Editing videos is one of those things I absolutely love doing. But let's be real, not every part of the editing process is particularly exciting.
Removing awkward silences, cutting out filler words, sorting through multiple takes, manually switching between podcast cameras, and adding captions can take hours.
And when you're editing videos for your own YouTube channel while also managing projects for paying clients, those hours start adding up quickly.
That's exactly why, two years ago, I started using FireCut AI, the AI-powered video editing plugin associated with Ali Abdaal.
And after using it almost every day for my YouTube videos and professional client projects, I can confidently say it's been one of the best purchases I've made as a video editor.
Not only has it helped me edit faster and produce more content, but it's actually improved the quality of my edits.
But what exactly makes FireCut AI so useful? And is it really worth paying for when software like Adobe Premiere Pro already includes some AI editing features?
In this guide, I'm going to walk you through my favorite FireCut AI features, show you exactly how I use them in my workflow, explain where the plugin could be better, and help you decide whether it's worth adding to your editing setup.
What Is FireCut AI?
FireCut AI is an AI-powered editing plugin for Adobe Premiere Pro designed to automate many of the repetitive tasks that video editors deal with every day.
Instead of manually cutting out every silence, searching for repeated sentences, or switching between camera angles in a podcast, you can let FireCut handle much of that work automatically.
Some of my favorite features include:
Removing silences, filler words, and repeated takes
Automatically switching between podcast camera angles
Finding highlights for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and other short-form videos
Generating customizable animated captions
Finding and adding stock B-roll footage
Searching for background music
Adding graphics, zooms, chapters, and AI voiceovers
And while all those features sound impressive, what matters most to me is how they actually perform in a real editing workflow.
After all, saving time isn't very helpful if I have to spend another hour fixing everything the AI did wrong.
Fortunately, FireCut has become one of the tools I rely on most frequently.
Let's start with the feature that completely changed how I edit talking-head videos.
1. How I Use FireCut AI to Edit Talking-Head Videos Faster
If you make YouTube tutorials, educational content, interviews, or any other videos where someone is speaking directly to the camera, this might be the most useful part of FireCut.
When I film my YouTube videos, I don't always nail every sentence on the first attempt.
Sometimes I'll pause to collect my thoughts. Other times I'll repeat an entire section until I'm happy with how it sounds.
That's a lot of footage I need to work through before I can even begin making the video look polished.
Previously, I'd have to go through the timeline and manually cut all those sections.
Now I use three FireCut features in a specific order: Remove Silences, Remove Fillers, and Remove Repetition.
Step 1: Automatically Remove Silences
The first thing I do when editing a talking-head video is remove all the unnecessary pauses.
To get started, open FireCut inside Adobe Premiere Pro.
If you don't see the panel, go to Window > Extensions, make sure FireCut is enabled, and position the panel wherever you'd like in your workspace.
From there:
Select Remove Silences.
Adjust the silence tightness.
Enable the audio tracks you want FireCut to analyze.
Set the scope to Full Sequence.
Choose the appropriate video length.
Hit Go.
One thing I appreciate is that FireCut lets you control how tight those cuts are.
If you're creating a fast-paced YouTube video, you might want the cuts to happen almost immediately before the next sentence.
But if you prefer a more relaxed, conversational style, you can leave slightly longer pauses between cuts.
I usually start with the default setting.
Here's what impressed me during my demonstration:
I started with a timeline of approximately 24 minutes. After removing the silences, FireCut brought it down to around 16 minutes.
That's about eight minutes of unnecessary pauses removed automatically.
And I didn't have to sit there making every single cut myself.
Of course, removing silences is only the beginning.
Step 2: Remove Filler Words Automatically
Once I've removed the silences, I move on to filler words.
You know the ones I'm talking about.
"Um," "ah," "you know," and all those little phrases that sneak into our speech when we're thinking about what to say next.
They aren't necessarily a problem in everyday conversation, but when I'm editing an educational YouTube video, I usually want the delivery to feel clean and intentional.
Here's my process:
Open Remove Fillers in FireCut.
Select the full sequence.
