AI Video Creation Guide: How to Use AI to Create Videos

Have you seen how artificial intelligence (AI) is shaking things up for video production? It’s revamping everything from scripting to editing — and making business videos easier to scale than ever.

It’s clear that AI is here to stay, and the technology is only getting better. While it won’t replace us video producers anytime soon, it can definitely help us. At the very least, we can learn ways to incorporate AI into our workflows to fast-track production and amp up efficiency.

In a world with an ever-growing selection of AI tools, it can be tough to pick the right ones and figure out how to use them to produce videos. That’s why we put together this guide! We’ll show you some new video workflows assisted by generative AI and explain how they can help you work faster in every step of the video production process.

What is generative AI?

Generative AI is a type of AI technology that can create new content from a vast library of data and algorithms. This includes written content, text, music, images, and video.

For video creators, generative AI can write scripts from prompts, compose original background music, alter the likeness of a person’s voice, and even generate an avatar of a person, sometimes within a matter of seconds. In other words, generative AI tools emulate the human creative process but on a much larger and faster scale.

How Generative AI helps in video creation

For complex processes like video creation, AI won’t give you a perfect video on its own (not yet, at least). While this technology is impressive, it still isn’t advanced enough to replace your team of human creatives. But the right AI tools can empower your team to accomplish more than ever before.

“For me,AI is opening the door to new ideas, new executions, and new visuals that I may not have come up with on my own. It’s expanding my creative palette, not just saving me time.”

Chris Lavigne
Head of Production, Wistia

Let’s dive in!

Pre-production

Even the pros sometimes get stuck at square one. Good thing generative AI is here to save the day! You can use it to get the ball rolling without the need for huge brainstorming sessions.

Ideation

Coming up with compelling topics can often be the toughest part of producing great videos. Writer’s block is a real thing. Even the most creative thinkers get hung up on what their next video project should be about.

Generative AI can help you find video ideas that will actually land with your audience. A good tool can give you video titles and descriptions based on Google searches, similar trending content, and more. Here are a couple of tools worth checking out:

Whimsical’s AI for Mind Maps

Whimsical is already known for their collaboration- and brainstorming-friendly templates, and now they have an AI for Mind Maps tool that plays an active role in the process.

Whether you need titles, taglines, or even entire video concepts, this tool gives you multiple options within minutes. No more staring at a blank screen! If you’re at square one, you can even start with big-picture questions like “Which industries are growing the fastest?”

Just be sure to fact-check the info it gives you — like the internet itself, generative AI doesn’t always have the facts straight.

Jasper Chat

AI-powered assistant software Jasper offers a similar brainstorming tool called Jasper Chat.

In the same way you would message a co-worker, you can ask Jasper Chat to drum up video topics or titles, summarize brainstorming notes, and much more. Plus, not only can Jasper learn your company’s branding, voice, and target audiences, but it can also even remember past conversations. That means you can ask it questions like “Jasper, can you give me alternative titles to the video concept we discussed yesterday?”

Scripting

Scripting is different from other kinds of writing, especially if you’re involving multiple speakers. There’s a lot to account for, including telling a cohesive story, hitting all your talking points, and making sure your video doesn’t end up too short or too long.

These AI tools can help speed up the process for you:

Notion’s AI Video Script Generator

Productivity and note-taking software Notion has given its platform an AI boost with features like the Video Script Generator.

All you have to do is give this tool directives and details about your brand voice (e.g., “Write a five-minute video script about replacing the needle on a turntable. Keep the tone fun and upbeat.”) and it’ll draft a fully formatted script.

You can even upload in-progress scripts for this script generator to rewrite, shorten, paraphrase, and more.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is the most well-known AI text generator right now because it’s both versatile and free — all you need is an account to use it.

The most impressive thing about this tool is how it can write long pieces just the way you want them. It can stick to simple stuff like how many words you need and the feel of the writing, or even handle trickier things like how advanced the language should be and who you’re writing for.

Again, remember that these programs aren’t fact checkers; they’re simply putting together information based on patterns found online. You’ll want to especially make sure that everything being said about your business or anything else is accurate. The last thing you want is to offer services that you don’t provide or make statements that aren’t true.

Storyboarding

Unlike scripts, storyboards never show up in the final video. Instead, they guide the visuals. Since generative AI can create some pretty compelling and realistic images, you can use it to create storyboards.

