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How to Use ChatGPT to Create Videos
Most articles answering this question are out of date, and confidently so. They describe Sora inside ChatGPT with daily video limits and resolutions. That product no longer exists. Here is the current position, what happens to anything you made in Sora, and how to actually get video made in 2026.
GPTPrompts.AI Editorial
Hands-on with ChatGPT; every method here is one we use · Last updated July 2026
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01 · Reality check
What ChatGPT actually does well here
Good at
- Writing the script, including hooks, structure and calls to action
- Turning a script into a shot list or storyboard description
- Titles, descriptions, chapters and tags for publishing
- Repurposing one video into posts, threads and a newsletter
- Writing prompts you then paste into a dedicated video generator
Not the right tool for
- Generating video of any kind. The capability is not in the product
- Editing existing video footage
- Adding voiceover or audio to a video
- Anything the retired Sora features used to do
- Judging whether a video actually works, which needs human taste
02 · The method
Step by step
- 1
Accept the constraint and split the job
ChatGPT handles everything except the pixels. Decide what it writes (script, shot list, metadata) and which tool generates the footage.
- 2
Write the script with a real hook
Ask for the first three seconds specifically. Most short-form video fails in the hook, and that is the part ChatGPT can genuinely improve.
- 3
Turn the script into a shot list
Have it break the script into shots with a one-line visual description each. This is what you will feed into a video generator or shoot yourself.
- 4
Have it write generator prompts
Ask it to convert each shot into a detailed prompt for an AI video tool, including camera movement, lighting and duration. This is where it adds the most value in a video workflow now.
- 5
Generate elsewhere
Use a dedicated AI video generator for the footage, or shoot it. ChatGPT has no role in this step.
- 6
Come back for the publishing layer
Titles, descriptions, chapters, tags, thumbnail text and the repurposing plan. This is fast, high-value work it does well.
03 · Use this now
Copy-paste prompt for a video script and shot list
You are a short-form video writer. Topic: [topic]. Platform: [YouTube / TikTok / Reels]. Length: [seconds]. Audience: [who]. One thing they should do after watching: [action]. Write: (1) three alternative opening hooks for the first three seconds, (2) the full script with natural spoken rhythm, not written prose, (3) a shot list with a one-line visual description per shot, (4) for each shot, a detailed prompt I can paste into an AI video generator, including camera movement, lighting and duration, and (5) a title, description and five tags. Keep the script tight enough to fit the length when read aloud.
04 · Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Following a guide that says ChatGPT makes videos with Sora. That has been false since 26 April 2026.
- Missing the export window for anything you created in Sora, after which the data is permanently deleted.
- Assuming Voice with video means video generation. It means ChatGPT can see your camera, not create footage.
- Paying for a plan expecting video generation, which no ChatGPT tier includes.
- Publishing AI-written scripts unedited, which sound generic and flat when spoken aloud.
05 · Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can ChatGPT create videos?
No. There is no video-generation capability in ChatGPT on any plan. OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experiences on 26 April 2026, and the Sora API is scheduled for discontinuation on 24 September 2026. Articles describing video generation inside ChatGPT are describing a product that no longer exists.
What happened to Sora?
OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experiences on 26 April 2026. Users were given a window to export their content at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset, after which the data is permanently deleted. Purchased ChatGPT and Sora credits can still be used with Codex. The Sora API is scheduled to be discontinued on 24 September 2026.
Does any ChatGPT plan include video generation?
No. Free, Go, Plus and Pro all lack it, and video generation does not appear anywhere in OpenAI's plan comparison. The only video-related feature is Voice with video, which lets ChatGPT see through your camera during a voice conversation. That is video input, not video output.
What should I use to generate AI video instead?
You need a dedicated AI video tool. ChatGPT still adds real value around the process: writing the script and hook, building a shot list, and turning each shot into a detailed prompt you paste into whichever generator you choose, then handling titles, descriptions and repurposing afterwards.
Can ChatGPT edit a video I already have?
No. It cannot import, edit or export video footage, and it cannot add voiceover or audio. It can help you plan edits, write the script, and produce the text that goes around the video, but the editing itself happens in video software.