How to Find the Best Shots in Hours of Footage
You shot for two days, and now you have hundreds of clips that are mostly focus hunting, false starts, camera resets and the same shot five times.
Shooting is the fun part. Going through all of it before you can start editing is not, so let AI do the first pass. Ponder watches every clip and pulls out the strongest moments as selects, and you review those picks instead of scrubbing through hours of footage, with the final say still yours.
Can AI watch my footage and pick the best parts?
Yes, Ponder watches your clips and listens to what’s said, then picks the moments worth keeping, so you don’t need to watch everything first to tell it what’s in there.
Bring in your footage and describe what you’re making:
Pull selects for a 3-minute wedding highlight. Keep the vows, the reactions and clean wide shots of the venue. Leave out anything shaky or out of focus.
What should I tell Ponder to keep or leave out?
Tell it the video you’re making and what counts as a good shot for that video, since a usable shot isn’t always a strong one. It helps to mention:
- What the video is for and how long it should be
- Who or what matters most on screen
- Moments you know you need, like the vows or the product reveal
- What to skip, like camera resets, retakes or behind-the-scenes clips
- For interviews, what the person should be talking about
Tip: For dialogue, ask Ponder to keep complete thoughts. It’s easier to tighten a good take than to rescue one that got cut too short.
How do I review the selects?
Go through Ponder’s picks and change what you disagree with. Check the start and end of moving shots, because a shot can be strong in the middle and still shaky at the edges. Also look for takes that are sharp and stable but feel flat, and swap them if you know you shot something better.
If Ponder keeps missing something, tell it in plain words, then check the timeline to make sure the change is there.
What about footage from different shoots in one folder?
Ponder can sort through mixed footage and match shots to what you’re asking for. If you have a voiceover, tell it to use shots that fit what’s being said.
For very large jobs, start with one day of the shoot or one location. You’ll see quickly how well the picks match the way you work, and you can adjust your prompt before running the rest.
What do I do after selects?
You can ask Ponder for a first cut from your selects and direct the changes in plain words, or send the timeline to Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro or CapCut and keep going there. See what carries over to your editing app.
Want every cut to feel like yours? See Can AI Learn Your Editing Style?
What else should I know?
- What are selects in video editing? They’re the moments you’ve chosen as worth using, pulled out of all your raw footage.
- Will Ponder always catch every bad shot? No, and no tool gets every pick right, so review them before you build on them.
- Does it work for weddings, interviews and b-roll? Yes, tell Ponder what you’re making and what to look for, and it picks with that in mind.
Is it free to try?
Yes, there’s a Ponder free trial, so you can bring in one folder of raw footage, ask for selects and see how much scrubbing you can skip.
If you love it, you can keep going for free by inviting a friend. Click the invite button in Ponder, and your friend gets a free month of Starter, then you get one too once they make and export their first cut.