4 Small but Effective Ways I use ChatGPT to Improve my day-to-day Processes
And no - writing this post wasn’t one of them (I pinky promise!)
There are some processes AI can’t change, but if we can use it to seek efficiencies in the mundane, repetitive tasks then we can spend more time focusing on the rewarding aspects of the work!
Yes, another one jumping on the AI bandwagon. Sorry (but not sorry!).
Whether we like it or not and no matter which industry we work in, AI is already disrupting the business world and it will only continue to do so further over the next few years. Whilst there’s a huge amount of content out there questioning whether we’re all doomed as a human race or not, my focus is on the now: what is pragmatic and how it can help me be better at what I do. This in turn might give you some ideas for how you could improve what you do! I’m a firm believer that whilst we need to treat AI with caution, if we don’t stay up to date on the developments, show curiosity, experiment with the tools, and look for ways to implement them into our daily processes then we risk falling behind our contemporaries in an increasingly competitive and uncertain world.
So, putting aside the crystal ball for a moment, and avoiding the not-so-genius idea of ‘Let’s just use ChatGPT to write all of our marketing content without injecting some character or getting a human to check it’, these are 4 small, but incredibly effective ways I’m currently using ChatGPT to help me in my day-to-day work as a camera operator and video editor*.
*Whilst I am in no way affiliated with OpenAI, some of these examples require a paid subscription of Plus or higher (at time of writing)
Using custom GPTs to master my editing software
Da Vinci Resolve - a tough nut to crack, but completely worth it for any budding video editor (and full of genuinely useful AI tools!)
Not too long ago I spoke about my decision to switch from using Adobe Premiere as my main NLE of choice to Da Vinci Resolve. This was not an easy decision to make initially because I was effectively having to retrain in software after nearly a decade of using another program. The transition period from opening it for the first time to fully adopting it as my main NLE for paid client work was around 18 months! Some people may see this as a long time, others might think it wasn’t too bad. However, it required repeat use, a lot of reading and many a Youtube tutorial to view. Many hours were spent playing around, experimenting and getting frustrated when I couldn’t work out how to do a simple task, desperately attempting to resist the urge to move back to the old software where I could do it in 5 seconds! The struggle was real (and in some people’s view, this struggle is essential to effective deep learning).
When ChatGPT came along I immediately knew that while it was never going to replace this struggle (no professional can learn their craft after just a few prompts) it was certainly going to make it much less painful. The biggest opportunity I saw was in those moments when I’m on a tight deadline and need to do a specific task, don’t know how to do it but need to learn quickly. Instead of digging out the 4000-page manual, trying to navigate through the annoying waffley Youtube intros or making a panicky call to a techie mate, with some well-executed prompts ChatGPT could in theory give me the answer in record time. And that’s just what it does!
A quick search in the GPT tab results in several options for more focused Da Vinci Resolve learning. Time to get testing!
There are several custom GPTs (that you can find here) which have been created for this exact purpose, to focus on specific software. What’s also handy is that my conversations are saved and can be quickly referenced later. This is useful for longer term learning, but also on the occasion when ChatGPT gives an incorrect response or hallucinates (it happens a bit too often at the moment, but hopefully this will improve) if you correct it then in theory it SHOULD remember the correction the next time you speak to it.
In my opinion, I think reading the manual (or at least as much of it as possible) is still the best way to start, along with some experimenting and Youtube tutorials, because it is a tough nut to crack for the inexperienced user. But ChatGPT definitely enhances that learning experience and helps to get new and moderate users closer to an advanced level in quicker time. I also recommend creating a personalised quick reference document for specific workflows that you might not use all that often but can quickly refer back to on future projects without having to start from scratch again, and then use ChatGPT to enhance this if needed.
2. Creating my own custom GPT quick reference camera manuals
The Panasonic GH6 is just one camera I created my own custom GPT for.
What’s great about ChatGPT plus is that if you can’t find a custom GPT already in existence you can make your own! And that’s exactly what I did for one of my cameras - a quick reference manual based on all the information it could find online about it, plus some documentation that I specifically fed it. This could be beneficial for both beginner and advanced users, but the same applies as above - you still need to learn your camera! However, I’ve found it particularly useful when needing to quickly remind myself of specific exposure reference points for picture profiles that I don’t use all the time, as well as whether certain features exist or if there are any limitations with the camera.
Filming earlier this year at Brighton SEO. When you’re on the job using an unfamiliar camera, sometimes you just need to find the correct setting…FAST!
