# How to Cut Videos Faster with AI-Assisted Story Editing in Premiere Pro

### The Problem

For dialogue-heavy content — interviews, podcasts, documentary footage — the hardest part of editing isn't the cut itself. It's finding the moments. Scrubbing hours of footage to locate the best soundbites, structure a narrative arc, and deliver multiple platform versions from one shoot can take days of work before a single clip is placed.

The standard workflow compounds the problem: watch everything, take notes, repeat for every deliverable. By the time you start cutting, you've spent more time on research than editing.

> **This workflow is built for dialogue-heavy content.** Story Cutter reads spoken word from a transcript. It identifies and structures soundbites — it does not analyze b-roll, graphics, or visual-only footage.

***

### The Solution

Export a transcript from Premiere Pro's built-in Text panel, attach it to Chat Video Pro, describe your goal, and click **Insert Rough Cut**. Your entire first cut — trimmed soundbites in story order, with section markers on the timeline — appears in Premiere Pro in seconds.

No scrubbing. No manual logging. No switching apps. The AI finds the moments; you make the creative decisions.

For multi-deliverable shoots, `/batch` generates a TikTok cut, a YouTube cut, and a long-form version simultaneously from the same transcript — all in a single message.

***

### How It Works

#### 1. Export Your Transcript from Premiere Pro

Open the **Text** panel in Premiere Pro (Window → Text), transcribe your footage, then click the three dots (⋯) → **Export as transcript file** → save as a **`.json` file**.

> **Use Premiere Pro's native export.** The `.json` format carries timestamp data tied to each clip's exact position on your timeline. SRT, VTT, plain text, and exports from Descript, Rev, or Otter are not supported.

#### 2. Start Story Cutter and Attach the Transcript

Click the **Story Cutter** conversation starter in Chat Video Pro. Use the paperclip (📎) button to attach your `.json` transcript. A purple pill appears in the composer confirming the transcript is loaded.

When the pill appears, click it to link Story Cutter to the exact Premiere Pro timeline you transcribed. If your transcript file name matches your timeline name, it links automatically.

> **Don't move clips after transcribing.** Timestamps are tied to clip positions. Rearranging footage breaks the sync and requires a new transcript export.

#### 3. Attach a Script or Creative Brief (Optional)

Attach any reference document alongside your transcript — a shooting script, interview outline, client brief, or show format. Story Cutter reads it and uses it as a structural guide for soundbite selection and ordering. The more specific the brief, the more intentional the cut.

Useful documents to attach:

* Original shooting script or interview question set
* Client brief or creative direction PDF
* Show bible or episode format
* Notes from a previous cut

**Supported formats:** `.pdf`, `.docx`, `.txt`, `.md`

#### 4. Write Your Prompt

Describe the goal in one or two sentences. Tell it the platform, runtime, and what the video is about:

> "5-minute YouTube tutorial about how to set up a Premiere Pro workspace. Start with a strong hook, end with a CTA to subscribe."

> "60-second Instagram Reel from the Q\&A section. Energetic, hook-first, no interviewer questions."

For more complex briefs, use `/creative brief` to plan the structure before cutting.

#### 5. Review the Paper Cut and Insert

Story Cutter streams back a structured paper cut — verbatim quotes, `HH:MM:SS:FF` timestamps, section labels, and editor notes.

**Three ways to use the results:**

| Action                     | What it does                                                                                 |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Click a timestamp**      | Jumps your Premiere Pro playhead to that moment so you can preview it                        |
| **Click ↓ on a soundbite** | Inserts just that one soundbite at your playhead                                             |
| **Insert Rough Cut**       | Places the entire selection onto your timeline at once, in story order, with section markers |

**Insert Rough Cut** is the fastest path to a first cut. Scroll to the bottom of the paper cut, click the button, and the whole edit lands on your timeline — trimmed and structured — ready to refine.

#### 6. Refine in the Same Thread

Story Cutter holds the full context of your transcript and previous selections. Refine without re-explaining:

* "Cut 30 seconds from section 2 — it runs too long"
* "The opening doesn't land — find a stronger hook"
* "Replace the third soundbite, it feels repetitive"
* "Remove anything about pricing"
* "Find a cleaner close"

Each refinement produces a new paper cut with an updated Insert Rough Cut button. Keep iterating until it's right, then insert.

