Editing in CapCut

Where the HeyGen avatar, ElevenLabs voice, B-roll, captions, and music all come together into publish-ready UGC content

CapCut is where everything comes together: the HeyGen avatar video, the ElevenLabs voice-over, B-roll footage, captions, music, and the final aspect ratio. This lesson covers the minimum editing workflow to produce publish-ready UGC content without needing any prior video editing experience.

Why CapCut

CapCut is free and covers everything needed for UGC content. It provides auto-captions in 55 or more languages that are accurate enough for social content, a built-in B-roll library for stock footage when needed, a multi-track timeline for video, audio, and overlays, speed controls, trimming, and transitions, export presets for every major social platform, and both a desktop and browser version so no download is required for the web version.

The free plan limits you to 10-minute projects. For 15 to 60 second UGC content this is never a constraint.

The Basic UGC Edit Structure

For a standard talking-head UGC video from HeyGen the assembly order is as follows.

Track 1 is the main video which is the HeyGen avatar footage. Track 2 is audio which is already embedded in the HeyGen video so no separate audio track is needed. Track 3 is text and captions which are auto-generated and styled to match your brand. Track 4 is optional background music at a low volume.

For a screen recording with ElevenLabs voice the assembly order is different. Track 1 is the video which contains the screen recording clips arranged and trimmed. Track 2 is audio which is the ElevenLabs MP3 file laid against the video. Track 3 is text and captions auto-generated from the audio track. Track 4 is optional background music.

Step-by-Step: Editing a HeyGen Video

Step 1: Import the HeyGen video

Open CapCut on desktop or web. Create a new project. Drag the HeyGen MP4 into the media library and then to the timeline. The video and its embedded audio will appear on the timeline.

Step 2: Trim to the correct length

Watch through the video. Trim the beginning if the avatar has any pre-speech pause. Trim the end if the avatar continues after the final word. Aim for the video to start and end cleanly.

Step 3: Adjust the canvas size

Click the canvas settings and select 9:16 vertical at 1080 by 1920 for Reels. If the HeyGen video was already rendered in 9:16 this step is automatic. If it was 16:9 use CapCut's crop and reframe tool to crop to vertical and ensure the avatar face is centred.

Step 4: Add auto-captions

Select the audio layer and click Auto Captions. Select the correct language and CapCut processes the audio and generates timed captions automatically. Review for accuracy because HeyGen voices are generally clean so errors are rare.

Style the captions using a bold sans-serif font such as Anton or Montserrat Bold, a size large enough to read comfortably on a phone screen, positioned in the lower third of the screen so it does not overlap the avatar face, and white text with a black outline or white text in a coloured box.

Step 5: Add background music (optional)

CapCut's built-in music library has royalty-free tracks. Search for lofi or background ambient and select something at low volume. Import it to a music track and lower the volume to 15 to 20% of the main audio level. The music should be barely audible and adds texture without competing with the voice.

Step 6: Export

Click Export, select 1080p resolution and 25fps frame rate to match HeyGen's output. Use a descriptive filename that includes the hook angle for easy reference later such as ugc-booking-problem-hook-v1.mp4.

Adding B-Roll Over a Talking Head

If your script references something that can be shown visually such as a website, a booking confirmation screen, or a dashboard, add a B-roll clip over the talking head at that moment.

In CapCut: import the B-roll clip which is either a screen recording or stock footage, drag it to a new video track above the main avatar track, position it at the exact timestamp where the script mentions it, keep each B-roll clip to 2 to 4 seconds, and add a smooth dissolve transition of 0.3 seconds on entry and exit.

This cuts away from the avatar briefly to show the thing being described then returns. It maintains engagement and adds credibility because the viewer sees the actual output.

Caption Styling Guide

Captions are not optional for Reels and TikTok. Most mobile viewers watch with sound off. If the captions are hard to read the script is inaudible and the viewer leaves.

What works: one word or short phrase highlighted or animated at a time using CapCut's word-by-word caption mode, high contrast with white text on dark scenes and dark text on light scenes or always a black outline, large size tested by viewing on your phone screen before exporting, and no more than 3 to 4 words on screen at once in animated mode.

What to avoid: sentence-length captions which are too much to read while watching, light-coloured text without an outline which is invisible against light backgrounds, and small font which is unreadable at arm's length.

Speed and Pacing Adjustments

UGC content tends to be slightly faster-paced than corporate video. If the HeyGen avatar feels slow you can speed the entire video to 1.05x or 1.1x without it sounding unnatural. Test by watching after the adjustment and if it feels rushed dial back to 1.05x.

Do not speed above 1.15x for talking head content because the lip sync artifacts become noticeable.

Exporting for Different Platforms

For Instagram Reels, TikTok, Facebook Reels, and Meta Ad Reels placements, use 1080 by 1920 resolution at 9:16 aspect ratio. Instagram Reels and Facebook Reels allow up to 90 seconds. TikTok and Meta Ad Reels placements allow up to 60 seconds.

For Meta Ad Feed placements and Instagram Feed use 1080 by 1080 resolution at 1:1 aspect ratio and keep it under 60 seconds.

Produce the 9:16 version first. For Feed placements export a second version with a 1:1 crop in CapCut which takes under 2 minutes. The platform accepts both in the same ad set so you reach both placements.

File Naming and Organisation

When producing multiple UGC pieces consistent naming prevents chaos. Use this format: offer then format then hook type then version then date followed by .mp4.

Examples: booking-system-testimonial-problem-hook-v1-jul26.mp4 or automation-demo-screen-recording-outcome-hook-v1-jul26.mp4.

Store finished videos in a folder called ugc-exports. Reference the file names in UGC.md under your content log so you always know which video maps to which script and hook angle.