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video-edit-eval — Handoff

URL: https://mkdocs.justinsforge.com/memory/handoffs/video-edit-eval-2026-05-02/

Date: 2026-05-02 Owner: Whichever fresh session Justin opens next on this topic. Parent session: Initial scoping + Hyperframes Round 1 + hub build (this session, 2026-05-02).

The Goal

Evaluate the AI-driven video editing landscape end-to-end, in 4 to 5 hands-on rounds, then commit to a stack.

Workloads Justin actually has: 1. Motion graphics interstitials between video segments. 2. Templated Instagram product reels and stories. 3. Real edits from raw footage (trim, captions, B-roll).

The eval informs: which combination of tools (programmatic renderer + NLE bridge + AI video gen) becomes the forge-canonical video stack.

Current State

Round 1: Hyperframes — DONE (winner candidate)

  • Project at forge/data/video-edit-eval/round1-hyperframes/longform-biggest-bass/.
  • Composition: 1920x1080, 9 seconds, "Largest Largemouth Caught by Year" — bar chart, oldest-left, 0.25s stagger, 2009 Kurita red, 2006 Weakley purple.
  • Lint clean, layout clean.
  • Live at https://hyperframes.justinsforge.com/projects/longform-biggest-bass.
  • NOT yet rendered to MP4. Easy: cd longform-biggest-bass && npm run render.

Round 2: Remotion — IN PROGRESS

  • Project at forge/data/video-edit-eval/round2-remotion/test-project/.
  • Live at https://remotion.justinsforge.com/.
  • Spawned worker: remotion-expert_Opus47 at https://claude.ai/code/session_01Ak3EGFcu82qkmXQ677rRQk.
  • Already produced the build per the eval scratchpad (Round 2 section is filled in). MP4 at round2-remotion/test-project/out/biggest-bass.mp4. Conclusion in the scratchpad: Remotion produced fewer agent-visible errors than Hyperframes on this build (TS catches typos, native data loop, per-frame numeric timing).
  • Open question: does Justin want to verify the conclusion himself or accept it.

Round 3: Premiere via community MCP — PREP DONE, NOT INSTALLED

  • Owner: NLE expert spawn at https://claude.ai/code/session_012yuERJM65CEedqtHMRrQe9 (nle-expert_Opus47).
  • Tool: hetpatel-11/Adobe_Premiere_Pro_MCP (97 tools, ExtendScript+UXP bridge).
  • Prep written into forge/data/video-edit-eval/notes/eval-template.md Round 3 section.
  • Blocked on Justin: ready to install when he says go. Install happens on Sol (Mac with Premiere via CC).

Round 4: Premiere via official Adobe Claude connector — PREP DONE, NOT ENABLED

  • Owner: same NLE expert.
  • Adobe-Claude connector (April 28 2026 release). Web-UI only on claude.ai.
  • Prep written into eval scratchpad Round 4. Includes step-by-step "Justin enables in browser" instructions.
  • Blocked on Justin: he needs to enable from claude.ai → Settings → Connectors. Then test from a browser session on Sol.

Round 5: DaVinci Resolve MCP — DEFERRED

  • Tool: samuelgursky/davinci-resolve-mcp (354 tools, mature) is the recommended starting point.
  • Requires Resolve Studio ($295 one-time). Justin has NOT bought it.
  • Prep notes in eval scratchpad. Wait for explicit go.

Files You'll Work With

File Purpose
forge/memory/research/ai-video-editing-and-creating-landscape-2026-05-02.md Deep sourced research, 30KB. The ground truth for tool comparison.
forge/data/video-edit-eval/notes/eval-template.md Eval scratchpad. Rounds 1-5 each have a section. Update with findings as you go.
forge/data/video-edit-eval/round1-hyperframes/longform-biggest-bass/index.html The reference Hyperframes build.
forge/data/video-edit-eval/round2-remotion/test-project/src/ The Remotion competitor build.
forge/memory/general/reference_hyperframes_hub.md How the Hyperframes hub works (Flask app, systemd, Cloudflare).

Spawned workers (still alive)

Session Model URL What it does
remotion-expert_Opus47 claude-opus-4-7 https://claude.ai/code/session_01Ak3EGFcu82qkmXQ677rRQk Remotion expert, owns Round 2
nle-expert_Opus47 claude-opus-4-7 https://claude.ai/code/session_012yuERJM65CEedqtHMRrQe9 Premiere/Resolve expert, owns Rounds 3-5

To resume one, open the URL. To kill: tmux -L spawn-<name> kill-session -t <name>.

Likely Approach (when you pick this back up)

  1. Justin tells you which round to run, or asks for an updated decision.
  2. Read this handoff + eval-template.md first.
  3. If continuing Hyperframes (Round 1 followups, more projects, hub features): work in this session with /hyperframenewproject and the project page reprompt loop.
  4. If running Round 3/4/5: ping the existing nle-expert_Opus47 session (don't spawn a new one).
  5. If continuing Round 2: ping the existing remotion-expert_Opus47 session.
  6. After every round, update the eval scratchpad with concrete findings. Don't skip the scoring axes (setup time, first-try success, iteration speed, quality, token cost, brittleness).

Don't Do

  • Don't buy Resolve Studio ($295) without explicit Justin OK.
  • Don't enable cloud APIs (Sora 2, Veo 3, Kling, ElevenLabs Scribe) without explicit OK. Per feedback_subscription_over_api_for_automation, default is subscription quota only.
  • Don't try to drive the official Adobe-Claude connector from Claude Code CLI. It is web-only on claude.ai.
  • Don't change the home button rule: every forge-authored x.justinsforge.com page links home (or has the link in a drawer).
  • Don't skip lint. Hyperframes projects must npm run check clean before claiming done.

Deliverables

  1. Final stack recommendation: programmatic renderer + NLE bridge + (optional) AI B-roll generator.
  2. The 4-round eval scratchpad with all sections filled.
  3. Either committed forge skills for the chosen stack, OR a clear "we're not committing yet because X."

Done When

  • All 4 main rounds (Hyperframes, Remotion, Premiere community MCP, Adobe official connector) have hands-on findings in the scratchpad.
  • Resolve round (5) decided: ran or explicitly skipped.
  • Justin says "I'm picking X going forward" and the doctrine memory is updated.
  • This handoff is closed by either deleting it or marking it "[done]" at the top.

Quick orientation for a fresh Claude session

You're picking up Justin's video-edit eval. Read in this order:
1. forge/memory/handoffs/video-edit-eval-2026-05-02.md (this file)
2. forge/data/video-edit-eval/notes/eval-template.md (current scoring)
3. forge/memory/research/ai-video-editing-and-creating-landscape-2026-05-02.md (background)
4. forge/memory/general/reference_hyperframes_hub.md (hub architecture if touching the hub)
Then ask Justin which round to run, or what he wants to do.

[Claude Code]