Choose the language spoken in the video.
Let FireCut analyze the audio.
Review the detected filler words.
Toggle which words you want removed.
Select Cut Selected Words.
What I especially like is that FireCut doesn't force you to remove every word it detects.
You can review the transcript and choose which phrases should stay and which should go.
For example, some expressions might technically be filler words but still contribute to the natural flow of a sentence.
Having that control allows me to clean up the edit without stripping away my personality.
Once I'm happy with the selections, FireCut makes the cuts for me.
Step 3: Remove Repeated Takes Without Searching Through Your Timeline
This might actually be my favorite feature for talking-head editing.
When I'm recording a YouTube video, it's common for me to repeat the same part of a script several times until I get it right.
Sometimes I'll record an introduction five or six times.
And more often than not, the final take is the one I end up using.
FireCut's Remove Repetition feature works incredibly well with this recording style.
Here's how I use it:
Open Remove Repetition.
Switch from Basic to Advanced mode.
Select the full sequence and correct language.
Click Detect Repetition.
Review the detected repeated phrases in the transcript.
Preview individual takes when needed.
Choose the takes you want to keep.
Advanced mode gives me additional controls over which phrases FireCut identifies as repetitions.
I can also see the transcript and listen to each take before deciding which one sounds best.
But here's the really convenient part.
FireCut can automatically select the final take of a repeated phrase.
Since that's usually how I record my videos, this setting fits my workflow perfectly.
Instead of listening through every repeated sentence, I can let the software choose those final takes and then review the results.
My Results: A 26-Minute Timeline Reduced to Around 12 Minutes
During my demonstration, I started with roughly 26 minutes of footage.
After removing the silences, filler words, and repeated takes, the timeline was reduced to approximately 12 minutes.
That's much closer to the actual finished video length.
And the entire process took me around 10 minutes.
The best part? I don't even have to sit in front of my computer while FireCut analyzes the footage.
I can work on something else while it processes the timeline.
Now, I still go back through the edit to make adjustments and make sure everything flows properly. But I'm no longer spending nearly as much time on that initial rough cut.
My takeaway: If you regularly edit talking-head videos, automating the first pass of your edit can make a huge difference in your workflow.
And if you edit podcasts, FireCut has another feature that might be even more valuable.
2. Automatically Edit Multi-Camera Podcasts With FireCut AI
When I first started using FireCut two years ago, I was primarily using it for podcast clients.
The reason was simple: it saved me hours of editing.
If you've ever edited a multi-camera podcast, you already know how repetitive it can become.
You have a camera pointed at the host, another pointed at the guest, and sometimes a third wide-angle shot showing everyone.
Throughout the entire conversation, you need to decide when to switch between those angles.
FireCut can automate much of that process.
How to Set Up Automatic Podcast Editing
In my demonstration, I used a podcast with two camera angles and two audio tracks.
Here's how I set it up inside FireCut's multitrack feature:
Open the multitrack podcast editing feature.
Identify the individual speakers.
Assign the appropriate audio tracks to each speaker.
Match the video tracks to those speakers.
Add a third wide shot if you have one.
Click Analyze.
For my example, I assigned the guest to audio track A1 and video track V1.
The host was assigned to audio track A2 and video track V2.
If I had a third camera showing both people, I could assign that shot as well.
Once FireCut finishes analyzing the footage, I can customize how it switches between the cameras.
Customize Your Camera Switching
One of the settings I pay attention to is Speaker Switching Sensitivity.
This determines how quickly FireCut switches camera angles when another person starts talking.
In my demonstration, the host and guest were pretty good about not interrupting each other, so I set the sensitivity relatively high.
You can also adjust the shot duration when using a third wide-angle camera.
For example, you could have FireCut switch to the wide shot and hold it for three to five seconds before moving to another angle.
This adds some visual variety to the conversation.
There's also an offset option for creating L-cuts and J-cuts, where the audio and video transitions happen at slightly different times.
Personally, I usually leave that disabled.
FireCut also includes an option to boost individual speakers, which could be helpful when people are talking over each other.
