Text-Based Editing: The Decisions That Matter
Editing video by working with an automatically generated transcript, cutting and rearranging text to change the timeline.
Tomas Lindqvist
Where most projects go wrong
The usual mistakes:
- Cutting quotes that change meaning
- Trusting transcripts for names
- Ignoring visual jump cuts
- Skipping full-length reviews
What good looks like instead
- Correct transcripts before selecting quotes
- Build a paper edit for structure first
- Check every cut for picture and breath issues
- Search transcripts for key themes
- Keep original context in mind when shortening quotes
Why it matters
Text-based editing speeds up interview and talking-head edits, but transcripts contain errors and some cuts still need picture judgment.
The specs that matter
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Premiere Pro | includes Text-Based Editing with automatic transcription |
| Transcripts | are generated from speech recognition |
| Accuracy | names, jargon and accents cause errors |
| Paper edits | structuring interviews on paper is the older equivalent |
Knowing when to hand it over
Tip: Bring in help when editing large volumes of interview footage.
Where this comes from
- Adobe Help Center — Premiere Pro User Guide
- Adobe Help Center — Speech to Text in Premiere Pro
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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