Learn how to use Ekly's Prompt Edit feature to modify existing video clips by selecting timeline ranges, entering text prompts, generating AI edits, and stitching changes onto your video timeline.
Start a Prompt Edit project
- 1
Start a new Prompt Edit project
From the Prompt Edit dashboard, click New Prompt Edit in the top-right corner.
New Prompt Edit buttonTop right corner of the dashboard screenEkly Prompt Edit Dashboard
Step 1watch this step ↗ “So the first step is we upload the video that we want to edit.”
- 2
Choose your source video
Prompt Edit works on a clip you already have. Click the upload area in the middle of the dialog to pick one.
Choose or upload a video buttonCenter of the Start with one source video modalStart with one source video Modal
Step 2watch this step ↗ “So I'll just use a video.”
- 3
Upload from your device
You can pull from your workspace or the platform library, but here we're uploading a local file — click Choose Files.
Choose Files buttonCenter area of the Select Video modal dialogSelect Video Modal
Step 3watch this step ↗ “So I'll just use a video.”
- 4
Pick the clip you want to change
Select the video in the file picker and open it. This is the take that stays intact underneath every edit.
girl_on_skates.mp4 file item and Open buttonBottom right of the macOS file picker windowmacOS File Picker Dialog
Step 4watch this step ↗ “So I'll just use a video.”
- 5
Open it in the cutting room
Give the project a name if you want one, then click Open Prompt Edit to load the clip into the editor.
Open Prompt Edit buttonBottom center of the Start with one source video modalStart with one source video Modal
Step 5watch this step ↗ “So you can see this is a perfectly fine video.”
Mark the range and describe the change
- 6
Check the clip loaded correctly
The player and the frame-by-frame timeline appear together. Scrub once to confirm you're working on the right take.
Play button under video preview playerCenter area beneath the vertical video preview playerEkly Prompt Edit Workspace
Step 6watch this step ↗ “Now, the only thing that I want to change in this video is I want the girl to wear a hat.”
- 7
Mark the range you want to change
Drag across the timeline to select only the moment that should change. Everything outside the range stays exactly as filmed.
Timeline selection range handleBottom timeline track of the video editorEkly Prompt Edit Workspace
Step 7watch this step ↗ “So the first step is we select the section of the timeline that we want to edit.”
- 8
Describe the change in plain words
Say what should be different, not what the shot already contains — here, "I want the girl to wear a red hat".
Describe only what should change in this moment... text areaInside the Describe this change popover box above the timelineDescribe this change Popover
Step 8watch this step ↗ “So I will select that area, and I will describe my change.”
- 9
Decide what happens to the audio
Keep the original audio, or turn on lip sync when the change affects someone who is speaking.
Lip sync tabTop tab bar of the popover dialog box next to Video edit tabLip sync this range Popover
Step 9watch this step ↗ “This feature also has an option to add lip sync, so this is also an option that you can use.”
- 10
Generate the new version
Click Generate. The original is untouched — this produces a separate version you can accept or throw away.
Generate buttonBottom right of the prompt popover boxDescribe this change Popover
Step 10watch this step ↗ “For now, we'll just stick with the hat prompt. So let's hit Generate.”
Review the result and keep it
- 11
Watch the result before you commit
The generated clip appears on its own track. Toggle it on to compare the new version against the original.
Active preview track bar on timelineBottom timeline section displaying PREVIEWING 1 CHANGE barEkly Prompt Edit Workspace
Step 11watch this step ↗ “We have our result. Let's see it.”
- 12
Keep the take
Happy with it? Click the checkmark on the generated clip to stitch it back over the original timeline.
Checkmark icon button on generated clip overlayBottom right of the generated clip selection overlay on timelineEkly Prompt Edit Workspace
Step 12watch this step ↗ “So when you're happy with the result, you can just use this to stitch this video on top of your original video.”
- 13
Play it back end to end
Run the whole video once more to confirm the edit sits cleanly inside the shot around it.
Play button under video previewCenter area beneath video canvas and right Generations panel showing ACCEPTED statusEkly Prompt Edit Workspace
Step 13watch this step ↗ “Yeah. So this is how you use prompt edit in Ekly to edit an existing video. Thank you.”