One Setting I Always Recommend: Disable Inactive Clips Instead of Deleting Them
Here's an important part of my workflow.
When FireCut switches between camera angles, I prefer to disable inactive video clips rather than delete them.
Why?
Because I still want the flexibility to adjust those edits later.
If a clip is deleted from the timeline, going back and recovering that camera angle becomes more annoying.
But if the clip is simply disabled, I can easily re-enable it whenever I want.
This gives me the speed of AI editing without sacrificing control over my timeline.
Once everything is configured, I hit Go.
FireCut automatically creates the camera switches based on who's speaking.
And in my experience, it's incredibly fast.
For podcasts and interview videos, this feature alone has saved me hours.
But there's another problem podcast editors often face.
What happens when you want to turn that 30-minute conversation into short-form social media content?
That's where FireCut's Highlights feature comes in.
3. Turn Long-Form Videos Into Short-Form Content Automatically
If you're creating podcasts, interviews, or educational YouTube videos, you've probably thought about repurposing that content into Instagram Reels, TikToks, or YouTube Shorts.
The problem is finding the best moments.
You could spend hours reviewing a long conversation, searching for interesting quotes or valuable insights.
Or you could use FireCut's Create Highlights feature.
This tool analyzes your video and identifies sections that could work as individual short-form clips.
How I Find Highlights With FireCut
Here's how I demonstrated the process:
Select Create Highlights.
Choose approximately how many clips you want FireCut to find.
Set your desired clip duration.
Select the full sequence.
Enable enhanced accuracy if you want more precise markers.
Click Find Highlights.
For my example, I used a podcast that was about 30 minutes long.
I initially aimed for around 10 clips, using a target of approximately 20 clips per hour.
I also selected a duration of around 70 seconds because the speakers were sharing longer, information-heavy answers.
After analyzing the video, FireCut identified four potential highlights.
Here's what I liked about the results.
For each highlight, FireCut provided a short description of the topic and a transcript of what was said.
That made it much easier for me to decide whether each clip was worth keeping.
Review the Highlights Before Turning Them Into Reels
I don't recommend blindly accepting everything an AI editor suggests.
Instead, I review the highlighted sections and decide which moments are actually valuable.
When I find a clip I like, I mark it gold on my timeline.
It's a simple way for me to identify the strongest moments.
From there, FireCut lets me take things even further.
I can automatically:
Reframe the footage for vertical video
Add animated captions
Apply presets for different clients
Find supplemental B-roll
Create individual sequences for each highlight
Rather than placing everything into one massive sequence, I can have FireCut generate a separate sequence for every highlight.
And in my demonstration, that's exactly what it did.
Each clip received its own sequence, complete with captions and automatic reframing between the speakers.
That's a pretty impressive starting point for creating social media content.
Of course, those clips still need a little personality.
And one of the easiest ways to add that is with captions.
4. Create Animated Captions Without Manually Animating Text
Animated captions have become a major part of the editing work I do for short-form videos.
But creating them manually can be tedious.
You have to transcribe the dialogue, format the text, position everything, and add animations to make the captions visually interesting.
FireCut makes this process significantly easier.
Step 1: Generate Your Captions
Start by selecting Add Captions inside FireCut.
Choose the full sequence and select the language being spoken.
You can also provide corrections for words the AI might have trouble recognizing.
This is particularly useful for things like brand names, industry-specific terminology, or acronyms such as FAA.
Once you're ready, hit Transcribe.
FireCut will analyze the audio and generate a transcript.
Step 2: Customize the Caption Design
Once the transcription is complete, you can choose from existing caption presets or create your own.
I particularly like creating presets for different clients because it helps keep their videos visually consistent.
You can adjust things like:
Caption size and position
Outlines, shadows, and background boxes
Emojis and text styling
Animated text effects
Word-by-word reveals
Highlighting, bolding, glowing, and underlining
Number of lines and line breaks
And this is where FireCut really starts becoming useful.
Instead of manually creating every text animation, I can use the available settings to apply effects across the video.
For example, I can make certain words pop as they're spoken, reveal text progressively, or highlight individual words.
