AI video generation or editing
Use Selects by Cutback for ai video generation or editing as part of the core workflow described on this page.
Content CreationVideo Editing & Repurposing
Selects by Cutback Review: Features, Pricing & Alternatives
AI-assisted video workflow that selects useful footage and speeds up editing preparation
Selects by Cutback solves a much narrower—and more useful—problem than generic AI video generation: it watches raw footage, indexes what happened and removes mechanical pre-edit work such as culling, syncing and finding the right take. It is strongest for editors who want to stay in Premiere, Final Cut or DaVinci rather than replace their NLE.
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DECISION SNAPSHOT
Quick facts
- Best for
- professional editors, YouTube teams and video producers with large volumes of raw footage
- Primary use
- AI pre-edit and footage-selection tool for indexing, searching, syncing and preparing raw video for an NLE.
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan or trial
- Trial
- Platform
- Desktop app for macOS and Windows with non-destructive handoff to Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve; MCP supports agent-assisted editing workflows.
- Last reviewed
- 3 September 2026
DECISION GUIDE
Should you choose Selects by Cutback?
- Best for
- Professional editors, YouTube teams and video producers with large volumes of raw footage. Best when the core need is AI pre-edit and footage-selection tool for indexing, searching, syncing and preparing raw video for an NLE.
- Not ideal for
- Creators with only small amounts of footage, where manual review is already faster than building an indexed media library.
- Key trade-off
- Targets a costly but repetitive part of professional editing. Trade-off: Value depends heavily on having enough raw footage to justify automated indexing.
- Setup effort
- Low–moderate. A first output is quick; repeatable production requires source assets, prompt/reference testing, rights checks, brand QA and a defined editing/export workflow.
- Important integrations
- Prioritise source-media import, storage, editor/export formats and publishing destinations.
EDITORIAL VERDICT
News Digest AI verdict
Choose Selects if editors spend meaningful time culling, searching, syncing and assembling large shoots. Skip it if your projects are already short, generated or lightly edited. Test it on one footage-heavy project and compare pre-edit hours saved, corrections required and whether the NLE handoff preserves the team's normal workflow.
OVERVIEW
What is Selects by Cutback?
Selects sits before the creative edit. It analyses raw media so editors can search for scenes, speakers and actions, synchronise multi-camera footage, switch between cameras, identify takes and build an initial timeline from a script or instruction. The important distinction is that it does not ask editors to abandon professional NLEs: the result can move non-destructively into Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve for the actual craft edit.
WORKFLOW
How Selects by Cutback works
Import a representative shoot and let Selects index it before making creative decisions. Use search and take selection to reduce the media set, verify sync and speaker labelling, then create a rough sequence or handoff. Export the project into your existing NLE and treat Selects as an assistant to the edit—not the final editorial authority.
KEY CAPABILITIES
What Selects by Cutback helps you do
Clip refinement and repurposing
Use Selects by Cutback for clip refinement and repurposing as part of the core workflow described on this page.
Captions, export and publishing workflow
Use Selects by Cutback for captions, export and publishing workflow as part of the core workflow described on this page.
PRACTICAL USE CASES
What can you use Selects by Cutback for?
- AI-assisted video workflow that selects useful footage and speeds up editing preparation.
- Create or repurpose media faster.
- Adapt outputs for recurring publishing and campaign workflows.
EDITORIAL ASSESSMENT
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Clear primary use case: AI-assisted video workflow that selects useful footage and speeds up editing preparation.
- Strong fit for creators, marketers and content teams.
- Free or low-friction access makes it easier to test before committing.
Limitations
- Generated media can vary in quality and consistency.
- Credit, export and commercial-use terms differ by plan.
- Publishable work still needs human review.
BEST FIT
Who is Selects by Cutback best for?
Selects by Cutback is best for professional editors, youtube teams and video producers with large volumes of raw footage.
Best for
- creators
- marketers
- content teams
Probably not ideal for
- Creators looking for a complete end-to-end video editor and publishing suite.
- Footage that requires substantial story judgment rather than faster selection and preparation.
PRICING
Selects by Cutback pricing
Starter is $20/month or $16/month billed annually with 3,600 credits and up to about 10 hours of raw-video analysis. Pro is $100/month or $80 annual-effective with 14,400 credits and about 40 hours; Team is $1,000/month or $800 annual-effective for 5+ seats and 72,000 credits. A 7-day trial is available. Measure hours of assistant-editor/prep time saved per analysed hour. Rechecked 3 Sep 2026.
Pricing checked 3 September 2026.Plans and prices can change.Check official pricing ↗
COMPARE YOUR OPTIONS
Selects by Cutback alternatives
Choose Selects when the problem is raw-footage preparation inside a professional editing workflow. OpusClip is for long-form-to-social repurposing, Descript for transcript-led editing, while Premiere/DaVinci's native AI features may be enough if you want to keep every step inside one NLE.
OpusClip
Compare Selects by Cutback with this option on workflow fit, output quality, integrations, usage limits and total cost.
Descript
Compare Selects by Cutback with this option on workflow fit, output quality, integrations, usage limits and total cost.
Runway
Compare Selects by Cutback with this option on workflow fit, output quality, integrations, usage limits and total cost.
CapCut
Compare CapCut with Selects by Cutback for a closely related Video Editing & Repurposing workflow.
Captions
Compare Captions with Selects by Cutback for a closely related Video Editing & Repurposing workflow.
SIDE-BY-SIDE
Selects by Cutback vs alternatives
| Decision factor | Selects by Cutback | OpusClip | Descript |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | professional editors, YouTube teams and video producers with large volumes of raw footage | podcasters, video teams, marketers and creators repurposing long-form content | podcasters, video creators, marketers and content teams |
| Free access | Trial | Free plan; trial available | Free plan; no card required |
| Core strength | Clear primary use case: AI-assisted video workflow that selects useful footage and speeds up editing preparation. | Clear primary use case: AI video repurposing tool that turns long videos into short social clips. | Text-based editing makes recorded media approachable |
| Main limitation | Generated media can vary in quality and consistency. | Generated media can vary in quality and consistency. | Complex motion graphics or specialist post-production may still need other tools |
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
What does Selects by Cutback actually do?
Selects analyses raw video before the creative edit. It indexes footage, helps search scenes/speakers/actions, handles multi-camera preparation and can create selects or rough timelines that move into Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve.
Does Selects replace Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve?
No. Its main value is removing mechanical pre-edit work and handing the project into a professional NLE. Editors keep their established finishing, effects, colour, sound and storytelling workflow.
How much does Selects by Cutback cost?
Starter is $20/month, Pro $100/month and Team $1,000/month, with lower annual-effective pricing. Plans mainly scale credits/raw-footage analysis capacity, so compare cost against editor hours saved rather than exported video minutes.
EDITORIAL VERIFICATION
Sources & review information
- Editorial status
- Editorially researched
- Last reviewed
- 3 September 2026
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