How should an agency choose an AI video editor?

Choose around the deliverable and the approval process. Shorty can help assemble a directed first cut from client footage. Check revision control, file handoff, media permission and the cost of an approved version before standardising on any editor.

Key takeaways

  • Agree on the final MP4, aspect ratio, caption treatment and review rounds before editing.
  • Shorty supports follow-up revision requests.
  • Collect approved footage, licensed audio, exact product claims and any required wording in one brief.
  • Compare an actual representative deliverable, including one feedback round.
  • This shortlist is published by Shorty.

Match the editor to the client job

Agency workflow decisions
Client workStarting workflowApproval check
A product or event montageShorty: footage plus a written brief or referenceDoes the first cut respect the brief and use the right source shots?
A speech-led interviewTranscript editing, such as DescriptHave edits preserved the speaker’s meaning?
Many highlights from a webinarA clipper, such as OpusClipDoes each excerpt make sense without the full recording?
A complex layered deliverableManual finishing, such as Premiere or ResolveCan you deliver the exact editable project the client requires?

Sources: Descript: text-based video editing · OpusClip: long video to short clips · Adobe Premiere: editing features · DaVinci Resolve: editing, colour and audio. Feature descriptions checked 15 September 2026.

One precise client revision.

Same shots. A four-second final hold. This walkthrough uses recorded Shorty results. It is published by Shorty and is not an independent review.

What this recorded test establishes
CheckObserved result
Source materialSix supplied fragrance clips; four shots selected.
Before / after2.5 / 2.5 / 2.5 / 2.5 seconds → 2 / 2 / 2 / 4 seconds, same shot order.
Output10 seconds, 1080 × 1920, 30 fps, hard cuts, silent as requested.
Observed intervalsFirst ready result: 14m 09s after submission. Revision: 5m 15s. These end when readiness was observed.
Credits132-credit initial estimate; actual final charge not verified.

Sources: Narration transcript · CapCut editing workflow · Full test, exact prompts and original exports · Descript Underlord workflow. Shorty results are first-party recorded observations. Competitor descriptions come from official documentation; no same-footage timed competitor benchmark was performed.

Narrated walkthrough of actual Shorty exports. Original outputs loop for comparison; synthetic narration was added separately. Watch the film

Read the full brief

Keep the same four shots in the same order. Change the timing to 2 seconds for each of the first three shots and 4 seconds for the final bottle-trio shot, keeping the total length at 10 seconds. Keep hard cuts and the vertical 9:16 format. Do not add text, captions, new scenes or audio.

Define what the client receives

Agree on the final MP4, aspect ratio, caption treatment and review rounds before editing. If the contract calls for a native project with independently editable layers, confirm that requirement against the chosen editor. An exported MP4 is a finished video, not a layered project.

Make revisions specific

Shorty supports follow-up revision requests. In supported editable compositions, you can select an editable element and describe a targeted change. Review the new version before sharing. Objects flattened into source footage are not automatically separate editable layers; the timeline is for playback and inspection rather than full manual frame-by-frame authoring.

Turn “make it better” into an object, time range and intended change: move a title, hold a demonstration longer, or lower the music during speech. State what should remain stable and review the next version.

Keep the source and approval trail

Collect approved footage, licensed audio, exact product claims and any required wording in one brief. Record which output the client approved. Shorty’s public example briefs are starting points for that process; they do not represent client case studies.

Run a small evaluation

Compare an actual representative deliverable, including one feedback round. Measure the time until approval and the total processing spend. Check the current business plans and supported collaboration features with Shorty before promising a team workflow to a client.

How we chose these tools

This shortlist is published by Shorty. We compare the starting material, the main editing job and the control needed after the first output. Official product documentation supports the feature descriptions; the fit recommendations are our editorial judgement. This is not a timed hands-on benchmark or a ranked list of every editor. There are no affiliate links or paid placements. Check current plans before buying.

Interpret the result

This is one recorded example. Test your own footage and verify the output against the brief before delivery. The complete narration transcript is linked above.

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