The Old Way is Broken
You're editing a tech review. You need B-roll of "futuristic city at night."
You open Pexels. You scroll through 300 clips. Nothing fits. You try Artgrid. Close, but the color grade is wrong. You settle for something mediocre.
Time wasted: 45 minutes.
Now, imagine typing: "Generate a 5-second clip of a futuristic city at night with neon lights."
10 seconds later, you have it. Perfect for your video. No licensing. No compromise.
Generative Video is Production-Ready
Tools like Runway, Sora, and Veo are no longer experimental. Creators are shipping real videos with AI-generated B-roll.
Why?
- Speed: Generate in seconds, not hours
- Customization: Get exactly what you describe
- Cost: Free or low-cost vs. $20/month stock subscriptions
The quality has crossed the threshold. For quick cuts (1-3 seconds), viewers can't tell the difference.
What This Means for Editors
Your job isn't disappearing, it's shifting.
Instead of finding footage, you're now art directing it. You describe what you need, the AI generates it, and you integrate it into the edit.
This is especially powerful for:
- Explainer videos: Abstract concepts are hard to film. Easy to generate.
- Product demos: Show features that don't exist yet.
- Transitions: Generate custom motion graphics on the fly.
The Integration Problem
Here's the catch: most AI tools are standalone. You generate the clip in Runway, download it, import it into your editor, position it, trim it.
You're saving time on B-roll hunting but losing time on tool-switching.
The Unified Workflow
Next-gen editors are solving this by integrating generative AI directly into the timeline.
In Cubix, you can generate B-roll without leaving the editor:
- "Add a 3-second clip of ocean waves between these two shots"
- The AI generates it, places it, and trims it to fit.
No export. No import. Just flow.
The Future is Contextual
Imagine this: The editor detects you're talking about "blockchain" and auto-suggests generating a visual of nodes connecting on a network.
You approve. It's inserted. You keep editing.
This is where we're headed. AI as a co-pilot, not a separate tool.
The Bottom Line
B-roll hunting was a necessary evil. Now it's optional.
The editors embracing generative AI are shipping videos 3x faster. The ones resisting are still scrolling through stock libraries.
Which side will you be on?