# How to prepare an audio-only podcast for video clips > Prepare visuals for an audio-only podcast before clipping. CastCuts requires video and audio and does not provide a native audiogram or waveform maker. By CastCuts · Updated 2026-10-25 To use an audio-only podcast in CastCuts, first prepare a real video file with both picture and audio in another editor. Choose visuals you have permission to use, synchronize them to the excerpt and export a supported source. CastCuts does not accept an MP3 alone as a video episode and does not provide a native audiogram, animated waveform or stock-footage generator. ## Choose visuals that accurately represent the audio Decide whether a permitted episode cover, a simple illustrated explanation or a relevant recorded demonstration best supports the passage. Use artwork, photos and music only with the appropriate rights. Avoid a guest photo or stock scene that implies something happened on camera when it did not. If the recording explains a visual process that you cannot show clearly, select another passage. Adding motion alone does not supply missing context. ## Build the audio-and-picture source in another editor Place your chosen visuals and podcast audio on an external editing timeline. Make the visual track last through the intended source duration, check that the final word is audible and ensure that private details are absent. Export a supported video, such as an H.264/AAC MP4, with both tracks included. Do not rename an MP3 or an audio-only MP4 and expect it to contain a picture. Keep the audio master and editing project. ## Leave space for the later clip’s actual text layers If the prepared artwork already contains a long episode title or baked-in subtitles, a second headline and caption layer can become crowded. Decide which text belongs in the source and which will be added while clipping. A portrait source can simplify composition, but check its complete frame after upload. CastCuts’ current export is 720 × 1280, and its available full-frame or fixed-crop layouts cannot redesign a crowded cover or create an animated waveform. ## Test a short excerpt before preparing a whole episode Upload the finished video, wait for validation and choose a complete 1–90 second moment. Use available automatic English transcription for caption preparation, then listen and correct the words. Render a test and watch it with sound off as well as on. If selectable subtitles or a transcript are required, plan that separate delivery too. Save originals and finished files before the 24-hour media window ends, and publish the downloaded video manually. ## A fictional audio interview prepared with permitted artwork Illustrative example. The people, recordings and results described here are fictional. A producer has only the audio of a guest explaining one planning habit. They use licensed episode artwork and a short topic label in another video editor, then add the verified audio beneath it. After exporting an MP4 with both tracks, they upload it, select a 28-second answer and review English captions. They do not advertise the result as camera footage or assume CastCuts generated the artwork or waveform. Prepare the visual video externally; use CastCuts for the supported clipping and caption steps afterward. ## Check before you finish - The visual concept and all included assets have appropriate permissions. - The externally prepared source contains video and complete audible speech. - Artwork text leaves room for the chosen headline and reviewed captions. - The exported clip is checked, downloaded and saved before media expiry. ## Practical questions ### Can I upload an MP3 directly to CastCuts? No. Episode validation requires both video and audio. Prepare a supported video source in another editor before using the clipping workflow. ### Does CastCuts create audiograms or animated waveforms? No native audiogram, waveform-animation or stock-visual generation tool is available. Prepare those elements externally if they are part of your deliverable. ### Can a static image with podcast audio be a video source? Prepare an actual video externally with the image lasting through the audio, then check that it meets the displayed source limits. A separate image and audio upload is not the current workflow. ## Use this workflow in CastCuts [Clip a prepared video with reviewed English captions](https://castcuts.co/podcast-clips-with-captions) CastCuts selects continuous 1–90 second excerpts and exports 9:16, 720 × 1280 H.264/AAC MP4 files. Automatic transcription and transcript-based suggestions support English and require review. Free exports include CastCuts branding; Pro removes it from new renders for $9 USD/month, with the same processing and storage limits. Episode media is retained for 24 hours. Keep your originals and download finished clips before expiry. Publishing is manual. ## Sources [W3C: captions and audio-only media](https://www.w3.org/WAI/media/av/captions/) ## Explore this topic [Podcast recording to clips: prepare, import and preserve your files](https://castcuts.co/guides/topics/recording-workflows) ## Keep creating [How to prepare a video file for podcast clipping](https://castcuts.co/guides/prepare-video-for-podcast-clipping) [Burned-in captions vs subtitle files for podcast clips](https://castcuts.co/guides/burned-in-captions-vs-subtitles) [How to write podcast clip headlines with clear hooks](https://castcuts.co/guides/podcast-clip-headlines) [All creator guides](https://castcuts.co/guides) [Create a clip](https://castcuts.co/account)