Descript Reviews

I'm not a video editor by any means. In fact, I've been using all sorts of different software over the past few years and I just didn't find anything that was really easy to use -- until Descript.

As somebody who is a heavy content creator, I needed to start creating video content and it was really hard because I had to rely on others to edit the videos for me. Now with Descript I can do it myself which is super powerful and saves a lot of time. My favorite features are "shorten word gaps" and "remove filler words". Everybody thinks I'm a magician when I show the my videos post-production.

Descript has changed the entire scope of my work and how I do my job. It's much easier than any other software tool that I've used. I love how easy it is to use, the interface is very intuitive, it's very quick and simple. My friends and teams love Descript too.

Don't be scared! All you need to do is upload your original video or record a video directly in the software and then edit it out later or add text or change the voice if you want. It's really great.

I also love the collaboration aspect of Descript.

It takes a LONG time to download high-quality videos.

My favorite aspect of this software is the ability to delete filler words, shorten pauses between phrases and make my guests sound so much better than they do in the rough interview track. I love being able to edit the audio file by deleting things from the transcribed text and being able to go back and forth between editing in the text and editing in the audio file. The last episode I edited on descript cut 20 minutes off the interview. Then I bring that edited track into garage band to add intro/outro music, etc. ( i know I’m supposed to be able to do all this inside descript but I haven’t taken the time to learn how to do that.

Poor transcription of non native speakers. Not knowing how to add in existing transcript and match it with the raw interview track before editing.

Descript is a strong collection of audio tools that just weren't available when I started making podcasts. The ability to organise, collaborate and publish an audio project in the cloud with a friendly interface is great and used to be a huge pain to figure out. Editing audio with the transcript and the waveform at the same time allows you to skip a bunch of technicalities and focus on your creativity. Video capabilities expand the possibilities, and the overall suite of tools make me rethink entirely what podcast editing can or should be in a good way.

Stability is the biggest problem I have with this. After working on about a lot of different projects with different collaborators, I'm still coming up against things that make it freeze, make it crash, or break a project (usually salvageable at least), and end up needing to work around issues to keep things rolling.

Also, while Descript has a lot of features, in comparison to any long-standing audio software it leaves so much to be desired. There are many missing tools that would add a lot of room for creativity and technical cleanup. Things like audio meters, noise gate, spectrum analysis, filters to automate creatively, ducking, but also the more unexpected effects like reverb, stereo delay, pitch shifting, layered FX, these are all things podcasters of any kind might want to use for effect at some point and many folks I know can't, or don't want to tell their stories without them.

This is especially true for video which misses on some basic transformations like rotation for text and images.

I love that to edit the audio or video, you just make the edits in the transcription instead of trying to find the exact place in the audio file. Makes it so much easier! My favorite is that it can take out all the "filler words" like "um" in about 2 clicks and make the audio sound great! So much faster than how I was doing it before with having to listen and take them out one at a time.

There are constant updates to the software, about 1 a week. This can be annoying since there is always a pop-up that says you need to update and restart almost everytime I open the app. Also, if you have multiple accounts (I have multiple clients I work with), it is hard to sign out of one account and then sign into another. Not sure why this isn't straightforward, but often when I sign out of one account and then try to sign into another, it just puts me back into the same account.

It's very easy to use as a novice. There are lots of functionality buried within that I know I'm not utilizing, but I don't need it to get my job done. I love the ability to edit the audio by editing text and adding music onto my podcast voice files is straightforward. This is by far the easiest editing tool I've tried.

There are lots of features that I know exist but that I don't see or that I don't know how or when I should use them. This is on me to learn, but I do wish tools would provide access to mini-tutorials from within the main workspace so that when you are working you could better identify whether that functionality you've never used might help to solve your problem.

This software utilizes the experience of using a word processor, and harnesses it to help make an editing process that is intuitive, easy, and efficient. This makes it a time saver for me, and I have been able to teach non-design and non-tech colleagues how to use it in order to share the production work across various projects with ease.

Initially, the transcript and audio functions worked excellently, while the video was still a but rough. Now, though, Descript has spent several months upgrading and updating their platform so that the video editing is much more seamless and more can be done through the platform to produce great videos. The overdub is clever and helpful, but requires quite a bit of honing to get high-quality results.

Taking out filler words takes only a few seconds - this is an amazing feature that can save HOURS of time. Not only does it work for audio, but the video is nearly seamless when using this feature.

Due to it being on the cloud, the video is slow to respond when editing.

I love that I can basically edit my podcast episodes by working with what is essentially a word doc. The auto transcriptions are super helpful for pulling quote, clips, and soundbites - especially if I ever go back through and just want to skim the content (without having to listen for a specific section of the episode.

I don't have many cons to share. If I were using the transcripts as part of my finished product I might like them to be a bit more accurate, but it looks like there are frequent updates to make them more and more spot on (with easy enough features to customize and dial in the exact transcript where needed).

It takes a completely unique approach to media editing, with the content and concept as focus instead of just abstract files.

When I get used to a function it changes quickly with updates affecting work flow. However sometimes the changes are easier.

Ease of editing by working with the transcript and not the video & audio only.

The continual updates. Seriously this has got to stop. Every single week a button has moved or been added or changed shape. Please stop. I would pay triple to stop the changes.

