Recording in a Descript Room (Beta)

Here, we will walk you through starting and ending recordings in Descript Rooms, including screen sharing and how file uploads are managed. You'll also learn about recording limits, participant upload statuses, and key reminders to ensure your session runs smoothly.

Starting a recording

To begin your session, click Start Recording. A countdown will appear on the screen, giving everyone time to get ready before the recording officially starts. This ensures a smooth beginning to your recording.

Recording in progress

Once the recording starts, a timer will display the elapsed recording time, letting you know that the session is active and being recorded. You can track the length of the recording with the timer at the top.

You will also see a notification stating that videos in the Room may appear in lower resolution than the recordings, which are captured at full resolution.

When the host starts recording, participants will see a notification like the one below, confirming the session is being recorded. By staying in the Room, they consent to the recording. Participants can choose not to see this message again by selecting "Don't show this again."

We suggest staying in the Room during the recording to avoid interruptions or data loss. If you need to leave mid-recording, use the Leave button at the bottom of the Room. Please continue to leave the tab open while your recordings are uploaded.

Screen sharing

To share your screen, click Share at the bottom of the Room.

Choose between sharing a tab, window, or entire screen. You can also opt to share audio, which enhances the presentation with sound.

Up to two people can share a screen simultaneously, and both will be recorded during the session.

If you are sharing a browser tab or window, you can stop sharing by clicking Stop Sharing at the top.

You can also return to the Room and click Stop where the share screen icon is.

Screen share sizes may vary depending on the window size and screen resolution. If needed, you can resize the window being shared.

Stopping and saving the recording

When you're ready to stop, click the Stop Recording button. This action finalizes the recording and saves it to a Descript project.

Recordings are limited to 4 hours per session. If you need to record longer, you can stop and start new recordings as needed. Each recording will be saved in the same project when you exit the Room.

What happens when the host stops a recording

Once the host stops recording, an upload status will be displayed. The host can view the upload progress of all participants’ recordings, including their own, ensuring that everything is saved correctly. Guests will see their own upload status during this process.

Upload process

While files are uploaded, the dialog box showing the status remains visible and cannot be dismissed; however, it can be moved around on the screen. Ensuring that all recordings are safely uploaded before closing the browser tab is important. The upload window can be closed once all uploads are complete (or if they have stalled).

At this point, it will be clear that all recordings have been successfully uploaded, and the tab is safe to close. Once all uploads are complete, the host will be ready to edit the recordings in Descript.

Leaving the Room and continuing uploads

Guests can leave the Room anytime by pressing the Leave button. This is different from simply closing the browser tab. Even after leaving, uploads will continue in the background, but it's essential to keep the tab open until uploads finish to avoid interruptions. Closing the tab or browser too soon could stop the upload process.

Participants will be taken to a post-call page showing their upload status. Once uploads are complete, a confetti animation confirms everything is saved, and it's safe to close the tab.

If the host chooses to leave a Room while a recording is in progress, they will have two options:

Stop the recording and leave the Room.
Stop the recording and close the Room, which ends the session for everyone.

A guest leaving an active recording will receive the following notification. If they choose to leave the room, they will be taken to a post-call page showing their upload status. Once uploads are complete, a confetti animation confirms everything is saved, and it's safe to close the tab.