We’ve rounded up a few big hitters for generating images with AI:

DALL-E 2

You might have heard of the text-to-image AI tool DALL-E after its viral moment in 2022 when people were entering the most ridiculous prompts they could imagine.

The program has come a long way since then. It’s already in its second iteration, which produces more detailed and higher-res images than its predecessor. You can use DALL-E 2 to create multiple unique images from a single prompt, giving you the flexibility to experiment with different storyboards without needing to break out the art kit.

Stable Diffusion

Similar to DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion is a free open-source text-to-image software that’s made a name for itself with its strikingly complex images. The main difference is that the site also includes a database of millions of prompts from other users, which is helpful for getting inspired and fine-tuning your instructions.

Runway

Runway is a great option if you’re looking to bring your storyboards to life beyond static images. Not only does it turn text into images, but it also has a standout feature that transforms text or images into videos. So if animated storyboards are your thing, you’re in luck.

The resulting animations aren’t perfect, but Runway is still a useful tool that gives you a quick way to mock up your video and visualize your scenes.

Production

Now that you’ve got a plan in place, it’s time for the “lights, camera, action” part!

Being behind or in front of the camera can be tough at first, especially if filming isn’t a regular part of your job. Lucky for you, AI can help you get the footage you need in record time and keep the production process rolling along.

AI video footage

Most of the services that generate videos with AI don’t actually pull videos out of thin air. Instead, they build videos out of existing content like stock footage.

A few sites out there can generate videos from nothing, but these tools are new, a little incomplete, and expensive. So, for now, we recommend using AI tools that rely on existing content to create videos. And we have a couple of recommendations:

InVideo

InVideo takes care of one of the most mind-numbing parts of creating videos: pulling stock footage and stock graphics.

If you’re new to the lingo, stock footage is generally pre-filmed video footage you can weave into the main video to set the scene or add context to the story. It comes in quite handy when you need certain shots that you can’t film yourself.

Let’s say you’re shooting a video to market a new line of sunglasses, but you don’t have any footage of a beach to set the scene. Instead of packing up and heading to the coast, you can just grab a few beach-themed clips from a stock footage library.

Many video creators turn to stock footage when they need B-roll clips because it’s much more affordable than filming every single shot they need to fill their videos. But combing through video libraries is a time-consuming process that can eat away at some of that cost difference.

InVideo takes existing stock footage, images, or graphics from sites like iStock, Storyblocks, and Shutterstock and puts together a video based on your script and marketing assets. And you can jazz it up with one of InVideo’s many video templates!

This tech might not seem that flashy, but anyone who has spent hours combing through stock video libraries knows how valuable this AI tool can be.

Synthesia

Though we think finding stock footage is currently the best use of generative AI in video production, there are a few other tools you can incorporate into your production workflow.

Synthesia is a text-to-video platform that generates original avatars to read your script and lets you adjust everything from their outfit to their vocal delivery. With enough training, images, and audio clips, Synthesia can even create a virtual version of you — cue dramatic music stab.

Unsurprisingly, your avatar will sound pretty robotic, but it can still be convincing if you use it strategically with B-roll and other shots. Once you’re over the strange sensation of watching a virtual version of yourself, Synthesia is great for when you’re on a tight schedule, lacking a high-res camera, or stuck with a limited filming budget.

AI video cameras

Ever found yourself fumbling with camera settings, trying to get that perfect shot? Well, you’re not alone. Thanks to AI, we now have digital cameras equipped with “smart” software to help you dial everything in like motion tracking, focus, and color balance.

Some good AI cameras can identify the subject, actively remember who they are, and keep them all in focus no matter what’s going on in the shot. Check out our favorites:

Mevo Start

If you’re diving into the world of multi-camera live streaming, Mevo Start is an option worth considering. You can control everything wirelessly with the Mevo Multicam app. And here’s where it gets even cooler: The app’s AI Auto mode takes the reins and seamlessly zooms, pans, and switches between cameras to capture the action as it unfolds in real time.

OBSBOT Tail’s AI-powered Intelligent Composition

Like Mevo, the OBSBOT Tail’s AI-powered Intelligent Composition focuses on the subject and finds the best zoom length, angle, and depth for the shot based on the given environment. You can even prioritize your on-camera personalities and use Power Gestures to control the camera with just hand signals.

AI cameras like these two examples are particularly great for live video events (like webinars) because they’re a major upgrade from just sitting in front of a webcam — and you don’t need a camera crew!

