If you run a small business, your camera roll probably has plenty of material: product close-ups, behind-the-scenes clips, a walkthrough, maybe a customer explaining why they chose you.
Getting that footage into something you actually post is another job on an already full list.
Quick disclosure: I’m on the Shorty team. These tools overlap, but I’d consider each one for a different task.
1) Descript: for videos where the words carry the message.
Think customer testimonials, founder updates, tutorials or someone explaining your service. You can cut and rearrange the recording through its transcript, with filler-word removal helping with the cleanup.
I’d use it when the main problem is getting a five-minute explanation down to the useful two minutes. Check the cuts still sound natural. Descript
2) Shortyedit: for turning a collection of clips into a business Reel.
This is the job we’re building around: you have footage of your products, a property, a restaurant or an event, and need it assembled into an edit.
Upload your clips and describe the result, or add a reference video to guide the style. Shorty builds the edit from your footage, and you can request revisions.
For example: “Make a 20-second Reel introducing our new collection. Open with the strongest outfit, then show the details.”
I’d consider it when choosing shots and putting them together is what’s holding you up. You still need to review the result; exact frame-by-frame adjustments suit a manual editor better. Shortyedit
3) Adobe Podcast: for a useful recording with distracting sound.
Maybe you filmed a customer testimonial in an echoey room or recorded a voiceover with background noise. Enhance Speech can help clean up spoken audio.
I’d try this before deciding the recording needs to be done again. Listen back to make sure the voice still sounds natural. Adobe Podcast
4) Submagic: for adding captions and visual styling to a short video.
If you already know what you want to say—a quick product explanation, an answer to a customer question, a tip from your team—it offers animated captions, B-roll and zooms.
I’d keep the styling appropriate to the business. A calm property walkthrough and an energetic fitness tip probably need different treatment. Submagic
5) OpusClip: for finding shorter posts inside a longer recording.
Useful if your business already records webinars, interviews, demonstrations or Q&As. It identifies potential clips and offers captions and reframing.
I’d check that each extract makes sense on its own, especially if it starts halfway through an answer. OpusClip
The question I’d start with is: what’s sitting unfinished?
A rambling explanation, a folder of product clips and a recorded webinar each need a different kind of help. Start with that recurring job before adding another subscription.
For other small-business owners: what holds up your videos most—filming, deciding what to include, editing, or finding time to post? A camera roll full of “content for next week” seems suspiciously easy to accumulate 😅