Making Videos? These 6 Skills Are All You Need!

The biggest time-waster in video production isn’t editing — it’s the repetitive grind of scripting, sourcing素材, subtitles, transcoding, and batch exporting.

Before, you might have had to juggle CapCut, Premiere Pro, subtitle tools, compression tools, and format converters, switching back and forth for ages.

Now, if you’re using AI coding agents like Codex, Claude Code, or Cursor, you can think differently:

Instead of asking AI to “directly generate blockbusters,” equip it with video-related Skills and let it handle the repetitive work in your video pipeline.

These 6 Skills cover most scenarios: text-to-video,素材 editing, subtitles/compression, batch generation, and science explainer animations.

They are:

1️⃣ HyperFrames 2️⃣ FFmpeg Skill 3️⃣ OpenMontage 4️⃣ Remotion Skills 5️⃣ Video-Use 6️⃣ Manim Skill

1️⃣ HyperFrames: Best for Text-to-Video & Social Media Content

HyperFrames is great for videos like:

• Product intro videos
• Text-to-dynamic video
• Knowledge card videos
• Webpage showcase videos
• AI tool recommendation videos
• Explanation videos without a human presenter

Its approach isn’t traditional editing — it uses web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JS to generate videos.

Think of it this way: Instead of “dragging on a timeline to make a video,” now you “describe the video with code.”

Good prompt examples:

• “Create a 60-second product introduction video using HyperFrames. First, describe the layout with HTML/CSS/JS, then generate the final video.”

Who is it for?

If you produce WeChat Official Account content, Xiaohongshu posts, AI tool recommendations, or SaaS product intros, HyperFrames will be very practical.

It’s great for “videos that look like animated design drafts,” not for editing real human footage.

2️⃣ FFmpeg Skill: The Swiss Army Knife of Video Processing — Learn It First

If you can only install one video-related skill first, I recommend FFmpeg.

It’s foundational and incredibly useful.

It can do:

• Video compression
• Video cropping
• Format conversion
• Audio extraction
• Video merging
• Adding subtitles
• Changing resolution
• Batch processing素材

For example, you have a 500MB video you want to compress to under 50MB; or you want to crop a horizontal video to vertical; or you want to batch-add subtitles to 20 videos. These tasks are perfect for having AI call FFmpeg.

You can ask like this:

• “Compress this 500MB MP4 video to under 50MB using FFmpeg, while keeping 1080p resolution. Output to output_compressed.mp4.”

In plain English: FFmpeg Skill isn’t the best, but it’s definitely the most commonly used.

3️⃣ OpenMontage: For a Complete Video Pipeline

OpenMontage is more like a “video production system” than a single small tool.

It’s ideal for needs like:

• “I have a topic. I want AI to break it down into script,素材, voiceover, subtitles, editing, and final video.”

It doesn’t just solve one part — it tries to string together the entire video production workflow.

Good prompt:

• “Using OpenMontage, create a complete pipeline for a 5-minute science explainer video on the topic ‘How Neural Networks Learn.’ Include script generation,素材 retrieval, TTS, subtitle generation, and final rendering.”

Who is it for?

For those who want an automated video pipeline, such as:

• AI short-video channels
• Knowledge/science accounts
• Product promo videos
• Automated content factories
• Batch-generated series videos

But be aware: OpenMontage is more engineering-oriented, not a one-click tool for beginners.

It has higher local environment requirements, typically involving Python, Node.js, FFmpeg, and API keys.

So beginners are not advised.

Suggested order:

1. Learn FFmpeg first
2. Check out Video-Use
3. Then, finally, explore OpenMontage

4️⃣ Remotion Skills: Great for Fixed-Format, Batch Videos

Remotion’s unique feature is making videos with React.

If you don’t know React, don’t worry — just remember this: Remotion is perfect for template-based, batch-processed, structurally fixed videos.

