User Guide - Start to Finish

Everything you need to go from install to a finished sequence. Follow each step in order for the smoothest experience.

01 Install 02 Login 03 Prepare 04 Transcribe 05 Review 06 Generate 07 Edit 08 Refine 09 History 10 Create 11 Visual
01
Install PAPERCUT
  1. 1Download the provided beta package .zip from the PAPERCUT beta site or invite link.
  2. 2Unzip the package and run your platform installer:
  3. 3Windows: run papercut-beta-*-setup.exe. macOS: open papercut-beta-*.dmg and complete install.
  4. 4Restart Premiere Pro completely.
  5. 5Go to Window > Extensions > PAPERCUT (Beta) to open the panel.
TipIf you don't see the extension after restart, confirm you are on a supported Premiere version (2024+) and that the installer completed successfully.
02
Log In
  1. 1Enter the email and password provided with your beta invite.
  2. 2Click LOG IN - the main PAPERCUT panel opens automatically on success.
NoteBeta accounts are managed - if you don't have credentials or login fails, contact the team with a screenshot and timestamp.
03
Prepare Your Project
  1. 1Open your Premiere project with the sequences you want to work with.
  2. 2PAPERCUT's media list (Section 1) automatically loads all project sequences.
  3. 3Use the filter bar and status tabs (READY / PROCESSING) to find what you need.
  4. 4Select one or more sequences by checking the boxes on the left.
1. Select Project Media (Loaded 50 Items)
✓
INT AVERY - INTERVIEWREADY
✓
INT JORDAN - MAINREADY
EXT DRONE - B-ROLLPROCESSING

PAPERCUT organizes your project in two places: disk folders next to your .prproj file and a bin inside Premiere's project panel. Both are created automatically. No manual setup required.

A) Disk Folders (automatic)

📁Your Premiere Project/
📄project-name.prproj
📁Papercut Files/
📄Transcripts/.pct.json transcripts + .txt readable copies
📄Generations/AI-generated scripts (.txt + .json history)
📄Isolated Audio/Vocal-isolated WAV files (dialog isolation)

B) Premiere Pro Project Panel (automatic)

📁 Project Panel
📁Papercut Filesbin created by PAPERCUT
📁Created_SequencesAI-generated sequences
📁Dialog Audiovocal-isolated audio files
InfoDisk folders and bins are created on-demand as you use each feature. Generated sequences appear inside Papercut Files / Created_Sequences and dialog-isolated audio appears inside Papercut Files / Dialog Audio in Premiere's project panel. Generated sequences are automatically hidden from PAPERCUT's media list so they don't clutter your selection.
04
Transcribe
ImportantPAPERCUT works with sequences, not individual clips. If you've imported clips that aren't in a sequence yet, right-click the clip (or select multiple clips) in Premiere's Project Panel and choose New Sequence From Clip. Once the sequence is created, it will appear in PAPERCUT's media list automatically.
  1. 1With sequences selected, configure your transcription settings in the Settings panel at the bottom of PAPERCUT.
  2. 2Click TRANSCRIBE in the bottom bar.
  3. 3Watch the progress indicator. Transcription may take a few minutes per sequence depending on length and mode.
  4. 4When complete, two buttons activate on each sequence row:
TXT Transcript ready | SUM AI summary ready

Dialog Isolation

When Vocal Isolation is enabled, PAPERCUT uses AI to separate dialogue from music and sound effects before transcribing.

  1. 1Better transcription accuracy: cleaner audio means more accurate word-level timestamps, especially for noisy footage with music or ambient sound.
  2. 2Cleaner editing: when PAPERCUT builds a sequence from isolated audio, the result is clean dialogue only. No jump-cut music mashups. You add music and SFX intentionally in the timeline.
  3. 3Isolated audio files are saved to Papercut Files/Isolated Audio/ and imported into the PAPERCUT bin in Premiere.
TipYou can continue working in Premiere while transcription runs. The panel updates automatically. Vocal Isolation adds processing time but significantly improves results on footage with background music.
05
Review Transcript & Summary

Click SUM or TXT on any transcribed sequence to open the Viewer Panel, an interactive overlay inside PAPERCUT with two tabs.

