# Start Your First Edit Source: [Start Your First Edit]() Documentation index: [llms.txt]() Last updated: 2026-10-19 This walkthrough takes one project from empty to an exported file. The steps are the same in ChatCut Desktop, the web app, and the Agent Plugin; where a surface behaves differently, it is called out. If you have not chosen one yet, see [Web, Desktop, and Agent Plugin](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/chatcut-products). You need a ChatCut account and, ideally, one video or audio file. If you have no footage, you can still finish this walkthrough by generating a clip in step 3. ## 1\. Open a project Sign in to ChatCut. If you already have a project open, you can continue in it. If your layout has separate **Home** and **Projects** navigation, select **Projects** to open the project list. Use the **+** button labeled **Start from scratch**, where shown, to create a blank project. Separate **Home** and **Projects** navigation can appear in the sidebar, header, or mobile tabs; **Home** opens the Home page. Some earlier editor layouts use **Home** in the project toolbar to open the project dashboard; there, select **New project** to create a project. On a phone, the project picker fills the screen and keeps search, sorting, and account actions within reach. ## 2\. Add your media Open **My Assets → Upload** and choose **Files…**, **Folder…**, or **From phone…**. The files become project assets you can reuse in every timeline of that project. You can also attach a file directly in the AI panel with **Upload (+)**. That attachment is context for the current message only — it does not become a project asset. See [My Assets / Media Pool](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/my-assets) for the difference. Wait until the asset card finishes processing before using it in generation or export. ## 3\. Describe the edit ![The ChatCut AI composer with a reference file attached and the Agent, model, and Send controls visible](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs-media/product-docs/what-is-chatcut/attach-media-and-send-prompt.png) Enter what you want in the Prompt composer at the bottom of the **AI** panel, then select **Send message**. - Keep the composer in **Agent** when ChatCut should read the project and edit the timeline for you — for example, “Cut @interview down to 60 seconds and remove the filler words.” - Switch to **Video Gen** when you want to configure and submit one video-generation job instead. ### Try a captioned first edit Choose one short talking-head clip you own and wait for its card in **My Assets** to finish processing. Keep the built-in **Agent** selected. Paste this request, then type `@` and select that uploaded clip before sending: Prompt ```text Use the referenced clip. Trim silence before the first spoken word and after the last spoken word. Keep every spoken word in order, with the original audio and framing. Add readable captions in the language spoken. Use only this footage; leave generated media out. Put the edit on the active timeline so I can play it before exporting. ``` This first pass keeps the source footage and gives you a captioned edit to review. You can ask for a different style or another delivery format after checking it. On an empty conversation, workflow cards may fill the composer with a starter prompt. Selecting a card does not start the task; edit the text, then send it. The built-in Agent uses variable ChatCut credits when it edits your footage, even when it generates no new media. There is no fixed credits-per-minute price for an Agent edit. Manual timeline editing, uploads, transcription, and export do not consume credits; plan limits can still apply. See [Credits](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/credits-policy). Read your plan and balance in the avatar menu before sending. Review any estimate or generation confirmation shown for the action. After it completes, use **Credits history → Detail** to check the actual deduction. See [Generation Confirmations and Auto-Allow](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/generation-confirmations) and [Credits History](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/credits-history). ## 4\. Review the result Agent progress and questions appear in the conversation, new media appears in **My Assets**, and edits appear in the active **Timeline**. Play the result in the **Viewer**. For the captioned first edit, play from the first spoken word through the last. Check that the speech is complete, the captions match it, and the picture and original audio play together. Use **Undo** or ask for one precise correction if needed. If an input is still processing, wait for it before retrying. If a step fails or the result is missing, keep the project and use **Feedback** or email [team@chatcut.io](mailto:team@chatcut.io) with the step and visible error. Reporting a failure does not require another paid generation. See [Upload, Generation, and Export Failures](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/workflow-failures). In the web editor, keep the project tab open while it prepares newly uploaded footage. If a step says the editor is disconnected, reopen the same project before retrying that step. Anything the agent did is a normal timeline edit: drag clips to move them, drag an edge to trim, and use **Undo** if a change went further than you wanted. To keep a restore point before the next pass, open **Versions** and select **Save Current Version**. On a phone, switch to the bottom **Timeline** tab to review the Viewer and tracks. Touch-drag the ruler to seek, a clip to move it, or a clip edge to trim; long-press a card in **My Assets** or **Library** to place it on the Timeline. ## 5\. Export ![The top of the ChatCut editor with Undo, Versions, Workspace, Export, and Credits controls](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs-media/product-docs/what-is-chatcut/review-and-export.png) Select **Export** in the top bar and choose what to deliver: video, audio, subtitles, transparent graphics, or an editable project file for another editor. Manual web video and audio export automatically chooses browser or cloud rendering. If you ask the Agent Plugin to export video or audio, it defaults to the open editor’s browser renderer and reports an error if unavailable; cloud export requires an explicit request. ChatCut Desktop renders video on your own computer, including 4K and HDR on capable hardware. See [Web vs Desktop Export](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/web-export-limits) and [Export Panel](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/exporting). ## What to read next - [AI Panel Overview](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/ai-panel-overview) — every control in the AI panel and what it changes. - [Editor Layout](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/editor-overview) — a button-by-button tour of the editor. - [Talking Head Edit](https://pr-535-preview.chatcut.dev/docs/talking-head-edit) — the most common first real project.