Slow Clap’s Selects: Top 5 AI Tools That Enhance Our Video Workflow
Here at Slow Clap, we are and always will be believers in good-old fashioned filmmaking, the kind that takes a team of people, each with a specific task, to produce. That being said, we’re not opposed to a little automated help here and there, and in this day and age there is an ever growing plethora of it. So here are our top 5, tried and tested, AI applications that we use on the daily.
Caveat: These are tools that enhance our video process, not create it entirely.
So in no particular order, let’s get into it:
1. Topaz video and photo AI
Topaz Video AI is a great tool for enhancing older footage, allowing us to upscale resolution. It also offers powerful AI stabilization that can handle extremely shaky footage beyond what Premiere can stabilize. In addition, it effectively denoises and sharpens video, making it an ideal choice when our clients want to repurpose older, lower-quality footage. With Topaz Video AI, we have a lot more flexibility to clean up and refresh footage, helping it look more polished and feel new.
We also really enjoy using Topaz Photo AI. It provides similar capabilities for photos, such as upscaling, sharpening, and denoising low-quality images. Recently, we’ve used it to upscale small headshots for motion graphics projects with eBay and Appian. It’s also fantastic for enhancing small website UI screens or other graphics that clients provide, which are often too low-res for HD timelines.
2. Descript
Descript is an AI-powered media editing platform designed to simplify video, audio, and podcast production. It combines transcription, audio editing, video editing, screen recording, and text-to-speech capabilities in one tool.
We've found that Descript has significantly streamlined our workflow for both audio and video projects. Prior to Descript, our editor would download shoot footage and have to manually review it to ensure that only the essential clips were sent to a transcriber. Once the transcriptions came back as Word or Google Docs, a producer or editor would review them to start the paper edit process. Once the paper edit was ready, it would go back to our editor, often as a paper guide, for them to begin the edit. This process used to take at least a few days, with quite a bit of back and forth between various teams, locations, and platforms.
Descript streamlines our workflow by consolidating everything into a single platform. After capturing the footage, we upload a low-res video file directly into Descript, which instantly generates a transcription. From there, any team member—producer or otherwise—can easily start editing the content in a document-like interface by simply copying, pasting, deleting, and moving around text. Once the edits are complete, the timeline is exported directly into Premiere, allowing our editor to begin their work. This process enables us to transcribe, review, and create a paper edit all within one platform, resulting in a quick and efficient rough cut for our editor to refine.
Descript was incredibly useful in creating the video below, produced in partnership with the Asian Law Caucus (ALC) and the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters (KVP). The video examines how KVP, in collaboration with ALC, is challenging a 2021 Georgia law that makes it harder for communities of color to vote. We conducted interviews with four individuals, and thanks to Descript, we were able to quickly transcribe these interviews and create a paper edit efficiently within our team.
3. Wondercraft Ai
This next tool is more aspirational than part of our regular workflow, but it has the potential to transform our process. Voiceovers are a critical element in video production, yet the process of casting, approving, recording, and editing can be both time-consuming and costly. When we discovered Wondercraft, we were genuinely impressed!
Beyond its many features that streamline audio production, what stood out most was the ability to select diverse voice options tailored by accent, tone, and style. Imagine choosing a "Female, British, Posh" voice and applying it seamlessly to your project, without having to record with a posh, British female! It would cut down on a lot of time and give us the opportunity to see which voice worked best with our project, literally, at our fingertips. Additionally, this opens up exciting possibilities for localization—for instance, using an American accent for a U.S. audience, a Canadian accent for Canada, and so on—making content feel more regionally tailored and engaging.
Though it’s uncertain if Wondercraft can yet be fully integrated into video production, the prospect of instant access to such a broad voice library—adaptable by accent and tone—is game-changing. This is a tool we see potentially becoming a core part of our video production toolkit in the near future.
4. Mask Prompter
Another AI tool we like to use is Mask Prompter, which is an AI-powered rotoscoping tool in After Effects. Rotoscoping is a technique where animators trace over live-action video, frame by frame, to create animation that looks realistic. The latest version of Mask Prompter has greatly improved its ability to identify and isolate selected areas, with enhanced edge refinement tools for smoother results. It’s been a huge time-saver, specifically for some of our Blue Shield videos, especially when we’ve needed to rotoscope the tops of people’s heads for animations.
5. Adobe Premiere Pro’s AI Features
Adobe Premiere Pro is the OG video editing tool that we’ve used at Slow Clap since we started! Launched in 1991 for Macs, it was one of the first non-linear editing systems available for computers. Over the years, it has evolved through numerous updates, reaching the powerful version 24.4 it is today. While it still relies heavily on human input for most of its tools, several AI enhancements have proven to be highly effective in speeding up the editing process.
One standout feature that we love using is the noise reduction known as Enhance Speech. Introduced in 2023, this AI-powered feature is designed to simplify the process of cleaning up audio, enabling users to remove background noise and reduce reverb with just a few clicks.
The feature leverages Adobe Sensei, Adobe's AI and machine learning framework, to identify and minimize unwanted sounds, making it easier for editors to achieve professional-quality audio without relying on third-party plugins or advanced technical skills.
Prior to this tool, editors used to have to manually try and adjust the noise or use third party plugins to try and remove it. Both of which required more effort and were less precise.
We use Adobe Premiere in pretty much all of our videos so here is one of our latest, most successful videos!
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Who is Slow Clap Productions?
Slow Clap is a San Francisco Bay Area based creative video production company united by a desire to create short-form web content with staying power.
We are filmmakers that came of age in the internet era. And we apply the same rigor to web video that the filmmakers we most admire apply to their films. We want viewers to watch our content over and over, the way they would with their favorite movie or TV show.
We team with brands, artists, and agencies that are willing to take creative risks, in the belief that an audience will follow.
Have a video project in mind? Get in touch with us.
