Edit Videos with AI

1. 1

   Plan Your Edit Before You Touch the Timeline

   The biggest time-waster in video editing is diving into the timeline without a plan. Use AI to analyze your raw footage description and create an editing blueprint before you open your editor.

   ChatGPT Claude

   I'm about to edit a video and need help creating an editing plan before I start cutting. Help me think through this systematically.
   
   Video details:
   - Type of content: [e.g., YouTube tutorial, talking head interview, product demo, vlog, short-form social clip]
   - Total raw footage: [e.g., '45 minutes of footage for a 10-minute final video']
   - Target platform: [YouTube / Instagram Reels / TikTok / LinkedIn / internal presentation]
   - Target length: [e.g., 8-12 minutes]
   - Main message: [what is this video trying to communicate or accomplish?]
   - Audience: [who will watch this?]
   
   Help me create:
   1. **Story Structure**: What's the ideal narrative arc for this type of video? Give me a scene-by-scene blueprint (intro, hook, sections, CTA, outro) with recommended timing for each section.
   2. **Cutting Principles**: What are the 5 most important editing rules for this video type and platform? (e.g., jump cuts for TikTok vs. smooth transitions for corporate video)
   3. **What to Cut First**: Give me a systematic approach to doing my rough cut — what should I eliminate immediately before doing any fine cutting?
   4. **Pacing Guide**: What's the ideal pacing for my target platform? How long should individual clips be on average? When should I cut faster vs. slower?
   5. **Common Mistakes**: What are the 3 most common editing mistakes for this specific type of video that I should avoid?

   Copy

   Tip: Log your footage before editing. Watch everything once, noting timecodes for the best takes, key moments, and anything to cut. A 30-minute logging session before editing saves 2 hours of hunting through footage in the timeline.

2. 2

   Use AI for Transcription and Rough Cut

   AI transcription tools can turn your footage into searchable text, then help you do a 'paper edit' — cutting your script on paper before touching the timeline. This is the fastest way to do a rough cut.

   ChatGPT Claude

   I have a transcription of my video footage and I want to do a paper edit using AI. Here is the full transcript:
   
   [Paste your transcript here — can be output from Whisper, Descript, Adobe Premiere's transcription, or any other transcription tool]
   
   My target video is [length, e.g., 8 minutes] about [topic/message].
   
   Please do the following:
   
   1. **Identify the Best Takes**: Mark the best version of each key point when the speaker covers the same topic multiple times. Recommend which take to use and why (clearer delivery, better energy, no stumbles).
   
   2. **Cut Filler**: Identify all filler phrases to cut: 'um', 'uh', 'you know', 'like', 'basically', 'literally', 'so...', long pauses, repeated false starts, and tangents that don't serve the main message.
   
   3. **Paper Edit**: Create an edited version of the transcript that represents my final video. Mark cuts with [CUT] and keep only what should remain. If content needs reordering for better flow, show the reordered version with notes.
   
   4. **Section Labels**: Add section markers to the edited transcript (e.g., [INTRO 0:00], [SECTION 1: Setup 0:45], etc.) to help me navigate in my editor.
   
   5. **Length Check**: After cuts, estimate the final running time (assume average speaking pace of 130-150 words per minute for talking head, faster for energetic delivery). Does it hit my target length? What else can be trimmed if I'm over?

   Copy

   Tip: Descript lets you edit video by editing text — delete a word in the transcript and the corresponding video clip is cut automatically. For interview-heavy content, this is the fastest rough cut workflow available.

3. 3

   Write and Generate Captions

   Captions are no longer optional — 85% of social media videos are watched without sound. Use AI to generate accurate captions, then style them for your platform.

   ChatGPT Claude

   I need to create captions for my video. Here's the edited transcript:
   
   [Paste your edited transcript from Step 2]
   
   Help me with:
   
   1. **Caption Formatting Rules**: For my target platform ([YouTube / Instagram / TikTok / LinkedIn]), what are the optimal caption specifications? Include: max characters per line, max lines displayed at once, recommended font, size, position, and any platform-specific features I should use (e.g., YouTube chapters, TikTok's auto-caption style).
   
   2. **SRT Format**: Convert my transcript into SRT subtitle format. Use this timing approach: [either 'I'll time them manually' or 'estimate timing based on word count and natural speech rhythm']. Format:
   ```
   1
   00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,500
   [First caption text]
   
   2
   00:00:04,500 --> 00:00:09,000
   [Next caption text]
   ```
   
   3. **Keyword Captions**: Identify the 10-15 most important keywords or phrases in the video. These should be emphasized visually (larger text, different color, or animated) when spoken. List them with their approximate timecodes.
   
