Do you know the most reliable way to build authority in your niche, be seen as a thought leader, generate leads, and sell more digital products? Publishing high-quality and actionable videos and podcasts.
When you share free value, people follow your advice and become a part of your community. You don’t need to directly sell anything to them because your content silently persuades them to buy from you.
So, when you launch a product, your followers and subscribers are the first ones to take out their wallets.
In this article, we’ll review Descript, an AI-powered video and audio generation and editing platform for content creators. See our list of the best AI video generators and editors for creators.
Here’s why you should care.
Descript allows you to publish videos and podcasts without investing in expensive equipment, showing your face, or even using your voice.
It’s all automated, so you can publish tons of content faster and grow your influence to sell more products.
Sounds interesting? Keep reading to find out if it’s the right tool for your business.
What Is Descript?
It’s hard to describe Descript in one or two words because it does so many things so well.
You can call it an all-in-one audio and video production suite for content creators.
Let’s break down what that means.
Descript allows you to record or generate audio and video content. It then gives you tools to quickly edit and polish your content and prepare it for publishing.
You can use it to record audio/video podcasts with multiple guests, create product tutorials, record videos for your YouTube channel or online courses, and communicate with your peers.
With its generative AI capabilities, Descript makes content creation and editing as easy as typing a text document.
For example, you can type or copy your text script and transform it into an HD audio file with Descript’s AI voices.
Similarly, you can use your webcam or external cameras to record videos, then drag & drop them to specific scenes in your text script.
We’ll dive deeper into Descript’s main features later, but here’s a quick list of what it can do for you.
- Record videos from your webcam, external cameras, or desktop screen.
- Generate AI voices from text.
- Use the text editor to modify audio and video content
- Use AI-powered editing features to quickly transform your content
- Clone your voice to generate AI audio content
- Host HD video and audio podcasts with multiple participants
- Refine and enhance audio and video quality
- Use stock visuals to create videos and presentations
- Host and publish your videos on a dedicated URL
So, if you want to start a podcast or need a tool to simplify audio/video publishing, Descript has everything you need.
However, its content creation and editing capabilities differ from conventional software like Camtasia or Screenflow.
So, it’s essential to understand its strengths and weaknesses before using it for your business.
In the rest of this article, we’ll break down Descript’s core features and discuss its main pros and cons.
Quick Verdict | Is Descript AI Worth Using Audio & Video Podcasts?
Don’t have the time to read the full review? Here’s our quick verdict.
Descript AI isn’t built for professional designers or videographers looking for advanced editing features.
But it’s tailor-made for online course sellers, content creators, and digital marketers looking to grow their influence and generate more leads by scaling their video and podcast production using artificial intelligence.
Want to know how we reached this conclusion? Read the rest of this detailed review to learn more about Descript’s features, pricing, and use cases.
Descript Features | An All-In-One AI Audio & Video Generator And Editor For Creators
Descript can do almost everything you want as a podcaster or video marketer.
Let’s dissect its features to learn more.
Feature #1: Remote Podcast Recording
If you want to host multiple guests in a video or audio podcast, you’ll love Descript’s remote recording feature.
Descript recently partnered with SquadCast to enhance its podcast recording quality. So, now you can easily invite guests from any device to your show using an invitation link.
From there, Descript starts doing its thing.
First up, it records the video and audio of each participant locally. So, even a weak internet connection doesn’t impact the content quality (unlike what happens in Zoom call recordings).
Once the recording is completed, Descript combines files to create the final version of your show.
Plus, it automatically transcribes your whole show with timestamps and allows you to edit your content in the Descript editor (we’ll talk about that later).
We tested Descript’s remote recording feature with three participants and were surprised by its ease of use and efficient results. Inviting guests and joining a call is pretty straightforward, and the platform uses a clean interface with all the options like recording, screenshots, mute, etc.
For audio and video podcasters, this feature drastically reduces the recording and editing time, allowing you to focus more on content quality instead of the technicalities of online recording.
Feature #2: Video And Screen Recording
You can also use Descript AI as a dedicated video recorder.
It allows you to record using your webcam or an external camera. In addition, you can use multiple camera angles and combine them in a sequence using Descript’s editor.
But let’s discuss the core recording features first.
Descript offers HD multitrack video recording, allowing you to conveniently manage your video and audio files. You also have the option to automatically transcribe your videos and recordings.
There are three ways to use Descript for creating videos.
Screen Recording
You can use Descript as a screen recording tool for creating product tutorials, walkthroughs, how-to’s, and other explanatory content and presentations.
It’s also an excellent Loom alternative and can be used for asynchronous communication with clients or team members.
When recording the desktop screen, your camera view appears in a corner, and you can seamlessly switch between views, making it ideal for recording online course lessons.
Later, in the editing phase, you can add annotations and highlight specific sections of the video to make it easier to understand.
Webcam/External Camera
Descript lets you record directly from your webcam or external cameras for multiple angles. With this feature, you can capture HD video quality for your online courses, workshops, YouTube videos, and other types of online content.
