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Instagram First Draft trims your clips and pauses, and you add the captions, music and text

Updated

First Draft is a free Instagram feature that trims the clips you pick and removes the pauses, so you start from a rough edit. You still add captions, music and text yourself before you post.

In short

  • Instagram First Draft is a Reels feature that trims the clips you pick and removes pauses, giving you a rough first edit.
  • Instagram announced First Draft on 25 August 2026. It says the edit takes under 10 seconds, and it is coming to iPhone first.
  • You open First Draft from the Instagram camera, or from the Reels gallery after picking your clips.
  • First Draft only trims and removes pauses, so you still add captions, music and text in Instagram's editor.
  • Cutroom's Magic Editor makes the whole edit from one clip of you talking, with captions, music and your screenshots included.

What is Instagram First Draft?

First Draft is a button in Instagram's Reels tools that makes a rough edit from your clips. Instagram announced it on 25 August 2026 in a Threads post.

Instagram First Draft at a glance

From the launch reports in TechCrunch and Engadget, 25 August 2026.

QuestionAnswer
What it doesTrims the clips you pick and removes pauses
Where it isIn the Instagram camera, and in the Reels gallery after you pick clips
PhonesiPhone first
How fastUnder 10 seconds, Instagram says
What it costsNothing, it's part of the Instagram app
Is it AI?No, an Instagram spokesperson told The Verge

  • Question: What it does

    Answer
    Trims the clips you pick and removes pauses

  • Question: Where it is

    Answer
    In the Instagram camera, and in the Reels gallery after you pick clips

  • Question: Phones

    Answer
    iPhone first

  • Question: How fast

    Answer
    Under 10 seconds, Instagram says

  • Question: What it costs

    Answer
    Nothing, it's part of the Instagram app

  • Question: Is it AI?

    Answer
    No, an Instagram spokesperson told The Verge

How to use First Draft

You start First Draft from clips you already have, or from the camera. Instagram then lays the rough edit out on its usual timeline, where you can play it.

  • The button is coming to iPhone first, so you may not see it on Android yet.
  • The launch reports describe First Draft trimming the clips you select. None of them says whether it also works on one long clip, so try it with whatever you filmed.
  • First Draft also removes pauses you may have wanted for effect, so play the edit once before you post.
  • Everything First Draft does can be undone or changed afterwards.
  • Instagram's editor lets you undo or redo up to 20 actions while you work on the timeline.

Making a Reel with First Draft

  1. Pick your clips

    In the Reels gallery, or film in the Instagram camera

  2. Tap First Draft

    Instagram trims the clips and removes pauses

  3. Play the rough edit

    Change or undo any cut on the timeline

  4. Finish and post

    Add captions, music and text, then share

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.

What First Draft leaves for you to do

Instagram describes First Draft as trimming and pause removal. In a hands-on test published by iGeeksBlog, it added no music, text or captions.

  • You add captions with Instagram's Captions sticker, which writes out what you say, or with closed captions under More options.
  • You add music in Instagram's editor, from its music library or your own original audio.
  • You add text with the text tool, where you set the font, colour, size and animation, and drag it into place.
  • You add screenshots or product photos as extra clips from your camera roll, and time each one by hand.
  • You write the post caption and pick a cover before you share.

What an AI editor adds to the same kind of clip

An AI editor makes the whole edit, not just the trim. Here is a drawn example of a clip in Cutroom's Magic Editor, where Jacob, its AI editor, does the work.

  • You add your screenshots, press "Make my video" once, and Jacob makes this whole edit. It normally takes 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email when your first cut is ready.
  • You change the result by asking Jacob in a chat. Each change makes a new version, and the earlier ones stay.
  • The Magic Editor takes one clip of up to 3 minutes. If you'd normally film several short clips for First Draft, film it as one clip instead and leave your mistakes in, because Jacob cuts the ums, false starts and repeats.
  • The result is a vertical MP4, 1080 by 1920, 30 frames a second, with the sound levelled. You download it and post it to Instagram yourself.

A budgeting coach's money tip, before and after

First Draft would trim this clip. The Magic Editor also adds the captions, the screenshots and the music.

