talking-head-guide

# Talking Head Video Editing

## What this skill covers

**Required input**: an existing talking-head / 口播 video uploaded to the project. If the user wants to start without one (e.g., generate a fresh talking-head from scratch), this skill doesn't apply.

**When the user enters this workflow without a source video uploaded yet, ask via a widget surface — bundle the file upload with the treatment selection in one flow**, not two separate turns or a markdown "drag your file in" instruction. Load `widget-forms` for the host-specific route. Never tell the user to "拖进编辑器" / "点击素材库的上传按钮"; that's friction with no upside.

When the task creates or targets a OpenChatCut project for the user, surface the editor link early so they can watch progress, and re-confirm the visible editor matches the project before final delivery.

Independent treatments that can be applied to talking-head videos. Pick the ones that match what the user wants — not all are needed every time.

- **A-roll editing** (中文称 **语音剪辑** / 含 **去口癖、停顿、重复**) — transcript-based speech editing. Common operations include cleanup, highlight extraction, restructure, opening hook, and others as needed for the aligned outcome.
- **Motion graphics overlay** (英文展示给用户时写全称 **Motion Graphics**，不要缩成 "MG"；中文产品术语固定为 **MG 动画**——不要叫"动效""字幕条""动态字幕"等其它说法) — reinforce key information, structured content, and topic transitions with on-screen motion graphics
- **B-roll** (industry term — keep as "B-roll" in any language, do not translate) — cover jump cuts or visualize what's being said
- **Background music** (中文 **背景音乐**) — set mood and smooth micro-gaps
- **Captions** (中文 **字幕**) — on-screen text for accessibility
- **AI Voice Isolation** (中文 **AI 人声隔离**) — clean or isolate spoken human voice with DeepFilterNet3, picture untouched. See the `voice-isolation` skill.

> 用户语言为中文时，在 widget options / choices options / 对话文案里**严格使用上面括号里的产品术语**——别自己再翻译一遍，会跟产品其它地方对不上。

## What shapes the edit

Beyond picking treatments, a talking-head edit is shaped by several orthogonal variables. When the user's ask is vague, these are what's worth clarifying first:

- **Target** — platform (YouTube / TikTok / Shorts / ...), desired length, aspect ratio
- **Which treatments to apply** — the treatments above are optional; don't assume all of them apply
- **Pacing / tone** — tight / energetic / formal / casual; brand or voice preferences if stated. (For MG visual style, follow the active Motion Graphics skill/workflow.)

When more than one of these variables is missing, ask with one form after loading `widget-forms`. Do not ask markdown numbered questions and then append `<choices/>` for only one part of the same intake.

## Order of execution

When multiple treatments have been aligned with the user, they depend on each other and must be finalized in dependency order. This section is **only relevant after alignment** — it doesn't tell you what to start with on a fresh request.

The speech timing (set by A-roll editing) anchors everything downstream — MG placement, B-roll cut-covers, music duration, and caption sync all reference the final speech timeline.

So: finalize A-roll editing before committing any visual, audio, or text layer. Don't write captions against pre-edit speech, don't cut music to pre-edit length, don't place MG against timing that will shift.

**You must confirm the result with the user after each major step before starting the next**, unless the user has explicitly asked to run end-to-end without stopping. Key checkpoints when multiple treatments apply: after A-roll editing finalizes the speech timing; before MG generation (confirm style and direction, and, when it isn't obvious, whether it sits over the video as an overlay or takes the whole frame); after MG generation; same pattern for B-roll, music, and captions. **Don't bundle multiple checkpoints into one response — confirm each step separately.** An upstream mistake forces redoing everything downstream (e.g., MG placed against pre-cleanup timing must be regenerated when the timeline shifts).

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## A-roll editing

### Scenario

In a talking-head workflow, the first step is usually A-roll editing: editing the original spoken footage.

A-roll edits are ultimately applied to the timeline and change what the viewer actually hears and sees. However, the editing decisions should usually start from the transcript, because the core question is: what spoken content should the viewer hear, and what should be removed, compressed, or reordered?

### Common A-roll tasks

A-roll editing is not only cleanup. First decide what spoken-content task the user is asking for, then choose the editing strategy and tools.

Common tasks:

- **Cleanup** — remove mistakes, repeated attempts, verbal habits, filler words, and meaningless pauses so the speech becomes clearer and more natural.
- **Highlight extraction** — pull the most valuable, opinionated, emotional, or topic-relevant moments from longer footage.
- **Restructure** — reorder spoken content, such as moving the conclusion earlier, grouping by topic, or combining scattered parts into a clearer structure.
- **Hook / short version** — use a strong claim, result, conflict, or question from the source as the opening, or compress long content into a shorter version.
- **Target-script / script alignment** — match, keep, and reorder spoken content according to a user-provided target script, target paragraph, or desired content.

Cleanup is the most common task and the one most likely to fail from bad boundary decisions. It is described in detail below. Other tasks get shorter rules, but still follow the shared A-roll principles: complete meaning, clear boundaries, and natural listening flow.

### Shared A-roll principles

These principles apply to all A-roll tasks, not only cleanup.

- **Decide the task before choosing the tool.** Do not let tool availability change the editing strategy.
- **Edit by complete semantic units.** Whenever possible, move/delete/keep complete sen