AI generally is a game-changer to your video manufacturing, streamlining modifying duties and turning round tedious duties within the blink of an eye fixed.
These instruments are evolving quickly, with new gamers coming in the marketplace as others fall away or get swallowed up by the large boys.
Opus Clip is an AI software for video creators that may remodel long-form movies into short-form social media clips with ease. You may plug your video into their web site, wait a couple of minutes, and voila – it makes use of AI to pick what it calls probably the most “viral” moments so that you can share throughout your social media channels.
Many large names, together with YouTube creators and podcasters, are ambassadors for Opus Clip, and we at Countless Clients use it for our podcasts too. Whereas many are uplifting the software as flawless and helpful for everybody, there are some limitations to this software that you have to be conscious of earlier than you select it to be part of your video manufacturing.
In the present day, we’ll dive into these limitations and supply some helpful options to navigate round them.
Opus Clip: Your AI video resolution?
Earlier than we dive into the negatives, we wish to set the report straight. We actually love Opus Clip.
Because the AI wave has elevated these previous few years, we’ve tried numerous instruments to assist us flip a full-length video into short-form content material. We favored Opus the perfect of any of them. There are a variety of issues to love, particularly contemplating there’s a free model of the software. (There’s additionally a Starter stage ($9/month) and Professional ($29/month). Extra data might be discovered at the Opus pricing web page.)
However, it’s not with out its drawbacks. Contemplating we’ve used it for tons of of movies at this level, we’ve bought a good suggestion of what these are.
Let’s dive in.
Downside #1: Lack of context in clips
First off, it’s essential to recollect what Opus Clip does: it takes an extended video and cuts it up into shorter clips. Contemplating this, it’s no shock that generally this goes awry.
One of many major points with Opus Clip is that it generally generates clips that lack context. This can lead to clips beginning in awkward locations or ending abruptly earlier than delivering the complete impression.
Resolution: To repair this, you’ll be able to manually edit the clip. As an illustration, if the clip begins with, “When gross sales sees advertising and marketing doing that…” and also you surprise what “that” is, you’ll be able to return within the transcript to seek out and embody the mandatory previous context.
By including some extra context manually, you create a coherent clip and a greater expertise to your viewers.
Downside #2: Clunky edits
Whereas Opus Clip’s facial detection and cuts might be spectacular, they often seem clunky or unprofessional, leaving you with unusable movies.
Resolution: The easiest way to clean out these tough cuts is to use a video modifying software program like Adobe Premiere. Import the clip into Premiere and manually refine the edits for a extra polished last product.
Though Opus Clip provides in-tool modifying, we’ve discovered that it’s typically extra environment friendly to deal with detailed edits externally.
Downside #3: Points with XML exports
Opus Clip permits you to export initiatives as XML information for additional modifying in video software program like Premiere. Nonetheless, this function generally malfunctions. There are numerous information concerned in an XML venture, and sometimes we’ve got seen a lacking video, audio, or caption file.
Resolution: Should you encounter points with the XML export, you’ll be able to obtain the video straight from Opus Clip after which import it into your modifying software program. This methodology ensures you’ve a whole video to work with, even when the XML file is compromised.
Downside #4: Dealing with graphics in vertical codecs
Lengthy-form movies are sometimes created in a horizontal (or “panorama”) format, however Opus Clip converts them into vertical clips for social media and YouTube Shorts. This conversion can reduce off graphics, making the video much less efficient.
Resolution: To deal with this, keep away from utilizing movies with important graphics that solely match within the horizontal orientation.
Or, edit the video in a vertical format after exporting from Opus Clip. For instance, if a keynote speech contains slides that fill the display in a horizontal format, you’ll must reformat these slides for the vertical clip.
Downside #5: AI-powered B-roll choice
Everyone knows that good B-roll could make any clip look extra skilled. Opus Clip provides an AI-powered B-roll function that may splice in footage related to the subject material.
Whereas this function is a improbable addition, it generally selects irrelevant footage based mostly on remoted key phrases from the transcript, resulting in mismatched visuals — and doing extra hurt than good.
Resolution: As an alternative of relying solely on Opus Clip’s AI for B-roll, use platforms like Pexels.com to seek out extra acceptable clips. You may seek for vertically formatted movies that higher match your narrative, after which combine them manually into your video.
Is Opus Clip proper to your crew?
Whereas Opus Clip is a robust software for creating participating social media content material from long-form movies, it’s not with out its limitations.
By understanding these challenges and implementing the options we’ve supplied above, you will get extra use from the software with out getting slowed down by frustrations that would in any other case make you throw it out altogether.
Bear in mind, AI is right here to assist us do our jobs extra easily and effectively. On this regard, Opus Clip may be very useful. However AI is a software that comes with drawbacks. Be sure to’re not blindly handing over duties that require human creativity and precision.
To study extra about constructing a wholesome tradition of AI experimentation at your small business, take a look at our Introduction to AI for Enterprise Leaders and Staff.
For extra ideas and tips, subscribe to our Countless Clients podcast in your favourite platform.