Summary
Transcript
Hero Soundbites
• SPEAKER_00 - "This whole experience changed the way I think about everything."
• SPEAKER_01 - "The moment we started moving, I knew there was no going back."
Speaker Profiles
SPEAKER_00 - 3,842 words • Primary subject • Emotional, reflective tone
SPEAKER_01 - 2,106 words • Supporting • Energetic, narrative-driven
Beat Categories
Inciting Incident • Emotional Peak • Resolution • Comic Relief • Conflict
Speaker Map ▼
SPEAKER_00 Alex Rivera primary
SPEAKER_01 Jordan Chen supporting
SPEAKER_02 Interviewer interviewer
Search for words or phrases...
Search
01:02:15:08SPEAKER_00"This whole experience changed the way I think about everything. I didn't expect that."
01:02:22:14SPEAKER_00"We started the day before sunrise and just kept going."
01:02:31:02SPEAKER_01"The moment we got there, I looked around and realized this was exactly where we needed to be."
01:02:45:19SPEAKER_00"It was intense, honestly. But that's what made it worthwhile."
  1. 1Summary tab shows AI-generated metadata: hero soundbites, speaker profiles, beat categories, and flagged segments. This gives you a quick editorial overview without reading the entire transcript.
  2. 2Speaker Map (inside the summary) shows how PAPERCUT identified each speaker. SPEAKER_00 IDs are mapped to real names and roles (primary, supporting, interviewer).
  3. 3Transcript tab shows the full word-for-word transcript with timecodes and speaker labels. Use the search bar to find specific words or phrases instantly.
  4. 4Confirm the content looks correct before generating. You can copy or export the transcript for use outside PAPERCUT.

Content Type Awareness

PAPERCUT auto-detects the content type of each sequence from audio analysis. This affects how the AI generates scripts and how the corrector processes clips.

Content Type
sit_down_interview docu_raw broll_only pre_edited music_performance
Auto-detected from audio signals. Different content types use different corrector aggressiveness and pre-filter settings.
TipUse the search bar in the Transcript tab to quickly locate specific topics, names, or phrases across long interviews. The Speaker Map helps you confirm who is who before generating scripts.
06
Generate Script
  1. 1In Section 2 (Prompt), describe what you want. Be specific about duration, style, and story goals. PAPERCUT auto-detects the best generation mode from your prompt.
2. Enter Your Prompt
What would you like to create?
Detected mode: Trailer
  1. 2Adjust the AI CREATIVITY slider to control how predictable vs. creative the AI's editorial choices are.
AI Creativity
Focused Balanced Creative
0.7
How it works Focused (0.1 – 0.3): Tight, structured scripts. Sticks closely to the strongest material. Best for factual cuts and stringouts.

Balanced (0.4 – 0.6): Good mix of reliability and surprise. Recommended starting point for most workflows.

Creative (0.7 – 0.9): More unexpected editorial choices, unconventional structure. Great for trailers, social cuts, and experimental edits. Default: 0.7.
  1. 3Set your options:
EXCLUDE INTERVIEWER Filters out interviewer questions from the script VISUAL CONTEXT Enables B-roll and visual-aware scripting
  1. 4Click GENERATE SCRIPT and wait for the result to appear in Section 3.

All 14 Generation Modes

PAPERCUT auto-detects the right mode from your prompt keywords. You can also type the mode name directly.

Mode What it does Trigger keywords
General Standard narrative script default
Stringout Exhaustive search for all mentions, no length cap "find all", "every mention", "stringout"
Trailer Cold open + dramatic structure "trailer", "promo", "cold open"
Comedy Trailer Humor, contrast, subversion "comedy trailer", "funny trailer"
Sizzle Reel Best-of energy montage "sizzle", "highlight reel", "demo reel"
Narrative Promo Coherent mini-story "narrative promo", "story promo"
Montage Rhythm, vibe, emotional flow "montage", "rhythm edit"
Teaser Intrigue, minimal exposition "teaser"
Social Cutdown Hook + fast payoff (30s default) "social", "instagram", "tiktok"
TV Show Recap Chronological episode summary "recap", "previously on"
Scene Coherent scene from dialogue "scene"
Scene Script Intercut scene with interview "intercut", "on-the-fly"
Character Pod Deep dive profile on one person "character", "deep dive", "profile"
Full Episode Complete assembly from raw footage, no length cap "full episode", "vlog", "assembly"

Example Prompts

"Build a 2-minute trailer with a cold open" → Trailer
"Find all mentions of the main subject" → Stringout
"Cut a 30-second social clip for Instagram" →
"Deep dive on the main character" → Character
"Assemble a full episode from all raw footage" → Full Episode
Content Type + ModeDifferent content types (sit_down_interview, docu_raw, etc.) affect how the corrector processes clips for each mode. Interview footage gets tighter filtering; documentary raw footage is handled more permissively. This is automatic. No configuration needed.
07
Edit Script Before Build

The generated script appears as a list of clip cards in Section 3. You can manually adjust before building the sequence.

