- Rachel Bistricer
- 9 hours ago
- 5 min read
Editing video can be tough, you shoot an hour of footage just to get five minutes of quality. Then comes the tedious part, scrubbing through the timeline, chopping out awkward silences, fixing the lighting and trying to balance the audio. It’s the part of the creative process that often feels more like a chore than an art.
Learning how to edit a video with AI changes the game entirely. It’s not about letting a robot take over your creative vision it’s about giving yourself a super-fast assistant who handles the grunt work. AI tools can now listen to your video, understand the content and help you make cuts in seconds rather than hours. This guide will show you how to speed up your workflow and get back to the fun part of creating.
TL;DR: How to edit a video with AI
Here's the fast track to AI-powered editing.
Step | Action | Why it matters |
01. Pick your AI video tool | Choose a video maker with smart features like Wixel. | Gives you the power to automate tasks. |
02. Upload and transcribe | Let the AI turn your video's audio into text. | Creates a searchable script of your footage. |
03. Edit by text | Delete words in the transcript to cut the video. | Makes trimming as easy as editing a doc. |
04. Auto-remove silence | Use AI to strip out pauses and "ums." | Instantly tightens up the pacing. |
05. Enhance quality | Apply AI filters for color and audio. | Fixes bad lighting or noise automatically. |
06. Export & share | Save your polished video. | Gets your content ready for your audience. |
How to edit a video with AI in 6 steps
Follow these six steps to use AI to clean up your clips and polish your final cut.
01. Choose an AI-powered video editor
Not all video editors are created equal. While traditional software relies on you doing everything manually, AI video editors are built to anticipate your needs. You want a tool that offers specific AI features like text-based editing, magic removal or auto-reframing.
You can also learn how to create an entire video with AI if you need to.
For creators who want a smooth experience, Wixel offers a suite of AI tools designed to simplify the complex parts of post-production. Look for software that fits your skill level. If you're new to this, avoid complex professional suites and stick to platforms that prioritize speed and ease of use.
Get started with Wixel's video maker.
02. Let the AI listen to your footage
Once you upload your video file, the first magic happens. Most AI video editors will automatically transcribe your video. This means the AI listens to the audio track and types out everything that was said, turning your video into a text document.
This transcription is the foundation for the rest of your edit. Instead of looking at a waveform and guessing where a sentence starts, you can simply read the script. This is incredibly useful for interviews, podcasts or talking-head videos where the dialogue is the main focus.
Another way that an AI video editor might work is with a chat function. You tell it how to edit your edit with specific prompts and instructions which it then follows.
03. Edit the video like a text document
This is where learning how to edit a video with AI feels easy. In the past, if you wanted to remove a bad take, you had to find the in-point and out-point on the timeline and slice it.
Now, you just look at the transcript. See a sentence you don't like? Highlight the text and hit delete. The AI video tool automatically cuts that section of the video out of the timeline. It’s as intuitive as editing a Word document. You can even move sections around by cutting and pasting the text and the video reorders itself to match.
Or you do the same via its chat editor. See something you don't want, you simply tell it to remove it.
Learn more:
04. Clean up the silence and fillers
We all do it, we say um, uh, or pause to think while the camera is rolling. Manually cutting out every single um can take forever.
AI video tools often have a magic cleanup button. With one click, the software scans the transcript for filler words and long pauses. You can choose to remove them all instantly. This tightens up your video significantly, making you sound more confident and keeping the viewer engaged without you having to make a hundred tiny micro-cuts.
05. Fix the look and sound automatically
AI isn't just for cutting a video it’s also for polishing it. If you filmed in a dark room or have grainy audio, AI can often save the day.
Audio enhancement: Tools like voice isolation or noise reduction use AI to identify the human voice and suppress background noise like air conditioners or traffic. You can also understand how to add music to videos.
Color correction: AI can analyze the colors in your video and automatically balance them to look natural and vibrant, saving you from fiddling with color wheels.
Generative fill: Some advanced tools even let you remove unwanted objects from the frame (like a trash can in the background) and automatically fill in the space to match the surroundings. These video background ideas are great inspiration for this part of the process.
06. Review and export
Even with the best AI video editor, you're still in charge Watch your video through to make sure the AI didn't cut anything essential. Sometimes the automated jump cuts can feel a bit too fast, so you might need to add a small transition or adjust the timing slightly.
Once you're happy with the flow, export your video. Because the AI handled the rough assembly and cleanup, you likely reached this stage in half the time it usually takes. Save your file in high resolution and get it out to your audience.
How to edit a video with AI FAQ
Is AI expected to replace video editors?
AI is a tool, not a replacement for creativity. It's fantastic at handling the tedious, repetitive tasks like organizing footage, removing silence and basic color correction. However, it can't replicate the human ability to tell a story, understand comedic timing or build emotional arcs. Editors who use AI will simply be faster and have more time to focus on the creative aspects of their work.
Is AI video editing expensive?
It depends on the tool. Many web-based AI video editors, like Wixel, offer free plans with limited features or watermarks. Premium subscriptions are generally affordable for most creators and businesses, especially when you consider the time saved. Compared to hiring a professional editor for every small project, using AI software is extremely cost-effective.
Can AI create videos from scratch?
Yes, this is a different category from editing called generative AI. AI Tools like Wixel can create video clips from text prompts.