Descript: AI-Powered Video & Podcast Editing Guide
Edit videos and podcasts by editing text with Descript. Learn about transcript editing, filler word removal, Overdub, screen recording, and pricing.
Best AI Tools 2026
February 22, 2026
Descript reimagined video and podcast editing around a revolutionary concept: editing media by editing text. Instead of dragging clips on a timeline, you edit a transcript and the video or audio updates to match. Delete a sentence from the transcript, and that segment disappears from the video. Rearrange paragraphs, and the video reorders itself. For creators who are more comfortable with documents than timelines, Descript makes editing intuitive rather than intimidating.
The Transcript-First Approach
Import any video or audio file and Descript automatically generates a highly accurate transcript in seconds. Your media now looks like a document. To remove a section, highlight the text and press delete. To rearrange, cut and paste text paragraphs. To trim dead air, Descript identifies and removes gaps automatically. Every text edit is reflected in the underlying media in real-time. You can still access a traditional timeline view when needed, but most editing happens in the document view where you can read and edit your content like a blog post.
Killer Features
Filler Word Removal automatically detects and removes "um," "uh," "like," "you know," and other verbal fillers from your recording with one click. This alone saves hours of manual editing. Overdub is Descript's AI voice cloning feature. Train it on your voice, and you can type new words into the transcript that Descript speaks in your voice. Made a mistake? Mispronounced something? Type the correction and Overdub generates the audio without re-recording. Studio Sound enhances audio quality by removing background noise, echo, and room reverb, making any recording sound like it was captured in a professional studio. Eye Contact adjusts the speaker's gaze so they appear to look directly at the camera, even if they were reading off-screen notes.
Video Editing Capabilities
Beyond transcript editing, Descript includes a full video editor with scenes (slide-like compositions), templates, text overlays, animations, and transitions. Screen recording captures your screen with webcam overlay for tutorials and presentations. Green Screen removes backgrounds without a physical green screen. Captions are generated automatically and can be styled and positioned. Social Media Export resizes videos for different platforms with one click. The combination of transcript editing and traditional tools gives you both speed and control.
Podcast-Specific Features
Podcasters benefit from Descript's multitrack editing, which handles recordings with multiple speakers seamlessly. Each speaker gets their own transcript track. Publishing directly distributes your podcast to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms. Show notes are generated automatically from the transcript. Audiograms create shareable video clips with waveform animations from podcast highlights. For interview podcasts, the ability to edit by transcript makes removing tangents, tightening answers, and restructuring conversations dramatically faster.
Collaboration
Descript is built for teams. Multiple editors can work on the same project simultaneously with real-time collaboration. Comments and highlights in the transcript facilitate feedback. Version history tracks all changes with the ability to revert. Permissions control who can view, comment, or edit. For media teams producing regular content, this collaborative workflow eliminates the back-and-forth of file sharing and revision rounds.
Pricing
The free plan includes 1 hour of transcription and basic editing features. The Hobbyist plan at $24/month provides 10 hours of transcription, filler word removal, Studio Sound, and export without watermark. The Business plan at $33/month adds 30 hours of transcription, Overdub voice cloning, green screen, and team collaboration. Enterprise plans include custom pricing with unlimited transcription and advanced admin features.
Getting Started
Download Descript from descript.com for macOS or Windows. Import a video or audio file and experience the transcript-first workflow. Try the filler word removal feature on a podcast recording — the time savings alone justify exploring the tool. For YouTube creators, the combination of screen recording, transcript editing, and automatic captions creates an incredibly efficient production pipeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
For talking-head videos, podcasts, tutorials, and social media content, yes. Descript handles 90% of what most creators need. For complex visual effects, color grading, or cinematic editing, you may still need Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. Many creators use Descript for rough cuts and finish in traditional editors.
Descript's transcription is highly accurate for clear English audio, typically above 95% accuracy. It handles multiple speakers, different accents, and technical vocabulary well. You can correct any errors directly in the transcript, and the corrections improve future transcriptions.
Overdub clones your voice so you can type corrections into the transcript and have them spoken in your voice. You can only clone your own voice (Descript requires consent verification). It is designed for fixing mistakes and minor edits, not for impersonating others.