Instagram Launches First Draft Feature for Reels

On August 25, 2026, Instagram introduced a new tool designed to make creating engaging Reels easier. The feature, called "First Draft," automatically identifies the best moments across several clips a user selects and stitches them together into a single video, producing an initial draft of the Reels project.

According to Instagram, the process is remarkably simple: users select the clips they want, and with a single tap the system trims pauses and shortens the footage, producing a ready-made video base within seconds. Creators can then edit and customize the project however they like.

The company stresses that every action First Draft takes can be undone. "You can adjust or rearrange anything before moving on to the next step," Instagram said in a statement. The tool handles the initial cutting of the video, freeing creators to focus more on the creative side of the process rather than the technical work.

With this update, Instagram aims to bring all its core creation tools together in one place and streamline the overall workflow. Paired with the growing capabilities of the company's Edits video-editing app, this gives users far more ways to produce eye-catching, engaging video clips within the app.

At the very least, the feature can spare creators unnecessary indecision by providing a basic framework for a Reel built from clips they've already shot. That matters considerably, given that watching Reels accounts for roughly 50 percent of all time spent on Instagram, meaning the tool helps steer users toward the platform's core engagement opportunities that much faster.

First Draft can be accessed either through the Reels gallery or the Instagram camera.