AI Video Editing: The Complete 2026 Guide (Tools, Workflows, Use Cases)

Video editing hasn’t gotten harder; content creation demands have. Content creators are producing longer shows, more clips, and publishing across multiple platforms at once. Industry trends surrounding AI video generation or AI video repurposing have increased the demand for content output tenfold. Every hour of recording turns into a full day of syncing, cleaning, and trimming before the real creative edit can even begin.

That’s where AI finally matters.

Modern AI video editors don’t replace human storytelling. They automate the boring part, the sync, the silences, the rough cuts, so editors can spend their time on pacing, emotion, and the moments that actually make people watch.

In this guide, we’ll break down how AI is transforming the editing workflow, the AI video tools leading the shift, and how to apply AI to your own process, whether you’re editing podcasts, interviews, documentaries, or long-form YouTube videos.

AI saves 60-90% of prep time. Creativity gets to start earlier.

Can AI Do Video Editing? What AI Video Editing Actually Is

AI video editing refers to software that understands footage like an editor does:

• Who is talking and when

• What topics are being discussed

• Where silence or filler can be cut

• Which shots matter for storytelling

From utility AI to vibe editing software (usually focused on chat-based editing), AI has proven to be a powerful co-pilot to video editors of varying skill levels.

Instead of dragging clips around a timeline blindly, AI turns recordings into searchable, editable transcripts (script-based editing) and automatically builds a clean starting cut.

The key shift:

Editing begins at the storytelling level, not the cleanup level.

The best ai video editors focus on the prep stage, the messy work before polishing in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut.

How AI Is Changing Editing (Faster, Smarter, Automated)

Traditional editing workflows break down when recordings get long.
Podcasts run 60–120 minutes. Interviews drift. Multicam sync drifts.
By the time cleanup is done, the creative energy is gone.

AI fixes that by eliminating repetitive decisions:

Apps like Selects do this before footage enters the NLE.

Apps like Premiere Assistant do it inside the NLE.

Either way, you start editing with structure instead of chaos.

If you’re a video podcaster, in particular, check out our AI Podcast Editing Guide too.

Core AI Video Editing Features Explained

Even editors who don’t trust “auto edits” still rely on AI for prep.
These are the features worth caring about:

1. Multicam Sync & Switching

Automatically aligns all cameras and microphones, and chooses the correct angle when a speaker talks.

Get an idea of the best multicam sync plugins in our comparison guide.

2. Silence Removal

Cut awkward pauses and dead space using adjustable audio thresholds.

Get an idea of the best silence removal plugins in our comparison guide.

3. Video Search and Clip/Topic Detection

Search transcripts and your labeled video clips to instantly find reactions, jokes, or hooks.

For example, if you search “funny moment”, you can get short-form snippets to pick from in seconds.

4. Script-Based Editing

Trim or reorder your story directly from the text, faster than dragging clips.

5. Auto Assembly Cut

AI creates a first pass edit, and you decide what stays.

Creativity starts at version 1.0, not version 0.1

Best AI Video Editing Software (2025)

AI tools for video creation don’t all solve the same problem. Some are designed to replace hours of rough-cut cleanup. Others are built to automate repetitive actions inside the timeline.

Here’s where each tool fits, so you choose based on workflow, not hype:

Selects: Best for Long-Form Prep & Multicam Podcasts

Instead of struggling with sync issues in Final Cut or even multicam sync problems in DaVinci Resolve…

Selects handles the entire front half of the edit:

• Multicam sync + angle switching

• Silence + filler word cleanup

• Script search for fast story shaping

• Viral clip extraction

• Auto-chapters + content chunking

• XML handoff to Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut

Selects turns 2–6 hours of prep into 2–6 minutes.

Who it’s for:

• Interview editors

• Podcasters

• Documentary teams

• YouTubers clipping episodes for Shorts / Reels

Check out our full walkthrough of the best AI podcast editors, too.

