Hey everyone,

In tomorrow’s live Q&A, I’m going deep on all the new stuff in version 91 of Descript. The entire UI has changed and along with it there are some cool new features, mostly involving AI.

Live Q&A - June 7, 2024 (Tomorrow!)

Click here to watch at 12:30pm PST.

Descript Mastery Course Overhaul

Along with the update to Descript, I am heads down redoing the entire course. Hoping to release it around mid-week next week!

If you’re already a student, you’ll retain access to the new version.

As always, please share your feedback and ideas. I make video lessons & Youtube content for every question I receive.

Have a great weekend,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

Hey everyone,

Descript rolled out a major update for version 90.

Aside from the entire properties bar changing, the Ask AI features are now called ‘Underlord.’ Kind of a weird naming choice in my opinion, but it is what it is.

Why ‘Underlord’? No clue.

Live Q&A - May 24, 2024 (Tomorrow!)

Click here to watch at 12:30pm PST.

Descript Mastery Course Overhaul

Along with the UI changes to Descript, I am redoing the entire course in the coming weeks.

If you’re already a student, you’ll retain access to the new version.

And if you’re not a student yet, click here to enroll.

As always, please share your feedback and ideas. I make video lessons & Youtube content for every question I receive.

Have a great weekend,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

Hey everyone,

Just a quick email today to let you know that I’m doing a free livestream on Youtube in one hour (12:30pm PST). Feel free to tune in with your questions or just watch to learn something new about Descript!

Click here to watch.

Also, a major update to Descript is coming in the next month so I’ll be creating a brand new version of the course for when that drops. If you’re already a student, don’t worry, you will maintain access to the latest version. And if you’re not a student yet, what are you waiting for??

Descript News & Updates

Version 89 of Descript is here! Another minor update this week as Descript prepares for the big new version coming out in a few weeks!

Here’s what you need to know:

As always, please share your feedback and ideas. I make video lessons & Youtube content for every question I receive.

Have a great weekend,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

Hey everyone,

These emails contain helpful content creation tips and news as well as the latest updates to the course and to Descript itself.

Reminder: I do a free livestream on Youtube every Friday at 2:30pm CST. Bring your Descript questions to this week’s session, click here to see event. (4/26/2024 @ 2:30pm CST)

Generate Original Music for your Projects

[not sponsored or affiliated, just something I’ve been having fun with the past few days]

Udio is a free tool that generates original music based off a text prompt.

For example, I told it “generate a song about a company called Descript Mastery that teaches people how to use Descript, pop“ and this is the result.

Pretty cool!

The [Near] Future of Video

This video about Adobe Firefly has been taking the internet by storm.

In the near future, you’ll be able to add and remove objects in your videos just by selecting them, generate original b-roll, and even change the clothes of the people in your video.

Tip of the Week - Project Structure

Here’s a quick video on understanding the Descript project structure:

Descript News & Updates

Version 88 of Descript is here! This marks a shift in Descript’s focus from constantly pushing out new and unpolished features in favor of focusing on fixing bugs and stability.

Here’s what you need to know:

As always, please share your feedback and ideas. I make video lessons & Youtube content for every question I receive.

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

Hey everyone,

These emails contain the latest updates to the course, to Descript itself, and interesting content creation tips and news.

Reminder: I run a free AMA on Youtube every Friday at 2:30pm CST. To tune in to this week’s session, click here. (4/12/2024 @ 2:30pm CST)

Since my last email, I have updated ~30% of all Descript Mastery course lessons to address changes to the software and it’s UI. I also added some net new lessons related to new features and frequently asked questions.

If it’s been awhile since you last logged in, check out what’s new by clicking the link to the course homepage: Course Homepage

Descript Bootcamp

The first ever Descript Mastery Bootcamp is going on right now!

The Bootcamp is an intensive, daily program where students build out a portfolio of Descript projects with guidance and support along the way.