   4. **Caption Cleanup**: Review my transcript for any words that might be misheard or that sound different from how they're spelled. Flag these so I can check the AI's transcription accuracy.
   
   5. **Accessibility Check**: What caption best practices should I follow to make this video accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers beyond just transcribing speech? (e.g., labeling music, sound effects, speaker identification)

   Copy

   Tip: Auto-generated captions from AI are 90-95% accurate but will have errors on proper nouns, technical terms, and brand names. Always proofread before publishing. A wrong name or misspelled brand in a caption looks unprofessional and can be offensive.

4. 4

   Optimize Audio and Visuals with AI Tools

   Fix common audio problems (background noise, inconsistent levels, room echo) and visual issues (shaky footage, poor lighting) that make videos look amateur. Many AI tools now do this automatically in one click.

   ChatGPT Claude

   I'm in the post-processing stage of my video edit. Help me create a quality check checklist and identify the right AI tools for each fix.
   
   My current issues:
   - Audio problems: [e.g., background hum/noise, inconsistent volume between clips, room echo/reverb, wind noise]
   - Visual problems: [e.g., shaky footage, inconsistent exposure between shots, skin tones look wrong, footage shot in different color temperatures]
   - Pacing problems: [e.g., some sections drag, talking head footage feels static]
   
   For each problem, tell me:
   1. The specific AI tool or built-in feature that fixes it (be specific: e.g., 'Adobe Premiere's Enhance Speech', 'DaVinci Resolve's Noise Reduction', 'CapCut's stabilization', 'Descript's Studio Sound')
   2. Whether it requires paid software or if there's a free option
   3. The exact settings or approach to use
   4. What 'fixed' looks and sounds like — how do I know when it's right?
   
   Also give me:
   - A final quality check checklist of 15 things to verify before exporting (technical specs, content, accessibility, platform requirements)
   - The correct export settings for [YouTube 1080p / Instagram Reels / TikTok] — codec, bitrate, resolution, frame rate, audio settings

   Copy

   Tip: Fix audio before video. Viewers will tolerate slightly imperfect visuals but will click away from bad audio in under 10 seconds. If your audio is poor, Adobe Podcast's free 'Enhance Speech' tool is remarkable — it makes interview footage recorded in a bedroom sound like a professional studio.

5. 5

   Write Video Metadata for Maximum Reach

   Your video's title, description, tags, and thumbnail text determine whether anyone finds it. Use AI to craft optimized metadata that drives clicks and watch time.

   ChatGPT Claude

   My video is finished and I need to write optimized metadata for publishing. Here's the context:
   
   Video topic: [what is the video about?]
   Target platform: [YouTube / TikTok / Instagram / LinkedIn]
   Target audience: [who are you trying to reach?]
   Main keyword I want to rank for: [e.g., 'how to learn Python', 'home workout no equipment']
   Video length: [e.g., 12 minutes]
   Key points covered: [list 5-7 main topics or questions the video answers]
   
   Write for me:
   
   1. **5 Title Options**: Each using a different proven formula:
      - The 'How to' + specific outcome title
      - The 'Number + Thing' list title
      - The 'Curiosity gap' title
      - The 'I did X' personal experience title
      - The 'Controversial/counterintuitive' title
      Add click-through rate prediction (low/medium/high) and why for each.
   
   2. **Video Description**: 
      - First 2 lines (hook, visible before 'Show More'): ultra compelling, include main keyword
      - Full description (200-300 words): include secondary keywords naturally, summarize key points
      - Timestamps/chapters list
      - CTA section (subscribe, related videos, links)
      - Hashtags: 5-8 most relevant
   
   3. **Tags**: 15-20 tags ranging from exact-match to broad — format: [exact keyword], [variation], [broad topic]
   
   4. **Thumbnail Text**: 3-5 words maximum that complement but don't duplicate the title. Make it work with a close-up face image. Give me 3 options.

   Copy

   Tip: The first 24-48 hours after publishing are critical for YouTube's algorithm. Schedule your video to publish when your audience is most active (check YouTube Studio Analytics for your channel's peak hours), have a comment ready to post immediately, and share it to all channels the moment it goes live.

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