Instagram is rolling out “First Draft,” a new in-app editing feature that automatically trims and sequences a creator’s clips into an initial cut of a Reel. The initial rollout is iOS only, according to the platform.

According to the announcement from Instagram’s @creators account, First Draft lets a user select their clips and, with one tap, cut the pauses and trim the footage down into “a starting point to build from in seconds.” The feature specifically targets dead air in talking-head videos, finding silences and trimming them so that what a creator said “comes through without the gaps in between.”

Every output from First Draft is reversible. Creators can reorder, remove, or adjust clips, or start over entirely, before moving into the full editor or publishing. Instagram is positioning the tool as a starting point rather than a finished decision, aimed at multi-clip formats including montages, talking-head videos, and day-in-the-life content.

The feature can be accessed two ways. Creators can open the Reels gallery, select one or more clips, and tap the First Draft button at the bottom of the screen to generate and review an edit before proceeding to the full editor or publishing. Alternatively, they can open the Instagram camera, film content directly, and tap the same button to review an edit before finishing it in the full editor.

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