The video editing app Captions, supported by notable investors like a16z, Kleiner Perkins, and Sequoia Capital, has introduced a new AI-driven feature. This innovative addition can take an existing unedited video and enhance it with custom graphics, zooms, music, sound effects, transitions, and motion backgrounds tailored to the content.
The AI edit feature comes with certain restrictions: it is designed for vertical videos featuring a single person speaking. Even if users don’t have such videos or prefer different filming styles, Captions offers a solution. Users can create videos using Captions’ AI avatars with a brief prompt and then apply the AI edit feature to achieve a fully edited video in minutes, complete with various transitions and effects.
Making Video Creation Easier
Gaurav Misra, co-founder and CEO of Captions, explained the motivation behind the feature. After leaving Snap in 2021, Misra aimed to simplify the video-making process, focusing on communication. He stated, “Our main goal has been allowing people to convey a message. If you think about the journey of what does it take to say what you want to say on video, it’s complicated. It starts with the idea of what do I actually want to say, preparing the script, recording the video and editing it to make the clip engaging.” This thought process led to the development of a suite of AI-powered features to streamline video creation.
Misra highlighted that Captions aims to provide three types of video recording tools. Firstly, it offers the best camera toolkit to aid recording. Secondly, it includes editing tools like AI-powered corrections for manually recorded videos. Lastly, Captions features a generative tier where users don’t need to record videos themselves.
Currently, the company offers 12 AI characters, with plans to add three to four new characters each week. Eventually, Captions aims to enable users to create their own AI characters.
Misra envisions these tools being used primarily in sales, marketing, and communication channels by consumer-focused companies. Similar companies like D-ID and Synthesia allow organizations to create digital avatars for videos. Recently, TikTok introduced a feature for creators to make AI avatars, along with offering stock AI characters for ads. Misra asserts that Captions offers superior quality, providing comprehensive video creation tools accessible via mobile phones.
Balancing AI and Creator Concerns
Captions’ extensive feature set simplifies the video creation process. For instance, the team created a video on the “Dangers of AI for creators” using just a simple prompt and a few editing steps. However, this ease of creation raises concerns about the potential flood of content on social media and the internet, which could overshadow content created with significant effort.
Misra acknowledges this concern but believes that AI-created content still needs to be engaging and relevant. He compares this scenario to the digital music revolution, which lowered the barrier to music creation but ultimately raised the creativity bar. “Mass production of content would be possible, but to stand out, you have to have a unique message or story, which will be where people will spend more of their time now,” he said.
Captions is planning to introduce new features for its AI avatar-based video creations, such as a skit feature where two avatars can converse. This addition will further enhance the app’s capabilities and provide more creative options for users.
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