I got this tool for captioning initially, now I use it for all my videos. It's easy to use and the support was good. I also found creative ways to use the timeline to animate images. The control over audio gain, compression etc.

No COPY and PASTE function for video clips.
How clips are pinned is still a bit of a mystery to me.
Inability to save editing templates.
No green screen support.
Why do clips shorten from the back?

I love that Descript makes editing video and audio content so easy. And the transcriptions are so accurate it's scary! This software has saved me countless hours but more importantly removes so many barriers that keep people from getting started with creating video and audio content.

The editor UI is a bit clunky and compressed, I feel like the editor area should be larger which might make it even easier to use.

love that the transcripts are very accurate
the product has so many features and i am learning new features everyday
love that i can eliminate 4-5 pieces of software
love that i can create audio grams
very easy for editing text and video

there are so many features, it does have a long learning curve with some of its functions
the demo videos are a little confusing and I had to watch them a few times to figure out how exactly to do certain things.

The product is pretty easy to use straight off the bat but its when you get the transcripts back that things really get interesting. The way the text and audio/video files are linked is totally special. You can change one and the other follows. You can copy and paste text and the media comes along too. Once you've compiled your rough you can export

Software feels a bit slower and bloated now due to the addition of the editing features - and a bit more sensitive to handle. I have to be more accurate when I click!

The speed with which I can turn recorded audio into something I can meaningfully edit from without having to listen and re-listen and try to keep audio sections in mind.

I would like additional audio processing options (AU plug-in support?), and there are still times where a new update will significantly slow down the application.
The ability to watch / listen to published pages on mobile still seems somewhat lacking.

The transcription and editing capabilities is are what I use most. I can edit a podcast and have it blog ready in a very short amount of time. I like that I can edit out filler words painlessly with the touch of a button. Also, the tutorials have been a huge help AND the couple of times I've needed to reach out for help, I've found the Customer Support to be responsive and friendly. No downtime necessary to get my questions answered in a fast and timely manner.

I'd like to see the voice recognition and transcription continue to be improved. Descript does a great job, but the better it becomes, the faster I get due to having less corrections. Still, my editing is a simpler process now than it was before.

The biggest strength of the Descript is its ability to cut video directly from the transcript. This saves so much time because you don't have to go back and forth between apps or do any editing before you can share your video on social media or other platforms. Another strength of Descript is that it allows me to remove filler words like "uhm" and "ah" from my videos really quickly. This helps me cut down on excess wordage so I can create shorter clips for social media posts without losing anything important in the process!

Like all software, Descript isn’t perfect. My biggest gripe with it is its transcription. It’s not the most accurate I’ve experienced. But it seems to be improving over time. Another con is that it does struggle with larger video files in my experience, and there are bugs that consistently have to be ironed out. However, with that said, the team does continue to work and improve the quality.

It's a life saver for editing audio. Never again will I edit audio blindly - Descript is SO helpful in storytelling, and scripting narrations, and overall getting a better grasp on what you have in your audio. I love being able to add multiple compositions into a single project - it keeps things wonderfully organized.

The recent update to removing filler words has been cutting off words from either side of the filler word.

Descript is the easiest editing software I've ever used. I'm no multimedia expert, but I felt so capable of creating great content thanks to Descript's product features. The editor feature in particular - with how you can cut and paste within the transcript itself - is phenomenal

There are some subtleties to the product that are difficult to learn. I had to watch some help videos multiple times to be able to understand, especially when it came to importing and combining multiple audio files.

Using the transcription to edit audio and video completely changes the game - so much time is saved by being able to use the text to guide exactly when to clip.

Responsiveness is still a bit laggy, and compared to other multi-track editors, this still feels at times unwieldy. Transcriptions could also be more accurate, as going through and changing them can take quite a lot of time.

There is absolutely nothing in this world that is easier to use than Descript. It has saved me HOURS of work compared to Camtasia (which is really complicated and hard to learn). You can cut parts out of the video by deleting words from a transcript that Descript automatically generates, and remove filler words (um, ah) with a single click. The final video is better than when I use Camtasia to cut things down to the millisecond. It's a genius piece of software and everyone should try it.

There are a lot of features I know I'm not utilizing enough.

I love the fact that it is sooooo easy to create small snippets and make them ready for social in such a small amount of time.

some of the features I want are not high on the priority list, I wish that wasn't the case but I guess all users feel the same.

Having visual access to an audio edit is a game changer! Gone are the days of time-coded confusing and long winded client feedback, Descript allows me and my edit team access to quickly create and amend transcribed podcasts.

I would like to see improved audio mixing capabilities, via Waves and Izotope plug in integrations.

This makes editing audio podcasts a real joy. I love it.

No dark mode.

When I'm editing a specific section and I hit play the timeline will move with the playhead and I'll have to zoom out and return to the spot I'm editing to further fine tune.

Shortcuts are being added quickly and I am feeling lost. Would love a 1 on 1 coaching session on how to get the most out of the software. I would pay for it if I had to.

I like most the automatic transcription and the ability to edit in TEXT rather than in waveform. For podcasting, Descript cuts 90% of my editing time. It is such a productivity booster and allows me to spend more time on editing the content, the flow, arranging pieces, etc.

File management can be confusing. Text editing interface could be a tad more fluent. I demand German language transcription :-).