Instagram’s New Video Editing Tool Quickly Makes a First Draft

Instagram has launched a new feature called “First Draft” that automatically trims and edits clips to quickly make a base edit for a Reel.

Announcing it on the @creators Instagram page yesterday, the new feature promises to get to a starting point sooner by removing the tedious task of trimming each clip individually.

And if the videos involve someone speaking, First Draft will find any pauses or silences and trim them out to deliver a more engaging piece.

The whole idea is to save time by creating a first attempt in just 10 seconds. Everything the feature does is reversible: the clips can be reordered, removed, or adjusted.

“First Draft gives creators a starting point for their Reels, so they can focus more on creativity and less on technical production,” Instagram says.

There are two ways to access the feature — which is starting on iOS only — the first one is to open the Reels gallery, select multiple clips, and tap the “First Draft” button at the bottom of the screen. From there, the user can review the edit and decide whether to proceed to the full editor on Instagram or publish it.

The second way to access First Draft is to open the camera in Instagram, film some content, tap the “First Draft” button, and from there review the edit before making further changes or publishing.

This feature is not in Edits, a dedicated editing app for Instagram. One of the app’s developers, Shawn Simon, says that the idea is for First Draft to help rookie creators quickly make a rough edit on Instagram.

TechCrunch points out that other platforms have similar features, such as CapCut’s Auto Cut and Adobe Firefly’s Quick Cuts.

One thing worth noting is that these automated editing features often don’t do a great job. Instagram itself actually provides a great example of this in its announcement by providing a First Draft edit of a quad skater that’s totally unusable. The clips keep cutting just before the skater is about to jump into a trick, which makes no sense at all. So users will almost certainly have to tweak the timing of the clips before posting.

Last month, Instagram announced that users can replace the audio on a post or carousel without having to delete it entirely, having previously allowed users to rearrange their profile grid.

Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.