Why Podcast Creators Need an AI Clip Tool

A typical podcast recording runs 30–90 minutes, but the clips that actually spread on social media are usually 30–90 seconds. Finding those moments manually means scrubbing through footage repeatedly — slow and exhausting. CutFast uses AI subtitle recognition and highlight-selection to compress that process to under 5 minutes.

This is a full quickstart walkthrough for podcast creators: from import to export in four steps.

Step 1: Import Your Podcast Recording

Open cutfa.st — drag-and-drop or paste a link:

Local files: MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A — drag directly into the browser window
Online links: paste YouTube, Spotify podcast, or other platform links — auto-downloaded and transcribed
Zoom recordings: paste a Zoom Cloud recording link directly

After upload, CutFast auto-generates a timestamped subtitle track. A 30-minute recording typically transcribes in 2–3 minutes.

Step 2: AI Clip Recommendations + Manual Highlighting

This is CutFast’s core differentiator:

AI auto-recommends 8–15 “high-distribution-potential” subtitle segments (scored on emotional intensity, opinion density, and topic completeness)
Manual highlight: drag-select any subtitle segment to mark it for keeping — like highlighting a textbook passage
Preview: click any segment to instantly preview the corresponding video frame

Common podcaster selection strategies:

Guest soundbites (sharp opinion, contrast or tension)
Opening hook (first 15 seconds that grab attention)
Data points or counterintuitive conclusions (“90% of people don’t know…” format)

Step 3: Caption Style

After confirming selections, enter the caption style editor:

Font and color: 10+ preset styles (white text with black stroke, gradient color blocks, etc.) plus full customization
Bilingual captions: enable translation to generate original + translated two-line captions simultaneously — ideal for cross-language distribution
Position: drag anywhere on the frame; default is bottom-center

Step 4: Multi-Aspect Batch Export

CutFast exports three aspect ratios in one operation:

Ratio	Platform
9:16 vertical	TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts
1:1 square	Instagram Feed, Twitter
16:9 horizontal	YouTube, LinkedIn, podcast video

Check the ratios you need, click Export, and the system handles cropping and caption repositioning automatically. Free tier: 3 exports per day, no watermark.

Common Questions

Q: Does poor recording quality affect subtitle accuracy?

Somewhat — but CutFast’s noise-reduction pre-processing handles light-to-moderate background noise. For severely degraded recordings, run through Adobe Podcast Enhance or Auphonic first.

Q: Can I only clip one segment per session?

No. Import the full recording, then select multiple non-consecutive subtitle segments in a single session — they’ll batch-generate as separate clips.

Q: Is the free tier enough?

3 exports/day comfortably covers a weekly 3-shorts cadence. For higher volume, pay-as-you-go is $0.5/min with no monthly commitment.

Next Steps

Open cutfa.st, drag in a podcast recording, and have your first AI clip in under 5 minutes.

CutFast Team