***

### Hard Constraints: Precision Editing

Add precise constraints at any point in the conversation:

| Constraint        | Example                                          |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Timecode range    | "Only use footage between 00:05:00 and 00:45:00" |
| Required topics   | "Must include the part about the funding round"  |
| Excluded topics   | "Skip anything about the early team"             |
| Named soundbites  | "Start with the line about failure"              |
| Start/end moments | "Start at 00:03:22, end with the outro"          |
| Tone              | "Keep the tone measured — no hype"               |

Constraints stack. You can combine multiple in a single message and they apply directly to the next paper cut.

***

### /batch — Multiple Deliverables, One Pass

For shoots where you need TikTok, YouTube, and long-form versions, `/batch` generates all of them from one transcript in a single message.

```
/batch
- 60-second TikTok Reel, energetic hook, focus on the failure story
- 3-minute YouTube, Problem → Credibility → Steps → CTA
- 90-second Instagram Reel, emotional tone
```

Each task produces its own paper cut and Insert Rough Cut button. Results appear in sequence in the same thread.

**Using `/batch` with a brief:** If you attach a document that enumerates multiple version goals ("Version 1: founder story. Version 2: product demo. Version 3: customer outcome"), `/batch` treats each as a separate cut target.

> `/batch` processes one transcript at a time — it produces multiple cuts from one source, not from multiple separate transcript files.

***

### Common Use Cases

**Long-form interview to multi-platform** Upload the transcript, run `/batch` for TikTok + YouTube Shorts + long-form in one pass. Three paper cuts, three Insert Rough Cut buttons. Done.

**Script-guided documentary** Attach your scene breakdown or narrative outline alongside the transcript. Story Cutter surfaces soundbites that match your intended arc and structures the cut to follow your document.

**Branded content with a client brief** Write the creative brief as a PDF — include tone, required topics, structure, and anything to avoid. Attach it with the transcript. The cut follows the brief without rounds of back-and-forth.

**Large transcript, fast selects** Run `/select pass` to surface every strong moment categorized by type — hooks, value moments, emotional peaks, CTAs. Then use individual ↓ inserts to hand-pick the best ones into your edit.

***

### Slash Commands

| Command             | What it does                                             |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| `/batch`            | Multiple deliverables from one transcript in one pass    |
| `/social clip`      | 60-second social-optimized cut                           |
| `/select pass`      | Full transcript scan — surfaces best moments by category |
| `/top 5 soundbites` | Five strongest moments with platform recommendations     |
| `/creative brief`   | Plan-first flow — outlines the cut before generating it  |
| `/new video`        | Clears the transcript and resets for a new project       |

***

### Story Structures Available

Request any of these by name, or let the AI choose based on your platform and content.

| Platform                        | Structure                                                      |
| ------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| TikTok / Reels / Shorts         | Hook → Payoff → Proof → CTA                                    |
| YouTube (2–3 min)               | Problem → Credibility → Steps → Result → CTA                   |
| Tutorial / Educational (4+ min) | Cold-Open → Context → Rising Tension → Resolution → Reflection |
| Documentary                     | Three-Act: Setup → Confrontation → Resolution                  |

***

### Next Steps

* [**Story Cutter Assistant Guide**](/conversation-starters/story-cutter-assistant.md) — Detailed setup, multicam configuration, Insert Rough Cut behavior, and all slash commands
* [**Usage and Pricing**](/getting-started/interface-overview/usage-panel.md) — Understand how credits work

***

**Related Workflows:**

* [Generate AI B-Roll Directly Inside Premiere Pro](/workflows/how-to-generate-b-roll-inside-premiere-pro-with-ai.md)
* [AI VFX Inside Premiere Pro](/workflows/how-to-create-ai-powered-visual-effects-in-premiere-pro.md)
* [AI Thumbnails in Premiere Pro](/workflows/how-to-generate-high-ctr-thumbnails-inside-premiere-pro-with-ai.md)


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