X is rolling out new video editing and recording tools as it tries to encourage creators to post original content instead of recycled clips. The update is first available on iOS and includes multilingual captions, caption styling and green-screen tools that can use photos from a phone’s camera roll or other X posts as backgrounds.
Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, said the company wants to give creators better tools to make original videos directly on the platform. He said many videos from top accounts are stolen from other users, sometimes years after they originally went viral.
The new editor also includes video trimming and automatic caption generation, according to a preview shared by Bier. X plans to add more updates to the video editor in the coming weeks.
X Wants More Native Video Creation
Video has become increasingly important to X. Bier said posts containing videos now make up close to half of impressions on the platform, making original video a business priority as well as a user experience issue.
The update gives X some features already common on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts. Green-screen effects, captions and quick editing tools are standard for creators who make short-form video across multiple platforms.
X’s challenge is that tools alone may not be enough to change creator behaviour. Many creators already have established audiences and monetisation systems on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
X will also need to convince creators that original work will be protected and rewarded. The platform has previously said it will reduce payouts for stolen reposts and clickbait, while giving more reach to accounts that avoid recycled content.
Bots and Reposts Remain Major Problems
X still faces a major spam and bot problem. In April, Bier said the platform was identifying and suspending 208 bots per minute, while nearly half of the product team had been focused on spam mitigation features.
Bots can inflate views, scrape content and help stolen videos spread faster. That makes the problem bigger than video editing, especially when creator payouts depend on engagement.
Other platforms have built more direct tools for creators whose content is stolen. YouTube offers copyright matching tools, while Meta provides ways for Reels creators to block reposted content or add attribution links.
X does not yet offer the same level of built-in protection for original video owners. Without stronger enforcement and rights tools, recycled content may continue to outperform native creation.
The new video editor is a step toward making X more useful for creators. But if the company wants more exclusive content, it will need reliable payouts, better anti-bot systems and clearer protection against repost accounts.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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