> Eight AI tools that edit your own raw footage, compared by the footage each takes, who decides the cut, dated pricing and where each is the wrong choice. Source: https://shortyedit.com/guides/best-ai-tools-to-edit-raw-footage --- # The best AI tools to edit raw footage in 2026 Pick by the raw footage you have. Shorty when you have a folder of separate clips and want a finished short from a written brief or a reference video. OpusClip AI Producer when it is one person talking to camera. Descript when the words drive the cut. Captions for a styled face-camera edit. InVideo when you want an agent’s assembly plus a full timeline. Kapwing when a team will finish what its AI assembles. Eddie AI for professional rough cuts that go on to Premiere or Resolve. CapCut when you would rather cut it yourself for free. [The Shorty team](https://shortyedit.com/about#editorial-team) · Updated 2 November 2026 · Published 2 November 2026 ## Key takeaways - Choose by the raw footage you have: separate clips, a talking head, a speech-led recording or a professional shoot. - Shorty turns up to 150 separate clips and photos into a finished MP4 from a brief or reference video, revised by message. - OpusClip AI Producer fits one person talking to camera; Descript fits speech-led edits; Eddie AI fits professional rough cuts. - Every competitor price is dated and linked to its source. Compare the cost of one approved video, not the monthly headline. ## Who wrote this, and why that matters This shortlist is published by Shorty, and Shorty is one of the tools in it. Treat it as a vendor round-up, because that is what it is. We have tried to earn the read anyway: every competitor description comes from that product’s own documentation, we name the jobs where another tool is the better answer, and we say plainly where Shorty is the wrong choice. There are no affiliate links and no paid placements. We are not claiming an independent benchmark. What follows is a map of which product is built for which starting point, which is the thing that actually decides the answer. ## Editing raw footage is a different job from clipping or generating Raw footage here means clips you filmed and have not edited yet: a phone full of trip clips, a product shoot, an interview. An editing tool selects, orders and finishes that material. A clipper pulls short moments out of one long recording, and a generator makes new footage from a prompt. Several products below do more than one of these, so the useful question is which job each one does with the footage you actually have. ## How we compared them We sorted by starting point rather than by feature count, because a feature list will not tell you whether a tool can do your job. Three questions separate these products: what material do you begin with, who makes the editorial decisions, and what do you have to do after the first output. Feature descriptions are checked against each product’s own documentation, linked at the end. The pricing table separates dated plan descriptions from links to current plans. Prices, currencies, billing periods and included usage can change; a quoted subscription price is not the cost of an approved video. ## The shortlist at a glance Read the second column first: the footage a tool is built for predicts the fit better than its feature list. | Tool | Raw footage it takes | Who decides the cut | What you get back | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Shorty](https://shortyedit.com/raw-footage-video-editor) | Up to 150 separate clips and photos, with a written brief or a reference video | The tool | A finished MP4 you revise by message | | [OpusClip](https://www.opus.pro/ai-video-editor) | Raw talking-head footage for AI Producer; one long recording for clipping | The tool | An edited video, or short highlights | | [Descript](https://www.descript.com/underlord) | A recording with speech | You, through the transcript, with Underlord | An edited video and an editable project | | [Captions](https://captions.ai/features/edit-with-ai) | Uploaded footage and an AI Edit style | The tool, from the style you pick | A styled video to refine in chat or the editor | | [InVideo AI](https://invideo.io/) | Uploaded footage, a brief, a script or references | An agent first, then you on a multitrack timeline | Edited MP4s and timelines, which can mix in generated media or stock | | [Kapwing](https://www.kapwing.com/video-editor) | Uploaded media, a URL or a recording | Kai plans a storyboard; you refine it in the editor | A shared project and export | | [Eddie AI](https://heyeddie.ai/) | Interview, documentary, multicam and b-roll media | You, by prompting the assembly | A rough cut to finish in a professional editor | | [CapCut](https://www.capcut.com/tools/online-video-editor) | Clips on a timeline or in a template | You | A video you edit by hand, with automatic helpers | ## 1. Shorty — best for a folder of separate clips you want turned into a finished short Shorty takes the clips and photos you shot, up to 150 per edit, with a written brief or an optional reference video. It picks the shots, orders them and adds music, captions, transitions and effects, then renders an MP4. Before it edits, it asks about anything your brief leaves open, such as the length or whether to keep your voice, and afterwards you revise by message. Where Shorty is the wrong choice: if you want to set every cut, keyframe