# How to make videos with Claude (easy and pro ways)

Updated: 2026-10-31 · URL: https://www.toppost.ai/blog/how-to-make-videos-with-claude/

To make videos with Claude, pick a route. The easy way is TopPost: connect it to Claude with one link and everything runs in the cloud, with nothing to install. The pro way is HyperFrames: install Node, FFmpeg and its skills on your own machine and render locally. Here are the steps for both, what Claude is bad at, and which route suits your skill level.

**Key takeaways**

- Claude can't generate realistic footage and has no video timeline of its own, so getting started means picking a tool to work alongside it.
- The easy way is TopPost: connect it to Claude once with a link, and it all runs in the cloud. No terminal, nothing to install.
- The pro way is HyperFrames: install Node, FFmpeg and its skills, then build and render on your own machine. More control and long-form video, but more setup and more software on your computer.
- Both work in plain English, and both give better results when you hand Claude a reference. Unprompted, Claude's design looks generic.
- If you're just starting, begin with the easy way. If you're a developer who wants control, go pro in a sandbox.

So Claude can make videos. Good. Now you're looking at a blank chat and the real question is where to start.

There's an easy way and a pro way. Which one you pick depends on how much of your computer you want to hand over. We'll walk through both, easy way first, because we think it's the right start for most people. We built it, so we're biased, and we'll say where it stops.

## What is Claude bad at, and what does that mean for getting started?

Claude is bad at two things that decide your route. It can't generate realistic footage, like people or a creative cat video. And it has no video timeline of its own. Both mean you need a tool working alongside it.

A few more things to know before you start:

- Claude builds video from code instead, so it's good at motion graphics, animated slideshows and explainers. It's much weaker at anything that needs a video model.
- Straight out of the gate, its design looks generic. Give it a reference and a clear brief and it gets very good.
- Claude is a helpful installer, and it can add more software than you asked for.

We cover this in full in [Can Claude make videos?](https://www.toppost.ai/blog/can-claude-make-videos/). For now, the takeaway is that starting is really a choice of tool.

## Which way should you start, the easy way or the pro way?

Start easy unless you have a reason not to. Here's how the two compare.

| | The easy way: TopPost | The pro way: HyperFrames |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | In TopPost's cloud | On your own machine |
| Setup | Connect Claude with one link | Install Node, FFmpeg and its skills |
| Terminal | Not needed | Needed |
| Best for | Short-form videos and a posting pipeline | Long-form and custom animation |
| Watch for | Vertical short-form only | A lot of new software on your computer |

If you're just getting started, take the easy way. If you're a developer who wants full control, or you need long-form video, take the pro way, in a sandbox.

## How do you get started the easy way, with TopPost?

Connect TopPost to Claude once, then ask for videos in plain English. It's a connection, not an install, so nothing gets downloaded to your machine.

1. Make a TopPost account at [app.toppost.ai](https://app.toppost.ai).
2. Create an API key on the Integrations page. Treat it like a password.
3. Add TopPost to Claude. In Claude Code it's one command. In a Claude app, you add a custom connector (an MCP) and give it TopPost's link, `https://app.toppost.ai/api/mcp`, with your key in the request header. Anthropic's help page says custom connectors can take a key that way, but we haven't tested it in claude.ai, so Claude Code is the route we've confirmed.

For Claude Code, run this:

Connect TopPost to Claude Code ([create an API key](https://app.toppost.ai/integrations) first):

```
claude mcp add --transport http toppost https://app.toppost.ai/api/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer <your API key>"
```

Any other MCP client: endpoint `https://app.toppost.ai/api/mcp` (streamable HTTP), header `Authorization: Bearer <your API key>`.

4. Upload a few clips, in the TopPost app or through Claude.
5. Ask for the video. This is an example of what to type, not a result we've shown you:

> Take the three clips I uploaded, cut them to the best 30 seconds, add captions and a title card, and render it.

6. Review it. TopPost renders in its cloud, you can send a review link, tweak by chat and put the winner on the calendar.

That's how it works. After you connect once, Claude talks to TopPost's 45 tools over the link: it uploads, edits, captions and renders, all in the cloud. Nothing lands on your computer, so there's nothing extra to install or trust.

You don't have to use Claude at all. The same agent edits by chat in the TopPost app, with no terminal anywhere.

If vertical shorts from your own clips is the job, [create a TopPost account](https://app.toppost.ai) and connect it. If you'd like to see the editor first, [how it works](https://www.toppost.ai/how-it-works/) walks through it, and the [MCP page](https://www.toppost.ai/mcp/) has the setup details.

Two things to know. The MCP may ask for a paid plan right now, so check [pricing](https://www.toppost.ai/pricing/). And it's built for short-form: vertical videos up to about two minutes, from real footage you upload. It isn't text-to-video, and it isn't a long-form tool.

## How do you get started the pro way, with HyperFrames?

Install HyperFrames into a project folder, then ask Claude Code to build the video. It runs on your own machine, so you set up Node, FFmpeg and its skills first. HyperFrames is open source and comes from HeyGen.

1. Install Node.js 22 or newer, and FFmpeg.
2. Make a project folder and open Claude Code in it.
3. Install HyperFrames. Either add the plugin:

```
claude plugin marketplace add heygen-com/hyperframes
claude plugin install hyperframes@hyperframes
```

Or install the skills from your project folder, and choose Core Skills when the picker opens:

```
npx skills add heygen-com/hyperframes
```

4. Ask Claude Code to build something with the HyperFrames skill. Its own quickstart suggests a short product intro for your website's address. Claude creates the project and opens a preview in your browser.
5. Preview and render. To reopen the preview, and then make the video file, run these in the project folder:

```
npx hyperframes preview
npx hyperframes render
```

Render gives you an MP4.