If you’re interested in participating in a future cohort, please fill out the interest form by clicking here. (Cohort 2 is tentatively set to begin in mid-May 2024)

Tip of the Week - Webcam Circle

Here’s a quick video on how to make your webcam recording view into a circle.

Descript News & Updates

Version 87 is here!

Here’s what you need to know:

TLDR: today’s update has to do with how you can select layers in the New Timeline i.e. one scene at a time or across all scenes in which that layer exists.

As always, please share your feedback and ideas. I make video lessons/Youtube content for every question I receive.

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

P.S. Descript Mastery now has an affiliate program so you can make some cash (50% of a new student’s tuition) by referring people to the course! To sign up as an affiliate, follow this link: http://descriptmastery.promotekit.com

Hey everyone,

These emails contain the latest updates to the course, to Descript itself, and interesting content creation tips and news.

Reminder: I have free Office Hours every Tuesday at 1:30pm CST. To register for tomorrow (3/19) afternoon’s session, click here.

Tip of the Week - Zooms (in New Timeline)

Here’s a quick video on adding Zooms to your video.

Descript News & Updates

Version 85 is here!

Here’s what you need to know:

TLDR: ability to label speaker using highlights or the Range Tool and new ignore capabilities.

Youtube

I’ve been busy answering questions on Youtube. Here’s some of the latest content:

As always, please share your feedback and ideas. I make video lessons/Youtube content for every question I receive.

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

P.S. Descript Mastery now has an affiliate program so you can make some cash (50% of a new student’s tuition) by referring people to the course! To sign up as an affiliate, follow this link: http://descriptmastery.promotekit.com

Hey everyone,

These emails contain the latest updates to the course, to Descript itself, and interesting content creation tips and news.

Reminder: I have free Office Hours every Tuesday at 1:30pm CST. To register for this afternoon’s session, click here.

Tip of the Week - Eye Contact

I did some testing of the Eye Contact feature to learn how to get the best results possible.

Hint: the closer you can be to your camera, the better!

Make some money!

Descript Mastery now has an affiliate program so you can make some cash (50% of a new student’s tuition) by referring people to the course! To sign up as an affiliate, follow this link: http://descriptmastery.promotekit.com

Descript News & Updates

Version 84 is here!

TLDR: new AI Action for Find all Highlights, AI Deletion, and a few minor bug fixes.

Here’s what you need to know:

Youtube

I’ve been busy answering questions on Youtube. Here’s some of the latest content:

As always, please share your feedback and ideas. I make video lessons/Youtube content for every question I receive.

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

Hey everyone,

These emails contain the latest updates to the course, to Descript itself, and interesting content creation news.

Sora - AI Video

Sora is a new tool from OpenAI that is taking the internet by storm. With nothing but a text prompt, it generates realistic video.

The days of video editing and human involvement in video might be in it’s final years…

Check it out: https://openai.com/sora

Course & Service Updates

Account Issues: It’s come to my attention that some users aren’t able to access the course. It seems to only effect members who signed up with Descript Mastery back when it was in beta i.e. before about November 2023. If you’re effected and you cannot access the course, send me an email (ross@descriptmastery.com) and I’ll get you back in. My sincerest apologies for the inconvenience!

Pricing Change: Due to growing demand, I've made some updates to my tutoring rates and packages. However, if you’ve booked a session with me previously, I value our work together, and I'm happy to extend the rate you paid at our last session indefinitely.

This means you won't be impacted by the price increase for future sessions. If you have any questions or want to discuss scheduling, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Community: I’m excited to announce that there is now a Skool community for Descript Mastery and it’s free to join!

The vision for this community is that it’s a place for you to ask questions, share your Descript projects, and connect with other Descript content creators.

Link to join: https://www.skool.com/descript-mastery-5888/about

Descript News & Updates

Version 83 is here!

TLDR: new AI stock voice, more layer control on titles, more customization on speaker labels, UI changes, and a fix to the screen recorder on MacOS.