It's a quick way to make captions more engaging without spending hours designing animations.
Step 3: Check Your Transcript
Even though FireCut does a great job with transcription in my experience, I always double-check the results.
I'll look for misspelled names, incorrect phrases, and awkward line breaks.
In my demonstration, I specifically checked that names like Phoenix, Arizona, and School Harbor Creative were spelled correctly.
I also adjusted the line breaks to make the captions easier to read.
Once everything looks good, I select the video track where I want the captions to appear, choose the project folder, and generate them.
And just like that, I've got animated captions added to my timeline.
What I love most is how easy it becomes to reuse the same caption style across multiple videos.
That consistency is especially helpful when you're creating recurring content for clients.
5. Automatically Find B-Roll Footage With FireCut AI
Captions are great, but sometimes your videos need more visual variety.
That's where B-roll comes in.
Whether you're editing a YouTube tutorial, interview, or short-form social media video, supplemental footage can help illustrate what someone's talking about.
But searching through stock footage libraries can take a surprising amount of time.
FireCut has an automatic B-roll finder that makes this process much easier.
And one of the advantages I've enjoyed is its integration with Storyblocks.
My FireCut AI B-Roll Workflow
Here's how I like to configure it.
First, I open the automatic B-roll finder and choose Auto Mode.
I typically select Fully Cover, because I'd rather have plenty of footage to choose from and remove what I don't need afterward.
I also prefer the Long Context setting.
In my experience, it does a better job of considering what's being discussed before choosing which B-roll footage to include.
From there, I customize the settings.
For the short-form example I demonstrated, I used:
Videos rather than GIFs or still images
Footage matching the vertical sequence orientation
B-roll clips around three to four seconds long
A maximum clip duration of four seconds
A light leak transition
A click sound effect
Video track V3 for the footage
Audio track A2 for the sound effects
I then choose the project folder, set the scope to the full sequence, and hit Find B-Roll.
FireCut analyzes the content and adds footage to the timeline.
What If the AI Chooses the Wrong Footage?
This is where the feature gets particularly interesting.
You aren't stuck with whatever footage FireCut selects.
Let's say it chooses a clip of a city skyline.
If I don't like the selection, I can open the B-roll library, browse alternative clips associated with that keyword, and choose something better.
And if the keyword itself isn't accurate, I can change it.
For example, in my demonstration, I searched for a school classroom instead of a school building.
FireCut pulled up footage matching that new search, and I could replace the existing clip directly in my timeline.
It's a great combination of automation and manual control.
Don't Forget to Upgrade Your B-Roll Before Exporting
One important detail to understand is how the Storyblocks footage works inside FireCut.
During the initial editing process, FireCut uses lower-resolution previews.
Once I've reviewed the selections and I'm happy with the footage, I select Upgrade B-Roll.
This replaces the previews with the higher-resolution versions and removes the Storyblocks watermark.
Now I've got the footage I actually want, without manually searching through an external stock footage library for every single shot.
That's a huge convenience when editing multiple videos.
6. Finding Background Music With FireCut AI
Let's talk about another important part of video editing: music.
Finding the right music can make a huge difference in how a video feels.
But finding a track that actually fits the tone of your content isn't always easy.
Fortunately, FireCut also includes a music-finding feature using its Storyblocks integration.
There are two ways to use it.
You can let the AI analyze your transcript and automatically suggest music based on the subject matter.
Or you can manually search for the type of track you want.
Personally, I haven't found the automatic music selection particularly good.
This is one area where I still prefer having more control.
How I Search for Music Manually
When I'm choosing music, I usually switch to the manual search option.
For example, in my demonstration, I searched for:
"Upbeat ambient corporate music."
Then I selected the corporate category and a happy mood.
I wasn't especially concerned with the BPM or exact duration.
Once those settings were selected, I chose the audio track and project folder, then clicked Find Music.
FireCut generated a list of tracks that I could preview.
If I didn't like the first page of results, I could simply browse through additional options.
Once I found a track I liked, I positioned the playhead where I wanted the music to begin and clicked Insert.
The music was automatically added to my timeline.
