The content on YouTube varies in quality—a long video may contain valuable information or simply be padded with ads. Using ChatGPT or Claude to summarize YouTube videos can help you quickly extract key information, allowing you to decide whether the video is worth your time. For particularly valuable videos, you can also convert them into notes for long-term reference and retention.
This article introduces two methods that apply to all users, whether you are a free ChatGPT user, a Plus subscriber, or a Claude 2 user.
Method 1: Using a Browser Extension
There are many browser extensions available in the Chrome Web Store and Safari Extensions Store for summarizing YouTube videos. One of the most popular options is YouTube Summarizer with ChatGPT by Glasp.
Once you install the extension and log into ChatGPT or Claude, you can summarize YouTube videos with a single click directly on the video page—making the process extremely convenient.
Supported Models:
- GPT-3.5 (Free)
- GPT-4
- GPT-4 Plugins
- GPT-4 Code Interpreter
- Claude (Anthropic) (Free)
This tool supports 18 languages, including Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Korean, among others.
Installing YouTube Summarizer with ChatGPT
Installing this extension is very simple and only takes a few steps:
1. Visit the official website
Go to: https://glasp.co/youtube-summary
2. Choose the right installation option
- If you’re using Google Chrome, click “Install on Chrome”.
- If you’re on a Mac using Safari, click “Install on Safari”.
3. Add the extension to Chrome
For Chrome users, click “Add to Chrome” to add the extension to your browser.
4. Access the extension in Chrome
Click the puzzle-shaped icon in the upper-right corner of Chrome to open the extensions list. You should see YouTube Summarizer with ChatGPT listed there, confirming a successful installation.
Using YouTube Summarizer with ChatGPT
1. Open a YouTube Video
Once you’ve installed the extension, go to any YouTube video page.
2. Locate the “Transcript & Summary” Button
You’ll notice a new button in the top-right corner of the video page labeled “Transcript & Summary”.
3. Generate the Summary
Click on the OpenAI logo within the button, and the extension will automatically summarize the video’s content using ChatGPT or Claude.
How to Use YouTube Summarizer with ChatGPT
2. Log in to ChatGPT
- If you are already logged in, a ChatGPT window will pop up automatically.
- If not, you will be prompted to log in to ChatGPT first.
- Once logged in, the extension will automatically extract the video transcript and send it to ChatGPT for summarization.
3. Default Model & Word Limit
- By default, the extension uses GPT-3.5.
- Plus users can switch to GPT-4.
- If the video transcript exceeds 2,700 words, the extension will extract approximately 2,700 words from different sections before submitting it to ChatGPT.
example:
4. Use Claude for Long Videos
- If you don’t have a ChatGPT Plus subscription, using Claude is recommended for summarizing longer videos (e.g., over 20 minutes).
- Claude supports longer text inputs, so the extension will submit the entire video transcript to Claude, resulting in a more accurate and comprehensive summary.
Three Basic Settings
The YouTube Summarizer with ChatGPT extension allows users to customize several settings. Click on the gear-shaped button in the top right corner to access the settings page.
Here are three commonly used settings:
1. Switching AI Models
- This extension summarizes YouTube videos using ChatGPT or Claude, with GPT-3.5 as the default model.
- If you don’t have a ChatGPT Plus subscription, Claude is the better option for longer videos.
- ChatGPT Plus users can also enable GPT Plugins, which allows integration with other tools.
- For example: If you want to export the summary as a PDF, you can use the A+ Doc Maker plugin.
- GPT-4 Code Interpreter is another powerful tool that can export content into multiple formats.
2. Changing Language Settings
- The default language is English, but you can switch to other languages (e.g., French).
- If you select a non-English language, the extension will display a reminder that responses in other languages may take longer.
- It also recommends keeping English as the default and using DeepL or Google Translate for translation.
3. Customizing the Prompt
- By default, the extension summarizes YouTube videos into five bullet points.
- To edit the prompt, click on the “Prompt” field, and a cursor will appear in the text box, allowing you to modify the request.
- The system provides some recommended prompts for different summary styles, as shown in the settings.
Method 2: Using ChatGPT Plugins
ChatGPT plugins function similarly to browser extensions, enhancing ChatGPT’s capabilities. However, compared to browser plugins, ChatGPT plugins provide more advanced extensions.
With these plugins, ChatGPT is no longer just a text generation tool—it can integrate with third-party applications to provide various services. For example:
- Enable web search, allowing ChatGPT to fetch real-time information.
- Generate charts and visualizations based on data.
- Summarize YouTube videos and export them in different formats.
能够总结Youtube视频内容的插件有很多，比如：
- VoxScript
- Video Highlight
- Video Insights
- ChatWithVideo
I still let ChatGPT help me summarize Paris Hilton’s documentary. This video is 1 hour and 45 minutes long, with over 12,000 words in total, which is quite a challenge for these plugins.
Summarize this video: https://youtu.be/wOg0TY1jG3w
VoxScript
Now let’s take a look at VoxScript’s answer:
Video Hightlight
Video Insights
ChatWithVideo
Finally, let’s take a look at ChatWithVideo’s answer:
Here’s the translation:
Plugin Comparison
When it comes to summarizing long videos, the plugin that stands out as truly impressive is VoxScript. Other plugins tend to struggle with long videos. VoxScript provides a well-structured article summary based on the video’s own segment structure, summarizing each part with subheadings, including an introduction at the beginning and a conclusion at the end, and even providing the view count data.
In addition to summarizing the video content, VoxScript can also answer any questions related to the video. Moreover, it can be used in combination with other plugins, such as exporting ChatGPT’s responses with A+ Doc Maker or using WebPilot to search for other video-related questions online.
Conclusion
By using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and various plugins, users can browse YouTube’s rich content, precisely locate valuable information, and save precious time.
However, it should be noted that automatic summaries may miss the subtleties inherent in the original content, and human input may be needed to ensure accuracy and completeness. The combination of automation tools and human intervention can maximize both the speed and quality of the work.
