YouTube Chapter Clipper

Overview

Generate chapter clips from a YouTube video by downloading MP4 + English subtitles, segmenting content, cutting clips, and producing per-chapter English SRTs. Chapter length is user-selectable (1-2, 2-3, or 3-4 minutes).

Workflow

1) Use the automation script to reduce tokens

• Prefer scripts/smart_edit.py for end-to-end runs (download, chaptering, clip cut, subtitle slicing).
• The script uses heuristic chaptering to avoid AI token usage.
• Create and use a local venv (no external packages required):
  • python3 -m venv .venv
  • source .venv/bin/activate
  • python scripts/smart_edit.py --help
  • Speed-focused default: --mode fast (approximate cuts, faster encode, optional downscale).
  • Use --mode accurate when you need precise boundaries.