How to Get Started with Descript for Video Editing (Even If You've Never Edited Before)

Go to https://www.descript.com and click the 'Get Started Free' button in the top right corner. You can sign up with your email address or link your Google account — either works fine. Once registered, download the Descript desktop app for your operating system (Mac or Windows). The web version exists but the desktop app gives you the full editing experience, including all AI tools and faster performance.

Install the app like any standard program, then log in with the account you just created. On first launch, Descript will show you a short onboarding walkthrough — take 5 minutes to click through it. It covers the three main areas: the transcript panel on the left, the video preview in the center, and the timeline at the bottom.

The free plan gives you 1 hour of AI transcription per month plus access to core features like filler word removal and auto-captions. This is more than enough to complete your first project and decide if you want to upgrade. Paid plans start at $12 per user per month (Creator) for 10 transcription hours, or $24 per month (Pro) for 30 hours — both billed annually for the best rate. There is no need to enter payment details to start.

From the Descript home screen, click 'New Project' in the top left. Give your project a clear, descriptive name right away — something like 'YouTube Tutorial March 2026' or 'Podcast Ep 12' makes it easy to find later, especially if you build up a library of projects.

Now import your footage. The easiest method is to simply drag and drop your video file directly into the project window. Descript accepts MP4, MOV, M4A, MP3, and most common formats. You can also import screen recordings or audio-only files the same way.

The moment your file lands in the project, Descript starts transcribing it automatically using AI. For a 10-minute video, expect this to take about 2 to 4 minutes. You will see a progress bar — wait for it to finish before editing. Accurate transcription is the engine that powers everything else in Descript, so this step is critical.

If you are recording directly inside Descript (for example, a talking-head video or screen tutorial), click 'Add Segment' and choose Record. This skips the import step entirely and sends your recording straight into a transcribed sequence.

For videos with both main footage (your face talking) and supplemental clips (screen captures, B-roll), create separate sequences inside the same project. Label one 'Main' and another 'B-Roll' to keep things organized before you start cutting.

This is where Descript earns its reputation. Look at the transcript panel on the left — it shows every word you said, timestamped and synced to the video. Click anywhere in the transcript and the video jumps to that exact moment. Now here is the magic: highlight any text and press Delete, and that portion of video and audio disappears instantly.

Start by removing obvious mistakes. Highlight a stumbled sentence, a long pause, or a retake where you restarted mid-thought, then hit Delete. The video cuts cleanly without you touching the timeline.

Next, tackle filler words. Go to the top menu, click 'Actions' or look under the AI Tools panel, and select 'Remove Filler Words.' Descript scans the entire transcript and highlights every 'um,' 'uh,' 'like,' and 'you know.' You can review each one and confirm or skip before applying — this alone can shave minutes off a 10-minute video.

For typos or misheard words in the transcript, just click and type the correction directly. The audio does not change, but your transcript stays accurate for captions and exports later.

If you said something you want to rephrase without re-recording, try 'Edit for Clarity' under AI Tools. You type the corrected sentence and Descript generates a voice match using Overdub (available on Creator plan and above). This is useful for fixing one awkward sentence without a full reshoot.

Finish this step with a clean 'rough cut' — all major mistakes removed, filler words gone, and only the content you want to keep remaining.

Good audio makes or breaks a video, and Descript includes a one-click AI audio enhancement called Studio Sound that most beginners completely overlook. Find it in the AI Tools panel on the right side of the screen — it may also appear when you click on an audio or video clip in the timeline.

Toggle Studio Sound on. Descript immediately processes your entire audio track, removing background hiss, room echo, HVAC hum, and keyboard noise. It also levels out volume spikes so you do not sound inconsistently loud or quiet throughout the video. For most beginners recording in a home office or bedroom, this single feature makes the audio sound like it was recorded in a professional studio.

Playback the first 30 seconds with Studio Sound on and compare it to the original by toggling the button off and on. The difference is usually dramatic — especially if you recorded near an air conditioner or in a room with hard walls.

If your recording has multiple speakers or a separate interview track, apply Studio Sound to each track individually by clicking on each one in the timeline.

Note that Studio Sound is available on the free plan in limited use. On the Creator plan ($12/month) and above, you get full unlimited access. If you are on the free tier and want to test it, use it on your most important clip first.

Your rough cut is clean — now make it visually interesting. B-roll is any footage that plays over your voice to illustrate what you are talking about. In Descript, place your playhead at the moment where you want B-roll to appear, then drag a supplemental video or image clip into the timeline above your main track. It will layer on top automatically.

If you do not have your own B-roll footage, Descript's AI can generate it. Highlight a sentence in the transcript, right-click, and choose 'Replace Media' then 'Generate Image' or 'Generate Video.' Type a simple prompt describing what you want — for example, 'person typing on a laptop in a coffee shop' — and choose from several AI-generated options using models like Flux or Kling. Generate 4 to 6 options per prompt so you have variety to choose from.

For text overlays, titles, and lower thirds, click the 'Layouts' button in the right panel. Descript provides pre-built templates you can drop in and customize with your own colors and fonts. These handle animations automatically — no keyframe experience needed.

To add captions, click the 'Captions' button in the top toolbar. Descript auto-generates captions from your transcript in seconds. Customize the font, size, color, and position to match your brand. This is one of the fastest caption workflows available in any editing tool in 2026, and accurate captions significantly increase watch time on YouTube and social media.

Open the media panel on the left and look for the 'Stock' or 'Music' tab — Descript includes a royalty-free music and sound effects library you can browse by mood, genre, and tempo. Drag a track into the bottom layer of your timeline and it will run underneath your voice automatically. Adjust the volume by clicking the clip and dragging the volume knob down to around 10 to 20 percent so music sits behind your voice rather than competing with it.

For transitions between clips, click the small gap between two clips in the timeline. A transition menu appears where you can choose a simple cut, crossfade, or dissolve. For beginners, crossfades on audio transitions and straight cuts on video usually produce the cleanest result. Avoid using flashy wipes or spins — they distract from the content.

Review your entire video at 1x speed from beginning to end at this stage. This is called a picture lock review. Watch it as if you are a viewer seeing it for the first time. Look for: awkward jump cuts that need a B-roll cover, moments where the audio volume dips or spikes, captions that overlap with your face, and any section that still feels too slow or repetitive.

Make your final adjustments. This is the last chance to catch problems before export — fixing issues after export means re-exporting, which costs time.

When your picture lock review is complete, click 'Publish' in the top right corner of the screen. You will see several export options.

For YouTube, choose 'Export Video' and select MP4 format. Resolution options go up to 4K — for most YouTube creators, 1080p at 30fps is the sweet spot between quality and file size. Export time is typically 2 to 10 minutes depending on your video length and computer speed.

Descript also offers direct YouTube upload from within the app. Click 'Publish to YouTube,' connect your channel, fill in the title, description, and tags, and Descript uploads directly without you needing to download then re-upload the file manually.

For social media clips, use the 'Create Clip' feature before exporting. Highlight a high-energy 30 to 60 second section from your transcript, click 'Create Clip,' and Descript generates a vertical 9:16 version automatically — ready for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, or Instagram Reels.

For podcasters, export audio-only as MP3 or WAV under the same Publish menu.

After export, watch the finished file on your phone before publishing anywhere. Mobile viewing catches caption readability issues, audio balance problems, and thumbnail framing issues that are easy to miss on a large desktop monitor.