Features
Rough cut in minutes: raw footage to a first draft
Vyra turns hours of raw footage into a first cut from a short description. Best takes, pauses removed, your order kept, at the length you asked for.
By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24
Upload the raw footage, say the length and platform, what to keep and what to cut, and Vyra puts together a first draft from the best takes with the pauses and retakes gone. A 35-minute file indexes in under 2 minutes. Every fix after that is one sentence.
The rough cut is where the hours go. Watching everything, picking takes, hunting for the moment. Vyra has already watched it.
How it works
- Upload the footage. Every clip gets transcribed and every scene gets described.
- If it's long, ask for a plan first. "Propose a 60-second structure with timestamps."
- Describe the cut. Length, platform, what opens, what to keep, what to remove, how tight.
- Vyra picks takes, trims pauses, orders the clips, and puts them on the timeline.
- Fix one thing per message. Then move on to captions, music, graphics.
What you can ask for
| You say | Vyra does |
|---|---|
| "Cut this 8 minutes to 60 seconds for Reels" | Hits the length from the strongest material |
| "Best take of each point, in the order I filmed" | Compares takes, keeps your structure |
| "Remove pauses over half a second and every retake" | Cleans up to that threshold |
| "Open on the line 'nobody tells you this'" | Pins the hook |
| "Don't touch 1:20 to 1:35, that pause is on purpose" | Leaves that range alone |
| "List every cut you made with timestamps" | Reports the edit so you can check it |
Prompts to paste
Take this 8-minute raw video down to 60 seconds for Instagram. Use the best takes of each point, cut pauses, stumbles, retakes, and any moment I look at my notes. Keep it in the order I filmed it. No captions yet.
Make a 60-second vertical rough cut for Reels. Open on the line "nobody tells you this about commissions", then the three main points in order, then end on the shot where I hold up the finished piece. Prefer takes where I don't restart a sentence. Remove pauses longer than half a second. Straight cuts only.
This is a 35-minute recording. Summarize it scene by scene. Then propose three possible 60-second cuts with different hooks. Wait for me to pick one before you build it.
Compared to the usual way
| Traditional editor | Auto-cut button | Vyra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watching the footage | You, all of it | Nobody | The agent, on upload |
| Choosing takes | You | By silence only | By transcript, delivery, and picture |
| Keeping your structure | Yes | Often scrambled | "In the order I filmed" |
| Fixing the result | Re-cut | Re-run | One sentence |
Limits
- The agent's pick for "best take" is good, not perfect. Quote the line you want if it matters.
- "Edit this" gets you a vague cut. Give length, platform, keep, cut.
- Check before you trust a summary. Ask for the list of cuts.
FAQ
How long from upload to first cut? Minutes. Most people go from upload to export in under 5 minutes on short footage.
Will it reorder my points? Only if you ask.
It says it removed something but the cut is still there. Now what? Ask for the list of cuts with timestamps, then say exactly what to remove.
Related
- /prompts/rough-cut
- /prompts/talking-head-cleanup
- /features/footage-understanding
- /how-to/cut-a-talking-head