Smith Cut: Education Edition — Built for classrooms

TEACH MEDIA.
NOT JUST
TOOLS.

A classroom version of Smith Cut that shows students how beat-sync editing works — without letting the software make the creative decisions for them.

Request Classroom Access See Guided Mode

Design philosophy

THE TOOL TEACHES.
THE STUDENT DECIDES.

01
Show the Analysis
Before a single cut is made, Education Edition surfaces everything: the waveform, the detected BPM, every beat timestamp, the energy level of each beat. Students see what the algorithm found and why — not just the result. This is the part professional Smith Cut skips. Here, it's the entire first lesson.
02
Decision Checkpoints
In Guided Mode, the software pauses before each clip placement and asks the student a question: "This beat is loud and percussive. Which of your clips would feel most dynamic here?" The student makes the choice. The tool executes it. Decisions are logged for the teacher to review.
03
No AI Story Mode
The AI Story Assistant — which analyzes footage and suggests a narrative — is intentionally absent from Education Edition. Narrative thinking is the skill being taught. Students must write their own story brief before they can run the pipeline. The brief becomes part of their lesson report.
04
Lesson Reports
Every session generates a structured report: decisions made at each checkpoint, time spent, reasoning provided, and the final edit settings used. Teachers receive this as a PDF. It replaces the old "show me your timeline" review with something quantifiable and discussable.

Learning modes

THREE MODES.
ONE TOOL.

Teachers assign a mode based on where students are in the curriculum. Students progress through all three as they develop confidence.

Year 1 · Beginner
GUIDED MODE
Every step explained. Every decision prompted. The student is guided through beat analysis, clip selection rationale, and timeline review. The tool does nothing until the student answers a question.
  • Beat waveform shown before any cut
  • BPM, timestamps, energy map displayed
  • Clip selection prompts at each beat
  • Student must type a reason for each choice
  • Post-run reflection prompt ("What would you change?")
  • Full session exported to teacher dashboard
  • Automation disabled — no one-click RUN
Year 2 · Intermediate
ASSISTED MODE
The tool suggests. The student approves or overrides. Beat detection and clip order are shown as recommendations, not instructions. Students learn to critique algorithmic decisions.
  • Suggested clip order shown, editable
  • Beat sensitivity slider with visual feedback
  • Override any assignment before running
  • Comparison view: AI suggestion vs student edit
  • Written justification for overrides logged
  • Reduced checkpoint frequency
  • RUN button enabled — after review step
Year 3 · Advanced
PRO MODE
Full Smith Cut functionality with classroom logging. Students work at professional pace — all settings available. Session data still sent to teacher dashboard for portfolio and assessment.
  • All settings unlocked
  • Beat subdivision, variation, loop controls
  • Full Premiere Pro automation
  • Silent background session logging
  • Portfolio export of completed edits
  • Peer review sharing via teacher dashboard
  • No AI Story Mode (student must self-direct)

Pro vs Education

WHAT'S DIFFERENT.

Education Edition is not a stripped-down version. It's a pedagogically restructured version.

Feature Smith Cut Pro Education Edition
Local beat detection✓✓ + shown to student
Clip metadata sorting✓✓
Premiere Pro automation✓✓
One-click RUN✓Guided/Assisted: gated · Pro: ✓
Beat waveform display✓ audio preview✓ + annotated BPM map
Beat subdivision controls✓✓
AI Story Assistant✓ 5 credits/mo✗ intentionally excluded
Decision checkpoints✗✓ Guided + Assisted modes
Student session logging✗✓
Lesson report PDF✗✓
Teacher dashboard✗✓
Story brief requirement✗✓ before running
Peer review sharing✗✓ Pro mode
Classroom seat management✗✓
License typePer userPer classroom / institution

Curriculum alignment

A SEMESTER
OF LESSONS.

Education Edition is structured around a 12-week media production curriculum. Each session builds on the last.

Weeks 1–2
What is a Beat?
Students load a track and observe the waveform. They manually identify beats by tapping, then compare to what Smith Cut detected. Objective: understand that rhythm is measurable.
Outcome: Student can explain BPM and describe the relationship between musical beats and visual cuts.
Weeks 3–4
Clip Selection Logic
In Guided Mode, students make clip-per-beat decisions and write a justification for each. They compare their edit to the default algorithm output. Objective: understand that clip choice creates meaning.
Outcome: Student can articulate why a specific clip feels right or wrong at a given beat position.
Weeks 5–6
Pacing and Energy
Students adjust beat sensitivity and subdivision to create two contrasting edits from the same material — one high-energy, one slow. Objective: understand that pacing is a creative choice, not a default.
Outcome: Student can describe how beat density affects emotional tone in a video edit.
Weeks 7–8
Story Before the Edit
Students write a story brief before touching the tool: who is the audience, what is the feeling, what happens first and last. They then build the edit to match their brief in Assisted Mode.
Outcome: Student produces an edit that matches a written creative brief, evaluated by teacher and peers.
Weeks 9–10
Critique and Override
In Assisted Mode, students receive the AI's suggested clip order and must override at least 30% of decisions with written justifications. Objective: learning to critique algorithmic suggestions critically.
Outcome: Student demonstrates editorial judgment by improving on the default algorithmic output.
Weeks 11–12
Professional Workflow
Students work in Pro Mode with full settings, building a final project to a client brief. Session logged, edit exported to portfolio. Peer review session using teacher dashboard.
Outcome: Student produces a portfolio-ready beat-sync edit and can walk through every decision made in the session log.

Pricing

BUILT FOR
INSTITUTIONS.

One teacher license covers the whole classroom. No per-student billing until you scale to multiple classes.

Classroom
$49/month
One teacher. Up to 30 student seats. Everything you need for a single media production class.
  • 1 teacher license
  • Up to 30 student seats
  • All three learning modes
  • Lesson report PDFs
  • Teacher dashboard
  • Decision checkpoint logs
  • Portfolio export per student
  • 12-week curriculum guide included
  • Setup support included
Best Value
Department
$149/month
Multiple teachers, multiple classes, one institution. Centralised dashboard, shared student portfolios.
Includes everything in Classroom, plus:

Unlimited teacher licenses · Unlimited student seats · Department-wide analytics · Cross-class peer review · Priority setup and onboarding call · Custom curriculum alignment on request
  • Unlimited teacher licenses
  • Unlimited student seats
  • Department-wide analytics
  • Cross-class peer review
  • Priority onboarding call
  • Custom curriculum alignment
FREE 30-DAY TRIAL FOR EDUCATORS  ·  ANNUAL BILLING AVAILABLE (2 MONTHS FREE)  ·  PURCHASE ORDERS ACCEPTED

Get started

READY TO
BRING SMITH CUT
TO YOUR CLASS?

Request access and we'll set up your classroom within 48 hours. Free 30-day trial, no credit card required.

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