Guide
Agentic video editing means an AI agent makes the edit and you direct it in words
Updated
Agentic video editing is editing done by an AI agent: it plans the edit, makes it, and changes it when you ask in plain words. Here is what that means for one clip of you talking.
In short
- Agentic video editing means an AI agent makes the editing decisions and does the work, while you direct it in words.
- In AI, an agent is a program that plans a task, carries out the steps itself and checks the result before handing it back.
- An editing agent working on one clip of you talking picks the storyline, cuts ums and repeats, and adds captions and music.
- A template puts the same preset on every video. An agent decides each edit from what you actually said.
- Agentic editing is not AI video generation: an editing agent works on what you filmed instead of making a new presenter.
What is agentic video editing?
Agentic video editing is editing done by an AI agent. The agent decides what the video should be, makes it, and changes it when you tell it what you want.
In AI, an agent is a program that gets a goal, plans the steps, carries them out and checks the result. In editing, those steps are the cuts, the captions, the b-roll and the music.
- Tools that do this today include Descript's Underlord, Tella Agent, OpusClip's AI Producer, ChatCut, invideo (which calls itself an agentic video editor) and Cutroom's Magic Editor.
- You don't have to drag clips on a timeline. You say what you want, such as "Make this about 10 seconds shorter", and the agent does it.
- A good editing agent can also explain itself. In Cutroom you can ask Jacob "Why did you cut what you cut?" and get a straight answer.
How agentic video editing works
You give it a clip and a goal
The goal can be as short as who the video is for
The agent plans the edit
What to keep, what to show and when
The agent makes the edit
Cuts, captions, b-roll, music and sound
You ask for changes in words
You read the result and type what to change
What an editing agent decides on one clip
Here is a drawn example in Cutroom's Magic Editor, where the agent is called Jacob. One press of the "Make my video" button makes the first edit, and one chat message changes it.
- It decides which sentences carry the point, and cuts the ums, false starts and repeats around them.
- It decides the storyline and the length, so nobody asks you how long the video should be.
- It decides what goes on screen. In this example, each of the three morning tips gets one big word.
- It picks music and sound effects for the style, and finds b-roll for the moments that need a picture.
A morning-routine tip, before and after
One press made the first edit; one message made the second version.
Drawing of an example clip, not a customer video
Before · the clip as filmed
A 40-second phone video of a creator sharing three tips for her morning routine
“Okay, so, here are the three things I'd change about my morning routine. First, um, no phone for the first hour. Then water before coffee, and uh, and, and a ten-minute walk outside.”
struck through = what Jacob cuts
After · Jacob's first edit, Steps style
“Here are the three things I'd change about my morning routine. First, no phone for the first hour. Then water before coffee, and a ten-minute walk outside.”
- On “phone”: point one, the word phone set big in your accent colour
- On “water”: point two, the word water set big, with a b-roll clip of a glass of water from stock
- On “walk”: point three, the word walk set big, with a stock clip of a quiet street
- Under the whole video: calm music and sound effects under your voice
Then you ask Jacob
- “Use less text on screen”v2the same edit with fewer words on screen, but the three big words stay
How Cutroom's Magic Editor edits a video like this
Jacob is the AI editor inside Cutroom's Magic Editor: it edits your video for you, then changes it when you ask in a chat.
The 4 styles, as example edits
Steps
Three steps, four angles
Skit
Hook, hard stop, demo card
Verdict
The tester's verdict
Poster
Typography does the talking
Hover or tap an example to play it, without sound. These are example edits of each style; the presenters in them are generated with AI.
- Your take: one video of you talking, up to 3 minutes
- Your style: one of 4: Steps, Skit, Verdict or Poster
- Your files: screenshots, a screen recording or a logo, if you have them
- Your goal: what the video is for, in a few words, if you like
- Jacob makes it: normally 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email
- Your edit: ask Jacob for changes in a chat, then export
Then you ask Jacob, for example
- “Make this about 10 seconds shorter”
- “Put a clip on the strongest sentence”
- “Change the music to something calmer”
Each change is a new version, and going back is free. First cut 250 credits, each change 40, questions free, export 30 credits per started minute.
