Making an AI first cut your own

An AI first cut gets you to a watchable film without hours of logging clips. The review is what makes it yours. Editing an AI wedding film means reacting and refining, so it helps to follow the same routine every time. This article sets one out. It’s part of our guide to AI wedding video editing.

How should you watch the first cut?

Watch it once, all the way through, without stopping. Use full screen and good headphones or speakers, and let yourself react the way the couple will.

Keep a notepad beside you and jot down the time and a few words whenever something happens:

• a moment that lands, so you protect it later
• a point where your attention drifts
• anything that jars, such as a shot that runs too long, a face that shouldn’t be there or a line that sounds wrong
• a moment you remember from the day that’s missing

Don’t fix anything on this pass. Your first reactions are the closest you’ll get to a fresh viewer’s, and you only get them once.

Does the story work?

Now look at the shape of the film. Does it open with something that draws you in? Does it build through the day, and does it end on a high or a quiet, satisfying note? Are the moments the couple will expect there, such as the ceremony, the first kiss, the speeches and the first dance? How to structure a wedding highlight film gives you a framework to judge it against.

Then check every spoken line. The AI chooses lines from the vows and speeches using a transcript, so make sure:

• they’re the right lines, the ones the couple will want to hear again
• no line is cut off mid-word or mid-thought
• the transcript didn’t mishear a name
• nothing private or awkward slipped in, such as a joke that only worked in the room or a mention of someone the couple would rather leave out

Using vows and speeches in a highlight film covers how to choose lines that carry a film.

How do you trim, move and swap shots?

Work through your notes on the timeline.

• Delete shots that don’t earn their place. A shorter film that holds attention beats a longer one that drifts.
• Move shots to fix the order, for example bringing a strong reaction closer to the line that caused it.
• Trim the start or end of a shot that runs too long or starts too early.
• Swap a weak shot for a better angle of the same moment, or for a moment from your notes that the first cut left out.

After each change, play the section back with the music. Check that the cuts still land where you want them against the beat. Cutting a wedding film to the beat explains what to listen for.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. With undo, any change can be taken back, so try the bold version of an idea and step back if it doesn’t work.

Should you try the other song or style?

Often, yes. The same footage can feel very different in a different style. AfterRushes writes films in a cinematic, documentary or upbeat style, so pick the one that suits the day. If the first cut feels close but not quite right, settle the overall feel before you start detailed trimming, so you don’t polish a version you’ll throw away.

The same goes for music. If you gave the software more than one track, ask for the other one and compare. Music for wedding films covers licensed tracks and using the band recorded on the day.

How do you ask for changes in plain English?

Some changes are quicker to describe than to make by hand. In AfterRushes you can type a revision request in plain English, such as “make the opening slower” or “use the second song”. There are one-click suggestions too.

Describe the result you want to see, the way you’d brief a second editor. Ask for one change at a time and watch the result before asking for the next, so you can tell which request did what.

How do you add titles and keep it on brand?

Add titles once the edit has settled, so you’re not reworking them after every change. Keep them short and consistent: the couple’s names, the date or the venue, in the same wording and position you use across your films.

Then watch the film as if it were already on your website next to your other work. Does the pace match your other films? Would you sign it? If a couple has booked you because of your style, this film should feel like it belongs next to the rest of your portfolio.

How do you export and deliver?

Export, then watch the finished file once from start to finish before sending it. Check the sound levels, the titles, and the opening and closing seconds.

Deliver the highlight film the way you deliver galleries, through a private link or a download, and give the files clear names. Keep the vertical teaser separate so the couple can share it straight away. A captions file gives you subtitles for the spoken lines, which helps anyone watching with the sound off. Captions for wedding films and teasers explains how to use it.