Drawing of an example clip, not a customer video

Before · the clip as filmed

A 45-second iPhone video of a budgeting coach explaining how she splits her pay

“So, um, I split my pay into three accounts on payday. … (pause) Bills go in the first one, spending in the second , uh, and savings in the third.”

struck through = what Jacob cuts

After · Jacob's first edit, Steps style

ACCOUNTS

“I split my pay into three accounts on payday. Bills go in the first one, spending in the second and savings in the third.”

  • Under the whole video: your words as captions, one big word at a time under the window, all the way through
  • On “accounts”: your screenshot accounts.png in a floating window
  • On “bills”: your second screenshot bills.png in the window
  • On “savings”: the word savings set big in the colour you picked for the video
  • Under the whole video: calm music under your voice

window: accounts.png

Then you ask Jacob

  1. “Keep my pauses, it feels too rushed”v2the same edit with your natural pauses back
  2. “Make the key words stand out more”v3the key words, like bills and savings, set big in the colour you picked

First Draft or an AI editor: which to use

First Draft is the quick, free tidy-up inside Instagram. An AI editor is for when you want the Reel finished for you.

  • Choose First Draft if you filmed on an iPhone, the clips already say what you want, and you're happy to add captions and music yourself.
  • Choose Cutroom's Magic Editor if you talk to camera about a tip or a product and want captions, music and your screenshots done for you. Your first video is free.

First Draft and the Magic Editor on one clip

First Draft wins on price and speed. The Magic Editor does more of the edit.

  • What it does

    Instagram First Draft
    Trims the clips and removes pauses
    Cutroom's Magic Editor
    Cuts ums and long pauses and makes the whole edit

  • Captions

    Instagram First Draft
    None, you add the Captions sticker
    Cutroom's Magic Editor
    Added, in the look of the style you pick

  • Your screenshots

    Instagram First Draft
    None, you add them as clips
    Cutroom's Magic Editor
    Shown on the words you say

  • Music

    Instagram First Draft
    None, you pick a song
    Cutroom's Magic Editor
    Added, and quieter or off on request

  • How long it takes

    Instagram First Draft
    Under 10 seconds, Instagram says
    Cutroom's Magic Editor
    Normally 10 to 15 minutes, with an email

  • Price

    Instagram First Draft
    Free
    Cutroom's Magic Editor
    280 credits for a Reel up to a minute; first video free

  • Posting

    Instagram First Draft
    Straight from Instagram
    Cutroom's Magic Editor
    You download the MP4 and post it
Instagram First DraftCutroom's Magic Editor
What it doesTrims the clips and removes pausesCuts ums and long pauses and makes the whole edit
CaptionsNone, you add the Captions stickerAdded, in the look of the style you pick
Your screenshotsNone, you add them as clipsShown on the words you say
MusicNone, you pick a songAdded, and quieter or off on request
How long it takesUnder 10 seconds, Instagram saysNormally 10 to 15 minutes, with an email
PriceFree280 credits for a Reel up to a minute; first video free
PostingStraight from InstagramYou download the MP4 and post it

Questions people ask

What is First Draft on Instagram?
First Draft is an Instagram Reels feature that trims the clips you pick and removes pauses, giving you a rough edit. Instagram announced it on 25 August 2026, on iPhone first.
How do I use Instagram First Draft?
Pick your clips in the Reels gallery, or film in the Instagram camera, then tap First Draft. Instagram makes a rough edit that you can play, change and post.
Is Instagram First Draft AI?
Not according to Instagram. A spokesperson told The Verge that it doesn't use artificial intelligence, as Engadget and Gulf News reported in August 2026.
Why can't I see First Draft on Instagram?
It is rolling out on iPhone first, so it may not be on your phone yet. Update the Instagram app, then look for the button after you pick clips in the Reels gallery.
Does First Draft work on one long clip?
The launch reports don't say. They describe First Draft trimming the clips you select and removing the pauses, so try it with one clip and with several to see what it does with yours.
Does First Draft add captions or music?
No. Instagram describes it as trimming clips and removing pauses, and a hands-on test by iGeeksBlog found no music, text or captions added. You add those in Instagram's editor afterwards.
Is there a tool that edits the whole Reel for me?
Yes. Cutroom's Magic Editor makes the whole edit from one clip of you talking, with captions, music and your screenshots, and you change it by asking Jacob in a chat. Your first video is free.

When a trim isn't enough, film one clip and let Jacob make the whole Reel. Your first video is free.

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