What is a "pass"?

A fresh pass is the first time FirstPass analyzes a new piece of footage — transcribing it and building a cut from scratch. That's the metered action.

What is not a fresh pass (all free):

• Re-cutting the same footage with a different brief or settings.
• Refining a cut ("tighten the opener", "remove the tangent").
• Switching takes or re-exporting.

FirstPass recognizes footage you've already analyzed, so iterating on a project never costs you another pass — only bringing in genuinely new footage does.

On the free tier you get 2 fresh passes for life, with a watermark on the preview and the standard editing model. Paid plans lift the pass limit and remove the watermark. See Plan comparison.