AI Editing Basics

AI video editing tools are transforming post-production. Tasks that once took hours—or required specialized skills—can now be accomplished in minutes. Let's understand what's possible and how to leverage these capabilities.

What AI Can Do in Video Editing

Modern AI editing tools handle:

Automated Tasks

• Transcription: Convert speech to text automatically
• Captioning: Generate and style subtitles
• Cut detection: Find scene changes automatically
• Silence removal: Cut dead air and pauses
• Filler word removal: Eliminate "um", "uh", "like"

Enhancement Tasks

• Background removal: Remove or replace backgrounds
• Noise reduction: Clean up audio automatically
• Color correction: Auto-adjust colors and exposure
• Stabilization: Smooth shaky footage
• Upscaling: Increase resolution with AI

Creative Tasks

• Style transfer: Apply artistic styles to footage
• Object removal: Erase unwanted elements
• Audio enhancement: Improve voice quality
• Music matching: Find or generate fitting music
• Thumbnail generation: Create click-worthy images

The AI Editing Workflow

AI editing follows a pattern:

Import → AI Analysis → Review Suggestions →
Accept/Modify → Export

1. Import

Upload your raw footage. AI tools analyze:

• Speech content
• Scene changes
• Audio quality
• Visual elements

2. AI Analysis

The tool processes automatically:

• Transcribes all speech
• Identifies speakers
• Detects scenes
• Analyzes audio levels

3. Review Suggestions

AI offers recommendations:

• "Remove this filler word?"
• "This section has low audio"
• "Detected 23 scene cuts"

4. Accept/Modify

You make the decisions:

• Accept AI suggestions
• Modify as needed
• Override when AI is wrong

5. Export

Output in your needed format:

• Platform-specific (YouTube, TikTok, etc.)
• Quality settings
• With or without captions burned in

Key AI Editing Features

Text-Based Editing

This is revolutionary: edit video by editing text.

How it works:

1. Upload video
2. AI transcribes speech
3. Edit the transcript (delete words, sentences)
4. Video automatically updates to match

Benefits:

• Intuitive for non-editors
• Fast rough cuts
• Easy filler word removal
• Simple rearrangement

Best tools: Descript, Kapwing, VEED

Automatic Captions

AI generates subtitles instantly.

Process:

1. Upload video
2. AI transcribes
3. Timing is synchronized automatically
4. Style the captions
5. Export or burn in

Accuracy: 90-98% depending on:

• Audio clarity
• Accent/dialect
• Background noise
• Technical terminology

Pro tip: Always review AI captions for errors.

Background Removal

Remove or replace video backgrounds without a green screen.

How it works:

• AI identifies the subject
• Separates foreground from background
• Allows replacement or removal

Works best with:

• Clear subject/background separation
• Good lighting
• Minimal motion blur
• Static or simple backgrounds

Challenges:

• Hair and fine details
• Fast movement
• Complex backgrounds
• Multiple subjects

Audio Enhancement

AI can dramatically improve audio quality.

Common enhancements:

• Noise reduction (remove hum, hiss, background noise)
• Voice isolation (separate speech from other sounds)
• Volume normalization (consistent audio levels)
• Room tone removal (eliminate echo/reverb)

Tools: Adobe Podcast Enhance, Descript Studio Sound, Auphonic

Smart Reframing

Automatically reframe video for different aspect ratios.

Use case: You have a 16:9 YouTube video and need a 9:16 TikTok version.

How it works:

1. AI tracks the main subject
2. Reframes to keep subject in frame
3. Adjusts throughout the video

Supported conversions:

• 16:9 → 9:16 (horizontal to vertical)
• 16:9 → 1:1 (horizontal to square)
• 9:16 → 16:9 (vertical to horizontal)

Editing Approach: AI-First vs. AI-Assisted

AI-First Editing

Let AI do the heavy lifting:

1. Upload raw footage
2. Accept most AI suggestions
3. Make minimal manual adjustments
4. Export quickly

Best for:

• High volume content
• Simple talking head videos
• Social media clips
• Time-sensitive projects

AI-Assisted Editing

Use AI as a tool, not replacement:

1. Import to traditional editor
2. Use AI features selectively
3. Manual creative control
4. AI handles tedious tasks

Best for:

• Complex projects
• High production value
• Creative work
• Client projects

Quality Control Checklist

AI isn't perfect. Always check:

• Transcription accuracy: Technical terms, names, numbers
• Cut points: Did AI cut mid-word or mid-thought?
• Caption timing: Are captions synced properly?
• Background removal: Any artifacts or cutouts?
• Audio: Any weird artifacts from enhancement?
• Reframing: Is the subject always properly framed?

When AI Editing Falls Short

Be aware of limitations:

Complex narratives: AI can't understand story structure

Emotional timing: AI doesn't feel comedic or dramatic timing

Brand consistency: AI doesn't know your brand guidelines

Context: AI may cut something that seems like filler but is important

Technical content: Specialized terminology often transcribed wrong

Combining AI Editing Tools

No single tool does everything. A typical stack:

Descript: Rough cut via transcript editing
    ↓
CapCut: Add effects, captions styling
    ↓
DaVinci Resolve: Color grading, final polish

Or simpler:

CapCut: Everything for social content

Key Takeaway

AI editing tools excel at automating tedious tasks: transcription, captioning, silence removal, and background removal. Use them to handle the mechanical work so you can focus on creative decisions. In the next lessons, we'll dive deep into CapCut and Descript—two of the most powerful AI editing tools available today.