I Replaced Myself with an AI Editor – Here’s What Happened

Education

Introduction

In an intriguing experiment, I decided to put my skills to the test against an AI video editor. The stakes were high; if the AI succeeded, I’d be forced to fire my own editor, which might just mean firing myself! As you can imagine, things didn’t unfold quite as I expected. Here's how the challenge played out:

The Challenge Setup

The challenge was straightforward: both my editor and the AI would receive a folder containing the same short video recording. Our tasks included cutting out bad takes, selecting b-roll, color grading the footage, and mixing the audio. We would be evaluated based on speed, creativity, and quality.

Part One: Cutting Away Bad Takes

As a seasoned video editor, I was initially confident in outperforming the AI, especially in the realm of cutting away bad takes. However, I quickly discovered that the AI was remarkably quicker in this task. Once we exported our edits, I had to admit that AI did streamline the process significantly.

Scoring for Cutting:

  • Speed: AI – 5 stars | Me – 3 stars
  • Quality: AI – 3 stars | Me – 5 stars
  • Creativity: AI – 2 stars | Me – 5 stars

From this segment, it was clear: AI might be faster, but when it came to nuanced decisions, human touch is irreplaceable.

Part Two: B-Roll Selection

Moving on to selecting b-roll, where I believed creativity would triumph, I utilized my favorite resource, Storyblocks, to find the most contextually relevant clips. The AI, however, struggled here, primarily because it lacks the intuitive ability to select the perfect shot.

Scoring for B-Roll Selection:

  • Speed: AI – 0 stars | Me – 5 stars
  • Quality: AI – 0 stars | Me – 5 stars
  • Creativity: AI – 0 stars | Me – 5 stars

In the b-roll selection phase, I felt confident in my grasp of creativity, scoring high while the AI logged zeroes.

Part Three: Color Grading

Color grading came next, a crucial part of video editing. I employed a new tool called Color Lab, which allowed me to match color grades quickly. While the AI was also capable of matching colors swiftly, it diminished my control over the outcome.

Scoring for Color Grading:

  • Speed: AI – 4 stars | Me – 4 stars
  • Quality: AI – 4 stars | Me – 5 stars
  • Creativity: AI – 2 stars | Me – 5 stars

Both the AI and I demonstrated efficiency here, but my ability to fine-tune led me to victory in quality and creativity.

Part Four: Audio Processing

Finally, the audio processing task leveraged both my music production background and Premiere Pro’s intrinsic capabilities. I removed background noise, adjusted EQ levels, and employed compression techniques. With the AI's new voice enhancement feature, it provided commendable results, but still lacked the emotional depth I brought to the audio.

Scoring for Audio Processing:

  • Speed: AI – 5 stars | Me – 3 stars
  • Quality: AI – 3 stars | Me – 5 stars
  • Creativity: AI – 0 stars | Me – 5 stars

The AI excelled in speed, but my edit carried the emotional essence of our story.

Conclusion

Ultimately, while the AI was undeniably faster across the board, my edits offered a superior quality, nuance, and creative expression. Thus, I get to keep my job, at least for now!

The larger takeaway from this experience: AI should not be feared but utilized to handle repetitive, non-creative tasks, thus allowing me to focus on what truly matters—the creative process.

Keywords

  • AI video editor
  • Editing challenge
  • B-roll selection
  • Color grading
  • Audio processing
  • Storyblocks
  • Creativity vs. speed

FAQ

1. What was the purpose of the challenge?
The purpose of the challenge was to compare my editing skills against an AI editor to see which could produce better results in various tasks.

2. Did the AI editor perform better in cutting bad takes?
Yes, the AI editor was faster in cutting bad takes, although my final cuts had more nuance.

3. How did the AI fare in b-roll selection and color grading?
The AI struggled significantly in b-roll selection, while its color grading was fast but less controllable.

4. Who excelled in audio processing?
I outperformed the AI in audio processing despite the AI's advancements in voice enhancement.

5. What is the main takeaway from the experiment?
The main takeaway is to leverage AI for repetitive tasks, freeing up human creativity for more nuanced editing decisions.