For example:

• Daily AI news digest
• Weekly tool rankings
• Product update videos
• Podcast clip packaging
• Course intros/outros
• Data visualization videos
• E-commerce product showcase videos

You just create a template once, then swap data, text, and images to generate batches.

Installation command reference:

npx skills add remotion-dev/skills

Good prompt:

• “Using Remotion, create a template for a ‘Weekly AI Tools’ video. It should include intro, tool cards (top 3 tools), and an outro. Variables: date, tool list. Generate a sample video with dummy data.”

If you make videos that “look the same every day but have different content,” Remotion is awesome.

5️⃣ Video-Use: Better for Live Footage, Interviews, and Talking Head Editing

Video-Use is closer to real-world editing scenarios.

For example, you have a bunch of素材:

• Talking head videos
• Interview videos
• Tutorial screencasts
• Travel素材
• Event footage
• Product demos

You want AI to cut a final video out of them.

Its approach: put your素材 in a folder, let the Agent read, analyze, and edit, then output final.mp4.

Good prompt:

• “Using Video-Use, process all video clips in the /input folder. I want a final video with: best takes selected, cross transitions, background music from /music, and English subtitles. Output to /output/final.mp4.”

Who is it for?

• Real-person talking head bloggers
• Knowledge-based creators
• Interview content
• Tutorial content
• People with lots of素材 but don’t want to manually rough-cut

But let’s be honest: Video-Use is not magic. If素材 quality is poor, audio is messy, or content lacks focus, AI can’t save it.

It’s better for rough cutting, organizing, subtitles, and basic packaging — not a replacement for a professional director.

6️⃣ Manim Skill: Specialized for Math, Science, and Tech Explainer Animations

Manim Skill is perfect for explanatory animations.

Like:

• Math formula derivation
• AI concept explanation
• Algorithm visualization
• Science/tech科普
• Physics animations
• Process/logic flow demonstrations

Its signature style is that “3Blue1Brown-style” math animation.

Good prompt:

• “Using Manim, create a 2-minute animation explaining the concept of ‘Gradient Descent.’ Show a 3D surface plot, the path of optimization, and key points. Background music should be subtle.”

Who is it for?

If you create tech, AI, coding, math, or科普 content, Manim Skill is a great fit.

But if you’re only cutting talking-head videos, it’s not the first choice.

Manim is not an editing tool — it’s an explanatory animation tool.

How Should Beginners Choose?

Don’t install all 6 at once — installing doesn’t mean you can use them.

Choose based on your scenario:

• Text-to-video: HyperFrames
• Compression, cropping, conversion, subtitles: FFmpeg Skill
• Complete video pipeline: OpenMontage
• Fixed-format, batch videos: Remotion Skills
• Rough cutting real素材: Video-Use
• Math, science,科普 animation: Manim Skill

Best learning order for beginners:

1. First, learn FFmpeg Skill — most practical.
2. Then, learn Video-Use — closest to real editing.
3. Then, learn Remotion — great for batch series.
4. Finally, explore OpenMontage, HyperFrames, and Manim.

What Do You Need to Prepare Before Installing?

At minimum, have these basic environments:

• Node.js
• Git
• FFmpeg
• An AI coding agent like Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor
• Some tools may also require Python or API keys

Beginners can start with these two commands:

npx skills add heygen-com/hyperframes
npx skills add remotion-dev/skills

If you want to try OpenMontage, refer to:

git clone https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage.git
cd OpenMontage
make setup

Windows users: if make doesn’t work, prioritize reading the project README for the Windows PowerShell installation method — don’t blindly copy macOS commands.

Final Honest Words

These 6 Skills don’t mean “once you install them, you automatically become a video pro.”

What they truly solve are:

• Repetitive editing
• Batch transcoding
• Subtitle processing
• Template generation
• 素材 rough cutting
• 科普 animations
• Video workflow automation

AI isn’t here to replace your taste or your topic choices. AI is better at automating repetitive tasks and lowering technical barriers.