# How to Edit TikTok Videos and Instagram Reels With AI By Olivia Gu (Co-founder, Daydream). Updated Aug 31, 2026. 5 min read. Canonical: https://www.daydreamvideo.com/blog/how-to-edit-tiktok-videos-and-instagram-reels-with-ai ![Editing a vertical TikTok video with AI in Daydream](https://www.daydreamvideo.com/blog/hero-tiktok-16x9.jpg) You can edit TikToks and Instagram Reels with AI today: cut out bad takes, add b-roll, captions, motion graphics, sound effects, and zooms, all by asking Claude or ChatGPT in plain English. Editing directly inside a chat window doesn't work well, so this guide uses [Daydream](https://www.daydreamvideo.com/download), a free desktop video editor that integrates with existing AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT and supports vertical TikTok and Instagram videos. New to this setup? You can [connect Claude or ChatGPT to Daydream in under 5 minutes](https://www.daydreamvideo.com/blog/mcp-server-for-video-editing), then come back here for the workflows. ## Set Up a Vertical Project Start by setting your project to 9:16 so everything you and the AI add is framed for TikTok and Reels from the beginning. You can ask the AI to do this too ("make this project vertical"). Two things to keep in mind as you edit: keep captions and graphics out of the areas TikTok and Instagram cover with their own UI (the bottom and right edge), and export at 1080x1920, which both platforms want. ![Switching a Daydream project from 16:9 to vertical 9:16](https://www.daydreamvideo.com/blog/vertical-16x9.webp) ## Removing Bad Takes and Silences If you edit talking head videos for social, you likely spend the majority of your time manually cutting out your own bad takes, ums, and gaps. With Daydream, you can transcribe your videos so Claude or ChatGPT can read through the transcript and automatically remove your silences and bad takes for you. Afterwards you can see everything it chose to leave in and cut out, and because Daydream still has a transcript editor, you can make manual adjustments. ![Daydream's transcript editor with cuts highlighted](https://www.daydreamvideo.com/blog/bad-takes-16x9.webp) ## Adding B-Roll Depending on your style of video you may have more or less b-roll, but adding b-roll often helps make the video more visually engaging. AI can help here by automatically finding and placing b-roll into your timeline. When you import footage into Daydream, your footage is processed and indexed with what happens and when. Then when you're ready to add b-roll, you can either ask the AI to find a particular clip (e.g. "add the clip of my cat") or simply ask it to add b-roll to match your voiceover. ![Asking the AI to add b-roll to match a voiceover in Daydream](https://www.daydreamvideo.com/blog/broll-16x9.webp) ## Adding Captions and Titles Captions and titles are a great way to brand and stylize your videos, and with AI you can fully customize them with any font, color, style, or animation. In Daydream, try asking the AI to "add captions" or adjust the caption style (e.g. "I want each word to blur in as I say it"). You can iterate with the AI on the styling, asking it to change fonts or adjust animations, but you can also make adjustments manually in the Properties tab. ![Word-by-word captions rendered on a vertical video in Daydream](https://www.daydreamvideo.com/blog/captions-16x9.webp) ## Adding Motion Graphics Sometimes you don't have the b-roll to visualize exactly what you're saying, or you're describing an abstract concept. In these cases, AI can help by creating custom motion graphics that visualize your point. I like to add these by selecting part of my transcript in Daydream and then discussing with the AI what the motion graphic should look like (vibe, colors, animations) so the graphic feels on brand, before having it build the graphic. ## Adding Sound Effects If you use a sound library or have sound files locally, finding them and adding them in manually is time consuming. Instead, you can ask the AI to add them for you to add more texture throughout your video. Sometimes you have a specific sound in mind, and for instructions like that it's super convenient to just move the playhead in Daydream and tell the AI to "add the clicking sound here". Daydream gives the AI the state of the timeline, including the playhead, so it knows exactly what you're referring to. ## Adding Zooms and Keyframes Zooms, punch-ins, and similar effects are everywhere on TikTok and Instagram. They're usually done by adding and adjusting keyframes, which is really annoying to do manually in most editors. With AI it's easy: in Daydream, just ask "add a quick zoom in at the start of this clip" and it will add it. You can also apply different easing curves like easeIn and easeOut by asking in the chat. ## Export for TikTok or Reels (or Keep Editing) When you're done, export a vertical video ready to publish, or export a timeline you can continue editing in your existing editor like DaVinci Resolve or CapCut. There are so many ways to use AI to not just make editing faster but help execute your creative vision, and pairing your existing AI tools with an editor built for them is the easiest way to get there. ![Daydream's export dialog with a TikTok/Reels vertical preset](https://www.daydreamvideo.com/blog/export-16x9.webp) ## FAQ ### Can AI edit TikTok videos automatically? Yes, with Daydream, you can just describe how you want your TikTok to be edited and the AI can automatically cut bad takes, add captions, add b-roll, add zooms, etc. ### Does this work for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts too? Yes. The workflow is identical for any vertical format. ### Is it free? Yes, [Daydream is free to use](https://www.daydreamvideo.com/download). It works with Claude, ChatGPT, and any MCP-compatible agent. --- Daydream is a free desktop video editor for macOS that lets AI agents like Claude and ChatGPT edit on a real timeline. Download: https://www.daydreamvideo.com/download. Docs: https://docs.daydreamvideo.com. All posts: https://www.daydreamvideo.com/blog (RSS: https://www.daydreamvideo.com/blog/feed.xml).