Descript

What's new in this version:

Descript 118.0.6
New:
- It will now default to Avatar videos with an AI speaker
- There is a new step to add stock media and customize aspect ratio
- We’ve removed a step including an image preview due to processing speed
- We’ve added a recap of your choices before you finalize the video and generate it

Fixed:
- a bug resulting in "Error: Request HTTP error 404:" during recording
- a bug resulting in lost edits after a refresh
- a bug resulting in a 403 error when trying to Export to a web link
- a bug resulting in “Oh no! Somethings not working” message when opening the Desktop app
- a bug causing Current scene control to get stuck when applying Captions
- a bug causing transcription language to get stuck on default


Descript 117.0.4
- Change log not available for this version


Descript 114.0.4
- Fixes an issue where users with read-only access were intermittently unable to view projects


Descript 114.0.2
- Change log not available for this version


Descript 114.0.0
- Change log not available for this version


Descript 113.0.2
- Change log not available for this version


Descript 113.0.0
Avatars:
- We've begun our rollout of avatars. Over the next week, you'll start to see avatars mentioned on our Home screen and in the speaker label. With avatars, there's no need to stress about recording yourself for every single video you have to make. Avatars let you make video that’s just as informative and engaging—in a fraction of the time, with no recording at all.
- Just write your script, select a voice from our new stock voices and then choose your avatar—from the variety of options in our gallery, or from an image you upload
- You can also start an Avatar based project from the Home screen, either by selecting Text-to-AI Video and ticking the Avatar box, or by selecting Create AI Avatar
- Custom avatars work best with human subject in center frame so we suggest avoiding images of animals or inanimate objects
- For more details on best practices when creating custom Avatars, our Help center has you covered

Import from YouTube is back:
- We’ve brought back the ability to import video directly from YouTube links. This is a very popular feature that we want to support long term.

Transcription provider selection:
- For users with specific transcription needs, or who run recurring issues with some transcriptions, we’ve added a new Transcription provider selection in the Settings menu under the Advanced section. We do not recommend that most users switch this away from the Automatic setting, but in some cases it may be worthwhile to try a different option.

The options at present are:
- Scholar: classic transcription that generates at a steady pace and prioritizes accuracy
Daredevil: transcribes faster, better at proper nouns and punctuation, but is more prone to hallucination
- We may add further options in the future

Rooms updates:
Here's what's new in Rooms:
- For increased flexibility when the unexpected happens, we have added a dialog that appears when an upload has stalled. This option allows you to proceed using a partially uploaded but high quality file, or to use the lower quality Cloud backups. You can still swap in the original high quality files if they are recovered.
- We changed the People tab notification icon to a light-red dot

The new Screen recorder—in Beta this week:
- For users who have been upgraded to the new Desktop experience, we finally have a replacement for the Quick Recorder
- The new Screen Recorder
will launch to all users on the upgraded Desktop within the next week, bringing enhanced functionality and performance to make your recording experience smoother and more versatile. This update is just the beginning, and we’re launching it in a Beta state while we make improvements and round out the feature set.
- Like our web recorders, it uploads your video in the background while you record for instant playback when you hit stop
- At the moment, it does not include screen area selection, or multitrack file recordings
- Both of these features are in the works and will be added when the Screen recorder leaves Beta. If you’re on the old Desktop, you can upgrade manually using the Settings menu → General → Labs → Upgrade option

By May 15th, 2025, all users will be on the new version so you might as well jump in now.
Agent Underlord:
- We're building a new way to use AI to edit your videos in Descript. If you want to help us break it and build it better, apply to get exclusive early access. Learn more and apply here.