or audio layer yourself, its browser timeline is for reviewing the rendered video, not for authoring it. It also needs your material. It can turn your photos into generated shots when you ask, but it does not make a video from a prompt alone. Pricing: Creator US$19, Pro US$49, Studio US$99 or Max US$199 per month; annual billing is discounted by 30% across all paid plans. Paid plans include monthly credits for analysis and rendering (4,400 on Creator), an edit uses about 594 credits on Auto, the default director (Shorty Nitro since 28 October 2026), or about 100 with GPT 6 Luna (about 7 or 44 edits a month on Creator), and the actual cost of an edit varies with the footage processed. ## 2. OpusClip AI Producer — best for one person talking to camera AI Producer edits raw talking-head footage with captions, B-roll, motion design and audio treatments, then takes instructions for changes. OpusClip describes it as built for short-form, single-speaker video, and its entry page recommends one person talking to camera for under five minutes. Its clipping product is the separate route for turning one long recording into shorts. Where it is the wrong choice: a shoot of unrelated clips with nobody talking to camera. Pricing: Free plan with watermarked clips and 60 credits a month; Starter US$15/month (monthly billing only) and Pro US$29/month, or US$174/year on the annual rate, at US prices when reviewed; OpusClip charges less in some countries. Plans meter credits. ## 3. Descript — best when what was said drives the cut Descript’s Underlord can act on an editing brief, improve audio, remove pauses and add visuals or captions, and you can change the video by editing its transcript. The result stays an editable Descript project. Where it is the wrong choice: footage with little speech, where the story is in the pictures. Pricing: Free plan with watermarked 720p exports; Hobbyist US$16/month billed annually or US$24 monthly, Creator US$24/month billed annually or US$35 monthly, and Business US$50/month billed annually or US$65 monthly when reviewed. Plans meter media hours and AI credits. ## 4. Captions — best for a styled face-camera edit Captions AI Edit applies captions, transitions, B-roll and music to uploaded footage in vertical or horizontal styles on web and app. You refine the result with prompts or in its editor. Trial it on a multi-clip story without a presenter before relying on it for that. Pricing: Free basic editing without AI usage credits; Max US$24.99/month and Frontier from US$69.99/month when reviewed. Displayed prices reflect iOS plans; confirm billing terms in your account. ## 5. InVideo — best when you want an agent’s assembly and a full timeline InVideo’s help describes uploading your footage, asking an agent for an assembly, refining the clips on a browser multitrack timeline and exporting to professional editors. It can also edit your footage from a reference video. Generated media and stock are part of the same workflow, so check what each output is made of. Pricing: Starter was US$10 per seat/month billed annually (US$120 a year) or US$20 billed monthly, with 400 credits per seat a month and Agent Two Lite only, when reviewed; Plus and Max add credits and agents. Manual timeline edits and downloads use no credits; AI work does. Monthly credits do not roll over. Check agent access and seats for the selected tier. ## 6. Kapwing — best when a team finishes what the AI assembles Kapwing’s Kai can take supporting media, plan a storyboard and assemble a video. You review the generation budget, then refine the result in Kapwing’s collaborative browser editor, which also handles subtitles and translation. Pricing: A limited free plan; Pro US$24/member/month or US$192/year, and Business US$64/member/month or US$600/year when reviewed. Paid plans include monthly AI credits. ## 7. Eddie AI — best for professional rough cuts Eddie AI logs large shoots and assembles interview, documentary or multicam footage from prompts. It places B-roll, adds music or colour adjustments and hands the rough cut to a professional editing application. Where it is the wrong choice: you need a finished social video today and nobody will take the rough cut further. Pricing: Pay-as-you-go credits cover imports, editing requests and generated media. The page lists a 1,000-credit pack for US$10 and says purchased credits do not expire; check the current estimate for your project. ## 8. CapCut — best when you would rather cut it yourself for free CapCut is a hands-on editor with templates, effects, captions and automatic helpers on phone, desktop and web. Its Long video to shorts tool selects excerpts for you to edit further. Where it is the wrong choice: you want the cut decided for you rather than made by hand. Pricing: A free plan plus Pro, Ultra and Teams subscriptions; CapCut shows prices for reference only and says the final rate depends on region, platform and checkout after you sign in. ## Pricing and source review dates These are dated plan descriptions, not live quotes. Follow the current-plan links to check billing period, seats, export limits and AI usage before buying. A lower monthly subscription does not establish a lower cost per finished video. | Tool | Plan description when reviewed | Source reviewed | Current plans | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Shorty](https://shortyedit.com/pricing) | Creator