Selects and Premiere Assistant (Cutback) Plugin are built for different stages of the editing process. Which one you subscribe to depends on which stage you want to optimize.
Selects handles the prep and rough cut stage. Premiere Assistant handles captioning and finishing inside Adobe Premiere. Use one or both, depending on what your workflow needs. This guide helps you figure out the right setup.
What each product does
Selects
Selects is a standalone desktop app for professional editors who work with large volumes of raw footage. It handles the entire prep phase: multi-cam sync, transcription, topic breakdown, and AI-generated rough cuts. You give the AI detailed direction through a custom prompt or script, and it builds a draft you can refine and iterate on before handing it off to your NLE.
Best for:
Professional editors handling multiple complex projects per month
Multi-camera shoots (interviews, podcasts, documentaries)
Long-form content where prep and organization take significant time
Editors who need to communicate detailed creative direction to the AI
When your rough cut is ready, Selects exports a native project file to Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro.
Starting at $20/month. Free trial credits available.
💡 Selects MCP
Selects also has an MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration. Instead of just writing a prompt and waiting for a result, the MCP lets you direct Claude to make actual edits in your timeline through conversation. You tell it what to change, it makes the edit, you review, and you keep going. It works the same way you would direct a human editor in real-time chat. You can also bring in additional context, like scripts, reference files, or other assets, to help Claude make better decisions. Works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, and OpenClaw.
Premiere Assistant (Cutback) plugin
The Premiere Assistant plugin works exclusively inside Adobe Premiere. It is built for professional caption work and AI-assisted edits inside your existing timeline. It supports text-based editing, animated captions, caption styling, and more.
Note: The Premiere Assistant plugin only works with Adobe Adobe Premiere. If you use Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve, it is not compatible with your workflow.
Best for:
Creating and styling animated captions
Setting caption character limits and punctuation rules
Translating captions into other languages
Casual or hobby creators who need basic AI editing tools
Editors who work on a small number of videos per month and do not need detailed AI draft direction
Free plan available. Paid plans starting at $8/month.
How to decide which tool you should subscribe to
How many videos do you edit per month?
A few (1–3): Premiere Assistant plugin covers your needs at a lower price. If you want more advanced AI editing features, the Selects Starter plan ($20/month) is also worth considering.
Many, or you edit professionally: Keep going.
Do you work with multi-camera footage, long interviews, or large amounts of raw footage that needs organizing before you edit?
No: Premiere Assistant plugin's
Trimtools cover your editing needs. If you want more AI control over how your drafts are structured, consider Selects Starter.Yes: Selects will save you significant time on prep. Keep going.
Do you need animated captions, translation, or detailed caption formatting (character limits, punctuation rules)?
No: Selects covers your full workflow.
Yes, no translation needed: Add the Premiere Assistant plugin free plan. No extra cost for captions.
Yes, including translation: Add Premiere Assistant plugin Basic ($13/month) for translation.
Feature | Selects | Premiere Assistant |
Compatible NLE | Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve | Adobe Premiere only |
Standalone desktop app | Yes | No (plugin only) |
AI editing tools | Custom prompt-driven (write direction, iterate on drafts) | Preset-based (static) |
Multi-camera sync | Yes (supports 10+ cameras) | No |
Multi-camera auto switch | Yes | Yes |
AI rough cut | Yes | No |
Topic detection | Yes (deeper breakdown for long footage) | Yes |
Text-based editing | Yes | Yes |
Search scene using text | Yes | No |
Remove silence | Yes, natural | Yes, mechanical |
Remove filler words | Yes, natural | Yes, mechanical |
Remove retakes | Yes, natural | Yes, mechanical |
Edit according to script | Yes | Yes |
Create vertical shortform clips | No native vertical output. Can cut short clips from long-form footage, but vertical reformatting needs to be done in your NLE. | Yes |
Animated captions | No | Yes |
Caption character limit settings | No | Yes |
Caption punctuation rules | No | Yes |
Caption Translation | No | Yes (Basic plan and above) |
AI analysis (transcription) | Pooled credit limits by plan, can top-up credits at any time | Limited by plan, can purchase additional transcription (AI analysis) hours |
How Selects and Premiere Assistant work together
The most powerful workflow combines both products:
Prep in Selects: Drop your raw footage. Selects syncs your cameras, transcribes everything, breaks content into topics, and builds your rough cut using AI prompts, script matching or reference YouTube video links.
Export to Premiere: Selects hands off a native .prproj file with your rough cut ready to refine.
In Premiere Assistant: Apply caption styles, set character limits, translate, and finalize your captions for publication.
FAQs
I use Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve, not Adobe Premiere. Can I still use these products?
You can use Selects. It exports native project files to Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve. The Premiere Assistant plugin, however, only works inside Adobe Premiere and is not compatible with other NLEs.
Is Premiere Assistant going away?
No. Premiere Assistant is being repositioned as a focused professional captioning tool. The team is committed to improving caption features going forward.
I am already paying for Selects. Do I also need to pay for Premiere Assistant?
Not necessarily. Since Selects handles your transcription, you can use Premiere Assistant's free tier for caption styling at no extra cost. The only reason to add a paid Premiere Assistant plan is if you need translation, which requires Basic ($13/month) or higher.
I only make a couple of videos per month. Should I switch to Selects?
Selects is built and priced for professional editors handling high volumes of footage. If Premiere Assistant covers your current workflow, it is the more cost-effective choice. That said, the Selects Starter plan ($20/month) is worth considering if you want access to more advanced AI editing features without committing to a higher-tier plan. Try it free with your free trial credits.
Can I cancel my Premiere Assistant subscription and just use Selects?
Yes. Canceling your paid plan moves you to the free plan, not out of Premiere Assistant entirely. The free plan still includes animated captions and basic caption styling, so you keep access to core features. The only thing you give up is translation, which requires a paid plan. If you do not need translation, canceling your subscription and using the Premiere Assistant plugin free plan alongside Selects is a perfectly valid setup.
Does the Premiere Assistant plugin have an MCP or API?
No. The Premiere Assistant plugin does not have an MCP or API integration. If you want to direct AI edits in your timeline through conversation, you need Selects. See the Selects MCP section above for more details.
Can I use the same account for both Selects and the Premiere Assistant plugin?
Yes. Both products are made by Cutback and use the same Cutback account. Sign up once, and you have access to both.
Does Selects work on Mac and Windows?
Yes. Selects is available for both Mac and Windows. Download Selects
Can I try Selects before paying?
Yes. All new Selects users get 3,600 credits when they first sign up, which covers up to 10 hours of video analysis.
Not sure which setup is right for you? Chat with us using the icon in the bottom right corner and we will help you figure it out.