From there, I trimmed the audio, added a few effects, and balanced the music with the rest of the video.
It's a relatively simple feature, but it makes finding and adding music a lot more convenient.
And while I still prefer manually selecting the music, I appreciate being able to search and preview tracks from within my editing workflow.
7. Other FireCut AI Features Worth Exploring
I've covered the features I use most frequently, but FireCut has additional tools that I didn't have time to demonstrate in detail in the video.
Some of them include:
Automatic Zooms: Quickly add zoom effects without manually creating every animation.
Video Chapters: Generate chapters for your content.
AI Voiceovers: Create voiceovers using AI voices from ElevenLabs.
Automatic Graphics: Add motion graphics based on what's being discussed in the transcript.
That last feature is actually one of my favorites.
It allows me to add graphics that relate to the dialogue without having to create everything manually.
These additional tools give FireCut even more versatility, especially if you're creating a lot of educational or social media content.
8. FireCut AI vs. Adobe Premiere Pro: Do You Really Need Another Plugin?
Now you might be wondering something.
Doesn't Adobe Premiere Pro already have AI-powered editing features?
And you're right.
Premiere Pro includes features for transcription-based editing and removing silences, so there is some overlap.
But after using FireCut for two years, I've personally found two advantages that keep me coming back.
Better Transcription Accuracy in My Experience
First, I've found FireCut's transcription to be more accurate.
This is especially important because so many of the plugin's editing tools rely on understanding what's being said.
When I'm working with transcripts to remove filler words, locate repeated takes, or generate captions, I want the software to recognize the dialogue as accurately as possible.
In my experience, FireCut does a better job here.
More Control Over Editing Parameters
The second advantage is customization.
FireCut gives me additional ways to control how certain edits are made.
Whether it's adjusting the tightness of silence removal, choosing which filler words to delete, or deciding which repeated takes to keep, I appreciate having those options available.
For me, that combination of accuracy and customization is what makes FireCut worth using alongside Premiere Pro.
That doesn't mean Premiere Pro's built-in features aren't useful.
It simply means that for the way I edit, I prefer the workflow FireCut provides.
9. How Much Does FireCut AI Cost? Pro vs. Max
Of course, FireCut isn't free.
So the question becomes whether the subscription is actually worth the investment.
At the time I recorded my review, there were two paid tiers I discussed.
FireCut Pro — $20 Per Month
The Pro subscription was priced at $20 per month.
And for most professional video editors, this is the plan I'd recommend starting with.
Why?
Because for the past two years, I was perfectly happy using Pro.
It gave me the tools I needed to dramatically improve my editing workflow without adding an expensive monthly subscription.
When you're editing videos for paying clients, the amount of time you save can easily become more valuable than the cost of the software.
And that's exactly how I look at FireCut.
For my business, $20 per month has been a very reasonable investment.
FireCut Max — Approximately $34 Per Month
If you want to get even more out of the plugin, FireCut also offers a Max tier.
At the time of my review, I believed this was approximately $34 per month.
Max unlocks additional capabilities such as:
Magic Cut, which automatically assembles an initial video draft
AI voiceover features
B-roll footage up to 4K resolution
Unlimited captions and templates
Custom workflow automations
These are some pretty exciting features, especially for professional editors who regularly produce large amounts of content.
FireCut actually reached out to collaborate with me on this video and upgraded my account to Max.
I'm grateful for that opportunity because it allowed me to explore features beyond what I'd previously been using.
But I also want to make something clear.
Before that upgrade, I'd been using the Pro subscription for two years and was completely satisfied with it.
So you don't necessarily need the most expensive plan to get significant value from FireCut.
It really depends on how much editing you're doing and which features are most relevant to your workflow.
Note: These are the prices and plan features I discussed when recording the video. Check FireCut's current pricing before subscribing.
10. Is FireCut AI Actually Worth It? My Verdict After Two Years
After using FireCut AI for two years, I genuinely believe it's one of the best plugins available for video editors.
And I don't say that simply because it has a long list of AI features.
I say that because it's made a noticeable difference in how I work.
