> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.guin.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How Guin works: from raw footage to a final cut

> What Guin does with your footage after you upload it, how it builds an edit, and where you stay in control.

Most clip tools read the transcript and cut around the words. Guin watches the footage itself: who is in the frame, what is happening, and which moments matter. That is why a request like "the best moments from the food tour" works without tags, labels, or timestamps.

## What happens after you upload

Every file you upload is prepared automatically, before you ask for anything.

<Steps>
  <Step title="It makes the file easy to work with">
    Guin creates a lightweight copy for smooth playback in the browser and keeps your original for full-quality export.
  </Step>

  <Step title="It transcribes the audio">
    Speech is transcribed with word-level timing and speaker detection. This powers captions, transcript search, and cuts that land between words.
  </Step>

  <Step title="It finds the shots">
    Guin detects where the camera cuts and picks representative frames, so it can reason about shots and not only about sentences.
  </Step>

  <Step title="It watches and listens">
    Guin notes what it sees in each shot and what it hears beyond speech. It then writes a chaptered summary of the whole file.
  </Step>
</Steps>

You will see these stages on a file while it is being prepared: *processing footage*, *transcribing*, *analyzing footage*, *finding shots*, then **Ready**.

## How an edit gets made

Once your footage is ready, you ask for what you need. Guin works in the open and checks in before it commits.

1. **It reads your request against the footage.** It searches the transcript, the visuals, and the audio for moments that fit.
2. **It proposes a plan.** You see what it intends to make before anything is cut. In the Smart Editor the button is **Approve & build**.
3. **It builds the cut.** It chooses the moments, trims them, frames each shot for your canvas, and adds captions.
4. **You review.** Ask for changes in plain words, or make them yourself in the editor. Nothing is posted anywhere. You export when you are happy.

<Note>
  Everything in your edit comes from footage you filmed. Guin does not generate synthetic video.
</Note>

## Where your work lives

| Place             | What it is for                                              |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Home**          | Start something new and pick up recent work.                |
| **Projects**      | Everything you have made.                                   |
| **Clip Studio**   | Turn footage into several clips from one request.           |
| **Editor**        | The Smart Editor, for one video and precise changes.        |
| **Media library** | All the footage you have uploaded, searchable and reusable. |
| **Subscription**  | Your plan, your minutes, and billing.                       |