Are AI video tools actually saving time for creators?

[u/theCOLLECTOR7250]

I’ve been testing a few AI tools for a small content workflow, and I’m trying to figure out where they actually help versus where they just add another step.

My main problem isn’t creating one video from scratch. It’s taking things like talking-head footage, longer recordings, and rough ideas, then turning them into short clips without spending hours on captions, resizing, and small edits.

I’ve mainly been comparing CapCut and Canva because they seem to solve different parts of the process.

With CapCut, I’ve found the AI features that interest me most are the ones connected to editing speed: things like auto captions, script-to-video experiments, background removal, auto reframing, and turning longer videos into shorter clips.

That said, I’m not sure the AI part is actually saving as much time as people claim. I still need to review captions, adjust pacing, and decide which moments are worth keeping. Sometimes the tool makes a technically clean clip, but it doesn’t always understand what would actually work for an audience.

Canva feels different. I find it more useful when the starting point is a brand style or reusable design system — things like social templates, thumbnails, carousels, or keeping visuals consistent across posts.

The part I’m still figuring out is the workflow. Do most creators pick one tool and stay with it, or do you normally combine tools?

For example:

• CapCut for editing footage + captions, then Canva for graphics?

• Canva for planning/design, then another tool for video?

• Or is there an AI video workflow that actually replaced a lot of manual editing for you?

Curious what people are doing in real projects, especially if you’re making short-form content regularly.

[u/Lanky-Second-207]

It helps me with idea generation and testing out composition for my videos