Descript Video Editor - Everything You Need to Know

Explore Descript video editor for AI video editing with transcripts and audio fixes. It's powerful, but for a cost-effective, feature-packed alternative with easier controls, CapCut stands out as the best option for effortless custom video editing.

descript video editor
CapCut
CapCut
Sep 22, 2025
10 min(s)

Descript video editor will get you out of the frustration of clumsy edits, bad sound, and time-intensive processes. It is important to know the correct usage process since it edits videos just like text, and it saves you hours. This guide will inform you about what Descript is, its functionality, and the most useful features. You will also find a step-by-step editing guide and pricing. Lastly, you will find out the facts about why CapCut is a more popular free, rich in features, and easy to use, alternative to create your own video with zero learning curve.

Table of content
  1. What is the Descript video editor
  2. The best Descript features
  3. How to use Descript video editor: Step by step
  4. Pricing structure of the Descript video editor
  5. The cost-effective and feature-rich option for video editing: CapCut
  6. What can you use an AI video editor for
  7. Conclusion
  8. FAQs

What is the Descript video editor

The Descript video editor is an artificial intelligence-based video and audio editing tool that makes it easier to edit videos and audio. It operates by typing out your videos, allowing you to edit the text to alter the video. It is simple to cut filler words, move clips around, or edit audio. This is because editing is like working on a document, rather than on a complex timeline. Descript saves time and produces professional outcomes without complex skills.

Descript video editor

The best Descript features

  • Multitrack editing: You can add and overlay audio, video, and graphics. It is ideal for editing podcasts, YouTube videos, and incorporating B-roll content to enhance storytelling.
  • Underlord: Built-in AI assistant: You receive an AI tool, which automates editing with easy prompts. It assists in the reuse of clips, the inclusion of chapter markers, and the recommendation of a better video flow.
  • Studio sound for audio cleanup: Clean up your background noise in real-time with AI-powered sound tools. This suits podcasters, YouTubers, and home studios that need good audio.
  • Green screen: You may change solid backgrounds with customizable images. It is excellent in presentations, tutorials, or creative work where professional effects are required.
  • Clips for social media: You get automatic identification of interesting shots in your footage. The tool uses them as pre-formatted clips on Tik Tok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.
  • Remove filter word: You can also filter out your transcript by deleting filler words such as um and uh. This allows your video to flow in a natural manner without interruptions.
  • AI avatars and stock voices: You can make narration videos using realistic AI avatars. It supports more than 20 languages, which is why it is ideal to localize and appeal to international audiences.

How to use Descript video editor: Step by step

    STEP 1
  1. Set up your Descript account and project

The first step is to create a free Descript account, no commitment to a paid plan required. Descript can be opened in your browser or downloaded to use on Mac or Windows.

Set up your Descript account and project

After logging in, you can click on the "New Project" on the dashboard, name it, and upload your footage. You may upload files, take direct recordings using your web camera or screen, or import via Zoom.

upload files
    STEP 2
  1. Edit using the Auto-generated transcript

Descript is a transcript generator that works automatically on your video. To ensure clarity in conversations (particularly in podcasts or interviews), you can assign speaker names. Editing your video works like editing a document; you can delete words, lines or parts and see your changes reflected in the preview panel. If the transcript is not perfect, you can simply click and type in the words. Optimize Descript Filler Word Removal to remove the typical crutch words such as um, uh, or you know. Next, put captions in the transcript so your video is easier to access.

Auto-generated transcript in Descript
    STEP 3
  1. Polish your video with smart tools

You can also add music, effects, progress bars, shapes, and text overlays to make your content more interesting and professional.

Polish your video
    STEP 4
  1. Final video review and export

Watch your video in the media player to check to see any mistakes, clumsy edits, or transcription problems. When satisfied, click "Export." You may share a link, or can download the video to your device, or can also export to platforms such as YouTube, Wistia, or Podbean.

Export the video

Pricing structure of the Descript video editor

Pricing structure of the Descript video editor

Descript is also good at smart editing. However, some advanced AI capabilities might be hidden behind more expensive plans. That is where CapCut comes in, being free and simple to operate with and having an arsenal of creative tools to edit your video in any way you want.

The cost-effective and feature-rich option for video editing: CapCut

The affordable and feature-limitless alternative to video editing is the CapCut desktop video editor, a video editing tool that is set to simplify the professional video editing process. Its auto caption generator enables you to make content more accessible and professional with automatic caption generation, which supports 23 languages. You have custom text options to customize font, size, and alignment to be creative. Begin video creating smarter today with CapCut!

