Descript is your all-in-one editor for video and audio. Bring in your media, edit it like text, add polish with AI, and share it anywhere. This guide is a quick tour of the core workflows, with links to deeper articles if you want more detail.

Step 1: Bring your media, or your idea

You can start a project in a few different ways.

• Record: Use Descript’s built-in recorders, or record a remote session with others in Rooms.
• Import: Drag in existing audio or video files.
• Generate: No recording? Use AI Speakers to create text-to-speech audio. Type your script, pick a voice, and Descript generates the voiceover.

• Starting from scratch: In the Home tab, you can either chat with Underlord or select a template to quickly create your first clip.

All media is automatically transcribed, so you can edit it as text.

Step 2: Edit your content like a doc

Editing in Descript feels like editing a document. Delete, move, and copy or paste content just as you would in a word processor. Descript automatically updates your media to match.

• Delete words or sentences from the transcript, and the media edits automatically.
• Cut, copy, and paste text to rearrange audio or video.

Step 3: Build your scenes and apply layouts

Scenes and layouts give your project structure and style. Use scenes to organize content, then apply layouts to control how it looks.

• Scenes: Break your project into sections. Add a new scene whenever you want the visuals to change.
• Layouts: Control how each scene looks with ready-made layout packs for common set ups: split-screen speaker views, picture-in-picture explainers, title cards, outros, and more. Smart transitions are applied by default to keep your video flowing.
• Elements and stock media: Add shapes, text, and other elements, then layer in music, sound effects, or footage from Descript’s robust stock media library.
• Captions: Choose a style from the Captions panel in the sidebar, and (optionally) customize it to match your video.

Step 4: Edit in the timeline

For more precise control beyond text editing, use the timeline.

• Adjust pacing with the wordbar: Drag directly in the wordbar to fine-tune pacing.
• Expand layers across scenes: Let visuals like background music, b-roll, or lower thirds continue seamlessly over multiple scenes.

Step 5: Polish your project with AI

Use Descript's suite of AI tools to clean up, enhance, and repurpose your content with just a few clicks. Here are just a few of the powerful AI tools available in Descript:

• Underlord: Chat with our AI co-editor to repurpose, refine, or generate new content. You can also start with templates for one-click Underlord workflows.
• Studio Sound: Improve audio quality by removing background noise and enhancing clarity.
• Eye Contact: Adjust your gaze so it looks like you’re speaking directly to the camera.
• Create clips: Automatically generate shorter, snack-sized videos from your full project.

These are just a few of the AI tools available. Check out the AI Tools panel and Underlord articles to discover more ways AI can streamline your creative process.

Step 6: Collaborate, share, and export

When you’re ready to share your project, Descript makes it easy to publish, collect feedback, and export anywhere you need

• Local export: Save a copy to your device in formats like MP4, MP3, WAV, GIF, and more.
• Publish link: Share a hosted version of your project. Viewers can leave timestamped comments directly on the video, so you can collect feedback without switching tools.
• Integrations: Export straight to platforms like HubSpot, YouTube and many more. 
• Comments: Collaborators can leave timestamped comments making it easy to review and resolve feedback in context.