Another example recently involved using the free version of ChatGPT for when I was using an unfamiliar camera and for the life of me couldn’t find in the menu how to change a very specific setting that was greyed out. All cameras have their quirks and the last thing you want (especially on a paid job) is to enter panic mode when you can’t work out how to change settings and look like you don’t know what you’re doing in front of a client! In this case a quick prompt gave me several potential reasons for this and in there was the correct answer. Boom - a couple of minutes and the camera was set.
So, in theory, with a combination of deep learning, practise and ChatGPT, we should be able to master any camera we come across, just quicker than we’ve ever been able to before.
3. Making equipment checklist templates. Quickly!
An example kit list for the DJI Mini 4 Pro. I asked Chat GPT to create one for me which I then modified to my own use case, rewording and reordering as necessary.
I recently asked ChatGPT to create a flight reference card for the DJI Mini Pro 4. I then customised it to my needs, removing anything that I felt didn’t apply and added in extra steps for my specific use case. Far quicker than writing it all out in one go and re-ordering the steps.
The same approach could also be applied to all manner of shoots, depending on the subject matter and kit requirements, because rarely (for me at least) are 2 jobs the same. A simple use of the tool but helping me to stay organised in all manner of situations, reducing the likelihood of anything important getting left behind.
4. Customising excel spreadsheets for managing income, expenses & invoicing
For freelancers out on location a lot and juggling multiple clients, keeping on top of the financials is essential to reduce stress.
It’s not just manuals and kit lists that it comes in useful here - ChatGPT is helping me with the financials too! Now, I’m sure many other creative freelancers out there will join me in saying this: I hate spreadsheets. I mean, truly despise them. But it’s not the fact that they exist - in fact they can be incredibly useful - I just hate them because most are ugly and difficult to read or amend. I hate them even more when I’m attempting to create simple formulas and whatever I do - heaven knows why - they just don’t work! As a jobbing freelancer I don’t have time to learn how to use Excel inside out, and I certainly don’t have the patience.
ChatGPT has helped me to create formulas based on my inputs that have saved me days of time. For example, listing client turnover in order per year and as a lifetime measurement, automatically updating when you add more data. It’s not until we see these figures laid out this way that we can truly make sense of where our work is coming from and which direction we should be going in. Reframing how you see the data helps you make wiser investment decisions, whether it’s financial, your time, or both. I saw an interesting post on LinkedIn recently about another freelancer whose golden rule was to never rely on one client for more than 30% of their income, in case everything should unexpectedly go south. A quick formula, with the assistance of ChatGPT to apply it in a particular way to my document, and suddenly I was able to see whether I was doing the same. A simple thing, but potentially a game changer as to how one evaluates their business’ performance!
A useful little automation that I previously would’ve had no idea how to set up!
In addition to this, I created a client database which uses Microsoft Excel to help me save time on invoicing using client templates, automated form filling, calculations, file naming and exporting. This has the potential to save a lot of time in the long run and is easily modified with further prompts. What’s more, this document now automatically reminds me to check in with clients I haven’t spoken to in a while…because I’m not always the best at following up!
I’ll be honest; the experience wasn’t perfect. ChatGPT was very good at creating formulas and macros but not so good at making basic amendments in the program, such as moving cells (with code) around, which confused it and created bugs. It also changed things such as fonts without me asking quite a lot and was generally not as quick a process as I initially thought it would be. At times it was easier for me to physically do something, such as format the page in a particular way, and then feed it back to create the code. Frustrating, although in the end, worthwhile. With the recent release of ChatGPT 5, hopefully some of these issues will be rectified, although I’ve already noticed vastly quicker response times - which is a great start!
The bottom line
So, these are the ways I use this amazing tool to become more efficient at my job so I can focus on doing just that - better work! I’m sure there are countless other ways it could also be used too, however, I must reinforce the point that while ChatGPT is INCREDIBLY useful to help with learning, quick fixes and automating processes, it is not 100% foolproof. Prompts need to be well executed, and errors are often made, so going into any of these tasks with some prior knowledge is definitely beneficial. There are also still a lot of questions surrounding how many of these AI firms handle our data, so refraining from feeding it with sensitive information remains a sensible precaution to take, in my opinion.
Ultimately, the time I think it will save me has definitely been worth the initial investment and it’s certainly been quicker than anything I could have done before by myself. The technology is of course rapidly evolving and who knows how much better it will be in a few months from now. The key for us all is to keep an eye on the developments and experiment with the tools until something clicks.
How do you use ChatGPT to become more efficient in your day-to-day role? Share your experiences in the comments!
Thanks for reading.
Other posts which may interest you:
2+ years later and I still can’t praise Da Vinci Resolve enough. This is why I ditched Adobe Premiere for it!
10+ years of freelancing apparently classes me as a ‘veteran’! This is what I’ve learnt in this time…