US$19, Pro US$49, Studio US$99 or Max US$199 per month; annual billing is discounted by 30% across all paid plans. Paid plans include monthly credits for analysis and rendering (4,400 on Creator), an edit uses about 594 credits on Auto, the default director (Shorty Nitro since 28 October 2026), or about 100 with GPT 6 Luna (about 7 or 44 edits a month on Creator), and the actual cost of an edit varies with the footage processed. | See current pricing | [Shorty plans and credits](https://shortyedit.com/pricing) | | [OpusClip](https://www.opus.pro/ai-video-editor) | Free plan with watermarked clips and 60 credits a month; Starter US$15/month (monthly billing only) and Pro US$29/month, or US$174/year on the annual rate, at US prices when reviewed; OpusClip charges less in some countries. Plans meter credits. | 2026-10-24 | [OpusClip plans](https://www.opus.pro/pricing) | | [Descript](https://www.descript.com/underlord) | Free plan with watermarked 720p exports; Hobbyist US$16/month billed annually or US$24 monthly, Creator US$24/month billed annually or US$35 monthly, and Business US$50/month billed annually or US$65 monthly when reviewed. Plans meter media hours and AI credits. | 2026-10-05 | [Descript plans](https://www.descript.com/pricing) | | [Captions](https://captions.ai/features/edit-with-ai) | Free basic editing without AI usage credits; Max US$24.99/month and Frontier from US$69.99/month when reviewed. Displayed prices reflect iOS plans; confirm billing terms in your account. | 2026-10-24 | [Captions plans](https://captions.ai/pricing) | | [InVideo AI](https://invideo.io/) | Starter was US$10 per seat/month billed annually (US$120 a year) or US$20 billed monthly, with 400 credits per seat a month and Agent Two Lite only, when reviewed; Plus and Max add credits and agents. Manual timeline edits and downloads use no credits; AI work does. Monthly credits do not roll over. Check agent access and seats for the selected tier. | 2026-10-24 | [InVideo AI plans](https://invideo.io/pricing/) | | [Kapwing](https://www.kapwing.com/video-editor) | A limited free plan; Pro US$24/member/month or US$192/year, and Business US$64/member/month or US$600/year when reviewed. Paid plans include monthly AI credits. | 2026-10-05 | [Kapwing plans](https://www.kapwing.com/pricing) | | [Eddie AI](https://heyeddie.ai/) | Pay-as-you-go credits cover imports, editing requests and generated media. The page lists a 1,000-credit pack for US$10 and says purchased credits do not expire; check the current estimate for your project. | 2026-10-05 | [Eddie AI plans](https://heyeddie.ai/) | | [CapCut](https://www.capcut.com/tools/online-video-editor) | A free plan plus Pro, Ultra and Teams subscriptions; CapCut shows prices for reference only and says the final rate depends on region, platform and checkout after you sign in. | 2026-10-24 | [CapCut plans](https://www.capcut.com/pricing) | Sources: [OpusClip pricing](https://www.opus.pro/pricing) · [Descript pricing](https://www.descript.com/pricing) · [Captions pricing](https://captions.ai/pricing) · [InVideo AI pricing](https://invideo.io/pricing/) · [Kapwing pricing](https://www.kapwing.com/pricing) · [Eddie AI pricing](https://heyeddie.ai/) · [CapCut pricing](https://www.capcut.com/pricing). Review dates are listed with each source in the table. ## Pick by the footage you have If you only read one section, read this one. | If you have… | Start with | | --- | --- | | Separate clips from a trip, an event or a shoot, and no time to edit | [Shorty](https://shortyedit.com/raw-footage-video-editor) | | Your clips plus a video whose style you want to copy | [Shorty with a reference video](https://shortyedit.com/reference-match) | | A recording of one person talking to camera | [OpusClip](https://www.opus.pro/ai-video-editor) | | An interview or podcast where the words drive the cut | [Descript](https://www.descript.com/underlord) | | A face-camera video you want styled quickly | [Captions](https://captions.ai/features/edit-with-ai) | | Footage you want an agent to assemble and you to finish on a timeline | [InVideo AI](https://invideo.io/) | | A team that will review and finish the video together | [Kapwing](https://www.kapwing.com/video-editor) | | A documentary or multicam shoot headed for Premiere or Resolve | [Eddie AI](https://heyeddie.ai/) | | Clips, time and the wish to cut them yourself | [CapCut](https://www.capcut.com/tools/online-video-editor) | Sources: [OpusClip: AI video editor](https://www.opus.pro/ai-video-editor) · [Descript: Underlord](https://www.descript.com/underlord) · [Captions: AI Edit](https://captions.ai/features/edit-with-ai) · [InVideo: editable timeline and handoff](https://help.invideo.io/en/articles/16819946-introducing-invideo-editor) · [InVideo: edit your footage from a reference video](https://invideo.io/editor/style-and-motion-reference/) · [Kapwing: Kai assembly and Studio finishing](https://www.kapwing.com/help/ai-video-generator) · [Eddie AI](https://heyeddie.ai/) · [CapCut: automatic clipping workflow](https://www.capcut.com/tools/auto-video-editor). Review dates are listed with each source in the table. ## How to evaluate these recommendations on your footage No numerical score or timed product test is claimed here. Use one representative deliverable and one revision to test the workflow that fits your starting material. Keep your own results; the checklist below is a