Fixed:
- Fixed a bug resulting in “Error authorizing app” message when logging in
- Fixed a bug causing un-dismissable pop-ups in Rooms
- Fixed a bug related to AV sync mismatch between Sequence and Script files
- Fixed a bug causing layers to be moved to the beginning of a project when editing during transcription
- Fixed a bug causing transcript exports to have incorrectly timed speaker labels
- Fixed a bug in Rooms preventing recording from stopping when the host leaves


Descript 112.0.3
- Change log not available for this version


Descript 112.0.2
- Updates desktop app to support configuration change


Descript 112.0.1
- Fixes a bug causing sliders for effects and settings like Studio Sound to show incorrect values


Descript 112.0.0
- Change log not available for this version


Descript 111.0.1
- Fixes a bug where layouts with placeholders did not apply the layout correctly


Descript 111.0.0
- Change log not available for this version


Descript 110.0.9
Record button in Drive view:
- There is a new Record button accessible from Drive view. This will open a project with the recorder open, or take you to Rooms when you select Record with others. We added this to make it easier to find our recording capabilities and give users an even faster way to get started.

Publish becomes Export:
- We’re reposting this from version 109 as we have ramped this change up to 100% of users. A few of the details have also changed so it is worth taking a quick review:
- The "Publish" button has been renamed to Export and the selection panel has been rearranged. All of
e available options work as they did before but the names are slightly different, for reference:
- The main button is has been relabeled from Publish
- to Export
- The Descript (web link)
- option will create a Descript share page, if you were mainly using the “Publish” option before, you’ll use Descript (web link)
- option going forward. This is the first option on the dropdown menu.
- To export the file directly to your device, use the Local download
- option from the dropdown menu. If you were mainly using the “Export”
- option in the past, you’ll use Local download
- going forward.

Editor updates:
- We have removed the Correction wizard. This was an outdated and under supported tool for making Script corrections. Very few users engaged with it and all the improvements we’ve made to general correction tools have made it obsolete.
- In the past, using Re-transcribe file would use your transcription balance. This is no longer the case, any Re-transcribing a file for any reason will not
- result in transcription time being used.

Import from YouTube:
- We unfortunately had to remove the Import from YouTube option due to changes on Google's end. We are not yet sure if we will be able to bring this feature back but we will keep you updated when we know more.

Rooms updates:
- Here are the updates we made to collaborative recording with Rooms in v110.
- We added a some new notifications for hosts when a guest has a less-than-stellar connection, or when their upload progress is lagging.
- Bulk translation export (2)
- Guests will now be auto ejected if all of the call owners leave for longer than 2 minutes.
- Rooms will now display upload progress for guests during recordings which can be view from the People tab.
- We added a username display to the guests camera card when their camera is off.
- We fixed a bug effecting echo cancellation.
- We fixed a bug causing upload state to exceed 100% erroneously.

Email verification requirements:
- We will soon require all users to verify their email address in order to continue using Descript. This should not effect as vast majority of users, who have already verified their email address. However, if you have not yet verified, you’ll receive a banner warning asking you to verify your email address. Please do so a quickly as possible to prevent any interruption when we do eventually enforce this requirement.

Local file storage:
- Many users have already been moved to an upgraded version of the Desktop application. This newer version provides a host of benefits that improve performance and playback speed. It also completely eliminates the need to store project files locally.
- When the upgraded version is downloaded, any files that haven’t finished uploading will be stored for you in a local folder so you can retrieve them as needed.

Fixed:
- Fixed a bug causing the cursor to get stuck when adjusting keyframes
- Fixed a bug causing slide-fades to apply to all clips
- Fixed a bug forcing users to reinstall after updating the app
- Fixed a bug causing local exports to be a black screen
- Fixed a bug preventing the dialog box from changing from Correct to Remove in the word search tool
- Fixed a bug causing waveforms to disappear when zoomed out.


Descript 109.0.4
- Change log not available for this version


Descript 109.0.3
- Change log not available for this version


Descript 109.0.1
- This patch fixes issues in our backend system and will not result in any user facing changes


Descript 109.0.0
- Descript Version 109 features two important changes to terminology that coincide with polish we've added since launching our new Layout picker in the last update

We’ve renamed the main visual editing space in Descript from “Canvas” to Scene editor. This relabeling is to help illustrate the relationship between:
- Layouts — the visual content in a section of your video
- Scenes — sections of your video that have unique layouts
- While the term Canvas may be somewhat common in video editing — we’re asking you once again to rewire your brain a tiny bit: Scenes are like different sets in a play, and the Scene editor is where you stage them up.
- Only the wording has changed, this will not effect any existing workflows but it’s an important change to be aware of for navigating the app.