You can also combine and sync video files from two cameras and make them appear like one file. Descript will keep each file’s audio and video tracks separate to help you edit them easily.
In addition, it automatically identifies the speakers during transcription and highlights their content separately, simplifying the editing phase.
Video From Text Script
Descript is not exactly an AI video generator like Pictory, but it allows you to turn your text script into video content in just a few steps.
Here’s how it works.
You can simply copy/paste your video text from any source into Descript and use its AI voices for narration.
Next, you can add stock visuals from Descript’s library or your desktop to turn your audio script into a video file.
Then, using Descript’s video editor, you can add different visual elements and transitions to make your video more engaging.
Overall, we found Descript quite a robust video recorder and generator for online content creators. Whether creating videos for your membership community, social media groups, or online courses, you’ll find the necessary tools in Descript to get the job done.
Feature #3: Auto-transcription
We’ve already mentioned the transcription feature a few times in this article.
Let’s cover it in more detail.
Descript allows you to automatically transcribe audio and video files when uploading them to your account. This option is also available for webcam, podcast, and screen recordings.
And its accuracy is quite impressive.
We tested Descript transcription maker by uploading an audio file, and it was almost flawless, except for a few words, even though the recording quality wasn’t great.
In addition, it automatically detected multiple speakers and highlighted their parts. This feature allows users to create dedicated scenes and audio tracks for each speaker, simplifying the editing phase. However, this feature isn’t as accurate and sometimes mixes up different speakers.
Descript currently supports 22 languages for transcription, including Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Malay, Turkish, Polish, and several others.
Once your content is transcribed, you can easily edit and transform it into multiple content types using Descript’s editor.
Feature #4: Robust AI-Voice Generator And Podcast Editor
Descript comes with excellent AI-voice generation capabilities that allow you to turn simple text into highly engaging podcasts, audio tracks for your video files, or audio versions of your blog posts and articles.
It offers various AI voices with different emotions and pitches to match your content’s mood.
Apart from the usual text-to-voice features that every voice generator offers, Descript has two distinct tools that make it much more helpful.
- Overdub
- Regenerate
What is overdubbing? You can use this feature to clone your voice for content generation. Descript only requires a short sample of your voice recording to replicate and process it. After that, you can use it to generate AI audio from any text.
Regenerate takes AI voice generation one step ahead and allows you to remove and replace parts of your content by regenerating audio.
In regular AI voice generators, there’s an awkward tone mismatch in files where you cut or remove certain parts of the audio.
Descript handles this by automatically adjusting the tone of your AI voice and even replacing awkward sentences with more accurate language seamlessly.
This is an excellent feature for podcasters because it allows them to modify their content without the listener noticing.
For example, you can use the Regenerate feature if a guest says something you want to rephrase in your podcast’s final version.
Similarly, you can completely replace a segment of your content without affecting the voice and environment of your audio file.
Feature #5: AI-Powered Video Editing
Editing is Descript’s biggest strength.
Underneath a simple user interface, it offers advanced audio and video editing features powered by AI that allow you to completely transform your content.
And the best part? It’s as easy as editing a text document or creating a PowerPoint presentation.
For example, adding a slash “/” before a sentence creates a separate scene where you can apply new visuals and effects.
Here are some of the main features of Descript’s content editor.
Text-Based Video Editing
We’ve discussed how Descript transcribes your audio/video content.
From there, most of the editing happens in the text editor, where you can add or remove parts of your video by editing the script.
So, for example, if you want to remove a sentence from your video, you won’t delete that scene or frame from the video track.
Instead, you’ll simply go to that part of your text script, select the text, and hit backspace.
And just like that, it’s removed from your video or audio.
Then, if you want to replace that part with a different dialogue, you can use the overdub or regenerate options we’ve discussed.
Audio/Video Enhancements
Similarly, whether you record a remote podcast or a video from your webcam, Descript improves its quality by giving your audio and video filters.
So, let’s say you recorded your video using your laptop’s built-in mic. Descript will automatically refine your voice, improve its quality, and make it sound like HD audio.
The same happens with video content.
Even if you’ve used a standard webcam, Descript improves, refines its quality, and makes it more presentable.
AI-powered Audio Editing
Descript has some handy audio editing tools that save time and simplify editing.
The first one is filler-word remover.
When you enable this feature, it automatically detects and removes the umms, aahs, and other useless parts of your audio.
This is super important for podcasters who regularly interview people because live interviews are often filled with these words and needlessly increase the duration of your content.
The second feature is the silence detector.
Again, Descript automatically detects prolonged silence (you can configure the duration) and lets you remove it from your script in one click.
Effects And Transitions
You can add attractive transitions between scenes, apply filters to enhance picture quality and use different visual elements like emojis and objects to make your content more engaging.
One of our favorite effects in Descript is eye contact.
If you record a video and find out you’re not directly looking at the camera, enable this effect, and Descript will adjust your eye position automatically.
AI-Powered Green Screen
Descript allows you to change your background even if you don’t have a green screen.
Using generative AI, it does a fabulous job of creating realistic video backgrounds to match your content style and theme.