Here’s what you need to know:

Future Course Updates

In the coming days, my focus is on adding lessons to the “Descript-adjacent” skills modules. Expect lessons on camera setup, Youtube optimization, how to get started as a freelance video editor, and more.

Let me know what else you’d like to see added!

And as always, please share your feedback and ideas. I add video lessons for every question I receive.

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

Hey Descript Masters,

These emails contain the latest updates to the course and to Descript itself.

How To Make a Video Using Descript’s AI

Just for fun (and to demonstrate the Ask AI capabilities), I made this video for Youtube using AI.

AI brainstormed the idea, outlined the script, then wrote the script.

All I did was add the visuals.

Hopefully you have as much fun watching it as I had making it! :)

Ask AI Module

The Ask AI module now has five lessons from idea generation to writing to editing and finally publishing.

Click here to see the entire module [must be a member of the course to access].

Descript News & Updates

Version 82 is here!

The biggest change this time around is an improvement to the Screen Recorder. Now, it will begin uploading your quick recordings to the cloud while you’re still recording so that they can be viewed almost immediately after you hit stop.

Here’s what you need to know:

Future Course Updates

In the coming days, my focus is on adding editing projects to do alongside the course.

Let me know what else you’d like to see added! Also, please share your feedback and ideas. I add video lessons for every question I receive.

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

P.S. The course is getting more students every day. I don’t have an automated referral system but if you refer a friend or share it on social media and someone signs up from it, let me know you sent them and I’ll send you a 50% commission. 😀

Hey Descript Masters,

These emails contain the latest updates to the course and to Descript itself.

AI Module

A huge focus for Descript in 2024 (and the whole world really!) is adding more AI tools to it’s platform.

As such, I’ve created a new module in the course (Module 21) where I am adding lessons on how to use the Ask AI functionality.

Click here to see the lesson.

Animation Lesson [Update]

Descript added some new functionality to the Animation feature in the latest version update last week.

Because of that, I’ve updated the Animation lesson to show you what’s new and how to apply it.

Click here to go to the lesson.

Descript News & Updates

Version 81 is here!

The biggest change this time around is an update to Animations. Now, you have more control over how quickly the animation happens (see the new course lesson above for more).

Here’s what you need to know:

Syncing Audio and Video Layers

Descript Mastery homepage: check the Workflows section to find this lesson

Today I added a new workflow video. This one is a walkthrough on how to sync an audio layer and video layer when using an external microphone.

Squadcast Workflow

This workflow is how to setup remote recording in Squadcast, execute the recording, then Edit in Descript.

What’s Coming

In the coming days, my focus is on adding more AI lessons to the course.

Let me know what else you’d like to see added!

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

P.S. The course is getting more students every day. I don’t have an automated referral system but if you refer a friend or share it on social media and someone signs up from it, let me know you sent them and I’ll send you a 25% commission (25% of their tuition). 😀

Hey Descript Masters,

These emails contain the latest updates to the course and to Descript itself.

Templates Masterclass

Last email I mentioned the two new sections of the course: the Workflow and Templates Masterclass sections.

Descript Mastery course homepage showing the two new sections: Workflows & Templates

The Templates Masterclass now has ~40 minutes of content.

The first five lessons cover how to make and apply each of Descript’s four types of templates:

1. built-in, pre-made templates

2. copying and pasting layouts (not true templates but highly useful)

3. making a template within a project

4. making a template from scratch

Then, there are four more lessons going into common errors I see people make with templates and how to troubleshoot and fix them.

The lessons are designed for you to watch it then practice the skill in your own project.

To login and access the new section, here’s the link: https://www.descriptmastery.com/templates-masterclass

Descript News & Updates

Version 80 is here! With it comes lots of changes and improvements.

Here’s what you need to know:

Use Your iPad as a Whiteboard

I made a quick tutorial on how to use your iPad as a whiteboard with Descript. (note: requires an iPad and Mac computer.)

