How to Use Claude Opus 5.5 High in Claude Code to Create Videos

Claude Code is Anthropic’s agentic coding tool. Claude Opus 5.5, released on September 22, 2026, is Anthropic’s newest Opus model.

Claude does not generate video pixels itself. It writes the code, assets, and commands that video frameworks render into MP4 files. Unlike a normal chat, Claude Code can:

• Create and organize project files
• Install the tools a project needs
• Write animation and layout code
• Run preview and render commands
• Read error logs and fix problems
• Inspect still frames as images
• Iterate until the render passes
• Follow project rules saved in CLAUDE.md

Think of Claude Code as a motion developer that turns your brief into code, then renders it.

Claude plan

Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise, or a Console account. The free Claude plan does not include Claude Code.

Claude Code version

v2.1.280 or later to use Opus 5.5.

Node.js

Required by most code-based video frameworks. HyperFrames needs Node.js 22 or later.

FFmpeg

Used to render, convert, trim, and inspect video files.

A video framework

Remotion, HyperFrames, or plain FFmpeg for simpler edits.

Your assets

Logos, screenshots, footage, fonts, music, and voiceover you have the rights to use.

On macOS, Linux, or WSL, run:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

On Windows PowerShell, run:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Open a new terminal, run claude --version to confirm the install, then start Claude Code inside an empty project folder with:

claude

Prefer a graphical interface? The Claude desktop app includes Claude Code in its Code tab.

Opus 5.5 supports five effort levels: low, medium, high, xhigh, and max. Medium is the default.

Inside a session, run:

/model opus /effort high

Or start a session with both settings:

claude --model opus --effort high

High effort gives Claude more room to plan multi-scene videos, debug render errors, and check its own work. It also takes longer and uses more of your usage.

Reserve xhigh and max for unusually hard problems. Use medium again for small text or color tweaks.

Pick one framework per project. Mixing frameworks multiplies setup problems.

Skills teach Claude a framework’s conventions, so it writes code the framework expects.

For Remotion, run:

npx skills add remotion-dev/skills

For HyperFrames, install the Claude Code plugin:

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

Then start a new Claude Code session so the skills load.

Give Claude the decisions a video editor would ask for. Include:

• Goal of the video
• Target audience
• Platform and aspect ratio (16:9, 9:16, or 1:1)
• Duration
• Frame rate
• Key message
• Tone and pace
• Brand colors and fonts
• Assets to use
• Voiceover or on-screen text only
• Music style
• Call to action

A vague brief produces a generic video. A specific brief produces your video.

Ask Claude to propose a plan first so you can correct direction before any code exists.

Prompt:

Read this brief. Before writing any code, propose the scene list, timing, visual style, transitions, and file structure. List any assets or decisions you still need from me.

Approve or edit the plan, then let Claude build.

Have Claude turn the plan into a scene-by-scene storyboard with:

• Scene number
• Start and end time
• On-screen text
• Visual elements
• Motion and transitions
• Voiceover line
• Sound effects or music changes

Read the storyboard out loud with a timer. If a line cannot be read comfortably in its slot, the scene is too short.

Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md at the start of every session. Store the rules every video should follow:

• Brand colors as exact hex values
• Font families and weights
• Logo file paths and minimum sizes
• Safe zones for captions and buttons
• Caption style
• Preferred transitions
• Elements to never use
• Default resolution and frame rate

This keeps every future video on brand without repeating yourself.

Put every asset in an assets folder and tell Claude what each file is.

• Logos and icons
• Product screenshots or screen recordings
• Photos and footage
• Fonts with the right license
• Music with a license that covers your platform
• Voiceover recordings

Never use copyrighted music, footage, or fonts without a license that covers how you will publish.

Prompt:

Build the video from the approved storyboard using our brand rules in CLAUDE.md. Use only files from the assets folder. Keep every scene in its own component or file. When the code is ready, start the preview and tell me how to open it.

Expect the first draft to be a starting point, not a finished video.

Previews are faster than full renders and make small fixes cheap.

Remotion

npx remotion studio

HyperFrames

npx hyperframes preview

Claude cannot watch a video file. Ask it to extract still frames at key moments with FFmpeg, then inspect those images for overlapping text, cut-off elements, and contrast problems.

Replace “make it better” with feedback Claude can act on:

• “Scene 3: the headline enters too fast. Make it 0.6 seconds.”
• “At 0:12, the logo overlaps the caption.”
• “Use the brand blue for every highlight.”
• “Hold the final call to action for two seconds longer.”
• “The transitions feel busy. Use simple fades only.”

Timestamps, scene numbers, and exact values remove guesswork.

Record your own voice or use a text-to-speech service you are licensed to use.

Then ask Claude to:

• Transcribe the voiceover with timestamps
• Time on-screen text to the narration
• Generate captions from the transcript
• Keep captions inside platform safe zones
• Check that names and numbers are spelled correctly

Captions make videos accessible and easier to follow without sound.

• Use licensed music only
• Lower music under the voiceover
• Add subtle sound effects on key moments
• Normalize loudness so the video is not too quiet or too loud
• Fade music in and out cleanly

Ask Claude to check the final audio levels with FFmpeg before export.

Remotion

npx remotion render

HyperFrames

npx hyperframes render --output video.mp4

Ask for an H.264 MP4 for the widest compatibility, then have Claude verify the duration, resolution, frame rate, and audio track with ffprobe.

Once one version works, reuse it to produce:

• Vertical, square, and widescreen versions
• Different hooks for testing
• Shorter cut-downs
• Translated versions
• Personalized versions from a data file
• Seasonal or campaign variants

Code-based video makes variations cheap because only the inputs change.

Ask Claude to convert a finished project into a reusable template or a skill with:

• Editable text and color variables
• Scene components you can reorder
• Documented asset slots
• A checklist for rendering and review

Your second video should take a fraction of the time of your first.

Personally review:

• Facts, numbers, and claims
• Spelling in text and captions
• Brand accuracy
• Music, font, and footage licenses
• Text readability on a phone screen
• Audio levels
• The first three seconds

Claude can check frames and files. You are responsible for what you publish.

Brief

Define the goal, audience, format, and message.

Plan

Approve scenes and structure before code.

Storyboard

Time every scene and line.

Build

Let Claude write the video code.

Preview

Check frames before rendering.

Refine

Give precise, timestamped feedback.

Render

Export and verify the final file.

Reuse

Turn the project into a template.

Copy, paste, and fill in the brackets:

Act as my motion designer and video developer in this project. Create a [duration] [aspect ratio] video for [platform] about [topic] for [audience]. The goal is [goal]. The call to action is [call to action]. Use [Remotion / HyperFrames] and follow the brand rules in CLAUDE.md. Use only assets from the assets folder. Ask me before using anything else. First, propose a scene-by-scene storyboard with timings and wait for my approval. Then build each scene as a separate file, start the preview, and extract still frames at key moments so you can check text, spacing, and contrast. Fix any problems you find, render an H.264 MP4, and confirm its duration, resolution, frame rate, and audio with ffprobe. List anything you were unsure about.

• Project setup
• Animation and layout code
• Scene timing
• Caption files
• Render commands
• Frame checks
• Error fixing
• Variations and templates

• The idea and message
• Creative direction
• Asset and music licensing
• Factual accuracy
• Brand approval
• Final review
• Publishing decisions

• Do not start without a brief
• Do not skip the storyboard
• Do not render full videos for every small change
• Do not use assets you do not have rights to
• Do not publish without watching the final file yourself
• Do not run xhigh or max effort for simple edits