Upload your clips, describe the video you want, and Novacut edits a first cut you can keep refining. It uses both what is said and what is shown in your footage.

## Steps

1. Click **New Project**.
2. Drop your files onto the page, or click **Browse**. You can mix videos, audio and images.
3. Make sure the clips you want are selected. New uploads are selected automatically.
4. Describe the video in the box at the bottom right: the format, the length, what to keep and how it should feel.
5. Click send. You don't have to wait for uploads to finish; Novacut starts as soon as your footage is ready.
6. The project opens straight away. You can watch the timeline fill in while Novacut builds the cut.
7. When it finishes, the chat explains what it made. Press play to review it.

## Good first prompts

- "Make a 30 second vertical listing reel for Instagram. Open on the pool deck, walk through the kitchen, living room and bedroom, and end back outside. Keep it calm and elegant."
- "Make a 90 second widescreen highlight of this podcast for YouTube. Keep the clearest explanations and the funniest moments."
- "Make a 60 second travel recap cut to the music, with scenic shots, food and reactions."

## What to expect

- Analysis takes a few minutes for short clips and longer for hours of footage. The first cut is built as soon as it's done.
- The first cut is a strong starting point, not a final video. Ask for changes in chat or edit the timeline directly, then export.
- If Novacut can't find what you asked for in the footage, it asks you a question instead of guessing.

## Related

- [How to write a good edit prompt](/help/how-to-write-edit-prompt)
- [How to revise an edit with chat](/help/how-to-revise-edit-with-chat)
- [How to upload and manage footage](/help/how-to-upload-and-manage-footage)