AI makes your job easier. AI is a smart tool that can analyze your video footage on its own. It can give you suggestions for editing, and can even do some annoying tasks like removing unnecessary parts of the video, adding captions, or improving the sound quality.
For YouTubers in particular, the biggest advantage is that you no longer have to think about the details of editing, but can focus on telling an interesting story. AI makes editing faster, reduces costs (if you don’t have someone edit it) and helps beginners create professional-quality videos.
However, it should be remembered that AI is not perfect. The human side of creativity that makes a video unique is often not present in AI. So AI works best when you use it with your own thoughts and creativity.
Prepare your video footage for AI editing
Even with the best AI tools, you can’t expect good results from bad video footage. So I’ve learned that recording clear audio and good visuals beforehand can save you a lot of hassle later. Organize your video files neatly before uploading them to AI editing tools.
For example, if you make a cooking video, organize and label all the clips according to the recipe steps rather than randomly placing them in a folder. The more organized and clean your input is, the better AI can help you.
Automate common editing tasks
The biggest advantage of AI is that it can automate common, time-consuming tasks. AI tools can quickly cut out unnecessary long gaps, remove incorrect parts, and stitch together clips neatly. It can also improve video quality such as reducing image noise, fixing lighting issues, and keeping video colors consistent.
Apart from that, AI’s ability to separate content is really great. For example, you can use AI to remove background from a video. This will make any video look professional without a green screen.
For example, if you record a product unboxing video in low light, AI can brighten it up so that it doesn’t look unnatural. But keep in mind that sometimes AI over-corrects colors, which can make skin or other objects look distorted. So it’s important to review the results after you’re done.
Add transitions and effects
Transitions make your videos look better, but it can be a hassle to add transitions to each clip individually. AI can suggest transitions based on the speed or mood of your video. Similarly, it can add different effects that match the theme of your video. For example, a gentle zoom in on a tutorial video or a quick cut on a gaming video.
Also, AI works great for perfecting old footage. If a stock video has unwanted logos or text, then using AI tools, you can easily remove watermark from video. This reduces the hassle of manual editing and saves you a lot of time.
The biggest advantage of this is that it saves time. You don’t have to choose from thousands of effects. However, AI can sometimes choose transitions that look too ordinary. So if you want to set your channel apart from others, it would be wise to tweak these effects a little instead of relying entirely on AI.
Improve audio quality
No matter how good the visuals of a video are, if the audio is bad, the whole video can be ruined. AI’s noise filters help reduce background noise, such as fan noise or street noise. This makes your voice clearer, which is possible without a separate device. Some tools also automatically combine audio and video, which will be a great help if you record voiceovers separately.
However, there is a problem. AI sometimes cannot correctly catch multiple words together. For example, if you are recording a video in a cafe, AI may reduce your own voice while reducing background chatter. In such cases, you will have to make some changes manually or by hand.
Creating captions and subtitles
AI’s greatest gift is the ability to transcribe or convert text. Many tools can quickly convert your speech into subtitles. This makes the video more accessible to everyone and also increases the popularity of the video, because many people watch YouTube videos without sound.
However, captions are not always perfect. Pronunciation, fast speech or slang words can confuse the AI, resulting in incorrect captions. So I always make sure that the captions are correct.
Creating Thumbnails and Highlights
AI can scan your video and choose the best frames for thumbnails. Some tools even enhance the color and brightness of these frames to make them more attractive. It can also automatically create small highlight clips, which are great for short previews or teasers.
The advantage of this is efficiency. You don’t have to watch the entire 20-minute video to find a perfect moment. The disadvantage is that AI doesn’t always know which frame is the most interesting to watch. For example, it might choose a blurry frame where there was a lot of movement.
Reviewing the final editing work
This is where your personal skills are most important. AI can help you with 70-80% of the work, but the final look of the video is up to you. Make sure that the cuts, transitions, captions, and effects match your channel’s own style.
Think of AI as an assistant, not a replacement. For example, while AI can correct spelling, a writer reviews their own writing. AI can’t automatically correct your personality, humor, or storytelling style.
Exporting and uploading your video
When exporting a video, AI tools can suggest the right format and resolution for YouTube, which saves you time. It optimizes settings by balancing video quality and file size. However, it’s a good idea to check YouTube’s current rules yourself, as AI may not always be up to date. Before uploading a video, I double-check to see if AI has made any mistakes, such as sudden cuts or incorrect captions.
Final Thoughts
AI is reshaping the way video editing works, especially for YouTubers. It can take away time-consuming tasks, speed up editing, and help even beginners create professional-quality videos. But it’s not perfect. It lacks creativity, often makes audio or video mistakes, and makes mediocre choices. The key is to strike a balance. Use AI to save time, but don’t rely on it completely. Just as a writer uses AI to check their spelling, but writes the story themselves, AI works in a similar way. The more advanced AI becomes, the more opportunities there are for effortless and creative video editing.