There’s a lot of hype about AI in filmmaking. Some of it suggests AI will replace entire post-production departments. Some suggests it’ll do nothing useful. Both extremes are wrong.

I’ve talked to editors, VFX supervisors, colorists, and post-production supervisors at Australian studios over the last few months. They’re using AI for specific tasks where it genuinely saves time. They’re not using it for creative decisions or anything requiring artistic judgment.

Here’s what’s actually happening in Australian post-production in 2026.

Automated Rough Cuts and Assembly

AI tools can now generate rough assembly cuts from footage. You provide the script, the footage, and the AI suggests a cut that follows the script’s structure.

Nobody’s using AI-generated cuts as final edits. But several editors I talked to use AI assembly as a starting point instead of beginning from blank timeline.

One Sydney editor working on commercial content said AI assembly saves him about 2-3 hours on a typical project. “It’s like having an assistant editor who knows nothing about pacing or emotion but can match shots to script lines. I still do all the actual editing, but I start from something instead of nothing.”

For documentary work, AI tools can analyze hours of interview footage and identify key moments based on transcript analysis. Again, not replacing editorial judgment, but helping editors find relevant content faster.

A Melbourne documentary editor uses AI transcript analysis to flag moments where interviewees discuss specific topics. “Instead of scrubbing through five hours of interviews to find every mention of a particular theme, the AI tags them. I still watch everything and make creative decisions, but I find what I need faster.”

Rotoscoping and Object Removal

This is probably the most mature application of AI in post-production. Rotoscoping—isolating objects or people from backgrounds—used to be painstaking manual work. AI tools like Runway, Adobe’s Rotobrush, and others have made it dramatically faster.

A Brisbane VFX artist told me what used to take days now takes hours. “Clean removal of boom mics, wires, or unwanted background elements that would’ve been two days of manual work is now maybe four hours with AI tools plus cleanup.”

The AI handles the bulk of the work, but artists still need to refine edges and fix problem areas. It’s not fully automated, but it’s genuinely faster.

This is having real impact on budgets. Smaller productions can now afford VFX cleanup that would’ve been too expensive a few years ago.

Color Grading Starting Points

AI-powered color grading tools can analyze footage and suggest starting-point grades based on the content, lighting conditions, and desired aesthetic.

DaVinci Resolve’s AI color tools, Adobe’s Sensei, and specialized tools like Colourlab are being used by Australian colorists to establish baseline grades faster.

One Melbourne colorist described his workflow: “I use AI to generate a baseline grade that gets me 70% of the way there. Then I do the creative work—adjusting to match the director’s vision, creating specific looks for different scenes, ensuring continuity.”

For commercial work with tight deadlines, this time savings matters. For high-end narrative work, colorists are still doing most work manually, but AI tools speed up the technical parts of the process.

Dialogue Editing and Cleanup

AI noise reduction and dialogue cleanup tools have gotten remarkably good. They can remove background noise, reduce room echo, and separate dialogue from unwanted sounds more effectively than traditional tools.

Adobe Podcast’s AI enhancement, iZotope RX, and Descript’s audio cleanup are being used routinely in Australian post-production.

A sound editor I talked to uses AI dialogue cleanup on every project now. “Location sound always has issues—traffic noise, air conditioning, wind. AI tools can clean that up without destroying the dialogue quality. It’s not magic, but it’s better and faster than manual noise reduction.”

This is particularly useful for low-budget productions where location sound recording wasn’t ideal. AI can rescue dialogue that would’ve required expensive ADR (automated dialogue replacement) sessions.

Subtitle and Caption Generation

AI transcription for subtitles and captions is standard practice now. Tools like Descript, Rev, and Otter.ai generate accurate transcripts that can be exported as subtitle files.

A post supervisor at a Sydney studio said they use AI transcription for every project. “Accuracy is about 95-98%, which means someone still needs to review and correct, but it’s dramatically faster than manual transcription.”

