AI video creation: the Holy Grail of automated video templates

Key takeaways:
Templated content creation is the most cost-effective approach
Socialive enables creative teams to set brand-appropriate templates
Innovative AI can make the process faster and smarter

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Artificial intelligence is bringing to life concepts previously thought to be mythical in video creation. AI powers people without a background in video to create video masterpieces — and more of them. The way to easily scale up the amount of content you can create: automated video templates.

In our first post on AI in video creation, we specified how AI powers people to easily create videos. We then touched on the AI-powered tools that make video editing fast and easy for everyone.

We’ve also tied time and cost savings to automated editing tools to help understand the ROI of these platforms. But you know what’s faster than fast editing? Zero-touch editing.

Let’s dive into what it looks like when there’s no need to edit a video. We’ll show how you can turn a recording into a final video in a zero-touch workflow — the Holy Grail of video creation.

Unlock potential with automated video templates

Editing tends to be the sticking point for most video projects. From complex brand videos down to quick messages, once the footage is recorded and all of the approved assets and B-roll have been rounded up, it’s time to turn to the professional in the room.

But that doesn’t have to be the case for every project.

There are many types of videos where it should be easy to add a branded look and feel that businesses expect in every creation. Consider a quick intro video from a team lead to a new employee, thought leadership from a subject matter expert, or even the TL;DR videos we create for Socialive blog posts (check above!!!) — anyone can create content like this in a templated format.

Just record, apply the finishing touches, and the final video is ready in minutes.

This type of approach will make it so that everyone is capable of creating a video ready for prime time. Your editors will thank you, too. They can focus on the big projects while you quickly and easily create as many videos as you like without sacrificing quality.

Here’s how it works.

Automated zero-touch editing

The quickest way to accomplish any repeatable task is to work within a template.

Think of how a craftsman works within a mold. It first takes an experienced craftsman to design the mold and understand what machinery or tools are needed to create the finished product. But once everything is set up, they can leave it to an apprentice or even a DIY enthusiast to add the ingredients and push the button that spits out a high-quality creation.

Video templates are the video expert’s equivalent of the craftsman’s mold.

The professional video creator sets up the template with the appropriate intro animation, selects the placement of a lower third, decides what the layout should be, picks the outro, and selects the music bed — all based on the type of video project.

All you have to do is record your piece, and the auto-applied template does the rest. It really is that simple.

Speeding up video creation

The video creation process has long been cumbersome, but with AI, it’s becoming easier for anyone to partake and cut down on the time it takes to make a video.

AI can recognize the type of video content a person wants to create based on the automated transcript from the recording. Keywords in the transcript, the person’s name, or the person’s role could all be used so AI “knows” which template to apply.

Then the video goes through the template, snackable clips are created, and the final result looks just like what a video pro would have done in an editing platform — in a fraction of the time.

Even in an easy-to-use editor, there are still a few decisions and clicks that need to be made. AI-powered video templates are the most efficient route to the same result.

Professional video quality, no experts needed

The biggest benefit of AI-powered video templates is the amount of flexibility it provides large, distributed companies.

You know you have a number of videos you want to create. You’d love to record a quick message to provide insights at the drop of a hat, but your video services team is already overwhelmed. More than 90% of video services professionals say they are overtaxed by the rising demand for more and more content.

So rather than giving them a bunch of busy work, have them set up a template. You’re then free to create videos at will without adding to the video team’s workload.

Easily create professional-grade videos within a template

Here’s an example of a type of video where a template is perfect.

Financial advisors, on average, need tons of personalized engagement with clients and prospects to do their job effectively. Advisors can get their messaging out at scale and increase business with recorded videos. But many advisors aren’t formally trained in video — that’s OK.

The templated workflow lets an advisor create a market update or overview of new offerings within minutes. Assuming the template has already been set up, creating a video is just a few easy steps.

1. Draft the message, get approval

   This, paired with final content reviews, will probably take the longest. After writing a script and showing the need for the video, it’s up to the brand and legal team to approve the message.

2. Record the message

   Once it’s approved, which can be easier if creating the same type of video over and over again, the advisor hops into a self-guided recording session and delivers the perfect take with crisp picture quality!

3. Let the AI do its magic

   Now that the recording session is complete, the video file is automatically transferred to the next step. AI “recognizes” the type of video the recording is for, selects and applies the template to the best take, and then creates the final video. Now it’s ready for review.

4. Final content reviews

   The video is instantly transferred to the brand team’s review portal via a back-end integration. There’s one final review, and since the video concept was already approved, this last step goes forward seamlessly.

5. Publish the video

   Using those same back-end integrations, the approved video is sent to the final destination. Finally, the video is instantly sent everywhere it needs to go, such as any social media site, content management system, or Slack channel.

These steps are easy to follow and are highly repeatable. It’s time for your video program to take off!

Ways video creators can create video templates

We’ve mostly focused on DIY video creators to this point. For the video strategists, the brand teams, and the experts who will set up these templates, don’t worry. It’s a fairly straightforward process.

AI video templates are meant to save you time. They save time both by removing some of the low-stakes tasks from your plate and in the process of setting up the templates themselves.

Think of any no-code design platform. All you need to do is drag and drop assets into place, choose the order and layouts for each, make sure the styling matches your brand, and save your template.

That’s it.

You can actually use Socialive’s traditional studio interface to give you an idea of how it works. Choose a layout that fits your video, create your scenes to arrange each piece of media, and add graphics or other overlays in a single click.

Even without AI, creating a video template is an easy way to set yourself up for success. All you have to do is add the recording, and your video content is ready to go. It’s a low-touch way to add to a recording and create a well-crafted video.

Set it and forget it: scalable video creation

Every video professional knows that working within a video template makes it easier to create the same type of content. It doesn’t matter if it’s powered by AI or in a traditional timeline editor — templates are the way to go.

This is the way to a scalable approach to video creation, AI just makes it faster and easier for everyone. Now video teams and anyone in an organization can team up to create as much high-quality content as they like without needing to spend more money or dragging out timelines.

Automated video templates are truly the “Holy Grail” of video creation.

Transforming everyone into video creators

Creating in a rinse-and-repeat process may not be perfect for every video project. But there are many types of videos where automated video templates are ideal. No need to reach out to your video services team to create that quick piece of thought leadership — you can do it on your own, and it will look amazing!

We’re dedicated to this idea, democratizing video creation. At Socialive, everything we do is geared toward making your videos top-notch! The platform makes it easier for you to create and then share your content.

Even if your team is taking baby steps down the AI path, such as only using automation in parts of the editing process, there’s still immense time and cost savings.

To get a more complete idea of what a business can do with video templates and a cohesive video infrastructure, check out the VMware case study. A templated, repeatable process saved the company thousands of dollars in a single video project.

At Socialive, we’re more than happy to guide creators of all levels of expertise through the shifting landscape. To see how AI video editing works, take a look at our recorded demo of the Editor.