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Guide

You can make a Reel without editing it yourself: film one clip, pick a style, press one button

Updated

You don't need editing skills to make a good Reel. You film one clip of yourself talking, and an AI editor such as Jacob in Cutroom's Magic Editor makes the cuts, captions and music for you.

In short

  • You can make Reels without editing skills by filming one clip of you talking and letting an AI editor make the whole edit.
  • Instagram also lets you post a clip straight from its camera with music, and its Edits app writes captions for free, but you still make the cuts.
  • In Cutroom's Magic Editor you upload your clip, pick one of four styles, add any screenshots or photos, answer four optional questions and press one button.
  • Mistakes in your clip are fine, because Jacob, the Magic Editor's AI editor, cuts the ums, restarts and repeats.
  • You change the finished Reel by typing plain sentences like "Turn the music down a bit", and you post it to Instagram yourself. Your first video is free.

Can you make Reels without editing skills?

Yes. You have three ways to make a Reel without learning an editor. They differ in how much is done for you.

  • Instagram's own camera is the simplest. You record or upload a clip, add music or your own sound, and post it, with no cutting at all.
  • Instagram's Edits app writes captions from your video for free, from one tap on Captions. You still decide where to cut, on a timeline.
  • An AI editor makes the whole edit for you. In Cutroom's Magic Editor you film one clip, make four quick choices, and Jacob cuts it, adds captions and music, and puts your screenshots on the right words.
  • The first route is quickest for a casual Reel. The last one is for a Reel that should look edited without you editing it.

What to film so the edit works

The Magic Editor edits on the words you say, so a clear clip matters more than a fancy one. The app gives four tips before you upload, and they're the whole recipe.

  • Film upright, so the video is 9:16. A wide video loses its sides when it's turned into a Reel.
  • Talk to the camera, one person with one clear message.
  • Keep it under 3 minutes. Mistakes are fine, because Jacob cuts the ums.
  • Film in a quiet room. The Magic Editor doesn't remove background noise, and Jacob edits on your words.
  • If you stumble, pause and say the sentence again. Jacob keeps the clean version and cuts the restart, as the example below shows.

A florist's first Reel, before and after

A first-timer's clip with two restarts. Jacob cuts them in the first edit, and one chat line makes the next version.

Drawing of an example clip, not a customer video

Before · the clip as filmed

A 35-second phone video of a florist filming her first Reel, with two restarts at the start

“Hi, I'm, oh, sorry, let me start again. Hi! So, um, most cut flowers die early because of dirty water, not the sun. Change the water every two days and trim the stems a little. … (pause) Your tulips will thank you.”

struck through = what Jacob cuts

After · Jacob's first edit, Poster style

mostWATERCUT1

“Most cut flowers die early because of dirty water, not the sun. Change the water every two days and trim the stems a little. Your tulips will thank you.”

  • On “water”: the words DIRTY WATER stacked big on screen, in three fonts
  • On “sun”: a black-and-white moment
  • On “two”: the number 2 in neon
  • On “tulips”: the video closes on your logo
  • Under the whole video: calm music under your voice

Then you ask Jacob

  1. “Turn the music down a bit”v2the same edit with the music quieter under your voice

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.

BEFORE · YOUR TAKESoum,I open thedashboard… (pause)Make my videoJacob edits itAFTER · JACOB'S FIRST EDITdashboard.pngDASHBOARDSo I open the dashboard.cut outyour fileon the word
A drawing of an example clip, not a customer video. What it shows is what the Magic Editor does: cuts the ums and pauses, puts your own screenshot on the word you say, sets key words big and adds music.

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.

  1. Your take: one video of you talking, up to 3 minutes
  2. Your style: one of 4: Steps, Skit, Verdict or Poster
  3. Your files: screenshots, a screen recording or a logo, if you have them
  4. Your goal: what the video is for, in a few words, if you like
  5. Jacob makes it: normally 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email
  6. 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.

The choices you make before you press the button

The Magic Editor asks four things, in this order, and then you press "Make my video". None of it needs editing know-how.

  • Your take: you upload the clip you filmed, as an MP4, MOV or WebM file. While it uploads you can already do the next steps.
  • Your style: you pick the look of the Reel from four styles, each with a short example that plays.
  • Your files: you can add up to 20 screenshots, a screen recording, product photos or your logo. If you have none, you skip this and Jacob finds fitting b-roll.
  • Your goal: four optional questions about what you're showing, who it's for, what people should do after watching and where it will run.
  • Then Jacob makes it. It normally takes 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email when your first cut is ready. You can close the page while Jacob works. Your video keeps going.

Which style to pick for your first Reel

From the app's own description of each style.

  • Choose Steps if you're sharing a tip or a how-to and have screenshots of the tool you use.

  • Choose Skit if you're walking people through your product with your face on screen.

  • Choose Verdict if you're giving a review or saying what you thought after trying something.

  • Choose Poster if you're making one strong point and have nothing to show on a screen.

Changing the Reel without editing know-how

When the first edit is ready, you change it by typing to Jacob the way you'd tell a friend. There are no tracks or settings to learn.

  • "Make this about 10 seconds shorter" gives you a version about 10 seconds shorter, with your opening and your close kept.
  • "Keep my pauses, it feels too rushed" leaves your natural pauses in, if the Reel feels too fast.
  • "Change the music to something calmer" swaps the music for a calmer track.
  • "Can you find 3 b-roll clips that fit what I'm saying?" adds three short clips on the words they fit.
  • If a caption word is wrong, you tap the word and fix it for free. You can also tap words to cut them or bring them back, for free.
  • A message that changes the Reel costs 40 credits. A question such as "What does a change cost?" is free, up to 20 a day. Every change Jacob makes is a new version. The earlier versions stay, and going back to one is free.

What you still do yourself

The Magic Editor makes the edit, but a few steps stay with you.

  • You film the clip. The Magic Editor edits a real video of you talking; it doesn't make one from a prompt.
  • You post the Reel. You download one vertical MP4 and upload it to Instagram like any other video.
  • You keep it to one clip of up to 3 minutes. Jacob can't join several clips or move a sentence to another place.
  • You can't pick your own font, because each style comes with its own.

Questions people ask

How can I make Reels if I can't edit?
Film one clip of yourself talking and let an AI editor make the edit. In Cutroom's Magic Editor, Jacob cuts the mistakes and adds captions, music and your screenshots, and you change it by typing plain sentences.
What's the easiest way to make a Reel?
Recording straight in Instagram's camera and adding music is the easiest, but nothing is cut or captioned. For an edited Reel without editing, an AI editor like Cutroom's Magic Editor does the cutting for you.
Do I need to film it perfectly?
No. Restarts, ums and repeats are fine, because Jacob cuts them in the first edit. Film upright, in a quiet room, and say each point clearly once.
How long does the edit take?
It normally takes 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email when your first cut is ready. You don't need to keep the page open.
Can I make Reels without editing on my phone?
Yes. You film on your phone and upload the clip to Cutroom in your phone's browser. On a phone, the edit screen opens with the chat to Jacob first.
Is it free to try?
Yes. Your first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99/month removes it. After that, a Reel of up to a minute with no paid changes costs 280 credits.

Film one clip of yourself talking and let Jacob do the editing.

Try for freeYour first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99/month removes it