How I used FlexClip's Long to Short to create promotional shorts from an AI music video

How I used FlexClip's Long to Short to create promotional shorts from an AI music video

After finishing a long music video, I always think the same thing.

“Alright, it's done!”
“...So, how do I get people to watch it?”

That's where I hit a wall.

I'm already pretty burnt out from making the main video, but then I still have to make a thumbnail, think of a title, write a description, post it on X, upload it to TikTok, format it for YouTube...

For video creators, the second round starts after the video is finished.

Actually, finishing the main video might just be like defeating a mid-boss.
The final boss is “post-production preparation.”
It's tough. Surprisingly tough.

This time, to make the “how do I promote this after it's done” problem a little easier, I used FlexClip's Long to Short feature to create promotional short clips from my AI music video.

About the music video I made

The music video I used this time is,

“The Last Promise - Rainy Last Train Platform”

is the title of the work.

A rainy night, the last train, a cafe, a wet city.
It's a heartbreak music video about letting go while still being unable to forget.

As for the visual direction,

the background is like a hyper-realistic live-action movie.
The characters are rough, hand-drawn line art.

I really valued this contrast.

The real city and cafe are incredibly realistic, but the characters in them are floating as rough line art.

It's the image of “only the emotions that haven't blended into reality remain as line art.”

While I was making it, I was thinking,
“This is good... the rain, the last train, the reflections, the line art, I love it all...”

However, once I calmed down after finishing it, this is what happened.

How do I explain this to someone seeing it for the first time?

If they watch the whole thing, they'll get it.
But on social media, if you don't hook them in the first few seconds, they'll just scroll past.

In other words, apart from the main video, you need
a short video as an entry point
for viewers.

Trying out Long to Short

That's where I used FlexClip's Long to Short feature this time.

Simply put, it's a feature for creating short-form clips from long-form videos.

The process went something like this:

1. Import the completed AI music video into FlexClip

2. Use Long to Short to generate candidates for short clips

3. Select the candidates I want to use

4. Adjust the necessary cuts

5. Add subtitles with a new font

6. Use template text to polish the presentation

7. Turn it into a promotional short ready for TikTok or X

Looking at the steps, it seems simple.

But if you try to do all of this manually,
it quietly eats up your time.

Should I use this cut?
No, is this one more like the chorus?
Is the subtitle position a bit too low?
Doesn't the font suddenly look like a ramen shop menu?

You lose track of time with these kinds of minor adjustments.

In video editing, it's not the flashy work that's scary,
but the endless series of these "just a quick fix" moments.

Before you know it, 30 minutes have passed.
And usually, the first version was better anyway.
It's painful.

It was so convenient that it even helped me decide "where to cut."

This was the most interesting part of using Long to Short this time.

When you upload a single music video,
FlexClip splits it into several short candidates for you.

What's more, it doesn't just cut them out; it does things like:

This part has a high potential to go viral
These lyrics are likely to resonate
This scene is perfect for a short

It even gives you a score for each candidate.

For this music video, for example,

"Don't smile with a face I don't know," a regret that's too honest
had a viral potential score of 92/100.

Another candidate,
"I don't need love anymore, but I still can't forget you,"
was given a score of 82/100.

Like this,
it provided a title, score, recommended reason, and even the lyrics for the corresponding scene for each clip candidate.

This is more helpful than I thought.

The thing is, as the creator, I have an emotional attachment to every single scene.

"No, there's soul in these raindrops too."
"This window on the last train is super important."
"The empty seat in this cafe is also foreshadowing."
"Look at the profile of this guy with cornrows. Please."

It ends up like that.

In other words, to the creator,
every scene is a masterpiece.

That's dangerous.

You shouldn't ask someone who thinks every scene is a masterpiece,
"Where are you going to cut?"

They'll answer, "All of it."

But because Long to Short suggests things like,
"This might be good for a short,"
"These lyrics might be catchy,"
"This scene might resonate on social media,"
it made it much easier to make decisions.

Of course, the final choice is up to you.

But,
not having to rely solely on your own intuition
is a huge help.

I'm usually not very objective right after finishing the main video.

Compressing the world view for a short

This music video has many different elements within the main piece.

A cafe.
A rainy city.
The last train.
Reflections.
Line-art characters.
Heartbreak.
The final promise.

You can show these slowly in the main video,
but that doesn't work for a short.

In a short amount of time,
you need to convey
'what kind of atmosphere this work has.'

So, for the short, I prioritized cuts that convey the world view first,
without over-explaining.

A rainy window.
An empty seat at a cafe.
The profile of a line-art character.
The loneliness of the last train.
Short subtitles.

I packed these elements in tightly,
with the image of delivering just the mood of the main video first.

Personally, I think a short teaser shouldn't be a
'summary of the main video,'
but rather a hint that makes people want to watch the main video
is just right.

If you explain everything, people might feel they don't need to watch it anymore.

'I'm kind of curious about what happens next.'
Stopping right there is the goal.

That's the hard part, isn't it?

As the creator, you want to explain everything.
The feeling is exactly like a principal's morning assembly.
It's long.

But for a short, you have to hold back.

I added subtitles using a new font.

This time, I also used FlexClip's new fonts to create the subtitles.