Agentic editing vs templates and presets
A template or preset puts the same look on whatever you give it. An agent reads what you said and decides the edit for that one clip.
- A template is a good fit if you like editing and only want a look to start from.
- An agent is the better fit if you want the editing itself done for you.
A template and an editing agent, side by side
What it decides
- A template or preset
- The look. You make the edit yourself
- An editing agent
- The cuts, the text, the b-roll and the music
Mistakes in your speech
- A template or preset
- You trim them yourself
- An editing agent
- Ums, false starts and repeats cut for you
Text on screen
- A template or preset
- The same spots on every video
- An editing agent
- On the words that matter in this clip
Your screenshots
- A template or preset
- You drag them into place
- An editing agent
- Placed on the words where you mention them
Changing it
- A template or preset
- Pick another template or edit by hand
- An editing agent
- Ask in words and get a new version
| A template or preset | An editing agent | |
|---|---|---|
| What it decides | The look. You make the edit yourself | The cuts, the text, the b-roll and the music |
| Mistakes in your speech | You trim them yourself | Ums, false starts and repeats cut for you |
| Text on screen | The same spots on every video | On the words that matter in this clip |
| Your screenshots | You drag them into place | Placed on the words where you mention them |
| Changing it | Pick another template or edit by hand | Ask in words and get a new version |
What agentic editing does not mean
The word gets used loosely, so here is what it doesn't cover.
- It doesn't mean AI video generation. A generator makes new footage or an AI presenter. An editing agent edits the clip you filmed.
- It doesn't have to mean new speech. Some agentic editors, such as ChatCut, can dub what you say. Cutroom's Magic Editor never makes new speech: it keeps your own words, in the order you said them.
- It doesn't mean you lose control. You still say what the video is for, and after the first edit you ask for changes in plain words, such as "Make the key words stand out more" or "Change the music to something calmer". A good agent also tells you when it can't do something, such as moving a sentence to another place.
- It doesn't mean the edit is instant. The agent goes through your whole video and plans it before it builds anything. In Cutroom the first edit normally takes 10 to 15 minutes, and an email tells you when it's ready.
- It doesn't mean the agent can fix what you didn't film. It works with the clip you give it, so it can cut a sentence that came out wrong, but it can't film a better one for you.
- It doesn't mean any format you like. Each tool has its own export. OpusClip's AI Producer exports one MP4 at up to 1080p in 9:16, 16:9 or 1:1, and Cutroom's Magic Editor exports one vertical MP4, 1080 by 1920.
- It doesn't mean a perfect edit every time. You watch the first edit and ask for what you want changed.
Questions people ask
- What is an agentic video editor?
- A video editor where an AI agent does the editing. You give it your clip and a goal, it makes the edit, and you change it by asking in plain words.
- What is the difference between agentic and AI video editing?
- An AI video editor gives you AI tools that you still drive, such as auto captions. An agentic editor makes the whole edit itself and takes your changes in words.
- Is agentic video editing the same as AI video generation?
- No. A generator makes new footage, often with an AI presenter. An editing agent works on a video you filmed yourself.
- Can an AI editing agent make mistakes?
- Yes. It decides from what you said, so it can cut a line you wanted or pick music you don't like. You fix that by asking, for example "Change the music to something calmer".
- Do I have to write prompts for agentic editing?
- No. In Cutroom's Magic Editor you press "Make my video" and Jacob makes the first edit without a prompt. You only type when you want something changed.
- Which tools do agentic video editing?
- Several editors now include an editing agent, such as Descript's Underlord, Tella Agent, OpusClip's AI Producer, ChatCut and invideo. Cutroom's Magic Editor is one built for a single clip of you talking, made into a vertical video.
Want to see agentic editing on your own clip? Film one, press "Make my video" and let Jacob make the edit. Your first video is free.