proposed evaluation, not a published benchmark. | Check | What to record | What counts as a fit | | --- | --- | --- | | Input | Clip count, total source duration and presence of speech | The tool accepts the source material you actually have | | Brief | Target duration, canvas, exact text and required shots | The rendered MP4 follows the same written requirements | | Human effort | Minutes preparing, directing, reviewing and finishing | Total effort is acceptable for your delivery schedule | | Revision | One specific correction and everything that must stay unchanged | The next output makes the correction without losing approved details | | Cost | Subscription allocation, usage charges and additional finishing | The total cost of the approved output fits your budget | Sources: [An edit with source footage and a published brief](https://shortyedit.com/examples/fragrance-edit) · [The labelled Revisions product demo](https://shortyedit.com/examples/shorty-revisions) · [Cost evaluation worksheet](https://shortyedit.com/guides/video-editing-cost-checklist). These are Shorty’s published examples and evaluation guidance, not competitor test results. ## Keep the ideas coming ### AI video editor for footage you already shot Yes. Upload the clips you already shot, say what the video is for and how long it should be, and Shorty picks the strongest shots, puts them in order and cuts them together with music, captions and transitions into a finished MP4. The edit is built from your own clips and photos. You never open a timeline: you watch the result and ask for changes in plain words. ### AI video editor for footage you already shot Yes. Upload the clips you already shot, say what the video is for and how long it should be, and Shorty picks the strongest shots, puts them in order and cuts them together with music, captions and transitions into a finished MP4. The edit is built from your own clips and photos. You never open a timeline: you watch the result and ask for changes in plain words. ### Shorty vs OpusClip Explore this editing workflow in Shorty. ### Shorty vs InVideo AI Explore this editing workflow in Shorty. ### Shorty vs Descript Explore this editing workflow in Shorty. ### Shorty vs Eddie AI Explore this editing workflow in Shorty. ### The 10 best AI video editors in 2026 There is no single best AI video editor; the right one depends on what you start with. Shorty when you have a folder of clips and want a finished cut from a written brief or a reference video. Descript when the edit is driven by what was said. OpusClip for turning one long recording into shorts. Captions for face-camera video. Submagic for caption packaging. CapCut and VEED when you want to make the cuts yourself. Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve for frame-level finishing. Runway when you need shots you never filmed. ### Edit your footage to match a reference video Add your raw clips and the video you want to copy, write “like the reference”, and Shorty edits your footage to match it: where the captions sit and which words light up, how fast it cuts, cuts locked to the beat in music edits, transitions, framing and colour. Ask for a one-to-one recreation and Shorty rebuilds the reference’s opening and titles with your own clips. You get a finished MP4 and revise it by message. ### Edit your video with a text prompt Yes. Upload your raw clips, write what you want in plain words (length, format, story order, captions, music, pace) and Shorty plans the cut, edits your footage and renders a finished MP4. To change something, say what should change and the rest of the edit stays. You never open a timeline. ### Current Shorty pricing Explore this editing workflow in Shorty. ## Questions, answered. ### What is the best AI tool to edit raw footage in 2026? It depends on the footage. For a folder of separate clips you want turned into a finished short, Shorty. For one person talking to camera, OpusClip AI Producer. When the words drive the cut, Descript. For professional rough cuts, Eddie AI. To cut it yourself for free, CapCut. ### Which AI video editors use your own footage instead of generating video? All eight tools here edit footage you upload. InVideo and Kapwing can also add generated media, and Shorty can turn your photos into generated shots when you ask, so check what each output is made of. ### Can AI edit raw footage from a written prompt? Yes. Shorty, OpusClip AI Producer, Descript’s Underlord, InVideo, Kapwing’s Kai and Eddie AI all take written instructions. They differ in the footage they expect and in whether you get a finished video or a project to keep editing. ### Is this an independent review? No. It is published by Shorty and Shorty is first on the list. Competitor descriptions come from each product’s own documentation, prices are dated and linked to their sources, and each entry says where that tool is the wrong choice. ### Which of these are free? CapCut has a free plan. Descript and OpusClip have free plans with watermarked exports, Captions has free basic editing without AI credits, and Kapwing has a limited free plan. Shorty and Eddie AI are paid. Check the dated pricing table and current plan links before deciding. ## Your next video starts here. Bring the footage. Tell us the idea. Shape the edit. --- Published by Tools Products FZ-LLC. Canonical HTML: https://shortyedit.com/guides/best-ai-tools-to-edit-raw-footage