Use this if you generate clips and still need to change them afterward. It shows where a generated shot can go in CapCut, what each route lets you add, and what stays editable from clip to export.
CapCut lets you generate and edit AI video in one workflow on the web and on CapCut Desktop: a Video Studio clip goes from its card onto the online editor's main video track, and the desktop AI video maker builds its draft inside the app. The other web timeline is a single-track Timeline card on the same canvas.
Take a short teaser for a new hiking boot: one generated shot of a mountain ridge, your own product clips, a voiceover, and captions. The ridge shot is the only part CapCut generates; the clips, voiceover, and captions all have to join it on one timeline.
Pick the timeline that can hold your next fix
Video Studio (formerly AI video maker), opened from All tools, shows each result as a card on its canvas. Generate the ridge shot with Seedance 2.5 Draft first. It creates 480p previews to test ideas and appears in the model list when Agent mode, under the prompt box, is set to Director, the default.
Three things separate the routes: whether the clip reaches an editable timeline without a file export, which tools sit beside it there, and which platform runs it. The third route is CapCut Desktop's AI video maker, a separate tool on the desktop homepage that builds its own draft from a script:
Edit on timelineEdit more on CapCut OnlineCapCut Desktop AI video makerWhere the clip landsA new Timeline card on the Video Studio canvas, with one video trackThe main video track of the online editor, in a new tab, and in Media > UploadsA draft built scene by scene inside the desktop appTools beside itSplit on the card; Add text and Music once you open it in Full screen editingMedia, Audio, Text, Captions, Transcript, Effects, Transitions, and Filters panelsEach scene's avatar and voice, synced subtitles, and musicExportIn Full screen editing, starts at once with no settings dialogResolution, frame rate, and format on one panel, at 720p, 30fps, and MP4 by defaultResolution, format, and frame rate, then Export again or Edit MoreRuns onThe webThe webWindows 7 or later (Windows 10 recommended) and macOS 10.14 or later
The shot itself is wrong
Fix it while it is still a card. Click Prompt on the card's toolbar to load the original prompt, adjust it, and refine the result. Prompt changes what happens inside the shot, which suits a wrong peak or the wrong light; the Effects and Filters panels belong to the online editor.
The clip only needs a title and music
Edit on timeline holds that job and keeps you on the canvas. In Full screen editing, Export starts as soon as you click it, so there is no point where you choose resolution or format.
The clip has to sit next to your own footage
The boot teaser falls here: it needs captions beside your own clips, and the Captions panel is in the online editor.
Open the card's download panel and click Edit more on CapCut Online. The ridge shot opens on the online editor's main video track and in Media > Uploads. Drag the boot clips onto the same timeline, add your voiceover as audio, and generate captions there.
The shot needs replacing after the edit has started
You don't have to leave the project, because the online editor has its own generation box at the top of Media. It reads "Describe your video. Add a start frame, end frame, or both." You can describe a new ridge shot there without going back to Video Studio.
You're starting from a script
Use CapCut Desktop. Its AI video maker turns a topic or a pasted script into a draft inside the same app for script-led YouTube, marketing, and training videos, and its Scenes panel then sets each scene's avatar and voice.
A clip, a draft, a project, and an export leave different things open
The Video Studio card keeps Prompt, the Desktop draft keeps each scene's avatar and voice, and the online editor keeps trim, crop, split, effects, and captions.
OutputWhat you can still changeWhereGenerated clipWhat happens inside the shot, through Prompt; the card toolbar also has Trim, Extract audio, Capture frame, and DuplicateVideo Studio card, on the webEditable draftEach scene's avatar and voice, synced subtitles, and the background trackCapCut Desktop AI video makerTimeline projectTrim, crop, split, reverse, or mirror clips; add audio, text, stickers, effects, transitions, and filters; resize; generate captionsOnline editorExported videoNot the file; choose Edit More at the AI video maker's export step before saving, or reopen the saved project from your SpaceCapCut Desktop
Ask for timeline edits in chat with CapCut × ChatGPT
CapCut × ChatGPT is currently available outside the United States, with U.S. availability coming soon, and is designed for the ChatGPT desktop app on PC rather than as a browser-only experience. If you'd rather describe edits than drag clips, it builds an editable draft from a prompt or your own media, and in the chat you can ask it to shorten scenes, reorder clips, replace visuals, adjust text timing, update music, or add captions and effects. You can also launch the CapCut editor from the conversation and adjust the tracks yourself.
Send your first generated shot to the online editor
Generate your one missing shot with the CapCut AI video generator, then open it in the online editor from the card's download panel.
FAQ
Do I need to install software to generate and edit AI video in CapCut?
No. Video Studio and the online editor work in your browser, and the online editor needs no separate installation. Install CapCut Desktop when you want the AI video maker's scene-by-scene controls for avatars, voice, and synced subtitles.
Can I change the aspect ratio after the video is generated?
Yes, in the online editor. Click Ratio at the top left of the canvas, outside the frame, and select the frame you need. Changing the ratio changes the output frame, so check how each scene sits in the new layout before you export.
Can I still edit a video after I export it?
Not the exported file. In the CapCut Desktop AI video maker, choose Edit More instead of Export at the export step when the project still needs changes, and projects saved in your Space, which holds your CapCut Desktop projects, can be edited again from different devices.
Does generating video in CapCut use credits?
Yes. Premium AI features use credits, taken automatically when you confirm an action that needs them; see how CapCut credits work. In Video Studio, the Chats panel shows the estimated credits when generation starts.