LUME Cortex: a guide to the short-form video editor for Mac

LUME Cortex is the short-form video editor in the LUME ecosystem: you record your Reel, Short or TikTok, and it removes the pauses and adds captions and motion graphics so all you do is review. This guide covers who it's for, what each plan unlocks, where it lives in LUME Hub and how to get started.

Who is LUME Cortex for?

LUME Cortex is for people who post vertical video every week and don't want to spend the night on a timeline: content creators, experts who record on their own, social media managers and agencies. It's a desktop app for Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or newer) running macOS 26. There is no Windows version yet.

You sign in with your LUME Hub account. If you don't have one, create a free Hub account and the free version of Cortex comes with it.

What LUME Cortex does

Editing follows a short path from raw footage to a finished video:

1. Import: bring in the video you recorded.
2. Cut pauses: Cortex removes the silences on its own.
3. Captions: captions are added automatically, ready for you to review and fix.
4. Motion graphics: added automatically, even on the free version.
5. Export: export the video or, on the paid plans, schedule it to Instagram.

Editing also includes transitions, effects and speed ramping (a speed curve). On the paid plans, Cortex's AI helps you write the post caption and the on-screen text, with up to 100 requests a day. The app updates itself, so you don't need to download it again when a new version ships.

The step-by-step guides are how to edit a short video for Reels on Mac and how to add auto captions to a video.

LUME Cortex plans

The Cortex plan is separate from your LUME Hub plan. A paid Hub plan doesn't change your Cortex plan, and the other way around.

Where Cortex lives in LUME Hub

The Cortex screen is LUME Cortex (Mac) in your account menu, and it also opens from the app list (the nine-dot button) under Cortex. The screen is shown in Portuguese even when your app is in English, so here are its three parts:

• Baixar (Download): the "Baixar o LUME Cortex" button with the version number, the file size, what's new in that version ("Novidades") and the four install steps;
• Seu plano no Cortex (Your Cortex plan): your plan and this month's usage, for example "Grátis · 1 de 3 vídeos este mês" (Free, 1 of 3 videos this month), plus what it includes (watermark, AI, scheduling);
• Pedidos de edição da equipe (Team edit requests): appears when the LUME team sends you videos to edit in Cortex. Each request shows its status (Novo, Em edição, Pronto or Cancelado: new, in progress, done or canceled) and an "Abrir no Cortex" (Open in Cortex) link that opens it right in the app.

On a white-label dashboard, and for people signed in as a team member of another account, the LUME Cortex (Mac) item doesn't appear in the menu.

How to subscribe to Pro or Agency

You subscribe on the Cortex screen inside LUME Hub. If you're on the Free plan, "Seu plano no Cortex" lists the plans for sale, each with its monthly card price. Click Assinar (Subscribe), enter your card in the Mercado Pago form and confirm. Billing is monthly until you cancel, with no commitment.

To cancel, use Cancelar a assinatura (Cancel subscription) on the same screen. You keep access until the end of the paid period, and nothing else is charged.

How to get started

1. Download and install the app: how to download and install LUME Cortex on Mac.
2. Edit your first video: how to edit a short video for Reels on Mac.
3. Review the captions: how to add auto captions to a video.
4. Schedule it to Instagram on a paid plan: how to schedule Instagram Reels from LUME Cortex.

If your Mac won't let the app open, see LUME Cortex won't open on Mac. To connect Instagram to LUME Hub, see the Presence section; for your account and password, see Account and billing.