5 Generative AI Video Tools Everyone Should Know About

While last year was all about chatbots and image generators, this year, generative AI tools that help us create and edit videos are all the rage.

Now, these aren’t (yet) as advanced as AI image generators, so don’t think you can just type “make a new Star Wars movie,” and it will create a blockbuster for you.

Instead, what they do is automate many of the tasks involved in video editing, such as cutting footage to insert, re-ordering scenes, adding audio effects, generating captions, and adding avatars, graphics, or animations.

However, they are becoming more powerful and flexible by the day, so who knows what they will be capable of soon?

Whether you want to speed up the process of making corporate how-to videos or try your hand at becoming the next Stanley Kubrick, here’s a rundown of some of the top generative AI platforms for creating and editing videos today.

Five Of My Favorite Generative AI Video Tools

Synthesia

Synthesia is a generative AI video tool that is particularly great when it comes to creating digital avatars and bringing them to life with realistic voice and animation. It’s used by businesses to create training materials as well as by marketers for promotional and advertising content, and it would also be a great choice for educational videos.

The avatars it creates can speak in multiple languages and accents, with convincingly human gestures and facial expressions. This means it’s easy to create content and then quickly localize it for different markets, products and services. It’s relatively easy to use – you simply type the script and hear it spoken back to you. Like many of the tools here, it offers a free account that gives you access to many of the basic features, meaning you can easily find out if it’s right for you before spending any money.

Descript

Descript is something of a disruptive player in the generative video market as a startup launched by one of the co-founders of Groupon. By gaining a reputation as a powerful tool for social media content creators and TikTok kids, it’s hit a marketing sweet spot, but it’s also used across a wide range of corporate and educational use cases.

Descript users start with a script and then build their video out from there. You just pull in footage that can be manipulated and enhanced with AI, as well as audio that can be imported or generated from text, mimicking the user’s voice. You can then edit and re-arrange the timeline simply by snipping and moving the text.

Descript stands out from other AI video editing tools – particularly ones that are available free online – with its user-friendliness and range of features. Everything is set up to make it quick for anybody to start producing and editing videos. Handy features such as eye-contact correction and “one-click” studio-quality sound are signs that the team is looking to add valuable innovations as the tool evolves.

Adobe Premiere Pro with Sensei

Another example of an industry-standard tool being given a generative AI makeover for the modern age. Adobe Premiere Pro has long been a video editing tool of choice for professionals and enthusiasts and now has a suite of new features powered by Adobe’s Sensei generative AI platform.

Functions like transcription, inserting and re-ordering scenes, color correction, and audio adjustment, such as remixing music to match the timing of visuals, can now be streamlined and automated using natural language. It also has a text-to-speech feature that simplifies the process of creating captions and transcripts.

This reduces the time that creators need to spend on manual tasks, allowing them to focus on more creative elements of their work. Adobe is going all-in on generative AI, adding tools and capabilities across its entire Creative Cloud suite, and video production is just one area where it is leading the field today.

Pictory

Pictory aims to automate the process of turning scripts and blogs into videos with minimal user effort. It’s great for those who want to make quick, snappy videos for marketing or just for fun. It can also be used by educators and online course creators to make lively learning material.

One of the tasks it specializes in is automatically creating highlight reels showcasing the most important, exciting or interesting moments from longer videos. It then makes it simple to quickly repurpose them as trailers or social clips to engage more viewers.

Generative AI is clearly going to make a big splash in the world of marketing, and there are plenty of tools designed to fit the needs of marketers. User-friendliness is a key feature of this platform, which focuses on making it simple to create the type of videos that millions of businesses across the world need every day.

Runway

Runway is different from the other platforms I’ve highlighted here because it does – to an extent – offer straightforward text-to-video generative AI. This means you can type “Sun rising over a beach at sunset,” and it will create a completely synthetic video. Alternatively, you can upload an image and bring it to life.

When I tried it, the results were sometimes not exactly what I was hoping for, but they were impressive nonetheless, and it’s mind-boggling to think what this technology might be capable of in the not-too-distant future. As with ChatGPT and any generative AI tool with language-based input, the results can be greatly improved by taking some time to learn about the best ways to communicate what you want it to do.

Other Great Generative AI Video Tools

Beyond the five tools listed above, there are many other tools rapidly developing in the field of generative AI video creation, with the most noteworthy ones listed below for their innovative contributions and capabilities.

Colossyan: Generate synthetic content tailored for workplace learning.

Deepbrain: AI-generated virtual avatars and synthetic media aimed at corporate and business users.

Designs.AI: Generate graphics, videos, logos and other design assets.

Elai: Generative video tool geared towards designing training videos.

Filmora 13: Full AI-powered video editing suite with chatbot co-pilot to help you out.

Flexclip: Offers a good range of templates and resources, making it easy to get started with AI video.

Fliki: Transform text into lifelike speech and videos; make videos in minutes.

Heygen: Create talking photographs and other cool AI video tricks.

Invideo: Create videos using a simple interface and pre-made templates.

Lumen5: Web-based tool that converts text into engaging videos as well as AI “talking heads.”

OpusClip: Automagically transforms long-form videos into short, punchy viral clips.

Peech: Create branded videos from your existing content library for podcasts, webinars or social media.

Synthesys: Generate professional AI-powered avatars and voiceovers

Timebolt: Make videos more exciting by removing silences, rapidly cutting scenes and speeding up when the action is slow.

Veed.io: Enhance video content by adding automated captions and subtitles, cleaning up audio issues and AI editing.

Visla: Create professional videos with AI functions such as automated generation from scripts, natural language voiceovers and collaborative functionality.

As we journey through the landscape of generative AI and its impact on video creation, it's clear that the tools we've explored are just the tip of the iceberg. The array of emerging tools rapidly developing in this space promises to further revolutionize how we create, edit, and envision video content.

The potential for generative AI in video creation is vast, and as these tools become more sophisticated and accessible, we stand on the brink of a new era of storytelling and content creation.