Videos · Glossary
What is a rough cut?
A rough cut is the first complete edit of a video with the chosen shots in story order, at roughly the right length but without final timing, colour, sound mix or graphics. It exists to check that the story and structure work before effort goes into polishing, so feedback at this stage should be about order and content.
A rough cut is supposed to look unfinished. Its job is to answer whether the video says the right thing in the right order, while changes are still cheap.
Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder
3 min read · Published
| Stage | What it contains | Feedback to give |
|---|---|---|
| Assembly | Every usable take laid out in script order | Is anything missing |
| Rough cut | Chosen takes in order, close to length | Does the story work, is the order right |
| Fine cut | Tightened timing and pacing | Is each moment the right length |
| Picture lock | No further changes to the picture | None to the edit; sound and colour begin |
| Final | Graded, mixed, titled and exported | Technical checks only |
Where the rough cut sits
Editing usually moves through stages. An assembly lays out all the usable footage in script order, often far too long. The rough cut chooses the takes and trims the scenes so the whole story plays at about the intended length. The fine cut tightens timing and rhythm. Picture lock fixes the edit so sound design, music and colour grading can be finished against it. Production guides such as StudioBinder's describe this sequence, though the line between a rough cut and a fine cut is drawn differently from one editor to the next.
What a rough cut leaves out
Expect temporary music or none, uneven audio levels, placeholder titles, missing graphics and ungraded colour. Some shots may be stand ins for footage still to come. None of this is a fault at the rough cut stage. What should be there is every scene in its intended place, so a viewer can judge whether the argument or story lands.
How to give feedback
Watch it once without stopping, then note where attention dropped, what was confusing and what is missing. Ask whether the opening earns the next ten seconds, whether the key message is clear and whether the call to action is where it should be. Leave typography, colour and music choices for later; changing them now wastes work that will be redone anyway.
Common mistakes
Judging a rough cut as if it were final and rejecting it over colour or sound. Giving notes on wording that the client has already approved in the script. Skipping the rough cut and going straight to polish, so structural problems surface only when they are expensive to fix. And reviewing on a phone when the video is for a large screen, or the other way round.
Drafts in the product
The video generator produces a first version from a brief, with the scenes, narration script and durations written by AI and the layout, motion and timing handled by deterministic templates. That draft plays much the same role as a rough cut: in the builder you reorder and edit scenes, change narration per scene and replace images or clips before exporting. Transitions are authored per scene and the pace is chosen as Dynamic or Calm.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to make a rough cut?
It depends on footage and length. A short promo from a few hours of footage might take a day; a documentary can take weeks. The ratio of footage shot to minutes delivered drives the time, because every take has to be watched before the best one can be chosen.
Is a rough cut the same as a first draft?
Close enough for most purposes. Both are complete but unpolished, and both exist to test structure. Editors distinguish the assembly, which is everything in order, from the rough cut, which has made the first selections. A client usually sees the rough cut, not the assembly.
What is picture lock?
Picture lock is the point where the edit stops changing, so the timing of every shot is final. Sound designers, composers and colourists work to the locked picture, because any later change to timing forces their work to be redone. Changes after lock are possible but costly.
How many rounds of rough cut feedback are normal?
One or two for short commercial work, sometimes more for longer projects with many stakeholders. Agree the number of rounds before the edit starts and gather all feedback from one reviewer per round, because conflicting notes from several people are the most common cause of extra rounds.
Should captions be on the rough cut?
Usually not, because timing will still change. Add captions once the edit is close to final, so they match the spoken words exactly. If the video is mainly watched with the sound off, a temporary set of captions can help reviewers, as long as everyone knows they will be redone.
Make one with videos
The button opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own.
Create a video with OneCraftRelated questions
- What is a storyboard?What is a storyboard? The panel by panel plan of what a video will show, how it differs from a script and a scene list, and when one is worth drawing.
- What is a shot list?What is a shot list? The numbered table of every shot a video needs, the fields it carries, and how it differs from a storyboard and a scene list.
- What is pacing in video editing?What is pacing in video editing? The rhythm set by shot length and how fast information arrives, and the seconds per scene that suit promos and tutorials.
Step by step in the builder: Make a promo video with AI voiceover.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .