You filmed it yourself. Your AI editor should use it.

Why the source matters

You have a video of your own bakery at six in the morning: flour on the bench, a tray coming out, the first customer waiting outside. A polished stock shot of a different bakery would tell a different story. The details you filmed are often the reason someone should watch.

“AI video” covers several jobs. Some products create new scenes, some assemble library clips, and some edit material you bring. An upload button alone does not tell you which workflow you are getting. Check what the tool will use to fill a gap.

Give the editor a usable selection

Keep the original files, then choose the clips that belong in this particular video. Include an opening, the important action, and a clear ending. If a detail must appear, name it in the brief. If a customer cannot appear, remove that shot from the selection rather than hoping the editor will infer it.

In Shorty, supply your clips and describe the result. A reference is optional. It can communicate pacing or visual treatment, but it should not silently replace your source material. Check every shot in the output, especially quick cutaways that are easy to miss on the first viewing.

Try a strict source brief

Here is an example for that bakery shoot. Change the action and ending to match what you actually recorded. The instruction is useful because it says what to do when a shot is missing, instead of leaving the gap open.

After the first cut, check whether the bread, people, and location remain yours. Then look at the story: does the viewer understand what happened without a long explanation? If the video needs a shot you never filmed, simplify the idea or pick up that shot.

A brief to adapt to your footage

Example direction. Replace the subject, shots, and wording with your own.