Introducing Slate’s editing companion, Rio.

Having a good idea for a video is one thing. Actually editing it into something you'd want to publish is another.

If you work in social, you probably have a camera roll full of footage you've been meaning to do something with. You know what you want the final video to look like, but between reviewing clips, finding the right cuts, adding captions, and adjusting audio, there's quite a bit of work involved in getting there.

And while AI has made it possible to generate videos in seconds, editing your own footage is a different challenge. Creative direction rarely a one shot and done kinda deal. You always end up doing a bunch of things like shortening a scene, or need to change the pacing, or try a different transition, or decide that the original cut was actually the best one.

That's what we've been thinking about as we've built Rio, our new AI video editing companion.

With Rio, you can describe what you want to do with your footage and work through the edit together. It can help you through all those things above including finding clips, making cuts, adding captions, adjusting audio, and handle the smaller tasks that tend to eat up your time. You can review its suggestions, ask for changes, or make adjustments yourself directly in the timeline.

We built Rio around the way people actually edit which is trying things and changing their minds, and then refining the work further until they're happy with it.

Here's a look at some of the things you can do with Rio and why we're building it this way.

Turn hours of footage into a video worth sharing

One of the more time-consuming parts of editing has very little to do with the actual editing. It's figuring out what to keep.

You might have a 45-minute webinar, a long interview, or a folder full of clips from an event. Somewhere in there are the moments you want to share, but finding them means watching everything back, choosing what matters, and figuring out how to piece it together.

With Rio, you can ask something like, "Find the best moments from these clips and turn them into a 90-second reel for LinkedIn."

Rio can identify relevant moments, suggest clips to include, and show you its selections before putting together a first cut. You can review what's been chosen, make changes, and then have Rio assemble the edit.

I think this is one of the most useful places to start. You still get to decide what makes a good story, but you don't have to spend nearly as much time finding the pieces to tell it.

Make the little edits without doing all the little work

Sometimes you know exactly what you want to happen in a video. It's doing it that takes time.

Say you've added six images around your face and want a subtle pop sound every time one appears. Normally, you'd have to find a sound you like, add it to your timeline, and line it up with each image. Then repeat the process if you decide to change the sound.

With Rio, you can describe what you're looking for, ask it to find sound effects, and have it place them where you want them. You can even ask to hear a few options before choosing one.

The same goes for cleaning up filler words, adjusting audio, adding punch-ins, or styling captions using your brand's fonts, colors, and presets.

These are small edits individually, but they add up quickly when you're producing content every week. Having Rio handle more of that work means you can spend less time moving things around a timeline.

Reframe your footage for different platforms

A video that works in 16:9 isn't necessarily ready to post in 9:16.

You might need to reframe the subject, reposition text, or make sure the important parts of a shot are still visible. And if you're working with several clips, those adjustments can become an entire editing task of their own.

You can ask Rio to change the aspect ratio of your video and reframe the footage to keep your subject centered. If something doesn't look quite right, you can ask it to make another adjustment or fix it yourself.

It's particularly useful when you're adapting the same piece of content for different channels without wanting to rebuild the edit from scratch.

Keep making it yours

Of course, not every editing decision is something you want to hand over.

Maybe there's a pause you want to keep because it makes the joke land. Or you've tried a faster opening and decided the original works better. Sometimes the smallest adjustments are the ones you're most particular about.

Rio's edits happen in a project you can continue working on. You can ask for a revision, see how it feels, and keep going back and forth. You can also jump into the timeline and make changes manually whenever you'd like.

You don't have to choose between prompting an edit and making it yourself. Both are part of the same process, and you remain in control of the final result.

Why we're building Slate this way

Most of our customers aren't professional video editors. They're social media managers and marketers who are responsible for everything from coming up with the idea to getting the final video published.

We know how much work goes into that process, and we've been thinking about where AI can genuinely make it easier without taking away the decisions that make the work yours.

That's an important distinction in how we're building Rio.

We want you to be able to describe an idea, get help putting it together, and continue shaping it as you go. Sometimes that means asking Rio to handle an entire first cut. Other times, it's having it find a sound effect or fix something that would have taken several minutes to do manually.

And sometimes, you'll want to do the editing yourself.

We think all of those things should be possible in the same place, without having to start over every time you change your mind.

Because the goal isn't to remove you from the editing process. It's to give you more time and flexibility to make something you're happy with.

I'm excited to see what you make with Rio.

Try Rio in Slate →