Post-production

Post-production is where your video finally starts to take form, but it’s often the most tedious and time-consuming step even for experienced video creators. Piecing together footage, mixing audio, choosing background music, and fine-tuning visuals can turn just seconds of film into hours of editing.

But here’s the good news: AI can take the pain out of post-production. It not only automates the most complex parts but also makes the whole process more user-friendly than ever.

AI video editing

Back in the day, getting into video editing was tough. The software was expensive, it ate up computer memory, and you had to keep your video and audio files super organized to get anything done.

Now, thanks to AI, video editing has become a whole lot more user-friendly. These days, you can edit a video just as easily as you can edit a Google Doc. Seriously.

Let’s take a look at a few video editing tools with AI-driven features:

Descript

Descript is a game changer for text-based editing and AI voices. When you upload videos to their platform, Descript automatically transcribes the dialogue and lets you edit the video and the dialogue right in the transcript. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Descript has become so popular that traditional video editing software applications like Adobe Premiere Pro and online video editors like Wistia have followed suit and now offer text-based editing workflows.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Speaking of Adobe Premiere Pro, this video editing software has a host of other AI-driven features, including automatic color correction and automatic audio/video synchronization.

Wondershare Filmora

If you want a more traditional video editing software — more akin to Premiere Pro than Descript — but also want more AI-driven features baked in, take a look at Wondershare Filmora.

This AI program is perhaps one of the most comprehensive options in this guide. It doesn’t just turn text into images or videos. It’s also packed with AI editing tools that do things like framing your shots, color correcting, removing backgrounds, and much more.

You can even try Instant Mode, which edits a full video draft based on your script, the clips you upload, and the templates you choose within minutes.

AI audio editing and voice emulation

Imagine calling a feature by the wrong name or leaving out an important piece of information while shooting a video. It happens to the best of us. But what do you do when you notice these mistakes well after the cameras have stopped rolling and you’re deep into the editing process?

Before AI, you’d have to reshoot or rerecord the audio, which can be challenging because you’d have to perfectly emulate the environment. Today, you can edit the audio without leaving your desk. You just need an AI-powered voice emulator or audio enhancer.

ElevenLabs

ElevenLabs is a nifty voice-learning software. All you have to do is feed ElevenLabs samples of your speaking voice, type out what you want to say, and bask in the wonders of technology as an AI version of your voice reads back exactly what you typed. We can tell you from experience that tools like this will literally let you “fix it in post.”

Adobe Podcast

Let’s say your space isn’t ideal for recording audio. That’s totally fine, because you can use an AI-powered audio enhancing tool like the one built into Adobe Podcast Beta. In just a few minutes, this tool can take even the noisiest recordings, intuitively identify the speakers or main focus, and clean it up enough to sound fresh out of the vocal booth.

Visual effects

Explosions, superimposed animations, and other visual effects aren’t just for the big Hollywood blockbusters. Even the simplest videos can pop with a bit of visual magic, and now AI makes it a breeze to add these effects to your videos.

Runway

Runway makes the cut for the second time because it has an entire video editing toolkit powered by AI. You’d find AI-driven text-to-color grading, infinite images, erase or replace elements, and more.

With traditional editing software, you’re limited to your technical level of expertise — you either make do with what you can manage or wait until you’re better at it to try more complex stuff.

Runway’s tools, on the other hand, use AI to flatten the learning curve as much as possible so you can let your creative ambitions run wild. Instead of breaking out the how-to guides to erase the camera operator in the shot or add a blockbuster-worthy explosion (because why not?), you can just point and click.

AI video upscaling

If you’ve been in the video-making game for a while or you’ve upgraded your video gear since your first production, consider upscaling your older videos. This means improving their resolution so they look clearer and more current, which helps maintain a consistent, high-quality look across your entire library.

Before the advent of AI tools — which learn from real video clips instead of still images — upscaling was considered a dodgy process that could leave your videos looking overly smooth and unnatural. But now, AI is changing the game by making the process more reliable and your videos more natural-looking.

Topaz Labs

The Video AI software from Topaz Labs uses a combination of deinterlacing, upscaling, and motion interpolation to boost video quality up to 4K with more clarity and accuracy than you could achieve with a manual restoration.

In just a few moments, you can make your grainy childhood home videos look like they were shot on your smartphone last week — or in a more relevant context, upgrade the product demo video you unknowingly shot in 480p to a sleek 4k resolution.