For multilingual projects, AI translation tools provide starting points for subtitles, though human translators still review for accuracy and cultural appropriateness.

Where AI Isn’t Being Used

It’s worth noting what Australian post-production professionals aren’t using AI for:

Creative editing decisions. Nobody’s letting AI decide pacing, emotional beats, or narrative structure. Editing is still a human creative process.

Original VFX creation. AI image generation isn’t being used for VFX plates or significant creative elements. It’s assisting with cleanup and technical tasks, not creating hero shots.

Sound design. AI can clean dialogue, but creating soundscapes and designing sound effects is still manual creative work.

Music composition. Some Australian composers are experimenting with AI music tools, but for professional film work, music is still composed and performed by humans.

Final color grading. AI provides starting points, but the creative color work is human-driven.

The pattern is clear: AI handles technical, repetitive tasks. Humans handle creative decisions.

The Budget Impact

AI tools are changing what’s financially viable for smaller productions.

A low-budget Australian feature I heard about used AI for rotoscoping, dialogue cleanup, and assembly cut assistance. The director estimated these tools saved about $15,000-20,000 in post-production costs compared to doing everything manually.

That’s meaningful for independent productions where every dollar matters.

But for high-end commercial or narrative work, the time savings are more valuable than direct cost savings. Editors and VFX artists are still employed and paid the same rates—they’re just more productive.

The Skills Question

Post-production professionals need to learn AI tools now. This isn’t optional for staying competitive.

Several editors and VFX artists mentioned that knowing how to use AI tools effectively is becoming part of the expected skillset. “If you don’t know how to use Runway or Resolve’s AI tools, you’re slower than people who do. That matters when clients are choosing editors.”

But the core skills—understanding pacing, visual storytelling, color theory, sound design—remain essential. AI tools enhance those skills, they don’t replace them.

What’s Coming

Post-production professionals I talked to expect AI tools to continue improving, particularly in:

Object tracking and stabilization getting more reliable Automated conforming between different resolutions and formats Predictive rendering that speeds up VFX workflows More sophisticated noise reduction that preserves more natural sound character

But nobody expects AI to replace creative roles. The trajectory is clear: AI assists with technical tasks, humans make creative decisions.

The Resistance and Concerns

Not everyone’s enthusiastic about AI in post-production. Several concerns came up repeatedly:

Job displacement fears. While current AI tools are assistive, not replacement-level, there’s anxiety about what happens as tools improve. Will entry-level positions disappear if AI can handle assistant editor tasks?

Quality concerns. AI tools can introduce artifacts or make mistakes that aren’t immediately obvious. There’s concern about quality degradation if people rely too heavily on AI without proper review.

Copyright and rights questions. Some AI tools are trained on copyrighted material, raising questions about using them in commercial work.

These are legitimate concerns. The industry is still working through the implications.

The Practical Advice

For filmmakers and producers: understand what AI tools can and can’t do. They’re useful for speeding up specific technical tasks. They’re not replacements for experienced post-production professionals.

For post-production professionals: learn the AI tools relevant to your discipline. They’re part of the toolset now, like knowing Avid or Premiere or DaVinci Resolve.

For students: focus on developing creative skills and judgment. Technical skills matter, but the creative decision-making is what AI can’t replicate.

The Realistic Assessment

AI has changed parts of post-production workflow meaningfully. It’s saved time and reduced costs for certain tasks. It’s made some VFX and cleanup work financially viable for productions that couldn’t have afforded it previously.

It hasn’t replaced the need for skilled editors, VFX artists, colorists, or sound designers. The creative work of post-production is still human work.

Australian studios are using AI pragmatically—adopting tools that genuinely help, ignoring hype about tools that don’t. That seems like the right approach.

For anyone wanting to understand this space better, https://team400.ai has worked with some Australian post-production facilities on AI integration and might have useful insights. Also worth checking out Screen Australia’s technology initiatives and Post Magazine’s coverage of AI in post-production.