How to Use Descript - Start Here Guide

If you're new to Descript, this guide includes 10 easy steps to get you started creating content in the next 15 minutes.

Step 1: Get Descript

First of all, to use Descript, you're going to need to get Descript. This involves registering an account (free) and then choosing how you want to use Descript.

There are two ways to use Descript:

1. On the web through your browser
2. On your computer through a downloadable app

Which one should you choose?

My general rule of thumb is if your computer is new and fast: you'll probably get better performance from the desktop.

If your computer is old and/or slow, but you have decent internet speeds, use the browser. 

Both are included with all plans and the functionality and interface is identical so it doesn't hurt to try them both and see which one you prefer.

Click here to go to Descript's site to get started.

Step 2: Create New Project

The best way to learn any skill is to jump right in and do the thing.

So, I recommend that you make a list of some projects you want to complete, pick one you want to start with, open up Descript, and click the "New Project" button in the top right corner.

From there, select a Video Project (if you're making video) or Audio Project (if making audio-only project.)

NOTE: I'll be showing a Video Project for the rest of this guide so if you choose Audio, things will look slightly different.

Step 3: Add Your Media

Inside of your blank new project, you'll see this view:

From here, you are going to add the raw video files that will make up your project.

Click on the Upload a File button to browse through your computer and select your files.

Or, drag the file(s) off of your computer and drop them onto the "Upload a File" box.

Step 4: Transcribe Your File

Descript is a transcript-based editor meaning you will be editing your video like a word document. Thus, this is an important step and I highly recommend that you transcribe your project.

The reason you may choose NOT to transcribe is because Descript only gives you a certain amount of transcription time per month based on your subscription level.

Your allotted transcription time resets on your billing date each month. One minute of video uses one minute of transcription time. 

After you've added your media to your project, a box will pop up asking if you want to transcribe it.

Choose the language of your video and hit Done.

Step 4: Editing the Transcript & Making a Rough Cut

After a few seconds or possibly a few minutes depending on the size of your project and speed of your internet, you'll see this:

Familiarize yourself with the terms Scene Thumbnails, Transcript, and Canvas (pictured above) as I'll be referring to them often.

From here, you will start your rough cut aka your first pass over the raw footage where you get rid of what you don't need and correct major errors in the transcript.

To do this, you can simply highlight a word or multiple words (as many as you want) and hit Delete on your keyboard and they'll be gone from your video.

If you notice any spelling errors, simple highlight the word and in the box that pops up over it, click on 'Correct.' 

Then, type in the correct spelling. Press 'Correct' to correct just that one instance of the word in the project or press 'Correct All' to correct every instance.

Step 5: Add More Media

To make your video more interesting, you'll want to throw in sound effects, music, b-roll, etc.

You can add your own media by going to Project on the right side, then hitting the upload button to browse your computer.

Or, you can use Descript's built-in library of sounds, music, images, and videos by click on the Media or Music buttons in the bottom right corner.

From there, you can use the Search bar to find anything you want. 

When you find something you like, simply click on it (in the case of videos and images) or click the plus button (in the case of sounds) to add it your project.

Go ahead, add at least three elements to your project so we have something to work with in the next step.

Step 6: Layers

Now that you added some media to your project, click Show Timeline in the bottom right:

All those squiggly line are the sound waves from your video file. Notice that the transcribed words are above the sound waves.

Above that, you will see some other elements. These are called layers and are what you added in the previous step when you added sound or other elements from Descript's library.

In my project below, I have (1) a music layer, (2) a sound effect, and (3) an image. Notice that sounds appear green and images/video are gray.

Right now, the music layer isn't going to start playing until 50 seconds into my project. To adjust this so that it starts at the very beginning, I can simply click on it and drag it to the left so it will start at the beginning.

In your project, reposition the layers so that the sounds and images show up where you want them to. Hit the play button to preview how it looks.

In editing, it's all about making a change then playing it back. If you like the change, keep it. If you don't keep changing it it until you do.

Step 7: Changing Layer Properties

All layers have properties you can change.

For example:

• With sound layers, you can change the volume
• With images, you can change their size
• With videos, you can change their playback speed

And dozens of other properties for every type of element.

To access these settings, select a layer on your timeline then select the Layer button on the right side:

I don't have time to go into all of these here but take a few minutes to explore. Raise and lower the volume. Change the opacity. Change the Size and Position. 

And don't worry about mistakes, you can always hit undo to revert a change. Nothing is ever permanent in Descript (there's a Version History feature to restore to earlier versions of your project). 

Step 8: Use AI Tools

The magic of Descript is it's AI tools, all of which are found in the top right corner with the button that says Underlord:

There isn't time to go into how to use all of these so I'll briefly explain the functionality of a few key features then I encourage you to play around with them and see them for yourself. Remember, you can always undo things so don't be afraid to make mistakes!

Key AI Features:

• Studio Sound: Removes background noise to isolate voices.
• Edit for Clarity: Suggests parts to remove.
• Remove Filler Words: Removes ums, uhs, etc.
• Shorten Word Gaps: Removes silences.
• Add Chapters: Adds chapters like you see on Youtube videos.
• Eye Contact: Makes it looks like the subject's eyes are locked on the camera.
• Green Screen: Removes the background.
• Generate an Image: Uses Dall-e to create an image based on a text prompt.
• Create Clips: Automatically creates social media clips from your long video.
• Translate: Automatically translates your project into another language.
• Publish category: Generates things like show notes, YouTube descriptions, titles, etc
• Write category: Helps you brainstorm topics ideas, write an outline, and write a script.

You can see why this is such a powerful tool. And that's not even everything!

Most of the above features use ChatGPT 4o to do what it does so if you're familiar with prompting a chatbot, you'll feel right at home.

Now, using everything you've learned so far, go over your project until it looks and sounds how you want it to.

Step 9: Publishing or Exporting

Now that your project is ready to go, it's time to share it!

There's two terms to understand here:

1. Export: save the project to your computer's hard drive
2. Publish: share your project somewhere on the internet eg. Youtube, Descript's web link, or a podcast platform.

You're welcome to explore the different options here but the one I'm going to show you is Descript's web link which will generate a URL that you could send to someone and they can watch your video at that link.

To do this, click Publish in the top right corner. Then, leave the other settings as they are and click the other Publish button:

This option uses Descript's servers to render your video (i.e. process it and save it) and is the quickest way to publish your project.

Once it's done, you can do any of the following:

• Click the Down Arrow to download it to your computer (try it! You'll be shocked how fast it is)
• Click the Gear Icon to change settings for the published video
• Click the Chain Link icon to copy a link to your clipboard where others could watch your video
• Click Globe icon to open your video project in your browser and see it for yourself

Step 10: Go Deeper on How to Use Descript

This entire guide was 5 to 10% of what you can do with Descript and I didn't have time to explain how things work or why you'd use them. This was simply a familiarization.

If you enjoyed this - and Descript seems like a tool that would be useful to you - I invite you to check out the Descript Mastery course. The course starts from the level of the absolute beginner and walks you through step-by-step to mastering the tool.

Each lesson is short (3-5 minutes on average) and actionable meaning you'll be assigned a drill or assignment so that you can practice the skill you just learned.

By the end, you'll have familiarity with every feature in Descript, you'll understand what makes for good editing, and you'll have completed one or more projects ready for sharing with the internet.

Click here to learn more.