Here's what happens on your machine. The first run pulls the HyperFrames skills and packages onto your computer, and in our experience your agent then adds more as it goes: tools, helpers and config you didn't ask for. HyperFrames is a trusted project and we think it's pretty safe, but it is a lot of new software. Use a fresh folder or a container.

Do you need to log in? Not for the terminal route, according to HyperFrames' own quickstart. A free HeyGen account is for its Studio app and its Claude.ai connector, which build and render in HeyGen's cloud. We haven't tried either, so check their docs, because the steps change.

For a closer look at the trade-offs, see [TopPost vs HyperFrames](https://www.toppost.ai/compare/toppost-vs-hyperframes/).

## How do you get better videos from either route?

Give Claude something to copy. It's excellent at matching a reference, and its design is only generic when you leave it unprompted.

- Show it a video you like, a brand page or a screenshot of a style.
- Say who the video is for and what it should make them do, in one sentence.
- Ask for one change at a time, then render again.
- In TopPost, start from a template or one of your past videos, and it matches the look and pacing.

## What should you be careful about when you set up?

Be careful what you let Claude download. Untrusted skills, repos and web pages can carry prompt injection, which steers the agent into running things you didn't ask for.

- Stick to projects you trust, and read what Claude asks to install before you approve it.
- Work in a fresh folder, a container or a spare machine.
- Keep real API keys out of project folders, and treat your TopPost key like a password.

## What does it cost to get started?

Starting is cheap either way, and "free" has small print.

- **TopPost:** there's a free plan. Edits made by your own AI use no TopPost credits, and storage is the charge. The MCP may ask for a paid plan right now, so see [pricing](https://www.toppost.ai/pricing/).
- **HyperFrames:** it's open source, but Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan or API credit. The Studio app wants a free HeyGen account.

## What should you do next?

Pick the route for where you are. If you're new, make a TopPost account and give it three clips. If you're comfortable in a terminal and want control, set up HyperFrames in a sandbox and try a ten-second video first.

We haven't recorded a full run of Claude editing through TopPost yet, so the steps above show the real setup but no results. Come back and tell us what broke, and that's how this guide gets its missing proof.

## How to make videos with Claude (easy and pro ways): frequently asked questions

### How do I get started making videos with Claude?

Pick a route. The easy way is to connect TopPost to Claude and ask for videos in plain English: you make an account, create an API key and add TopPost's link. The pro way is to install HyperFrames in a project folder and ask Claude Code to build the video, which needs Node.js 22 or newer and FFmpeg.

### What's the easiest way to make videos with Claude?

Connect a hosted video tool, so nothing runs on your computer. TopPost is one: you add its link once, and Claude edits your footage in TopPost's cloud. You can also skip Claude and use the same agent by chat in TopPost's own app.

### Do I need to code or use a terminal?

Not for the easy way. For the pro way, yes: you install tools, run commands and approve what Claude Code does. Claude writes the code for you, but you work in a terminal.

### How do I install HyperFrames for Claude Code?

Install Node.js 22 or newer and FFmpeg, then add HyperFrames to your project. Either install the plugin with 'claude plugin marketplace add heygen-com/hyperframes' and 'claude plugin install hyperframes@hyperframes', or run 'npx skills add heygen-com/hyperframes' in your project and choose Core Skills.

### Do I need a HeyGen account to use HyperFrames?

Not for the terminal route, according to HyperFrames' own quickstart. A free HeyGen account is for its Studio app and its Claude.ai connector, which build and render in HeyGen's cloud. We haven't tried those two.

### Can I use TopPost with claude.ai or Claude Desktop?

Officially, not yet. TopPost's MCP is API-key only and works in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code Copilot and Gemini CLI. Anthropic's custom connectors can send a fixed API key in the request headers, so it may work in claude.ai too. We haven't tested that, so we don't claim it.

### How much does it cost to start?

HyperFrames is open source, but you pay for your Claude plan or API credit. TopPost has a free plan, and edits made by your own AI use no TopPost credits, so storage is the charge. The MCP may currently ask for a paid plan, so check pricing.

### Is it safe to install HyperFrames or other skills?

HyperFrames is a trusted project, but any skill, repo or package you install adds software to your machine, and untrusted ones can carry prompt injection. Work in a fresh folder, read what you approve, and keep real API keys out of the project.

## Sources

- [HyperFrames on GitHub (HeyGen): README](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes) (checked 2026-10-31)
- [HyperFrames quickstart](https://hyperframes.heygen.com/quickstart) (checked 2026-10-31)
- [Anthropic Help: Get started with custom connectors using remote MCP](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-get-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp) (checked 2026-10-23)

## Ask AI about How to make videos with Claude (easy and pro ways)

Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Claude about https://www.toppost.ai/blog/how-to-make-videos-with-claude/.

## Related guides

- [All blog](https://www.toppost.ai/blog/): Browse every page in this section.
- [Can Claude make videos?](https://www.toppost.ai/blog/can-claude-make-videos/)
- [How TopPost's MCP works](https://www.toppost.ai/mcp/)
- [TopPost vs HyperFrames](https://www.toppost.ai/compare/toppost-vs-hyperframes/)

Use Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or another AI agent? Let it edit your videos with TopPost's video editing MCP. MCP URL: `https://app.toppost.ai/api/mcp`. [Connect the video editing MCP](https://www.toppost.ai/mcp/) · [Try TopPost](https://app.toppost.ai/)