When I first purchased FireCut, I was mainly using it for podcast editing.
Automatically switching between speakers was such a massive time-saver that the subscription already felt worthwhile.
But over time, I started incorporating more and more of its features into my editing process.
Now I'm using it for my YouTube channel, talking-head videos, client interviews, animated captions, B-roll, and music.
Instead of spending so much time on repetitive editing tasks, I can let FireCut handle much of the initial work and focus on refining the video.
And that distinction is important.
I still want to make creative decisions.
I still want to choose the best takes, adjust the pacing, review the footage, and make sure the final video meets my standards.
I just don't want to spend unnecessary hours doing tasks that software can handle for me.
That's ultimately what makes FireCut valuable.
It's not about removing the editor from the process.
It's about removing the tedious parts of editing so I can spend more time on the creative decisions that actually matter.
Who Would I Recommend FireCut AI To?
Based on my experience, I think FireCut is particularly useful if you're:
A YouTuber creating regular talking-head or educational videos
A podcast editor working with multiple cameras
A freelance video editor managing client projects
A content creator repurposing long-form footage into short-form videos
An editor who regularly creates animated captions
A professional filmmaker looking to speed up repetitive post-production tasks
If any of those describe your workflow, I think FireCut is worth considering.
The biggest advantage isn't necessarily any single feature.
It's how those features work together to help move a project from raw footage to a nearly finished edit with significantly less manual work.
My Recommended FireCut AI Editing Workflow
If you're just getting started with FireCut, here's the sequence I'd recommend trying based on how I use the plugin.
For talking-head and YouTube videos:
Import your footage and organize your Premiere Pro sequence.
Use Remove Silences to eliminate unnecessary pauses.
Run Remove Fillers and review the detected words.
Use Remove Repetition to identify and choose your best takes.
Review the rough cut and adjust pacing.
Add B-roll to illustrate important points.
Generate captions when appropriate.
Find background music and balance the audio.
Review the entire video and make your final creative adjustments.
For podcasts and interviews:
Organize and identify your audio and video tracks.
Use FireCut's multitrack feature to assign speakers to their cameras.
Configure automatic camera switching.
Keep inactive clips disabled instead of deleting them.
Review the podcast and refine the camera transitions.
Use Create Highlights to identify potential short-form clips.
Generate separate sequences for the highlights.
Apply your preferred caption and reframing presets.
Add B-roll where it makes sense.
Review and finalize each clip.
These are the workflows that have helped me get the most value out of FireCut.
And they're the reason it's become such a regular part of my editing process.
Final Thoughts: Two Years Later, I'm Still Using FireCut AI
There are plenty of tools out there promising to revolutionize video editing with AI.
But for me, the real test is whether a tool actually becomes part of my everyday workflow.
FireCut has passed that test.
Two years after purchasing it, I'm still using it regularly for both my YouTube content and professional video projects.
It helps me create rough cuts faster, edit multi-camera podcasts more efficiently, produce animated captions, find B-roll, and simplify several other parts of post-production.
Is every feature perfect?
No.
For example, I still prefer manually searching for music instead of relying on FireCut's automatic recommendations. And I always review the AI's editing decisions before considering a project finished.
But those limitations haven't stopped it from becoming one of my favorite editing tools.
If you're a filmmaker, content creator, or professional video editor who's spending too much time on repetitive editing tasks, I think FireCut AI is absolutely worth checking out.
You can find my FireCut affiliate link in the description and pinned comment of my YouTube video.
For transparency, FireCut reached out to collaborate on this review and upgraded me to the Max plan. I'd already been using the paid Pro subscription for two years before the collaboration, and the opinions I've shared here are based on my experience using the plugin.
And if you've already tried FireCut, I'd genuinely love to know what you think.
Has it improved your workflow? Are there features you use that I haven't covered?
Drop a comment on the video and let me know.
And if you want to discover more of the tools and plugins I use when editing videos for clients, check out my other video covering my favorite Adobe Premiere Pro plugins.
Thanks for reading, good luck on your next edit, and I'll see you in the next one!
— Bruno Pozo