Publish becomes Export:
Some users will notice that the "Publish" button has been renamed to Export and the selection panel has been rearranged. All of the available options work as they did before but the names are slightly different, for reference:
- The main button is has been relabeled from Publish to Export
- The Descript (default) option will create a Descript share page, if you were mainly using the “Publish” option before, you’ll use Descript (default) option going forward. This is the first option on the dropdown menu.
- To export the file directly to your device, use the Local download option from the dropdown menu. If you were mainly using the “Export” option in the past, you’ll use Local download going forward.
- This change will be rolling out slowly. As of now, 50% of users will see the new Export button, and increase over the next few weeks. If you’re not seeing it just yet, keep any eye out.

Editor updates:
- We’ve added some helpful decoration to the toolbars to show you how many current effects, animations, or transitions are currently applied, shading over already applied effects in dropdown menus and more subtle changes to make it easier to read your layer setting from the toolbars.
- Audio and video effects now both have “above the fold” effects listed, and off by default. This is just to help make these features and other effects easier to find.
- We’ve made some backend improvements to Text-to-speech generation. They will now generate faster and produce a higher quality output.

Fixed:
- Fixed a bug preventing transitions from transferring when moving a Scene
- Fixed a "Location not available" error that occurred when opening the Timeline Export folder.
- Fixed an issue where the error "Cannot call an event handler while rendering" appeared when accessing the Desktop app.
- Fixed an issue where text background colors didn't follow fade parameters.
- Fixed an issue causing visual artifacts to appear in exported video files.
- Fixed an issue where scrolling/zooming in the Sequence editor caused the Composition timeline to zoom unintentionally.
- Fixed an issue causing Studio Sound to fail consistently.
- Fixed a bug where Rooms/Recording projects appeared successful but remained stuck on "Initializing transcription."
- Fixed an issue where effects were not audible in editor playback but were present in exported/published files.
- Fixed an "Attempting to Decode Unknown Reference" error when using or opening layouts.
- Fixed an issue preventing users from exporting compositions.
- Fixed a bug where Green Screen didn't work when Layer Border was enabled.
- Fixed an issue where stalled transcriptions were not marked as failures.
- Fixed a bug where clips couldn't be created from non-English transcripts.
- Fixed an issue where .RTF Transcript exports included unwanted formatting when copied to the clipboard.


Descript 108.0.2
- Fixes a bug preventing some audio effects from being applied


Descript 108.0.0
- Change log not available for this version


Descript 107.0.1
Fixed:
- Fixes an issue where Chinese or Japanese characters in the script prevented edits from being saved
- Fixes an issue where Text-to-Speech incorrectly displayed an error when using a dash (-) character


Descript 107.0.0
Easier to use text boxes:
We’ve made some major improvements to working with Text elements like captions and overlays. Here are the details:
- The text bounding box will now dynamically expand as text is entered. In the past, the size of the box stayed the same regardless of the size or amount of text present.
- When text reaches the end of the canvas, it will now wrap to a new line instead of going out of bounds. The box will automatically expand its height as well.
- There is a new mode selector for a Automated text bounding box size or fixed bounding box size.
- You can choose a fixed text box size if you prefer to further customize your background colors on the Layer panel on the sidebar
- Any background colors will automatically adhere to the text bounding box dimensions.
- These changes will automatically apply to any previous projects, so you won’t need to make any adjustments by hand.
- And finally, adding periods to abbreviations and numbers will no longer add a line break to captions. This would normally be in the bug fixes section, but it was such a long standing issue that we thought you’d like to know that it is finally fixed.

