Descript

Descript, from Descript. Editing video and podcasts by editing the transcript.

What it does well

• Cutting a recorded lecture or presentation by deleting words in the transcript
• Removing filler words and long pauses
• Cleaning up bad room audio
• Captions for accessibility

What it does poorly

• Cloning someone else's voice
• Frame-precise editing for film work

What makes it different

The transcript is the editor: delete a sentence and the video cut follows. An AI co-editor can do rough cuts from instructions.

Quick start

1. Import a recording and wait for the transcript.
2. Delete a sentence in the text and watch the video update.
3. Run filler-word removal and review each cut.
4. Export with burned-in captions.

Strengths and limits

• Strength: Very fast rough cuts
• Strength: Good audio cleanup
• Strength: Captions included
• Limit: Free export limits
• Limit: Voice features raise consent issues

Privacy

Recordings are uploaded to Descript. Get consent from everyone in them.

Academic integrity

Disclose synthetic voice or AI-generated footage.