Turn raw footage into a rough cut with plain-English instructions.

What is AI rough cut automation on macOS?

Passcut is a native macOS application that turns talking-head footage into a frame-accurate rough cut from a plain-English instruction, on-device by default, without a Passcut cloud.

By combining Apple SpeechAnalyzer for on-device speech-to-text with Apple Foundation Models for natural language understanding, Passcut translates instructions like “cut this down to the eight minutes about network neutrality and drop the tangents” directly into timeline edits.

How does Passcut translate natural language into video cuts?

Passcut uses on-device language models exclusively to select transcript text segments, while a deterministic audio engine resolves those selections into exact timeline timecodes by snapping to silence and frame boundaries.

Because the language model only evaluates text and never emits timecode numbers directly, cuts cannot drift or skip frames. You review the generated cut segment by segment alongside the assembly timeline before exporting.

What happens after the AI rough cut is generated?

After Passcut generates a rough cut, you can refine the timeline using assembly editing, click transcript lines to seek or reject clips, adjust volume, and export to FCPXML, EDL, or MP4.

Every project is saved locally in a .passcut bundle containing the timeline, transcript, cut decisions, and media references with autosave protection. You can export directly to Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Premiere Pro for finishing.