How to edit a video with AI, step by step
To edit a video with AI, upload all your raw footage, write a one-paragraph brief (audience, topic, length, style, must-haves), read the AI's explanation of the first cut, then refine it by asking for specific changes before exporting. Treat it like briefing a human editor: the clearer the brief, the better the first cut. Below are the five steps with the exact prompts we used on a real 19-minute recording.
19 minutes of interviews became an 87-second YouTube video. Sped up. Phone-size version.
1. Upload everything, untrimmed
Don't pre-trim. The AI needs the full material to choose from. Novacut transcribes speech and describes what's on screen as it processes, so it can later find "her best answers" or "the kitchen shot".
2. Write the brief
A good brief answers five questions:
| Question | Our answer |
|---|---|
| Who's it for? | YouTube viewers curious about astronauts |
| What's it about? | Training in a cave to prepare for the Moon |
| How long? | 90 seconds |
| What style? | Tight jump cuts, captions, a bold title card |
| What to remove? | Interviewers, dead air, repeats |
This is 19 minutes of an astronaut answering the same kinds of questions from different TV stations. Turn it into a 90-second YouTube video about training in a cave to get ready for the Moon. Keep only her best answers, cut out the interviewers, the dead air and the repeats, use tight jump cuts, add captions, and open with a bold title card.
3. Read what it did before you watch
Novacut explains its cut: which moments it kept, why it ended at 87 seconds instead of padding to 90, and the two "um"s it left in rather than clip the next word. Reading that first tells you exactly what to check.
4. Refine by asking
Specific requests work best:
- "Write a YouTube title, description and chapters."
- "Make a 45-second vertical Short from the same edit."
- "Drop the answer about the lava tubes."
- "Open on the line about total darkness."
5. Export
Download an MP4, or export the project to Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut to finish there. How →
Prompt mistakes to avoid
- Too vague: "make it good" gives the AI nothing to decide with.
- No length: the cut ends up either too long or too short.
- Several videos in one ask: request the main video first, then the Short.
FAQ
What's the best AI for editing videos?
It depends on what you start with. For footage you filmed (interviews, events, vlogs, listings), use an AI editor like Novacut. For creating footage from text, use a generator. The difference →
Can ChatGPT edit videos?
Chat assistants can help you plan an edit or write a script, but they don't cut your video files. You need an editor that works on the footage itself.
How long does AI video editing take?
Mostly upload and analysis time. Our first cut arrived about 16 minutes after starting a 2.4 GB upload; changes after that took seconds to a few minutes.
Is AI editing good enough to publish?
Often, after a quick review. Check the opening, names in captions, and anything the AI says it couldn't do.
Demo footage: NASA interviews with astronaut Jeanette Epps (public domain). NASA does not endorse Novacut. See also: automatic video editors.