When it comes to using AI video tools, a common misconception is that all you need to do is type in what you want and wait for a robot to create your film. However, this is far from the truth.

Not only is there normal editing work, but there are also several additional steps and AI video tools that we recommend to elevate your AI film.

In most of my conversations, I have found that many people haven’t learned to utilize these specific AI video tools.

In this article, I’ll share four of my favorite underrated AI video tools that will undoubtedly enhance the quality of your next AI short film. This is not an exhaustive list, but these are the AI video tools that I feel are most often overlooked.

Let’s get started.

The Most Underrated AI Video Tools

Below is a collection of the most underrated AI video tools available today. This information is our professional opinion based on the hundreds of hours our team has spent testing these tools. This list is in no specific order.

If you would like to see our list of the best AI tools available, check out our recommended AI tools page here.

1. Use Magnific’s AI Image Upscale Tool

Considering we are discussing AI video tools, many might not think of utilizing an AI image tool. It’s common to use AI image generators like Magnific and then incorporate those images into an AI video generator.

Magnific is an incredibly important tool in your AI video toolkit. It not only enhances the pixel quality of the image but also refines details that may not be very sharp.

Other image generators focus solely on the pixels in an image, while Magnific seems to enhance the pixels as well as the overall artistic quality of the image, without compromising the original image (for the most part).

One downside of Magnific is that it sometimes compromises the similarity to the original image. For instance, if you are upscaling an image of a person, the upscaled version might not look like the person in the original image.

Overall Magnific is a spectacular AI video tool that I highly recommend adding to your AI video workflow.

2. Use Topaz Labs’ AI Video Upscale Tool

Using Magnific’s AI image upscaler does not eliminate the need for an AI video upscale tool as well. Honestly, there are a limited number of AI video tools that offer this.

If you have ever used an AI video generator, then you know that the quality tends to be quite low. This has almost always been the case.

Nowadays, Runway gives the option to upscale and interpolate footage when prompted, but most tools don’t, and even when they do, the quality is often not the greatest.

Topaz Video AI allows you to upscale your footage up to 8k quality and choose your desired frame rate.

The difference that Topaz Video AI makes in your short film is significant. This is without a doubt an AI video tool that you need to add to your workflow.

3. Utilize a Deflicker Tool

We have discussed this many times before, but one of the major issues with Runway’s AI video generator, as well as many others (even Gen-3), is the flickering you get in your final generations.

There are many factors that prevent you from noticing the difference between live-action footage and AI-generated footage, but flicker is a big one.

One of our favorite tools is the Flicker Free plugin from digital anarchy. We cannot recommend it enough. If Davinci Resolve is your preferred editing platform, then you have access to a deflicker effect built in!

Adding a deflicker of some sort to your AI video toolkit will undoubtedly help you to sharpen your generations and take realism to the next level.

4. Use Speech to Speech instead of Text to Speech

Most AI films utilize some type of AI voice generator, whether it be ElevenLabs or some other tool. This is likely a familiar topic and tool you already have in your AI video toolkit.

In my experience, text to speech is utilized the most. ElevenLabs’ speech-to-speech feature is one that often gets overlooked.

Whether you create the original audio yourself or hire a voice actor, I would greatly recommend adding speech-to-speech into your workflow.

When you use speech-to-speech, it gives you the ability to control intonation and tone, which would take much longer using a text-to-speech workflow. Speech-to-speech is significantly more efficient.

5. BONUS SECRET: Generate Your Shot Multiple Times

I wanted to share this last little tidbit that I have seen in my own experience, as well as hearing from other professionals in the industry. I labeled it a bonus secret because it is not necessarily a tool but advice on how to get the best generations possible from your AI video generator.

When generating a shot for your AI short film, oftentimes the generation will be so poor that no AI video tool can fix it.

I recommend generating your shot at least four times right from the start. This is due to the fact that, although AI video tools are better than ever, they can still be somewhat unreliable.

When we sat down to chat with Pika’s creative director, Matan, he said that he did the same thing. This can help you not only get your desired shot faster but also gives you the ability to create a scene better than originally intended.

AI Video Tips and Tricks from Pika’s Creative Director

Check out this episode of The Curious Refuge Podcast, where we chat with Pika’s creative Director, Matan Cohen-Grumi about his journey in the world of AI video tools and event his advice for prompting using Pika.

Learn to Utilize AI Video Tools in Your Workflow

With hundreds of AI video tools on the market, it can be a very intimidating task to learn how to navigate all of them. In this article, we only highlighted 4 tools but there are so many more out there.

We have been creating a community gear to help navigate this intimidating world of AI tools. If you are just wanting to learn a little more about AI tools and Curious Refuge, check out our free training.

If you want to take a step towards really getting a handle on all of the AI video tools, then check out our courses. We have two courses aimed at helping to learn both AI Filmmaking and AI Advertising.

We would absolutely love having you apart of Curious Refuge. Honestly, the AI filmmaking community may be one of the nicest communities we have ever been a part of.

The Most Underrated AI Video Tools for Filmmakers