Guides · Updated 2026-10-18

How to turn long videos into short clips with OpusClip (UK guide for trades and small businesses)

One 15-minute video can give a UK tradesperson or small business a week of short clips for Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Facebook. This guide shows how to do it with OpusClip, which finds the strongest moments in a long video, reframes them to vertical and adds captions. It covers what to film, how OpusClip's credits work, which plan you need, and the checks to make before anything goes live. Prices and plan details were checked on opus.pro and OpusClip's help pages on 18 October 2026.

Affiliate link: links to OpusClip marked "(affiliate link)" are affiliate links. If you sign up through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change what we say about OpusClip or any other tool (how we make money).

Jump to: What to film · Step by step · Free or paid · Prompts for captions · Checks before you post · Alternatives.

What OpusClip does (and doesn't)

OpusClip works from footage you already have. You upload a long video, or import one from your YouTube channel on paid plans, and it suggests short clips, reframes them to 9:16 for phones and adds animated captions. You choose the clip length (under a minute up to 15 minutes) and can process just part of the video. It doesn't film anything for you or make a video from scratch; for presenter-style videos made from a script, see Synthesia or HeyGen. The same company also runs Agent Opus, which creates videos from ideas rather than from your footage (Agent Opus, affiliate link).

Try it on one video first: OpusClip free plan (affiliate link).

What to film for good clips

Short clips work when each one makes sense on its own. Film one longer video built from short, self-contained answers:

• Answer the questions customers ask you. "Why does my boiler lose pressure?", "How long does a patio take?", "What does a full rewire involve?" Answer each in a minute or two, then move on to the next.
• Walk through a finished job. The problem you found, what you did and the result, one stage at a time.
• Show a process. A skim coat, a fade, a deep clean, a joint being cut. Talk over it as you go.
• Talk to the camera for 10 to 20 minutes. That's enough for several clips without using up credits on footage you won't post.

Good sound matters more than a good camera, because captions are made from what you say. Film in a quiet room or a parked van, close to the phone, or use a cheap clip-on microphone. Ask customers before filming in their home, and keep house numbers, street names, faces and number plates out of shot.

Step by step: one long video into short clips

1. Record the long video on your phone, landscape or portrait. Keep the phone steady and speak clearly.
2. Sign up at opus.pro (affiliate link). The free plan needs no card.
3. Upload the video (up to 10GB a video on Free and Starter, 30GB on Pro), or on Starter and Pro import it from your verified YouTube account.
4. Choose the part to process. Drag the processing timeframe slider so you only use credits on the useful bit, and pick a clip length. Under a minute suits Reels, Shorts and TikTok.
5. Review the suggested clips. Keep only those that make sense on their own and say something useful. Delete the rest.
6. Fix the captions. Check every name, price, place name and technical term. AI captions often get trade words and local names wrong.
7. Add how to book to the caption or the last few seconds: your phone number, website or "message us".
8. Export or post. On the free plan clips carry a watermark and can only be exported for 3 days. Starter and Pro remove the watermark and can post straight to YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels.
9. Space them out. Post two or three clips a week rather than all at once. A scheduler such as Buffer can help if you post on several platforms.

How credits work

OpusClip charges in credits. Processing uses 1 credit per minute of the original video, so a 30-minute video uses 30 credits. Videos under a minute count as 1 credit and partial minutes are rounded down, so a 4.5-minute video uses 4. Posting to X uses 3 credits a post. Paid credits on monthly plans last 60 days. (OpusClip help centre, checked 18 October 2026.)

In practice, a 15-minute video uses 15 credits. The free plan's 60 credits a month covers about four of those.

Free or paid: which plan you need

Prices are in US dollars, so what you pay in pounds depends on the exchange rate. Source: OpusClip pricing.

Our suggestion: start on the free plan with one video to see whether the clips are any good for your business. If you'd post them, Starter removes the watermark. Pro billed annually costs less a month than Starter, but you pay $174 up front, so only choose it once you know you'll keep posting.

Try OpusClip free (affiliate link)

Prompts to plan the video and write captions

Paste these into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. Fill in the [brackets].

1. Plan a long video that cuts into clips

I run a [trade or business] in [town]. Give me 10 questions customers often ask about [service], each answerable in 60 to 90 seconds on camera. For each, give a one-line opening sentence that works on its own as the start of a short clip, and three points to cover. Plain British English.

Copy prompt

2. Caption for a short clip

Here is the transcript of a short video clip from my [trade] business in [town]: [paste]. Write three caption options under 40 words each for Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, with 3 to 5 local hashtags, ending with how to book: [phone or link]. Don't add claims that aren't in the transcript. British spelling.

Copy prompt

3. Check the captions OpusClip made

These captions were made automatically from my video: [paste]. List any words that look wrong, especially names, places, prices and trade terms, and suggest the likely correct word. Don't rewrite anything else.

Copy prompt

4. A month of clips from one video

I have [number] short clips from one video about [topic]. Here are their titles: [paste]. Make a four-week posting plan, two or three clips a week, mixed with [other post types], with the best day and platform for each. Keep it realistic for a sole trader.

Copy prompt

Checks before you post

• Permission: you have the customer's OK to show their home or job. Our AI social media posts for tradesmen guide has a ready-made permission text.
• Personal details: no house numbers, street names, number plates, faces or paperwork in shot.
• Claims: nothing you can't back up, such as "cheapest in town" or "best in [town]".
• Captions: names, prices and technical terms are spelt right.
• Music: if you add music outside OpusClip, check you have the rights to use it for a business.

Alternatives to OpusClip

• Descript lets you edit a video by editing its transcript, with more control over the final cut. It has a free plan; Hobbyist is $16 a person a month billed yearly ($24 monthly), checked October 2026.
• Your phone's built-in editor, or Adobe Express and Canva, are fine for trimming one clip by hand.
• HeyGen and Synthesia make presenter videos from a script, if you'd rather not film yourself.

See Descript vs OpusClip and OpusClip alternatives for side-by-side comparisons, and best AI video tools for the full list.

FAQ

Can OpusClip turn a long video into short clips automatically?

Yes. Upload a long video and OpusClip suggests short clips, reframes them to vertical and adds captions. Review each clip before you post it.

Is OpusClip free?

There's a free plan with 60 credits a month, checked on 18 October 2026. One credit covers one minute of the original video, and free clips carry a watermark and can only be exported for 3 days.

How much does OpusClip cost in the UK?

OpusClip prices in US dollars: Starter is $15 a month (monthly only) and Pro is $29 a month, or $14.50 a month billed annually ($174 a year), checked on 18 October 2026. The pound price depends on the exchange rate.

How long should my original video be?

10 to 20 minutes is plenty for several clips and uses 10 to 20 credits. You can process just part of a longer video.

Does OpusClip work for tradespeople?

It works for any business that talks to camera: answering customer questions, walking through a job or showing a process. It needs footage with speech; it won't make a video from photos alone.

Can OpusClip post to Instagram and TikTok for me?

On Starter and Pro it can post to YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels. The free plan lets you download clips only.