# AI video editor

Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/ai-video-editor
Last updated: 2026-10-08

> Definition: An AI video editor is video editing software that uses machine learning models to perform editing tasks, such as transcribing, cutting, captioning, reframing or assembling footage, from automated features or plain-language instructions.

"AI video editor" covers very different tools. Some generate video from a prompt. Some find clips in a long video. Some let you edit by deleting text. Some let you chat with an agent that edits a real timeline. They share a label but solve different problems, so it helps to know which kind you're looking at.

## What are the main types of AI video editors?

The main types of AI video editors differ in what they take in and what they give back.

| Type | What it does | Sees |
|---|---|---|
| Generative | Creates new footage or avatars from text or images | The prompt |
| Clipping | Finds short clips in long videos and reframes them | Mostly the transcript, some visual cues |
| Transcript-based | Lets you cut by editing the text | The transcript |
| Feature-assisted | Traditional editor with AI buttons (captions, silence removal, noise cleanup) | Depends on the feature |
| Agentic | An AI agent edits through the editor's tools from your instructions | Transcript and, in frame-aware tools, the picture |

## How are AI video editors used for short-form, YouTube and product videos?

AI video editors are mostly used to remove the slow, mechanical parts of editing. Short-form creators use them for captions, silence removal and vertical reframing. YouTubers use them for first cuts and chapter-level structure. Founders and marketers use them to turn a screen recording and a talking head into a product video without learning a traditional editor. See [agentic video editing](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/agentic-video-editing) and [transcript-based editing](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/transcript-based-editing) for how two of these approaches work.

## What are the limits of AI video editors?

The common limits are what the AI can see and what you can change afterwards. Transcript-only tools can't tell if a cut lands on a blink or a caption covers a face. Some tools return a finished file you can't adjust except by prompting again. Others cap length, resolution or exports, or require uploading footage to a server.

## What kind of AI video editor is Vidiyo?

Vidiyo is an agentic, frame-aware editor for Mac. You edit by chatting, and the AI watches the actual frames, not just the transcript. Under the chat is a real timeline with layers, keyframes, motion scenes, word-anchored captions, music and sound effects, so every AI edit stays editable by hand. Chat runs on your existing Claude or ChatGPT plan, transcription is local, and footage stays on your Mac. The honest limits: Mac only (Apple Silicon, macOS 14+), 1080p/30 output and timelines up to 5 minutes. For a comparison of tools, see [the best AI video editors for Mac](https://getvidiyo.app/best-ai-video-editors-for-mac).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can an AI video editor replace a human editor?

For routine work like first cuts, pause removal, captions and reframing, AI editors handle a lot. Taste, story structure and final polish still benefit from a person directing and reviewing the result.

### Do AI video editors upload my footage?

Many cloud-based ones do. Some, including Vidiyo, keep footage on your computer: Vidiyo transcribes locally, and only transcript excerpts and requested frames go to the chat model.

### What should I look for in an AI video editor?

Whether it sees only the transcript or the frames too, whether its edits are editable on a real timeline, where your footage is processed, how it's priced, and its limits on length, resolution and platforms.

## Related terms

- [Agentic video editing](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/agentic-video-editing)
- [Transcript-based editing](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/transcript-based-editing)
- [Whisper transcription](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/whisper-transcription)
- [Rough cut](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/rough-cut)

## Where Vidiyo does this

- [Edit video by chatting](https://getvidiyo.app/features/chat-video-editing)
- [Best AI video editors for Mac in 2026](https://getvidiyo.app/best-ai-video-editors-for-mac)
- [AI video editor vs manual editing: which is better?](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/ai-video-editor-vs-manual-editing)