The video editing app Captions, supported by prominent investors like a16z, Kleiner Perkins, and Sequoia Capital, has introduced an innovative feature that enhances unedited videos by adding custom graphics, zooms, music, sound effects, transitions, and motion backgrounds. However, there are specific requirements for this AI editing functionality—it must be a vertical video featuring a single person speaking.
Even if you don’t have such videos, or if that style doesn’t resonate with you, Captions offers AI avatars. Simply provide a short prompt, and you can create a video that can then undergo the AI editing process, resulting in a fully polished clip complete with various transitions and effects in just minutes.
Gaurav Misra, co-founder and CEO of Captions, shared his vision. After leaving Snap in 2021, he aimed to simplify the video-making process with a strong focus on communication. “Our primary objective is to help people convey their messages clearly. Creating a video involves several steps—from conceptualizing what to say, writing a script, recording the footage, to editing it into an engaging clip,” he explained. This motivated the development of an efficient AI pipeline for video creation.
Misra outlines Captions' goal to offer three key video recording tools. First, a top-notch camera toolkit that streamlines the recording process. Second, advanced editing features that employ AI for correction of manually recorded content. Third, a generative option that eliminates the need for users to record video themselves.
Currently, Captions provides users with 12 AI characters, with plans to introduce three to four new characters weekly. Ultimately, the startup aims to empower users to create their own unique AI characters.
Misra envisions these tools being particularly valuable in sales, marketing, and communication for consumer-oriented businesses. Competitors like D-ID and Synthesia enable organizations to produce digital avatars for videos. Recently, TikTok also rolled out a feature allowing creators to generate AI avatars while providing its own stock AI character options for advertisements. Misra asserts that Captions delivers superior quality and allows users to access all video creation tools directly from their phones.
As ease of content creation increases, there’s a concern about oversaturation on social media platforms. The Captions app allows for quick video creation with minimal effort, as demonstrated by a video we produced using the prompt “Dangers of AI for creators,” created in just a few taps. Hearing an AI avatar discuss the risks of AI is rather striking.
This ease of production may lead to an influx of content, raising challenges for creators who invest significant time in crafting their pieces. Misra recognizes this concern but suggests that even with AI-generated content proliferating, creators must focus on delivering engaging and relevant material. "Mass content production is indeed possible, but to distinguish oneself, a unique message or story is essential. Think of it like digital music, which allowed more people to create without mastering an instrument, ultimately elevating the creativity of the entire art form," he noted.
Looking ahead, the company plans to introduce new features for AI avatar-based videos, including a skit mode where two avatars can interact with each other.
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