AI video editor vs AI video generator: what is the difference?
By Mohamed Mokbel, founder · Last updated:
An AI video editor works on footage you recorded: it cuts, cleans and arranges it. An AI video generator makes new video from a text prompt, an image or a script, with no recording. Cutora AI is an editor: raw video in, edited video out. It edits the footage you recorded and does not generate video, avatars or voices.
How do you tell them apart?
| Question | AI video editor | AI video generator |
|---|---|---|
| What do you start with? | Footage you recorded. | A prompt, a script or an image. |
| What do you get? | The same footage, cut and cleaned. | New footage, an avatar or a generated scene. |
| Who is on screen? | The person who was recorded. | An avatar or a generated scene. |
| What is the job? | Remove mistakes, clean audio, add captions. | Create video that was never filmed. |
Which one do you need for a talking-head video?
- If you filmed yourself talking to camera, you need an editor.
- If you do not want to appear on camera, a generator makes the video instead; that is a different job, and Cutora AI does not do it.
Why do search results mix them up?
Both are sold as "AI video editors" or "AI video makers". A quick test: do you upload footage of yourself? If yes, it is an editor. If you type a prompt and get a video back, it is a generator.
What does an AI video editor do today?
Cutora AI makes a first cut from your raw footage by removing long pauses, false starts and repeated takes, keeping one take of a repeated line. It can clean the audio of the dialogue and add English captions (Arabic captions are in Beta), highlights on key words, motion and sound effects. You finish the edit on a timeline you can change, or by chat, which has real limits.
It does not add B-roll on its own. A clip of your own can go on the second video lane of the editor, by hand or by asking the chat. It does not generate video, avatars or voices. It has no manual colour grading. It applies one colour look that follows the style (Warm for Clean, Contrast for Energetic; Clean, Warm and Contrast to choose from) that you can switch off. It does not edit videos longer than 60 minutes (10 minutes on the trial). It does not publish to social platforms.
FAQ
Is Cutora AI an AI video generator?
No. Cutora AI edits the footage you recorded. It does not generate video, avatars or voices.
Can an AI video editor make me say something I did not say?
Cutora AI does not generate voices, so it cannot. It removes parts of what you recorded.
Do I need a camera for an AI video editor?
Yes. An editor needs footage to edit.
What does "raw video in, edited video out" mean?
You upload the video you recorded, and you get back an edited version of that same video.
Can I try Cutora AI?
Yes. Cutora is in Beta. You can create an account now and try it on one video. The trial needs an account with your email address: one video up to 10 minutes, up to 10 exports with a small Cutora mark, and no card needed.
Is Cutora the same as other products called Cutora?
Cutora AI (usecutora.com), the browser video editor for talking-head footage. Not related to the Cutora background-remover app, cutora.io, cutora.app or the Cutora Premiere Pro panel.