Instagram’s ‘First Draft’ trims your Reels clips for you

Instagram is launching a new Reels-editing feature that automatically trims your video clips to focus on the highlights. The feature, called First Draft, is rolling out to Instagram’s iPhone app and provides a “starting point” that you can build upon with other edits, according to an announcement on Tuesday.

An example shared by Instagram shows a user selecting multiple clips for a reel and then tapping the “First Draft” button. From there, Instagram analyzes the clips — each of which is more than a minute long — before trimming them down to eliminate pauses and showcase the most important parts. Instagram then combines the snippets into a reel that’s ready to edit and share.

It sounds similar to Adobe’s AI-powered Quick Cut feature, which automatically combines clips based on a prompt. But unlike Adobe’s feature, Instagram’s First Draft tool doesn’t use AI, according to Instagram spokesperson Nicole Rechtszaid.

Instagram says First Draft works with “multi-clip montages, talking-head videos, and day-in-the-life content.” You can find the feature by opening the camera app in Instagram, filming your video, and tapping the First Draft Button. You can also find it in your Reels gallery after selecting more than one clip.

Update, August 25th: Added confirmation that First Draft doesn’t use AI.