Descript: Edit Video Like Text

Descript revolutionized video editing with a simple insight: what if you could edit video by editing text? This approach makes complex edits intuitive and fast.

What Makes Descript Different

Traditional editing:

Watch video → Find the moment → Position playhead →
Make cut → Repeat hundreds of times

Descript editing:

Read transcript → Select text → Delete/move/copy →
Video automatically updates

For talking head content, this is transformative.

Getting Started with Descript

Account Setup

1. Visit descript.com
2. Create account (Google or email)
3. Download desktop app (required for full features)
4. Free tier: 1 hour of transcription/month

Pricing Tiers

Tier	Price	Transcription	Features
Free	$0	1 hour	Basic editing
Creator	$12/month	10 hours	Filler word removal, Studio Sound
Pro	$24/month	30 hours	All features, Overdub
Enterprise	Custom	Unlimited	Team features

Core Features

Transcript-Based Editing

The heart of Descript.

How it works:

1. Import video/audio
2. Descript transcribes automatically
3. Edit the transcript like a document
4. Video updates to match

What you can do:

• Delete text → footage is removed
• Rearrange text → footage reorders
• Copy/paste text → duplicate footage
• Find/replace across project

Example: You say "um" 47 times. In traditional editing, you'd make 47 cuts. In Descript, search "um" → select all → delete. Done.

Filler Word Removal

Automatically detect and remove verbal fillers.

Detected fillers:

• "Um", "uh", "er"
• "Like", "you know"
• "Actually", "basically"
• Repeated words ("I I think")

How to use:

1. Click "Filler words" panel
2. See all detected instances
3. Click "Remove all" or selective removal
4. Fillers are cut from video automatically

Pro tip: Keep some fillers for naturalness. Removing all can sound robotic.

Studio Sound

AI audio enhancement in one click.

What it does:

• Removes background noise
• Reduces room echo
• Normalizes volume
• Improves clarity

Quality: Remarkably good. Often salvages poor recordings.

When to use:

• Home recordings
• Interview audio
• Zoom call quality
• Any non-studio audio

Overdub (AI Voice Clone)

Create a clone of your voice for corrections.

How it works:

1. Train model on your voice (read script)
2. Type new words
3. AI generates in your voice
4. Insert seamlessly

Use cases:

• Fix mistakes without re-recording
• Update outdated information
• Correct mispronunciations
• Add missing words

Quality: Good for short corrections. Longer passages may sound slightly off.

Note: Only works for your own voice, for ethical reasons.

Remove Gaps

Cut silence automatically.

How to use:

1. Click "Shorten gaps"
2. Set maximum gap length (e.g., 0.5 seconds)
3. Apply
4. All pauses shortened

Customization:

• Set different lengths for different sections
• Exclude intentional pauses
• Adjust pacing

Timeline Editing

Descript also has a traditional timeline:

• Multiple tracks (video, audio, graphics)
• Keyframe animations
• Transitions between clips
• Standard editing controls

Use for:

• Complex multi-source projects
• Precise timing adjustments
• Visual effects and graphics

Descript Workflows

The Podcast Edit

Perfect for audio-first or interview content:

1. Import raw recording
2. Wait for transcription
3. Read transcript, identify key sections
4. Remove fillers automatically
5. Cut tangents and mistakes by deleting text
6. Rearrange for better flow
7. Apply Studio Sound for clean audio
8. Export audio or video

Time saved: 4-hour podcast edit → 1 hour

The YouTube Video Edit

For talking head + B-roll style:

1. Import main footage
2. Transcribe and rough cut via text
3. Remove fillers and mistakes
4. Add B-roll on timeline over relevant sections
5. Add titles, graphics, transitions
6. Export with burned-in captions or SRT

The Repurposing Edit

Turn long content into short clips:

1. Import long video (podcast, webinar)
2. Transcribe
3. Search for key topics/quotes
4. Select compelling 30-60 second sections
5. Create compositions for each clip
6. Export multiple videos from one project

Pro Tips

Keyboard Shortcuts

Essential shortcuts:

Action	Shortcut
Play/Pause	Space
Delete selection	Backspace
Cut	Cmd/Ctrl + X
Copy	Cmd/Ctrl + C
Paste	Cmd/Ctrl + V
Undo	Cmd/Ctrl + Z
Find	Cmd/Ctrl + F

The Gap Removal Slider

Find the sweet spot:

• Too short (0.1s): Sounds rushed, unnatural
• Too long (1.0s): Minimal effect
• Sweet spot: 0.3-0.5 seconds for most content

Using Find/Replace

Power user technique:

1. Find recurring mistakes or phrases
2. Select all instances
3. Delete or replace in bulk
4. Review changes in context

Multi-Track Projects

For complex edits:

• Track 1: Main footage
• Track 2: B-roll (muted)
• Track 3: Music (low volume)
• Track 4: Sound effects

Adjust track volumes independently.

Collaboration Features

Team workflows:

• Share projects with comments
• Real-time collaboration
• Version history
• Comment on specific timestamps

Limitations

Video-heavy content: Descript is optimized for speech-based editing. For B-roll heavy or music video style content, traditional editors are better.

Complex motion graphics: For advanced animations, use After Effects or similar.

Processing time: Long videos take time to transcribe. Plan accordingly.

Transcription accuracy: Technical terms, accents, and poor audio affect accuracy. Always review.

Descript vs. CapCut

Aspect	Descript	CapCut
Best for	Podcasts, interviews	Social content
Editing style	Text-based	Timeline-based
Audio features	Superior	Good
Visual effects	Basic	Extensive
Price	$12-24/month	Free-$10/month
Learning curve	Low	Low

Use both: Descript for rough cuts and audio, CapCut for finishing and effects.

Key Takeaway

Descript transforms video editing for speech-based content. Edit by editing text, remove fillers with one click, and fix audio with Studio Sound. It won't replace traditional editors for all content, but for podcasts, interviews, and talking head videos, it's a game-changer. In the next lesson, we'll focus specifically on AI-powered captioning—a crucial feature for social media engagement.