Publishing

So you’ve made a video that’s perfectly polished and ready for release. Congrats! The work isn’t done yet, though. Now comes the process of creating metadata and SEO, an often overlooked but absolutely crucial way to set your video up for online success.

For beginners, this step can feel like trying to read a different language. Navigating keywords, backlinks, rankings, and all other kinds of metadata for even just one video release is enough to make your head spin. But, as you may have guessed, AI is here to help you across the finish line.

Video metadata generation

If you want to reel in viewers and keep those play counts climbing, you’ll need a catchy title, a clear description, a thumbnail that pops, and accurate captions and transcripts. Sound like a tall order? Don’t worry; AI’s got your back. AI makes it a piece of cake to whip up all that good stuff without breaking a sweat.

We rounded up a few product recommendations, but first check out Wistia’s AI tools that auto-generate captions, transcripts, and even live event descriptions for registration pages.

Jasper AI

For titles, transcriptions in multiple languages, descriptions with SEO keywords, and even social copy to promote your videos, it’s hard to beat Jasper. Plus, the Jasper Everywhere Extension for Chrome gives you easy access to Jasper on any app or web page. That means no more copying and pasting!

Hotpot

Along with the video title, the thumbnail is the elevator pitch for getting someone to click and watch your content. By tapping into Hotpot’s stash of thumbnail templates and AI tools for removing backgrounds, upscaling, and enhancing faces, you can create an eye-catching thumbnail that gets your video the attention it deserves.

3Play Media

Adding closed captions to your video is a simple but effective way to make your video more accessible to viewers. But instead of spending hours manually typing out the spoken content and other sounds in your video, you can use 3Play Media’s closed captioning and audio description services.

3Play Media uses a combination of AI and human editing to make sure your captions are done quickly and accurately — this is a perfect example of using AI to optimize your workflow rather than take it over. The best part is that 3Play Media is integrated into Wistia, which means you can centralize your accessibility requests and automate your workflow.

Video SEO

To get your video in front of as many viewers as possible, you need to optimize it for search engines. That means adding the right keywords and phrases to the metadata so search engines can find and rank your video.

This is how you give your video a chance to land at the top of search results.

And if you’re worried about the nitty-gritty of SEO, AI tools are here to help. We’ve got a couple to look at:

SurferSEO

SurferSEO is a one-stop shop for keywords and SEO. Along with giving your video an overall “content score,” the software also generates keywords related to your video that give you the best odds of outranking your competition. Plus, this software is already integrated with Jasper for easy access.

FCP Video Tag

For Final Cut Pro users, FCP Video Tag is an extension by Ulti.Media that reviews your content, creates keywords based on similar videos online, and uploads that data straight into Final Cut Pro. Your metadata is all set by the time you export the video, saving you a good chunk of time in the process.

Social promotion

Repurposing videos, resizing videos, and writing some great copy for your social posts are key to a solid social media promotional strategy. And AI can help with that, too!

Peech

Instead of spending hours editing different cuts of your video, you can hand it off to Peech and it’ll automatically repurpose your video in a variety of ways. You can even customize your branding guidelines down to the font of your video captions so that every version of your content stays on brand.

Poe.com

Poe.com offers access to a number of specialized large language models (LLMs) trained for specific purposes like writing LinkedIn copy or YouTube video summaries. It’s often better than what ChatGPT can provide because the models are purpose-built for particular use cases.

Is AI in video production here to stay?

AI has made immense progress in the past year, and that growth will continue at an exponential rate. For all we know, this guide may be updated with completely new and even more powerful software by next year — stay tuned!

But for all of its benefits, AI isn’t capable of everything quite yet. Copy that’s written solely by AI is often dry, AI videos are unimaginative, and AI-generated images have something “off” about them. AI can only work off of what already exists. It won’t take risks, push boundaries, try unconventional methods, or come up with completely original ideas.

In other words, generative AI isn’t human. An unfortunate side effect we’re seeing with the rise of AI is that some companies don’t realize this fact and are flat-out replacing their creative forces with AI software. But the reality is that the human-made work will almost always be stronger than the AI-generated versions because of that idiosyncratic “human touch.”

“Finding the balance between AI-led efficiency and human-driven imagination is the best way for your business to stand out in our current online world.”

Now is the best time to master AI tools for video and create your best work faster than ever — meeting quality and quantity, to bring it back to the top — so you don’t get left behind. Help your business grow bigger than ever, faster than ever, with AI-powered tools like Wistia.