Issue #17
Aug 28, 2025
8 min read

Faster Edits with AI: Cut, Color, and
Captions in Minutes

My battle-tested workflow to storyboard, cut, color-grade, and caption short videos using GenAI – without losing your crative voice.

What you’ll get in 3 minutes

TLDR

Structured Workflow

A 4-step AI video workflow you can actually keep.

Prompt recipe

A 4-step AI video workflow you can actually keep.

Pro Technique

A 4-step AI video workflow you can actually keep.

In this issue

8 min read

Big Idea

Tool of the Week

Mini Case Studay

The 4-Step Workflow

Prompt Recipe

Download

Big Idea

Structure

Create

Polish

Editing is decisions. Al speeds decisions when you give it structure. Most creators either abandon Al mid-edit (too clunky) or let it drive the whole process (too generic). The middle path? Use Al as a structured thinking partner-not a replacement for your creative instincts.

“The best Al workflows feel like having a really
smart assistant who never gets tired of your
revision requests.”

After testing dozens of Al video tools over the past year, I’ve settled on a 4-step workflow that consistently delivers professional results while keeping my creative voice intact. It’s not about replacing human judgment—it’s about amplifying it.

The 4-Step Workflow

Step 1

Storyboard with Structure

Storyboard with image or text prompts; export beats.

Start with your core message, then use Al to generate visual beats that support your narrative arc. I use a simple prompt template that forces both of us to think in story structure first.

Visual beats → Story structure

Step 2

Rough Cut Strategy

Storyboard with image or text prompts; export beats.

Start with your core message, then use Al to generate visual beats that support your narrative arc. I use a simple prompt template that forces both of us to think in story structure first.

Visual beats → Story structure

Step 3

Color & Captions Pass

Storyboard with image or text prompts; export beats.

Start with your core message, then use Al to generate visual beats that support your narrative arc. I use a simple prompt template that forces both of us to think in story structure first.

Visual beats → Story structure

Step 4

Quality Control

Storyboard with image or text prompts; export beats.

Start with your core message, then use Al to generate visual beats that support your narrative arc. I use a simple prompt template that forces both of us to think in story structure first.

Visual beats → Story structure

Tool of the Week

featured

Runway (Gen-3) + Descript

Text-to-video drafts + edit by transcript.

This combo lets you iterate on video
concepts through text before
committing to full production. Runway
handles the visual generation, Descript makes the editing feel like wordprocessing.

Prompt Recipe

Copy & Use

<p style=”font-size:18px;color:orange;text-shadow:1px 1px 1px #666;”>Drop shadow 1</p>
<p style=”font-size:18px;color:orange;text-shadow:1px 1px 1px #000;”>Drop shadow 2</p>
<p style=”font-size:18px;text-shadow:4px 4px 4px #666;”>Drop shadow 3</p>
<p style=”font-size:18px;color:orange;text-shadow:4px 4px 8px #666;”>Drop shadow 4</p>
<p style=”font-size:18px;color:#fff;text-shadow:1px 1px 8px #000;”>Drop shadow 5</p>
<p style=”font-size:18px;color:orange;text-shadow:1px 1px 1px #666;”>Drop shadow 1</p>
<p style=”font-size:18px;color:orange;text-shadow:1px 1px 1px #000;”>Drop shadow 2</p>
<p style=”font-size:18px;text-shadow:4px 4px 4px #666;”>Drop shadow 3</p>
<p style=”font-size:18px;color:orange;text-shadow:4px 4px 8px #666;”>Drop shadow 4</p>
<p style=”font-size:18px;color:#fff;text-shadow:1px 1px 8px #000;”>Drop shadow 5</p>

Pro Tips:

Mini Case Study

Real Results

Manual editing, inconsistent pacing, frequent
revisions, burnout

After: AI-Structured

Manual editing, inconsistent pacing, frequent
revisions, burnout

Download

FREE

Al Video Hack Edit Checklist

Step-by-step checklist to
implement this workflow in your
own projects

What's included:

Free for newsletter subscribers. By downloading, you agree to our terms of use.

Vani Aggarwal

Filmmaker & Head of Content Strategy exploring the edge where Al meets
story.

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Filmmaker & Head of Content Strategy
exploring the edge where Al meets
story.

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Filmmaker & Head of Content Strategy
exploring the edge where Al meets
story.

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Ask Your Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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Extraordinary

Whether you’re a studio executive looking for a fresh directorial voice, a brand in need of impactful storytelling, or an aspiring filmmaker seeking guidance—let’s connect.