Use Your iPad as a Whiteboard

Wouldn't it be awesome if you could use your iPad as a whiteboard to help explain things?‍ Well, you can! - Quick Tips - Learn Descript

www.descriptmastery.com/post/use-your-ipad-as-a-whiteboard/

What’s Coming

In the coming days, I’ll be adding significantly to the Workflows section of the course so keep your eye out for a tutorial on multi-cam interviews using Squadcast with other lessons to follow.

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

P.S. The course is getting more students every day. I don’t have an automated referral system but if you refer a friend or share it on social media and someone signs up from it, let me know you sent them and I’ll send you a 25% commission (25% of their tuition). 😀

Hey Descript Masters,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Massive changes to the course this week with more coming in the first few weeks of 2024.

Today in 5 minutes or less:

✔️ Descript News & Updates: Version 79

✔️ Course Updates: New Workflow and Templates Sections Added

Descript News & Updates

Version 79 is here! With it comes lots of changes and improvements.

Here’s what you need to know:

Version 79 - AI Action Improvements and New Canvas Options

Introducing Two New Sections

You will notice two brand new sections to the course: the Workflow and Templates sections.

Descript course dashboard showing how to access the new sections.

Workflows Section

The Workflows section is where I add long-form, complete workflow tutorials for different types of projects.

The first lesson in there so far is a software demo/screenshare workflow.

It is designed so you can see exactly how I would go about editing that type of project. Then, you can edit a similar project of your own alongside me.

Lessons are tagged for difficulty level and type of project.

Future workflow lessons will include: talking head, interview (single camera), multi-camera, cinematic, and more.

Suggestions for lesson types? Please share by replying to this email and I’ll add it to the queue!

Templates Masterclass

The Templates Masterclass is designed to teach you everything you need to know to make and use templates.

Templates, if you haven’t used them yet, are Descript presets.

You can templatize zooms, titles, captions, sounds effects, layouts, and much more.

Looking forward to 2024

I hope you are as excited as I am for the new year!

I have a lot planned for the course to make it even better for you. I’m grateful for your feedback and do my best to quickly make changes when I receive it.

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Hey Descript Masters,

Welcome to the Descript Mastery newsletter where I share Descript Tips, updates to the course, updates to Descript itself, and share interesting tips from the world of content creation.

Descript Tip of the Week

This week, it’s not a single tip but rather a 2.5 hour tutorial! One thing I heard over and over from students is that all the tutorials on Youtube are too fast and unclear. This is my attempt to fix that.

Descript News & Updates

Version 78 of Descript is here!

Here’s what you need to know:

Events & Announcements

Webinar: On the last day of every month, I host a free live webinar going over Descript questions, updates, and workflows. To register for the December webinar, sign up on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/748759709447

Short One

Short newsletter this week but I have lots of new course videos in the queue and updates in the coming weeks. Stay posted for those!

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Descript Mastery

Creator News and Tips

🧑🏽‍💻 Your friends and family are NOT your audience.

🧠 How to get creative.

⚒️ This tool allows you to A/B test your titles and thumbnails automatically. (I’m not affiliated and I have not used it yet, just interesting)

Descript just keeps getting better and better. I’m seeing more professional editors switch over from legacy softwares every week.

Hey Descript Masters,

Welcome to the Descript Mastery newsletter where I share Descript Tips, updates to the course, updates to Descript itself, and share interesting tips from the world of content creation.

Descript Tip of the Week

If transcriptions are an important part of your workflow, you may find yourself wishing you could just drop files in bulk and have them all uploaded for later review.

Well, it turns out you can!

With an easy [and free] Zapier Zap, you can drop files in bulk into Google Drive or Dropbox, send them to Descript, and automatically get them transcribed.

See the video below to learn how to do it.

Descript News & Updates

Descript rolled out some very cool new AI features late last week!