Key features

  • Auto caption: You can create perfect subtitles without typing. This enhances accessibility, increases the level of engagement, and improves the performance of your videos on such platforms as YouTube or TikTok.
  • Remove filler words: CapCut's transcript feature can detect filler words like "um" or "uh," and you can remove filler words in one click.
  • Background remover: CapCut's background remover gives you the option to remove or change the background of your video within a few seconds.
  • Long video to shorts: You can convert a long video to shorts, which will assist in building short-form content for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
  • AI avatars: CapCut provides lots of AI avatars. You can also create your own avatars from photos or videos, make your video clear and understandable.
  • Music and sound effects: You may add royalty-free music and sound effects from CapCut's audio library. This boosts the mood, makes storytelling better, and makes your videos more entertaining to watch.
  • Diversity of visual effects: You are free to use filters, stickers, animations, and overlays. These artistic features make your videos look special and grab the attention of viewers fast.

Steps to use CapCut for editing eye-catching videos

    STEP 1
  1. Import the video

First, launch CapCut and go to "Media" and then click on "Import" to get your files uploaded to CapCut interface. After uploading, drag the files to the timeline to begin editing.

Import the video
    STEP 2
  1. Enhance the video

To improve your video and expand the video reach, go to the "Captions" tab present in the top menu bar. Click on the "Auto captions" or "Auto lyrics" tab present in the extreme left vertical bar. Select the caption language in which you need to generate. You can stylize the captions your way by selecting a custom style from the templates tab.

Add captions to the video

Next, you can apply stickers, filters, or effects by accessing each of them from the top menu bar. This will improve the aesthetic appeal of your video.

Apply stickers, filters, etc. to the video

You can also add audio from the "Audio" tab, located in the top menu bar. You can also enjoy creative editing freedom for each voice through speed and volume control. You can also apply a fade-in or fade-out effect, or you can balance loudness or eliminate noise.

Add and edit audio
    STEP 3
  1. Export the video

After you are satisfied with the content of your video, select the "Export" tab that appears in the upper right corner and then click on it. Then, select your desired custom frame rate, bit rate, format, and resolution. Finally, click on the "Export" tab in order to save the file to your local device.

Export the high-quality video

What can you use an AI video editor for

  • Make popular short videos in no time: You can use the long video to shorts option of CapCut to cut a long video into short popular videos in seconds. It is ideal when you need to turn a YouTube tutorial into a TikTok video or transform webinars into Instagram reels, which you can harness without resorting to the manual editing feature.
  • Create custom product promotion videos: The AI video maker of CapCut will assist you in creating product advertisements within minutes. You are able to include logos, product images, and music that suit your brand style. As an illustration, you can design a seasonal sale video with text overlays and trending sounds to appeal to buyers within a short time.
  • Create visual news using audio recording: With the help of CapCut, the AI avatars can lip-read digital humans and present the news using interview transcripts and audio. This enables you to create professional visual narrations out of the raw interviews, which would fit well in an online publication or on YouTube news outlets.
  • Prepare multilingual public service advertisements: With an AI translator and auto bilingual captions on CapCut, it is possible to make worldwide campaigns reachable. Think of creating a charity video in English that immediately adds captions in Spanish or French to reach an even larger audience and increase the level of donations across the globe.
  • Repair damaged videos: CapCut tools assist you in returning life to older family videos. You may minimize noise in images, sharpen them, and repair contrasted colors. It comes in handy, particularly when you wish to digitize and share childhood memories of higher quality.

Conclusion

The Descript video editor simplifies the editing process by converting footage into text so that you can cut, polish, and refine easily. You have already heard about its main features, step-by-step work, and cost policy. Although Descript is powerful, it has its limits, which are tied to plans and complexity. CapCut stands out there as a free, full-featured, and easy-to-use alternative. CapCut is the best way to edit your own videos with background removal, auto captions, and creative effects, without any difficulty. Get started today with CapCut.

FAQs

    1
  1. How accurate is Descript's transcription feature?

The transcription option of the Descript video editor is very precise and can be as high as 95 percent or more when the recording is clear. The quality of the audio used, the background noise, and the clarity of the speaker are all that determine accuracy. Edits can be easily made, and it is easy to correct errors in the transcript. To get a bit more polish, you can also consider CapCut auto-captions or the transcript tool, which guarantees the final video has a set of subtitles that are free of errors across the board.

    2
  1. What types of files can I import into Descript AI video editor?

You can import a wide range of files into Descript, including audio (MP3, WAV, AAC), video (MP4, MOV, AVI), and screen recordings. You may also drag and drop Zoom calls, podcasts, or YouTube downloads directly. However, Descript video editor requires a high cost for advanced features. If you prefer a cost-effective video editor with more creative control, CapCut supports similar formats while offering advanced features like transcript and auto caption.

    3
  1. Does Descript support multiple languages for AI voices?

Yes, Descript has more than 20 languages of AI-generated voices, which is why it is applicable to multilingual projects. Nonetheless, in case you require bilingual captions, translations, or AI avatars, CapCut offers more features that will offer your content to the rest of the world with minimal input.

Hot and trending