Video Templates
You can use Descript’s video templates to create high-quality videos from text. Simply activate a template, replace the text, set the sequence, apply the desired effects, and your video is ready.
In short, Descript’s robust editor is the central place where you can make professional-graded audio and video enhancements to your content, even if you’ve never edited a video before.
Feature #6: Social Media Clips
Ever seen those fancy social media clips with highlighted captions, progress bars, and other engaging graphical elements?
With Descript, you can repurpose your regular videos or podcasts into engaging clips for short-form social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook & Instagram.
Just choose a template for your social media clip, add your content, and publish directly to your preferred network.
You can use this feature to create different types of audiograms, highlighted captions, animated visual elements, shared screen videos, and much more.
Feature #7: Audio/Video Publishing
When you create a video or podcast with Descript, there are ways to publish it for your audience.
You can push it directly to your preferred social network or podcast directory.
Or host it on a dedicated page with a unique URL provided by Descript.
This URL is the landing page for your content that you can promote through email marketing, social media posts, or use in advertising campaigns.
If you host your content on Descript, you can embed it in your blog posts and landing pages, making them more engaging without adding server load.
Descript Use Cases And Examples | Ways To Use It To Grow Your Business
We’ve described Descript’s core features in detail. Now, let’s discuss some of the ways you can use it as a content creator.
1. Audio and Video Podcasts
The most apparent use of Descript is creating audio and video podcasts. It provides robust features to interview remote guests and create high-quality video podcasts to stand out in your niche.
With its AI-speech feature, you can start a podcast without using your voice or face in your content.
2. Online Course Content
As an online course creator, you can use Descript in various ways.
For example, you can shoot video lessons using its screen recording feature or provide lesson transcripts to your course participants.
Similarly, you can polish your content by applying Descript’s audio/video filters and using its video templates.
3. Product Demos and Tutorials
If you’re an affiliate marketer or want to create product tutorials for your customers, Descript is the perfect solution. It gives you highly engaging screen recording features, using which you can zoom in to specific sections of your screen, highlight parts, and use your voice or AI speech in the background.
4. Viral Social Media Content
Creating viral social media content is among the best ways to enhance brand awareness, generate new leads, and increase sales.
With Descript’s audiogram templates and social media content designing tools, you can instantly turn your plain videos into highly engaging short-form content with a much better chance of going viral.
5. Repurposing Audio, Video, And Text Content
Creating content takes time and effort. So, it’s critical to repurpose every piece of content you publish into various formats to maximize your ROI.
Descript makes this super easy.
For example, if you have a blog post, you can use Descript to turn it into a video or an audio file with its AI-speech feature.
If you have a video, Descript will transcribe it for you so that you can add it to your website and boost your SEO rankings. Or pull quotes from it to use as social media snippets.
Similarly, if you have long videos, use Descript to create multiple social media clips.
And if you have a long audio podcast, turn it into short clips using audiogram templates and share it with your audience.
The possibilities are endless.
Descript Pricing & Free Trial | How Much Does It Cost?
Descript’s pricing structure is refreshingly user-friendly. Unlike similar products, Descript gives users access to all its core features irrespective of their subscription plan.
You can also use Descript for free, but only for 1hr per month. But that’s enough to give you a taste of its capabilities and decide whether to upgrade.
Premium plans start from $12/month, but the price changes if you add more users to your team.
But if you’re a professional content creator heavily invested in video content and podcasts, Descript’s Pro plan is the most suitable option. Starting from $24/month, this plan allows transcribing and editing up to 30 hours of content and unlimited access to almost all Descript features.
So, considering its features, Descript’s pricing plans are certainly among the most inviting in this industry.
Descript’s Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Has excellent text-based video editing features | It’s not entirely web-based and requires you to install a desktop app |
| Video editor is packed with features tailored for content creators | It doesn’t have a mobile app |
| Includes detailed tutorials that walk you through all its core features | It does not offer virtual avatars/presenters |
| User-friendly and easy-to-use | Speaker detection in auto transcription isn’t as accurate as Descript’s website claims. We have to manually fix incorrect detection several times |
| AI features like eye contact and filler word detector are quite accurate | Its AI video generation feature isn’t fully automated. You need to choose the visuals and background soundtracks yourself. |
Verdict | Is Descript Right For Content Creators
Descript isn’t perfect, but it’s certainly an impressive product.
We don’t recommend it for professional designers or videographers who require advanced editing and content processing tools.
However, Descript offers an excellent mix of convenience and features for content creators, online course sellers, and digital marketers who want to scale their businesses with videos and podcasts.
Plus, its pricing plans allow users to test and play with its features without breaking the bank.
If you plan to start a podcast or publish more videos in the coming months, Descript is the perfect tool.
Jeff Cobb, Founder of Learning Revolution
Jeff Cobb is an expert in online education and the business of adult lifelong learning. Over the past 20+ years he has built a thriving career based on that expertise – as an entrepreneur, a consultant, an author, and a speaker. Learning Revolution is a place where Jeff curates tips, insights, and resources to help you build a thriving expertise-based business. Learn more about Jeff Cobb here.
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