This part was actually quite important.

The reason is that this MV has a high-humidity worldview featuring
rain, night, last train, heartbreak, reflections, and line art
themes.

If you put a font that is too energetic on top of that,
the atmosphere changes instantly.

Even though it's a mellow heartbreak MV,
the subtitles suddenly look like a supermarket sale flyer.

The final promise!
Half price for now only!
If it ends up like that, it's over.

Well, the final promise shouldn't be half price.

So this time, I chose calm fonts to match the mood of the video as much as possible when adding the subtitles.

The words in the subtitles were also meant to capture the emotions within the MV in short bursts, rather than being explanatory text.

For example,

“Unread messages”
“Only the future was murky”
“The final promise”

These are the kinds of short phrases I used.

I felt that placing short words rather than long explanations makes it easier for the lingering effect of the video to remain.

I also tried using template text

I also used FlexClip's template text.

These kinds of templates can sometimes feel a bit out of place if you use them as they are.

However, if you adjust them well, they are quite convenient.

Especially for short videos,
the readability changes significantly depending on the position and size of the text.

Since many people watch on smartphones,
if it's too small, it's unreadable.
If it's too big, it ruins the video.

This balance is really difficult, isn't it?

"I want it to look stylish."
"But if it's unreadable, it's pointless."
"But if I make it too big, it ruins the vibe."

It's a three-way standoff.

It's the Three Kingdoms of the subtitle world.

Using template text is great because
it's already somewhat balanced from the start,
so it's easy to adjust it to fit your own work.

Honestly, making a short after finishing the main video is exhausting.

If you make AI MVs, I think you'll understand,
but just making the main video takes a lot of energy.

Thinking of prompts,
creating key visuals,
storyboarding,
generating video,
selecting usable cuts,
editing,
syncing to the music,
adding subtitles,
and finally exporting.

At this point, you've already been through quite a battle.

And then, once it's finished, comes the question:
"How should I promote it?"
is what happens.

Telling yourself at this stage,
"Okay, let's make a short too,"
is pretty brutal.

My HP is at 3.
Actually, I don't really like HP metaphors, so let me rephrase that.

The energy I have left is about as much as the dregs of a cold cup of coffee.

But, you need a short to get people to watch it.

That's why I'm grateful that Long to Short can provide candidates for me.

Instead of thinking from scratch about "what to cut?"
there are already candidates.
There are scores.
It even highlights the best parts of the lyrics.

This alone is a huge help.

Long to Short is useful for "creating an entrance to the main video"

What I thought after actually using it is that
Long to Short isn't just a feature for shortening long videos,
but it's powerful when used as a feature to create an entrance to get people to watch the main video.

When you make an AI MV, you inevitably pour all your effort into the main video.

However, to get people to watch it on social media,
you need an "entry point" separate from the main video.

By creating short promotional clips from a long music video like I did this time,
it becomes easier to drive traffic to the main video on X, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.

Moreover, it wasn't just about clipping; I liked that I could add subtitles and template text
to make it easy to watch as a short-form video.
It was great.

I felt it was particularly well-suited
for atmosphere-focused AI music videos like this one.

In the main video, you show the world-building in detail.
In the short, you show the most compelling parts in an instant.

Being able to divide roles like this makes posting much easier.

I think it's a great fit for people who make AI music videos.

I think Long to Short is a great fit for those who make AI videos and AI music videos.
The reason is simple:

AI music videos have a high density of information in the main content.

The texture of the visuals, the characters, the world-building, the story, and the music.
The more you obsess over these details, the harder it becomes to promote.

You want people to watch the main video.
But before they watch it, you have to get them interested first.

As a workflow for creating short promotional clips for that purpose,
FlexClip's Long to Short was quite easy to use.

What I found convenient this time was:

• It's easy to create promotional shorts from long music videos

• It generates multiple candidates for shorts

• You can see a viral potential score for each candidate

• It's easy to find parts with strong lyrics or visual hooks

• You can polish subtitles with new fonts

• It's easy to create a presentation style with template text

• It's easy to summarize content for X and TikTok

• You can promote it without breaking the world of the main video

It's around here.

In particular, I think it's a godsend for people who say,
“I made the main video, but I don't have the energy left to make a promotional video.”

Creators after finishing a main video are usually leaning back in their chairs, staring at the ceiling.

Opening the editing software again from there takes quite a bit of willpower.

Summary

This time, I used FlexClip's Long to Short to create a promotional short clip from the AI MV “The Last Promise - Rainy Last Train Platform”.

By not just finishing after making the main video, but also creating short announcements, you can increase the entry points for people to see it on social media.

What I did this time was:

• Create short candidates from the main MV using Long to Short

• Check the clip candidates by referring to the viral potential score

• Add subtitles with a new font

• Edit using template text

• Adjust as a promotional clip for X and TikTok

That is the flow.

Once you've made a long-form MV, don't just post it as is; make a short announcement as a set.

To get people to watch AI videos from now on, this flow seems to be quite important.

So, even after burning out from making the main video, I plan to fight the second round with the help of FlexClip.

For video posting, the real work starts after completion.

Today, too, the creator is thinking about the next post while being swayed on the rainy last train.

Created by Ukiyo