RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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First Draft takes care of the busywork of video editing.
Primakov/Shutterstock Meta is adding a new feature to Instagram that should make it easier to edit short-form videos. The feature, called First Draft , can automatically trim silences and pauses from clips, letting the bulk of your editing time focus on making creative decisions rather than cleaning up videos.
To use First Draft, Instagram says you just need to select clips from your Reels Gallery and tap "First Draft." The feature then analyzes your clips, trims them appropriately and then lays your clips out in a timeline where you can play them back. From there, you can edit them further in the app or post them straight to your feed or Story. Meta says you'll also be able to use First Drafts immediately after you shoot new footage on Instagram.
Meta launched Edits , a standalone video editing app, in April 2025, with a variety of AI-powered editing features that were supposed to make Reels easier to produce. AI isn't mentioned at all in the company's announcement of First Draft, and that's apparently because the feature doesn't use the technology, The Verge reports . That might be because Meta technically classifies First Draft as "machine learning" rather than AI, but it's still a notable change for Instagram.
As of late, the photo and video sharing app has been home to all sorts of different AI experiments, from Meta's decision to force Meta AI into Instagram messages to a feature that lets you prompt Instagram to edit your Stories for you . None have felt particularly necessary for the core experience of posting things, which makes First Draft's utility stand out.
Meta says First Draft will be available on iOS first, and hasn't shared when the feature will come to Android.
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