How will Text-Based Editing change the editing workflow?

Text-Based Editing is one of those genuinely transformative technologies that comes along once in a while. How will is it likely to change the editing workflow? And are there any downsides? Shiv Rajagopal examines both sides of the coin.

Text-based editing promises to revolutionize the post-production process. Adobe, amongst others, recently introduced this feature on Premiere Pro, allowing editors to create their assembly cuts faster than ever. Previously, we have written about Text-Based Editing from a technical standpoint, describing what it is and how to use it. However, today, we will be speculating on the potential impact of Text-Based Editing and how it can change content creation workflows for years to come. 

Text-Based Editing: The Upsides

Time savings

The primary benefit of Text-Based Editing is the time it saves for editors. Instead of scrubbing through hours of footage, editors can quickly skim a transcript to assemble their rough cuts. Time is a major commodity in the world of content creation, and using this workflow allows editors to complete more projects much faster.

Great for beginners

A key feature of Text-Based Editing on Adobe Premiere Pro is the intuitiveness and ease of use. Reading and editing a transcript feels more natural than scrubbing through footage. The ease of use makes it a great choice for editors still learning Premiere Pro. Therefore, beginners don’t need extensive knowledge of the platform to start editing. By making editing more accessible, Adobe is breaking down the barriers to entry for content creators. This means more people can start creating content without hiring a professional editor. 

Impact on production

The popularity of Text-Based Editing can also influence the production process. If Text-Based Editing becomes standard operating procedure, directors and cinematographers might take a different approach to shooting footage. We could see filmmakers going for longer, uninterrupted takes. In the past, scrubbing through long takes would have been a nightmare for editors, but with Text-Based Editing, this is a much easier process. So directors can allow their actors to perform without breaking their flow. Text-based editing is based on dialogue, so we might also start seeing filmmakers record off-camera dialog to mark edit points.

Continual updates

Subscribers of the Adobe Creative Cloud plan also benefit from routine software updates a few times a year. These updates are bound to bring new sub-features to the Text-Based Editing workflow. Here are some features we may see in the future:

Filler word removal

We previously wrote about how editors can use Text-Based Editing to remove pauses automatically. Adobe is currently beta testing an additional feature that would enable editors to automatically delete filler words such as ‘ah’ or ‘um’. This feature could have a significant effect on dialogue delivery and doesn't require a lot of time to achieve. 

Automatic translation and dubbing

Another beneficial feature could be automatic translation to other languages. Text-based editing leverages AI to create the transcript, but it can use the same technology to translate and dub the video in other languages. Today, watching content dubbed in different languages is weird because the lip movements are inconsistent. Therefore, a feature whereby Adobe automatically manipulates the video footage so that the lip movements are in sync with the dialog would be revolutionary. Dubbed content will feel more personalized, delivering a more customized viewing experience for foreign audiences. 

Synergy with generative AI

Adobe has already started to roll out its Generative AI tools via Adobe Firefly, so we will likely see a synergy between generative AI and Text-Based Editing on Premiere Pro. Imagine if editors could quickly generate stock footage or assets based on the recorded dialog. Auto-selecting relevant stock footage would eliminate the time spent searching for assets. 

Improved transcription accuracy

As more people use Text-Based Editing, Adobe will have more data to train their models. This will no doubt improve the accuracy and consistency of the transcriptions. Accurate dialogue transcription will eliminate the need for editors to review the transcription for mistakes. 

Text-Based Editing: The Downsides

Text-based editing saves filmmakers time and money, but there are potential drawbacks.

The primary issue is that making editing more accessible to everyone saturates the market. In the future, editors might be expected to use the workflow to stay competitive with their peers. They will also be expected to finish their jobs faster for possibly lower compensation. Professional editors could start losing their jobs to less skilled editors who can complete edits faster by leveraging the new AI tools. 

Earlier in the article, we discussed the potential upsides of integrating generative AI. While it may save time and money, it could also open up a Pandora’s box of questions regarding the use and role of AI in content creation. Text-Based Editing could go from a tool editors use to simplify their jobs, to a tool producers (and studios) use to completely sideline editors. 

Of course, it is far from unique in this regard. This is a concern common across most aspects of the media industry, and precisely how this will shake out is currently very much both a matter of debate and, increasingly, of negotiation too.

Conclusion

Adobe focuses on improving content creation efficiency so editors can spend less time on menial tasks and more time on creative tasks. And Text-Based Editing will be a big part of creating a more efficient content creation workflow. While it simplifies editing, reducing this entry barrier means more editors will compete for the same jobs. Producers and directors might also reduce the budget and increase the time constraints as a result. 

To prepare for such a climate, content creators must strive for balance. All editors should familiarize themselves with the software and stay prepared. This allows them to expand their skill set while staying competitive in an ever-changing job market.