AI video editing: useful for B-roll, but can it replace a real moment?

AI editorial illustration of a fictional shoot. This is not a photograph from a real project.

Creating an image we imagine is becoming more accessible. The important question remains: do we need a shot that illustrates something, or a shot showing a specific person, place and event?

What does AI make easier in editing?

AI tools can help search recorded footage, produce a transcript, prepare captions and assemble an initial edit. Adobe describes transcript-based editing and searching footage through descriptions. Blackmagic Design describes assembling an initial edit by comparing a script with transcribed recorded dialogue. Availability depends on the tool, version, licence and supported language. (Adobe, Blackmagic Design)

These functions can reduce repetitive work and leave more time for connecting an interview to the rest of the story. An initial assembly still needs a review of meaning, pacing and the relationships between shots.

AI can help locate an answer. The editor still needs to decide whether it belongs in this particular film.

AI can be a useful source of B-roll

Imagine an interview about memories, the passing of time or an idea still taking shape. The viewer does not need to see the speaker throughout. A generated shot can support the thought, especially when it is not presented as footage of a specific real event.

AI can help create a symbolic image, an imagined environment or a visual connection between sections. During preparation it can also help explore a direction before filming.

For example, an abstract network of connections could illustrate a discussion about communication. It may be unnecessary to organise a shoot for that image. But when discussing a particular company's actual equipment, a generated approximation could show inaccurate details.

Choose B-roll according to what it communicates. Its value extends beyond covering a cut or filling a gap. It should add meaning.

An actual reaction has its own value

An event film, interview or documentary raises a different consideration. A person's glance, the audience's reaction or a short pause may matter precisely because it happened to those people at that moment.

Consider a fictional example: the audience was not filmed during a conference speech. AI could generate a convincing shot of people listening or applauding. It would still not be that audience's reaction. Presenting it as footage from the conference would change what viewers believe happened.

The same applies when presenting a real hotel, product or working process. A generated shot could look impressive while showing a space, feature or action that does not exist.

When the credibility of a particular event or subject matters, those shots should be recorded. If they are missing, consider another edit structure or a clearly identified illustration.

Generated B-roll still needs to work in the edit

An attractive shot may look convincing alone but connect poorly with the shots around it. This is where continuity matters: do the space, action, direction of gaze, lighting and objects remain consistent?

If a person holds an object in their right hand in one shot, and the object changes or disappears in the next, the action can stop feeling connected. Review the entire moving shot and the surrounding sequence rather than judging a selected still.

Sometimes a correction is enough. Sometimes another generation is needed. And sometimes filming what the story requires is the simpler, more precise solution.

Generation is part of creating the material. Editing determines how that material becomes a story.

A combination can be the right choice

A recorded interview can carry the story while generated B-roll illustrates an idea that does not need documentary evidence. The viewer should be able to distinguish illustration from evidence when that distinction affects their understanding.

A conversation about a future space, for example, can include a visualisation. It should be clear that this is a proposed future design. When presenting an existing space, actual footage should show what is there.

Recorded footage does not automatically create an accurate account either. An audience reaction recorded at another moment can acquire a misleading meaning through editing. Responsibility lies in both the material and the way it is connected.

Is making a good video easier today?

Some tasks are easier and more options are available. Total production time also depends on reviewing results, repeating generations and completing post-production. A quickly generated shot is not necessarily a finished shot.

Before generated B-roll enters the final edit, check:

• Does it support what the video is saying?
• Does it illustrate a general idea or appear to document a specific event?
• Does it connect meaningfully with the surrounding shots?
• Are movement and important details convincing throughout?
• Should it be identified as a generated representation?

AI can be an excellent tool for B-roll and make new approaches practical. Real people, their reactions and the events we want to record retain their own value.

A good video can combine recorded and generated shots. What connects them still needs to be a clear story, thoughtful editing and an honest relationship with the viewer.

For preparation, read our video brief guide. For the role of sound, explore why ambience and silence matter to a story. Our AI in video production article provides the broader context.

Have an idea combining filming and generated shots? Contact Unlimited Crew to discuss what should be filmed and where AI can help.