Make a TikTok from raw footage

This tutorial walks you through creating a TikTok-ready vertical video from raw footage using the AI agent.

What you'll make

A 30-60 second vertical highlight with:

• Eye-catching hook
• TikTok-bold captions
• Fast pacing with cuts on moments
• Optional B-roll inserts

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Prerequisites

• Raw video footage (interview, podcast, or any talking-head content)
• Pluged AI open in your browser
• Rough idea of the duration you want (30s, 45s, 60s)

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Step 1: Create a vertical project

1. Open app.pluged.ai
2. Click New project
3. Select Vertical 1080p template (1080×1920)

This sets the canvas to 9:16, perfect for TikTok.

Step 2: Import and add your footage

1. Drag your video file into the Media panel
2. Wait for processing (thumbnails + audio waveform)
3. Drag the clip onto the main track

Step 3: Ask for the TikTok template

Open the Agent panel and type:

"Apply the TikTok highlight template to this footage"

The agent will:

• Set smart reframe to vertical with face-focus
• Apply the viral-cut style (grain, high contrast, fast pacing)
• Suggest caption skin and duration

Step 4: Generate captions

Ask the agent:

"Add TikTok-bold captions to the main clip"

The agent:

• Extracts audio
• Runs transcription
• Adds word-timed captions styled for TikTok

Step 5: Extract the best moments

Ask:

"Extract a 45-second highlight with the best moments, fast cuts"

The agent analyzes:

• Audio energy (louder moments)
• Visual interest (if visual analysis is cached)
• Transcript density (information-rich sections)

It keeps the best segments and removes the rest.

Step 6: Add a hook

Ask:

"Add a hook overlay at the start: 'The moment that changed everything'"

The agent:

• Adds a text overlay at 00:00
• Styles it for the TikTok template
• Positions it for vertical safe zones

Step 7: Insert B-roll (optional)

If you have extra footage or stock:

"Search stock for 'excited crowd reaction' and insert as B-roll on the beat"

The agent:

• Searches Pexels stock
• Imports the footage
• Inserts at transcript beat points

Step 8: Review and polish

Watch the preview. Common tweaks:

• Too long? Ask "trim to exactly 30 seconds"
• Too slow? Ask "compress to 45 seconds at 1.2x max speed"
• Captions wrong? Manually edit text in the preview
• Colors off? Ask "apply the viral-cut style pack again"

Step 9: Export for TikTok

1. Click Export
2. Choose MP4 (H.264)
3. Select High quality
4. Enable audio
5. Export and download

The result is ready to upload to TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts.

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Pro tips

• Visual analysis first — run "Sample visual analysis" before extracting highlights for better moment detection
• Transcript accuracy — if captions are off, ask "show me the transcript" and the agent can fix timing
• Face detection — smart reframe biases upward for faces, perfect for talking-head content