How to turn a timed script into a video from your own clips
Ask ChatGPT for a TikTok script and you get something like "0-3s: hook, 3-8s: show the problem, 8-15s: the fix". It's a solid plan. Then you open an editor and spend half an hour turning those timestamps into cuts by hand.
The short answer
Paste the timed script into RawCut. It recognizes the timestamps, finds a moment in your own clips for each block and cuts it to exactly that length. A three-second hook stays three seconds.
What a timed script looks like
Each line starts with a time range and says what should be on screen:
- 0-3s: close-up of coffee being poured
- 3-7s: walking into the shop, opening the door
- 7-12s: hands decorating a cake
- 12-15s: the finished cake on the counter
RawCut reads the common ways of writing the time: 0-3s, 0:03-0:07 and 19-23s all work, so you can paste a script from ChatGPT, Claude or a creator template without reformatting it.
Add text on screen per block
Put On-screen: "the text" in a block and that text is burned into the video for exactly that block. Handy for a hook ("3 things nobody tells you about…"), a price or a step number.
No script yet? Let it write the blocks
Switch on Timed script on the create screen and the time blocks are laid out for the length you chose: a short opening, a longer middle and a quick ending. All you write is what happens in each block.
Write blocks your footage can answer
The matcher looks for what is shown or said in your clips, so describe the picture, not the edit:
- Works: "dog running on the beach", "me saying this is the best part".
- Doesn't: "dynamic transition", "build tension", "upbeat energy". There's nothing to see in those.
What to expect
- The timings win. In a timed script, the length of each block is followed exactly, so a spoken sentence can be cut off at the end of its block. If what you say matters more than the timing, use an ordinary script without timestamps. Then sentences are always kept whole.
- Short clips are reported. If the best clip for a block is shorter than the block, RawCut tells you, instead of padding it with something unrelated.
- Missing footage is named. A block nothing in your library fits is left out and listed, so you know what to film.
A timed script can run up to ten minutes, with up to two minutes per block. For TikTok and Reels, a handful of blocks is usually plenty.
Related guides
- Script to video with your own footage
- Video ideas from your own clips
- Make an Instagram Reel from your iPhone videos
Questions
How do I turn a ChatGPT script with timestamps into a video?
Paste it into RawCut. Lines like 0-3s or 0:03-0:07 are recognized as timed blocks, and each block is cut from your own clips at exactly that length.
Which timestamp formats does RawCut understand?
Common creator formats such as 0-3s, 0:03-0:07 and 19-23s. You can paste a script from ChatGPT, Claude or a template without reformatting it.
Can I add on-screen text to a block?
Yes. Add On-screen: "your text" to a block and that text is burned into the video for exactly that block.
Will RawCut cut off what I am saying to fit the timing?
In a timed script the block lengths are followed exactly, so speech can be cut at the end of a block. Use a script without timestamps when whole sentences matter more; then RawCut never cuts mid-sentence.
Free to try. iPhone, iOS 15 or later.