One such feature is AI Show Notes which will automatically generate a short summary of your video or podcast based on the transcript. You can then take that summary and use it as the episode’s description, post it to your website, or use it on social media to promote your new content.

Another new feature is AI Youtube Description. It generates a description for Youtube including keywords for SEO and discoverability and timestamps based on key topics in the video.

If you haven’t played around with the Ask AI tool yet in Descript, give it a shot! It’s a game changer for video editing and Descript tells us they are going to be adding tons of new capabilities to it in the coming months.

Course Updates

Updates, additions, and improvements to the Descript Mastery course. [note: videos with links are cross-posted to Youtube. Ones without links can only be found on the course]

Events & Announcements

Webinar: On the last day of every month, I host a free live webinar going over Descript questions, updates, and workflows. To register for the November webinar, sign up on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/748759709447

Job Board: I’m excited to announce my latest project: a niche Descript editor job board to match creators with Descript editors. To get on the waitlist as an editor or as a creator looking to hire an editor, click here.

Training: There are now packages available for one-on-one Descript tutoring sessions. Prices range from $45-$60 per hour.

Creating Creators

My mission here is to create creators through Descript.

I want to help more people learn Descript than anyone else on the internet.

So please, if you have questions or feedback on how to make any of my products better, including this newsletter, don’t hesitate to let me know.

Cheers,

Ross Zeiger

Questions from the Week

🚫: De-essing using Studio Sound

🤷‍♂️: Has Studio Sound moved?

🪐: Descript Support Is Like Communicating with someone on Pluto

Descript is a powerful and versatile video editing software that is perfect for creators of all levels. 2023 was the year that it became the gold standard for podcast and video creators.

Descript offers a wide range of features, including:

• Transcription and text editing: Descript automatically transcribes your videos, making it easy to edit and add captions.

• AI-powered tools: Descript offers a variety of AI-powered tools, such as AI Speakers (an AI text to speech feature) and Studio Sound, which can help you improve your audio quality and create more professional-looking videos.

• Easy-to-use interface: Descript has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to get started, even if you are new to video editing.

Here are some of the reasons why you should pick Descript as your podcast and video editing software in 2023:

• It is affordable: Descript offers a variety of pricing plans, starting at just $15 per month ($12/mn if paying annually). This makes it a great option for creators on a budget.

• It is easy to use: Descript has a user-friendly interface and a variety of tutorials and resources available to help you get started.

• It is powerful: Descript offers a wide range of features, including transcription, text editing, AI-powered tools, and more.

• It is versatile: Descript can be used to edit videos for a variety of purposes, including YouTube, courses, social media, and business.

• It is always getting better: Descript gets updates on an almost weekly basis. New features get added, the UI gets simpler, and the AI tools get more powerful.

Here are some specific examples of how Descript can be used to improve your video editing process:

• Remove filler words and awkward pauses: Descript's AI Speakers (formerly Overdub) feature allows you to re-record your audio without having to re-shoot your video. This is a great way to fix mistakes like saying the wrong number or date.

• Improve your audio quality: Descript's Studio Sound feature can help you improve the audio quality of your videos by reducing noise and leveling out the volume.

• Add captions and subtitles: Descript makes it easy to add captions and subtitles to your videos. This is important for accessibility and can also help you reach a wider audience. Not to mention, captions are a necessity for holding attention on TikToks and Youtube Shorts. Ever wondered how Alex Hormozi makes his captions? Now you know!

• Built in Stock Media: Descript has stock videos, photos, gifs, and sound built into it. No more subscribing to different services to get stock footage to then have to download it and import it into your video. Descript has it all built-in and ready for convenient use at no extra cost.

In short, Descript is a powerful and versatile video editing software that is perfect for creators of all levels. It is affordable, easy to use, and offers a wide range of features to help you improve your video editing process. For these reasons, it has become the most used video editing software by beginners and experts alike in 2023.