Making a Reel can be relatively simple when there is only one short clip to work with. The process becomes more time consuming when a video is built from several recordings, particularly when each clip needs to be watched, shortened and arranged before the actual creative work can begin.
Instagram is now trying to reduce that part of the process with a new editing option called 'First Draft.'
First Draft lets users select multiple video clips and have Instagram create an initial version of a Reel automatically.
The feature trims the selected footage, removes pauses and puts together what it considers the useful portions of the clips. Instagram says the process can produce a starting edit in under 10 seconds.
The result is not intended to replace the normal editing process.
Instead, Instagram treats it as a rough cut that users can continue working on. The clips can be rearranged, shortened or otherwise adjusted, while other elements such as music and text can still be added before the Reel is published.
The changes made by First Draft are also reversible.
The feature is designed for several common types of short-form video, including talking-head recordings, multi-clip montages and day-in-the-life videos.
Removing pauses can be particularly useful for footage in which a person records several takes or leaves gaps between sections of speech, since those sections would otherwise have to be identified and cut manually.
Despite the amount of automation involved, Instagram says First Draft is not an artificial intelligence feature.
A spokesperson for the company said that the feature uses Instagram's internal tools to process and edit the selected footage. That distinction is notable as Meta continues to introduce AI-based creation features elsewhere across its products.
First Draft is initially rolling out on iPhone.
Users can reach it through Instagram's camera while creating a Reel, or by selecting multiple clips from the Reels gallery. From there, the automatically assembled version can be treated as the starting point for the usual editing workflow.
Automated video editing itself is not new. Other applications already offer tools that can select, trim and assemble footage, including CapCut's automated editing features and Adobe's Quick Cut.
Instagram's approach is different mainly because the editing step is being placed directly inside the platform where the finished video will be posted.
That placement could make a difference for people who currently move between Instagram and a separate editing application. Instead of exporting a collection of clips to another editor simply to remove pauses and assemble a basic sequence, users can now get that first version within Instagram and decide whether further editing is necessary.
The addition also follows a broader expansion of Instagram's video creation tools.
Meta has been developing Edits, its separate video editing application, while Instagram itself has continued adding features around Reels and other forms of video creation. The company has also been testing ways to organize related Reels into series and has introduced tools such as Replace Audio for changing music on existing posts and carousels.
First Draft therefore addresses a relatively specific part of the production process rather than introducing a new way to make videos. Its main purpose is to get a collection of raw clips into a usable arrangement quickly.
For people who already know how they want their Reel to look, the feature may simply remove some repetitive cutting. For less experienced users, the automatically generated version can provide a structure to work from instead of leaving them with an empty editing timeline.