Premiere Assistant, Best Inside for AI Editing in Premiere Pro

Great when you want automation without leaving your NLE.

• Auto transcription & labeling

• Text-based timeline control

• Rough-cut generation including retake removal

• Caption styling & export options

Who it’s for:

• Premiere users polishing long-form cuts

• Editors who prefer timeline-first workflows

Descript: Best for Script-Heavy Solo Creators

Works like Google Docs for video.
You edit the transcript, and the timeline updates.

• Fast cleanup for one-camera shows

• AI retake removal

• Speaker color coding & fillers removed

• Eye-Contact AI for host-reads

Who it’s for:

• Solo podcasters

• TikTok/YT commentary creators

• People who hate timeline navigation

Autopod: Best for Quick Multicam Angles

Autopod is ideal only if everything is already structured in Premiere:

• One-click camera switching

• Auto-reframing for social aspect ratios

• Batch clip exports

But:

• No transcript

• No clip search

• No XML handoff outside Premiere

You might encounter some common issues with the Autopod AI editor. Check out how to troubleshoot them in our guide.

FireCut / AutoCut: Best for Simple Timeline Automation

Lightweight plugins that automate jump cuts through silence removal and filler word removal.

Not ideal for complex edits, but can shave minutes off long-form and short-form edits.

(H4) TL;DR Tool Summary

Try Selects’ free 7-day trial here with no credit limits!

How To Use AI Video Editors: AI Editing Workflows (For Solo Creators, Pro Video Editors, and Studios)

Workflow 1: Podcasts & Interview Shows

Best strategy: AI first → NLE second

• Upload to Selects

• Auto-sync, auto-label, auto-stringout, remove silences and filler words

• Natural-language search to label viral clips

• Handoff to Premiere, Resolve, or Final Cut for pacing & polish

Result: Final timeline starts at 90% complete

Workflow 2: Long-Form YouTube

Selects can instantly generate:

• Chapters (for YouTube SEO)

• Clip bins for Shorts, Reels, TikToks, and other social media videos

• Assembly cut based on script flow

Editors then jump straight into video pacing, b-roll, and story.

Workflow 3: Educational / Documentary

AI shines at structure:

• Topic segmentation

• Speaker-aware camera switching

• B-roll markers via transcript flags

Teams keep creative collaboration inside the NLE.

Workflow 4: Short-Form-First Channels

Premiere Assistant + Selects combo wins:

• Clip discovery

• Auto-caption styling

• Social-ready crops (9:16 / 1:1 / 16:9)

• High-volume batch delivery

Think one shoot turning into 2 long-form uploads and 10–30 short-form clips. Check out our guide on repurposing long-form content into short-form clips, for more detail on how to utilize content repurposing tools.

Future Trends in AI Editing

Editing is shifting toward agent-based automation, software that makes decisions instead of waiting for button clicks.

Emerging changes:

• Fully auto-assembled rough cuts for common formats

• AI that detects story beats, not just words

• Smart clip scoring: “viral,” “funny,” “emotional”

• Unified production → post pipelines

• Zero-credit limits (flat pricing will win)

Expected by 2026:

Timeline starts finished, editors just refine.

This is where Selects is already heading.

Video Editing AI FAQs

Will AI take over and replace video editing or editors? Will AI take video editing jobs?
No. AI replaces prep. Editors still shape narrative and emotion.

How accurate is AI multicam switching?
Very strong when audio is clean, and speakers are distinct.
(Selects = transcript-aware switching)

Which AI editor works best with Premiere Pro?
Selects → best for prep
Premiere Assistant → best for refinement
Autopod → best for simple switching

How good is AI Video Editing? Can AI detect viral clips automatically?
Yes. Selects detects interesting moments by meaning & reactions.

Skip the grunt work; start where storytelling happens.
Try Selects free → No credit limits, no watermark

For more in-depth knowledge about the ins and outs of video editing, check out our latest posts on the Cutback blog or our YouTube channel. You can also join Cutback’s Discord community of like-minded video editors.