July 23, 20260 views

5 Mistakes That Kill AI Videos (and How to Avoid Them)

We analyze 5 common mistakes in AI video production: from flat retelling of text to ignoring subtitles. How to avoid them in practice.

Mistake 1: Compressing the Source Instead of Reworking It

The most common and least noticeable mistake occurs when the team sets up generation so that the AI simply retells the source material in a short summary instead of reworking it while preserving the facts, figures, and details to fit the desired tone and volume. The result looks plausible at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear: specific numbers are lost, expert nuances are smoothed into general phrases, and the video itself resembles dozens of other review videos in the same niche.

This mistake is particularly dangerous for content based on articles and transcriptions — precisely where the value of the material relies on details. The solution is to configure the process so that the reworking retains the facts and specifics of the source, rather than replacing them with a generalized retelling. The volume and tone can and should be adapted to the platform, but not at the expense of losing the essence.

Mistake 2: One Script for All Platforms and Formats

The second typical mistake is publishing the same text and the same narrative pace simultaneously on YouTube, Telegram, and VKontakte, without adapting to the platform's features and its audience. What works as a long analysis on YouTube requires a completely different rhythm and length of text in Telegram, where the format leans towards compactness, and publication often consists of a single message with media.

Moreover, it is important to differentiate script modes: a full text is suitable for detailed expert content, a hybrid is needed when compressing long material into a dynamic narrative while retaining key facts, and a teaser is a short vertical announcement without a call to action that previews the main video. Mixing these modes is a common reason why the same material "doesn't resonate" on one platform, even though it works perfectly on another.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Editing and Structure Before Generating Frames

Many teams jump straight to generating visuals and voiceovers, skipping the planning stage of editing — that is, they do not build a timeline, order of scenes, transitions, and titles in advance. As a result, the finished video may be technically high-quality in terms of visuals, but structurally loose: an important idea ends up in the middle instead of at the beginning, where it can capture the viewer's attention, and transitions are either absent or randomly placed.

The correct order of work is to first assemble the editing structure: arrange the scenes, think about where a transition or title is needed, determine where the meaningful chapters with timestamps will be — and only after that launch the generation of frames. Rearranging scenes at the timeline stage takes minutes, while rearranging already generated and voiced video is significantly more time-consuming.

Mistake 4: Uniform Visual Style Without Considering Scene Content

The fourth mistake is using one visual style for the entire video without considering that different scenes require different presentations: an introduction, an expert analysis with figures, and an emotional conclusion are visually perceived differently when presented in the same rigid "look" from start to finish. When our client from the educational content sector first tested redefining the visual style by scenes instead of using one style for the entire video, viewer engagement up to the middle of the video noticeably increased — simply because changing the visual presentation holds attention better than a monotonous image.

The solution is not to be afraid of per-scene style redefinitions where justified by the content, instead of mindlessly applying a "universal" visual preset to all videos in a row.

Mistake 5: Publishing Without Checking Subtitles and Safe Zones

The last, but extremely common mistake is ignoring the final check of subtitles before publication. Automatically generated subtitles are technically correct almost always, but their position on the screen and line breaks at the boundaries of phrases need to be checked for the specific format: what reads well in horizontal video may overlap with interface elements of the platform in vertical format if the safe zone is not configured for the specific orientation.

This mistake is particularly unpleasant because it is instantly noticeable to the viewer — cut-off subtitle text looks like a clear technical defect, even if the rest of the video is flawlessly made. Prevention is simple: keep the draggable safe zone under control when changing formats and do not skip the final visual review before publication, especially after changing the orientation of the video.

How to Systematically Avoid This

All five mistakes share one common cause: skipping the verification stage between process setup and publication. Automation removes routine tasks, but it does not absolve responsibility for properly configuring the logic of text reworking, dividing by script modes, editing structure, per-scene visuals, and final subtitle checks. Once these five points are addressed at the project settings level, they cease to be manual work for each video — and that is when automation begins to deliver consistent results, rather than quantity over quality.