u/lilafromyoutube

Hey redditors!

I’ve been seeing this question everywhere lately: "is AI actually replacing video editing workflows?"

My short answer: no.
AI isn’t replacing entire workflows. It’s just speeding up parts of them.

My long answer: As a full-time editor, I use AI tools all the time, but never as a full replacement. I haven’t come across a single tool I’d trust to take over an entire edit. What AI is good at is removing friction. I find AI tools to be helpful when it comes to stuff like prepping, generating assets and overall repetitive tasks.

What AI can vs can’t replace

What AI can handle well:

• Asset generation
• Rough cuts / basic A-roll
• Audio cleanup

What AI can’t replace:

• Pacing & rhythm (cut timing, emotional beats)
• Story decisions (what stays, what goes)
• Creative direction (tone, style, intent)

That second category is basically… the part that actually makes an edit good 😅

Like I said, as a full-time editor, I use AI as an assistive layer.

So, most of my workflow looks like this:

1. Adobe Firefly → generating b-roll / visual assets (mainly for supporting assets, not the core edit)
2. Premiere → editing (text-based editing (rough cuts), generative extend, search panel)
3. Adobe Podcast → audio cleanup, voice enhancement.

This is still very much human controlled and the most important part that actually makes an edit good. This is what clients are paying for.

The real benefit of AI is speed, such as:

• Cutting down time sourcing footage
• Speeding up rough cuts
• Cleaning audio in seconds

It helps you edit faster, but it doesn’t make decisions.

Most pro editors I know use it like this. Beginner workflows might lean more heavily on AI, but at a pro level, editing is still about control, decision-making, and storytelling. AI just helps you get there faster :)

I don’t really see this changing anytime soon.

Curious if anyone here has actually replaced their workflow completely with AI??

I’m curious what others are doing here, because this is becoming a real issue (I’m mainly talking about commercially safe tools btw).

Currently, VERY few AI tools are actually reliable for paid projects. A lot of AI tools look great on paper, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe for client work.

From what I’m seeing:

• contracts are getting stricter
• everything needs to be licensed
• some clients ban generative AI completely

So... what makes an AI tool safe for paid work?

What I always check is:

• clear commercial licensing
• some level of transparency/control over training data
• predictable outputs

If it doesn’t check all of these, I’m not going to use it for paid work.

AI tools I actually trust right now:

• Adobe Firefly (generating assets)
  • I use it for b-roll, design elements, even sound effects
  • Safe for commercial work
• Premiere (AI-assisted editing)
  • Text-based editing, generative extend, search panel
  • Object masking in v26 is a gamechanger
• Adobe Podcast (voice cleanup)
  • I use this on basically EVERY project
  • Super consistent, one-click, done
• Claude (ideation)
  • I use it for concepts, not final outputs (hence “commercially safe”)
• ElevenLabs (situational)
  • Great for VO pickups
  • Only safe if you have proper voice rights and are on the paid plan

What I don’t trust for paid work (yet):

• Sora, Veo (AI video)
  • Impressive but not enough control
  • Commercial safety is still unclear
• Suno (AI music)
  • Plan allows commercial use
  • but training data is questionable, which is why it’s too risky for clients IMO.

As you can tell, I do mostly use Adobe tools. I’ve been a Creative Cloud user for many years now, so I know what to expect. I’m sure others feel the same about their own workflow/ecosystem!

TL;DR
For paid work: Firefly, Premiere, Adobe Podcast, Claude
Sometimes: ElevenLabs
Avoid (for now): Veo, Suno

Are there any other AI tools you actually trust enough to use for paid work right now??