Editor:
From your Dashboard, on the Sessions tab, under the ‘My Sessions’ list, click the name of the session.
Locate the uploaded file you want to edit and click the Preview button next to its name.
Click the Edit button in the top right corner of the Preview page.
Inside the Editor, customization options are available under the Audio & Video and Content & Clips tabs.
Adjusting Video Settings
In the Editor, on the Audio & Video tab, under the Video section, customize the appearance of the full-length video that your clips will be created from.
Aspect Ratios
What Is Aspect Ratio?
The aspect ratio is the width-to-height ratio that determines a video’s orientation and shape. Selecting the appropriate aspect ratio ensures your clips display optimally on your chosen platform. Zencastr offers three aspect ratios:
Landscape (16:9)
Horizontal orientation, best for computer/laptop viewing.
Recommended for Facebook In-Feed Video, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter)*
Portrait (9:16)
Vertical orientation, optimized for mobile viewing, especially when viewed on devices held upright.
Recommended format for Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts*
Square (1:1)
Square format, commonly used for social media feed posts.
*Recommended formats may change. Always check platform guidelines for up-to-date specifications.
Changing the Aspect Ratio
When you upload content, it is loaded into the Editor in its original aspect ratio or the closest match. For example, landscape videos display in a landscape format.
If you want clips in a different aspect ratio, you can adjust it before generating clips. The content resizes to fit the new frame with added padding, and you can manually reposition or resize it as needed.
To change the aspect ratio:
Click the arrow (>) next to Aspect Ratio and choose an aspect ratio.
If needed, click on the video directly within the preview canvas to reposition or resize it.
Working with Multiple Aspect Ratios
If you need clips in different formats for multiple platforms (e.g., LinkedIn and TikTok), Zencastr allows you to customize and clip up to two separate videos with different aspect ratios in a single postproduction run. Each video that will be clipped has its own audio and video settings, which must be adjusted separately under the Audio & Video tab. However, transcript corrections made on the Content & Clips tab will apply to all videos.
To add or remove a video with a different aspect ratio:
Click the plus (+) symbol next to the shape icon in the video preview to add another video with a different aspect ratio.
Click the plus (+) or (x) symbol next to the shape icon in the video preview to remove a video.
Background
What Is Background?
The background feature allows you to add an image, GIF, or video behind your entire video. It does not replace or alter the background within the original video(s).
Adding a Background
When adding a background to uploaded content, it sits behind the entire video. It does not replace or alter the background within the original video(s).
To add a background:
Click the arrow (>) next to Background and upload the media file from your computer.
Image: Stretches to fill the background behind the entire video. The file type must be JPEG or PNG.
GIF: Plays on a loop behind the entire video. The file type must be GIF.
Video: Loops without audio behind the entire video. The file type must be MP4, MOV, or WEBM.
Settings:
Horizontal, Vertical, Width, Rotate, and Opacity: Adjust the background’s position, placement, rotation, and opacity within the overall video layout.
Alternatively, click on the background directly within the preview canvas to reposition or resize it.
Adjusting Overlay Settings
In the Editor, on the Audio & Video tab, under the Overlay section, configure elements that appear on clips and, in some cases, the full-length video. The watermark applies to both, while clip titles and clip captions are exclusive to clips.
Watermark
What Is Watermark?
A watermark is a logo or image placed on all frames of your full-length video and any clips, helping reinforce branding or attribution.
Adding a Watermark
To add your own watermark/logo:
Ensure the checkbox next to Watermark is checked.
Click the arrow (>) next to Watermark and upload the media file from your computer.
The file type must be JPEG, PNG, or WEBM.
Settings:
Position, Scale, and Opacity: Adjust the watermark’s position, scale, and opacity within the overall video layout.
Alternatively, click on the watermark directly within the preview canvas to reposition or resize it.
Clip Captions
What Are Clip Captions?
Clip captions display subtitles on clips after they are generated, using text from the transcript. They do not appear on the full-length video. In the preview, a placeholder shows their position, with the actual text added during clip generation.
Changing Clip Caption Styling
To change the caption styling:
Ensure the checkbox next to Clip Captions is checked.
Click the arrow (>) next to Clip Captions to access styling options.
Position:
Position, Vertical, Left, and Right: Adjust the captions’ position within the overall video layout.
Alternatively, click on the subtitle placeholder directly within the preview canvas to reposition it.
Font:
Font, Font Size, and Color: Adjust the font style, weight, size, and color.
Outline:
Style, Outline Color, and Outline Size: Adjust the outline style, color, and size.
Shadow Color and Shadow Offset: Adjust the font shadow color and offset.
Highlight Active Word:
Off: Displays one word at a time.
On: Displays two to six words at a time with the spoken (“active”) word highlighted in a different color.
Highlight Color and Highlight Scale: Adjust the color and scale of the highlighted word.
Clip Title
What Is Clip Title?
A clip title is an AI-generated summary of a clip, displayed for the first few seconds. It does not appear on the full-length video. In the preview, a placeholder marks its position, with text added during clip generation.
Changing Clip Title Styling
To change the clip title styling:
Ensure the checkbox next to Clip Title is checked.
Click the arrow (>) next to Clip Title to access styling options.
Position:
Position, Vertical, Left, and Right: Adjust the captions’ position within the overall video layout.
Alternatively, click on the AI-generated title placeholder directly within the preview canvas to reposition it.
Font:
Font, Font Size, and Color: Adjust the font style, weight, size, and color.
Outline:
Style, Outline Color, and Outline Size: Adjust the outline style, color, and size.
Shadow Color and Shadow Offset: Adjust the font shadow color and offset.
Editing Your Transcript for Clip Captions
In the Editor, on the Content & Clips tab, correct transcript errors to ensure your clip captions accurately reflect spoken dialogue.
Correcting Transcript Errors
Since clip captions are generated from the transcript, correcting inaccuracies before generating clips prevents errors from appearing in the final captions. Use the Correct Word feature to fix any misinterpretations without altering the audio.
To correct a word in the transcript:
In the Editor, click the Content & Clips tab at the top middle.
Scroll through the transcript or use the search to find words that need correction.
Click the incorrect word, then select Correct Word in the ribbon.
Type the correct word, including any capitalization or punctuation changes.
Click Ok to confirm the correction.
Repeat for any additional corrections.
Generating Clips
Once you’ve customized your video and reviewed/corrected your transcript, to generate clips:
In the Editor, click the Content & Clips tab.
In the top ribbon, hover over Create Clips.
Under Select Clip Frame, ensure the correct aspect ratio video is selected for the respective social platforms.
If you are clipping two videos with different aspect ratios, ensure both versions have been customized as needed.
Choose how you want to generate clips:
To enable AI clipping: In the Create Clips insert, slide the Enable ZenAI toggle on.
To create manual clips: On your transcript, highlight the section you want to clip and click Create Clip on the ribbon.
Click the Apply button in the top right corner of the Editor.
Click the Next button.
Note: If you aren’t hosting a podcast on Zencastr, skip filling out the Episode Info section on the right, as it is for publishing an episode to a podcast.
On the Review and Confirm insert, review the summary of what you are getting and the credits cost.
Click Run Now to start the postproduction and clip generating.
Result: The postproduction and clipping will begin to run, and the necessary amount of credits will be deducted from your credits balance when they complete. Once clips are generated, they will appear on the Clips tab of your dashboard.