  1. 1Reorder: Grab the number on the left side of any clip and drag it to a new position.
  2. 2Delete: Click the × on the right side to remove a clip.
  3. 3Right-click any clip to open the context menu with timeline actions.
  4. 4Clip count and total runtime update automatically after each edit.
3. Generated Script
◀ #T3 Trailer — 8 clips — TRT 2:47 ▶
☆ ×
1
INT_AVERY [01:02:15:08 - 01:02:22:14]
"This whole thing started as a question nobody thought was worth asking."
2
Aerial - wide landscape at dawn, establishing shot
3
INT_JORDAN [01:05:31:02 - 01:05:38:19]
"Nobody tells you what it actually feels like until you're standing in it."
▶ Add to Source Monitor
↧ Insert at Playhead
4
INT_AVERY [01:08:12:05 - 01:08:16:22]
"The only way forward is straight through."
Right-Click Actions Add to Source Monitor: Opens the source clip in Premiere's Source Monitor at the exact in/out timecodes so you can preview the clip before committing to the edit.

Insert at Playhead: Drops the clip directly into your active timeline at the current playhead position. Great for building a sequence one clip at a time or inserting a soundbite into an existing edit.
Visual ClipsClips with a blue outline are visual/B-roll clips. These describe shots rather than dialogue.
08
Refine Script

Use Section 4 to make targeted adjustments without regenerating from scratch.

  1. 1Type your refinement request in the text field.
  2. 2Click REFINE SCRIPT and review the updated output.
  3. 3Repeat as needed. Small, targeted passes work best.
Example Refinements"Trim to 1:30 and keep the stronger emotional beats."
"Replace segment 2 with something funnier."
"Add more B-roll between dialogue clips."
09
Script History

Every script you generate is automatically saved. Use the history navigator to browse, compare, and recall previous generations without losing your current work.

◀ Script 3 of 7 #T3 Trailer ▶
☆ ×
  1. 1Navigate: Use the ◀ ▶ arrows to move backward and forward through your script history for the currently selected sequences.
  2. 2Mode Tags: Each script is tagged with its generation mode and clip/TRT info: #T3 Trailer - 8 clips - TRT 2:47
  3. 3Favorite ☆ - Mark a script as a favorite. Favorited scripts influence future generations, and the AI uses your favorite as a structural reference.
  4. 4Delete × - Remove a script from your history.
Why Favorites MatterWhen you favorite a script, PAPERCUT uses it as a structural example for the next generation. This means the AI learns your preferred pacing, clip count, and editorial style, so your scripts get better the more you use the tool.
StorageUp to 200 scripts are saved per project. History is stored in Papercut Files/Generations/script_history.json and persists between sessions.
10
Create Sequence
✓
USE DIALOG AUDIO
CREATE SEQUENCE
  1. 1Optionally check USE DIALOG AUDIO - when enabled, the sequence uses dialog-isolated audio instead of the original. This gives you clean dialogue without jump-cut music mashups.
  2. 2Click CREATE SEQUENCE.
  3. 3PAPERCUT builds a new Premiere sequence with all clips placed on the timeline in order, with frame-accurate in/out points.
  4. 4The new sequence appears in the PAPERCUT bin inside Premiere's project panel and opens automatically.
ImportantAlways review the resulting timeline before delivery. PAPERCUT gives you a strong starting point. You make the final editorial calls.
11
Visual Workflow

When Visual Context is enabled, PAPERCUT can script B-roll placement alongside dialogue.

  1. 1Click VIS on sequences to run visual logging. This analyzes shot content.
  2. 2Enable VISUAL CONTEXT in the prompt options before generating.
  3. 3The generated script will include visual clips (blue outline) interleaved with dialogue.
  4. 4Verify B-roll placement and cut coverage in the final sequence.
!
Troubleshooting
Login fails
Confirm you're on the beta build and using valid credentials. Check your internet connection. Contact support with a screenshot and timestamp.
Transcription fails or stalls
Retry once. The server may have timed out. If it fails again, send the sequence name, timestamp, and any error lines from the log panel.
Script generation takes too long
Large multi-sequence prompts may take 1–3 minutes. If it exceeds 5 minutes, check your internet connection and try again. Stringout mode across many transcripts will naturally take longer.
Right-click menu doesn't appear
Make sure you're right-clicking directly on a clip card in the generated script (Section 3). The context menu only appears on clips that have valid source timecodes.
Visual mode errors
Send a screenshot of the exact error message plus the sequence name to support.
Panel not appearing after install
Make sure Premiere is fully restarted (not just the project). Confirm the installer completed without errors. Try Window > Extensions again.
✓
Best Practices

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