Introducing Selects: Cutback's New AI Rough Cut Tool Built for Pro Video Editors
Have you ever opened a project with hours of raw footage and thought, “Where do I even begin?”
With AI-driven video production, that question has become a lot easier to answer. Whether you’re working on a podcast, an interview series, or a multi-cam YouTube show, the rough cut phase in most timeline editing workflows takes up more time than it should.
What is Cutback Selects?
Cutback Selects is a new standalone app designed to address this issue. With a double meaning for the video culling process
Unlike other AI video editing tools or automated video editing software that promise to replace human creativity, Selects is built to cut the busywork, not the storytelling.
Selects is part of a new generation of AI-powered video tools designed to support editors, not replace them.
Selects uses AI to transform your footage into a clean, labeled, editor-ready rough cut; fast. It plays nicely with your existing video editing workflow, whether you use Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro.
Now in beta, Selects is already trusted by creators with millions of subscribers, Netflix studios, and fast-moving post-production teams.
Why We Built ‘Selects’
Most editors don’t struggle with creativity. They struggle with time.
Prepping a timeline, syncing sound and video, trimming silence, splitting by topic, and labeling takes can take six hours or more, even for experienced editors. Most of that effort happens before the first real edit begins. That’s time lost on client work, content output, and creative energy.
The name and product ‘Selects’ was inspired by the video editing process of choosing the moments worth keeping. Not only is it a testament to Cutback’s mission in helping video editors get the best out of their edit in less time… But ‘selects’, in video editing terms, also means the usable trimmed moments pulled from a stringout that will end up in the final video edit.
That’s what Selects was built to do: sift through the noise and surface only what matters. Whether you’re racing against a tight deadline or handling hours of raw footage, Selects helps you build the ultimate storyline by setting up the best takes, already lined up and cut. It’s more than a name; it’s a reflection of our mission to make video editing faster, cleaner, and more creative by focusing only on what’s essential.
What Selects by Cutback Does
Selects is a video post-production AI designed to streamline video editing automation that speeds up everything leading to your edit. Instead of spending hours doing prep, you upload your footage and get back a clean project that’s already been:
Multi-cam synced: the multi-cam editor syncs footage and audio in the click of a button without markers
Split by topic or take in video chunks that make video file management a breeze
Trimmed of dead air or silence for silence removal in videos that creates the perfect pacing to increase the retention
Labeled for easy navigation and to allow you to choose the best selects of your storyline through highly accurate dialogue analysis
Prepped for handoff to Premiere Pro, Final Cut, or DaVinci Resolve
The result? Cutback Selects reduces 6 hours of raw footage prep to minutes. You start every edit halfway done. It’s like having an assistant editor that doesn’t sleep and doesn’t cost you tons of dollars in multiple AI co-editing tools.
Who Is It For?
If you’re working with long-form content and need a smart video editing co-pilot, this is for you. Selects was built with the needs of:
Podcast editors
YouTube creators
Studio post teams
Freelance editors
Production companies
…in mind. Especially those juggling multiple platforms or tight client deadlines.
Whether you’re trying to scale client projects or reduce editing bottlenecks, Selects helps you keep up with the pace of content without sacrificing quality.
How to Use Selects by Cutback
Using Selects is simple. It works especially well when paired with transcript-based editing (such as text-based editing or script-based editing approaches). Just:
Upload your raw footage — single or multi-cam, with synced or separate audio.
Define your intent — what kind of edit are you aiming for? Use chat-based editing by entering video editing prompts.
Let Selects do the work — it handles syncing, dead air removal, topic splitting, and labeling, delivering an auto rough cut to you through its intelligent video trimming with high transcription accuracy
Download your project — then drop it into your preferred NLE (Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve).
It’s like getting a head start on every project, knowing that the prep work isn’t an obstacle, but a stepping stone.
Try Selects Beta today!
Our CEO, Tom Kim, introduced Selects in a quick 30-second video:
“We’ve been working on Selects for a few months. It’s like the Premiere Pro plugin. but its own app. You can download the beta right now. The more you use Selects, the faster we can build it better together.”
— Tom Kim, CEO and Co-founder of Cutback
We’ll be updating the beta weekly, so you’ll always have access to the latest features and performance improvements.
What’s Next
We’re not stopping here. Our roadmap includes:
Smarter multi-cam logic
More granular topic detection
Auto-highlighting key moments
Faster handoffs for teams
Expanded AI models for different use cases
We believe the future of editing isn’t one tool that replaces you, it’s smart tools that work with you. We’re happy to be your AI video editing assistant and hope that you can assist us in helping you, too.
Why It Matters
Selects isn’t just a tool; it’s a statement.
If you’ve ever found yourself buried in timelines, fixing sync issues, or scrubbing through footage for that one moment, Selects gives you your time back.
It’s for editors who want to ship consistently, hit deadlines, and stay in love with their craft.
Try it now and experience the future of rough cuts.
🔗 Try Selects by Cutback today!
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