In just a year, AI video tools are cropping up everywhere. Here’s our list of apps we recommend for video pros.
It’s the Wild West for AI and video creation. Some apps feel half-baked and others are game-changing tools that strengthen and streamline our post-production workflow. We live by in-app solutions embedded in our pro tools, like Adobe Creative Cloud, and niche stand-alone apps that have become a must-have tool in our everyday workflow.
In the spirit of sharing, here’s our Top 5 list. To be fair, we’re just scratching the surface – and we’ll report back on new developments in this space. It’s changing everyday.
ElevenLabs
AI Voice-over (VO) generation / AI voice isolation.
What’s earth-shaking about Text to Speech is we no longer panic if a late-breaking script change flies in after the VO is recorded. With ElevenLabs, we upload a new script and replace the VO in our project, it’s that simple. The quality of the VO is good, not perfect. Often the inflection doesn’t match the beats of our videos. Yet the ability to choose from hundreds of voice options means we can get close enough and focus on the beats in the edit. As my teammate Evan called out in an earlier post, VO is sourced from voice artists and the promise of a new revenue stream is a new and controversial path. Is a tool like ElevenLabs cutting into the livelihoods of fellow creatives?
M365 Copilot
Image generation / script and story board support.
Microsoft markets M365 Copilot as your AI assistant for work, yet for us it’s a great tool for creators especially as we develop scripts and concepts. Building a video is not too different from working on a crossword puzzle. Often the start is a concept, or a customer interview or a string of ideas and M365 Copilot gives us tools to create placeholder images and also intersects with core apps like PowerPoint.
Adobe Photoshop
Set extension / remove objects from images / Remove backgrounds / lot’s more.
A production warning – garbage-in, garbage-out – once meant we were stuck with the quality of the source video provided us. Thanks to Photoshop and its AI plug-ins, we’re able to work miracles, like centering a virtual presenter, cleaning up their background and essentially create a new virtual set. Check out producer Shaun Parker’s how-to video on creating a set extension using Adobe Creative Cloud.
Adobe Premiere Pro
Generative Extend / Object Addition / Object Removal / Speech to Text / Enhance Speech / Auto Color Enhance / Morph Cut.
Premiere AI features streamline our content creation machine, starting with Speech to text which helps us frame the story to finishing the video. Features like morph cut helps blend two clips without a jarring jump cut and auto color enhance delivers a workable color correction pass, helpful when you up against a tight deadline.
Topaz Labs
Often source videos – especially virtual interview recordings – are captured at a low bandwidth. Topaz Labs enables you to upscale your video so looks more vibrant and better matches your other shots and high-quality b-roll. We always record virtual interviews with HD tools like Riverside or Descript, yet if you don’t have control over how the interview is being recorded, Topaz Labs can work miracles with your clips.
What are your favorite tools? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you.