Prompts

Semester recap montage rough cut prompts

These prompts cut raw footage into a semester recap montage (20-45s, 6 beats in order), with the pacing and the usual mistakes written in.

By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24

Format: Semester recap montage
Step: Rough cut
Length: 20-45s
Aspect: 9:16
Platforms: TikTok, Reels, Shorts, YouTube

Real examples from @sulansart

At a glance


Target length	20-45s
Beat order	0-3s: title with the count, or first next to last; 3-15s: pieces in order, one per beat; 15-18s: hold on the one you're proudest of; 18-35s: the rest, faster in the chorus; 35-40s: the last piece, you holding it; 40-45s: closing title, optional
Pacing	One piece per beat in the verse, one per half-beat in the chorus, one hold before the drop
Hook	The count ("14 paintings, one semester") or first piece next to last piece
Avoid	Pieces shot in different light; Off-beat cuts; Ending on a weak piece

Prompt it in Vyra

Minimal:

Make a 45-second semester recap montage from these clips. Best takes only.

Standard:

Cut my clips into a 45-second semester recap montage for TikTok. Follow this order.
- 0-3s: title with the count, or first next to last
- 3-15s: pieces in order, one per beat
- 15-18s: hold on the one you're proudest of
- 18-35s: the rest, faster in the chorus
- 35-40s: the last piece, you holding it
- 40-45s: closing title, optional
Pacing: one piece per beat in the verse, one per half-beat in the chorus, one hold before the drop.
Keep the strongest clip for each part. Time the cuts to the track I uploaded called "[file name]". No captions yet.

Full:

Cut my clips into a 45-second semester recap montage for TikTok. Follow this order.
- 0-3s: title with the count, or first next to last
- 3-15s: pieces in order, one per beat
- 15-18s: hold on the one you're proudest of
- 18-35s: the rest, faster in the chorus
- 35-40s: the last piece, you holding it
- 40-45s: closing title, optional
Pacing: one piece per beat in the verse, one per half-beat in the chorus, one hold before the drop.
Keep the strongest clip for each part. Time the cuts to the track I uploaded called "[file name]". No captions yet.
Open with this. The count ("14 paintings, one semester") or first piece next to last piece.
Avoid these. Pieces shot in different light. Off-beat cuts. Ending on a weak piece.
Export 9:16. When you're done, list what you cut with timestamps so I can check.

Why these settings

A numbered beat list gives the agent an order to follow. Leave it out and it picks one for you.
Semester recap montages usually run 20-45s on TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and YouTube.
The pacing line (one piece per beat in the verse, one per half-beat in the chorus, one hold before the drop) sets how long each clip stays on screen.
The full prompt names the common mistakes up front, so you're less likely to see them in the first cut.
Asking for a list of cuts with timestamps makes the first pass quick to check.

Fixes

Too long. "Cut it to 35 seconds. Drop the weakest part first."
Parts out of order. "Follow the order from my first message exactly."
Wrong clip in a part. "For the 3-15s part, show me other clips I could use, with timestamps."
Something you wanted got cut. "Put back the part where [describe it]." It can find the moment from a description.

FAQ

How long should a semester recap montage be? Short versions run 20-45s. Put the number in the first sentence of the prompt so the cut is built around it.

Do I need to trim my clips before uploading? No. Upload the raw clips. Vyra transcribes and describes every scene on upload, so it can find the part that fits each beat.