Auto-detect transcription language:
- Descript now automatically detects and transcribes the correct language of your audio, making it easier to work with content in different languages. When uploading new files, "Auto" is now the default language option in the transcription settings.
- Existing users who have already set their preferred transcription language won't be affected by this change. You can still manually select a specific language from the dropdown menu in the transcription settings, or set a specific default language in the general Settings menu.

Fixed:
- Fixed a bug causing the lock icon to remain next to ungenerated TTS even after upgrading subscription to add text-to-speech minutes
- Fixed a bug preventing text-to-speech errors from appearing after generation failure
- Fixed a long-standing bug where custom animations were not correctly accounting for a sequence's custom clip speed


Descript 106.0.0
Blur speaker background:
- You can now add a blur effect to the background of speaker focused videos. This can be toggled on from the Layer menu for any video track, and will blur out everything behind the speaker. There is an intensity slider for more or less blur. Please note, this only works with human speakers. Pets, inanimate objects, and ghostly apparitions will be blurred as if they are part of the background.

Multi-language text-to-speech:
- Generating text-to-speech is now supported in 19 languages, and we will auto detect the language of the text that is entered. You can enter TTS in: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Dutch, Romanian, Turkish, Danish, Malay, Finnish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Slovak, Croatian, Swedish.

Translation dubbing is now available in 21 languages with Recommended voices:
- Our translation powers when using stock speakers has expanded from 5 supported languages, to 21 supported languages. The full list of languages that support dubbing: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Hindi, Polish, Czech, Dutch, Romanian, Turkish, Greek, Danish, Malay, Finnish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Slovak, Croatian, Swedish.
- For Business and Enterprise users, the following languages will also have the benefit of our new Recommended voices which are designed specifically for them: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (BR), Polish, Dutch, Hindi, Turkish, and Swedish.
- This brings the total number of languages with Recommended voices to 10.

Fixes:
- Fixed a bug resulting in a crash when attempting translation
- Fixed a bug resulting in a crash when attempting to shorten word gaps
- Fixed a bug causing Replace transcript to fail
- Fixed a bug causing flickering when publishing compositions with Eye contact enabled
- Made improvements to hallucinations in automated transcripts


Descript 105.0.0
- With our first update back from the holidays, we’re adding a new way to export your translated compositions in bulk, retiring jibber jabber, making some small tweaks in the editor, and fixing a number of bugs. The changelog video companion will be back next week with a round-up of everything in versions 105 and 106.

Batch exports now available for Translations:
- You can now export all of your translated compositions in a batch process. We’ve added checkboxes to the Language selection list on the Export tab, so just select all the translated versions you’d like exported, and they’ll be automatically queued up and processed. A great time saver on the path to expanding your audience.

Jibber Jabber is no more:
- We’ve made it easier to understand when you’re nearing your text-to-speech limit by eliminating Jibber Jabber (replacing random words with nonsense when you’ve used your balance.) Now, we’ll simply stop generating new TTS, and you can increase your monthly limits by upgrading if you need more time. You’ll hit this prompt and click Upgrade Now or dismiss it.
- You’ll only hit this once, and then be met with a smaller prompt as a reminder that you are out of text-to-speech minutes

Editor updates:
- Audio sliders are now represented by a percentage (%) value rather than a dB (decibel) value by default. This should be clearer for users without a background in audio production. r → View → Show volume as decibels.
- For users who prefer a decibel meter, you can toggle that on under the in-project app menu in the upper left corner
- The forward and back buttons in the playback control panel will now navigate between scenes, rather than skipping between Markers
- The option to Apply properties to all scenes
- has been removed from the 3 dot menu on the layer and scene panel in favor of the more obvious top bar Current Scene / All Scenes button on both the canvas and layer panel


Descript 104.0.0
Editor updates:
- We added the ability to adjust the color and width properties on Borders when using animations
- We made improvements to manipulating fades when both an fade in / fade out keyframe is present on the same track. These should be easier to grab and bugs related to the position of the keyframe indicators are fixed.

Fixed:
- a bug causing volume keyframes to be misplaced in the Timeline
- a bug where "copy layout" didn't include tracks starting outside of the selected scene
- a bug causing mouse over text for two adjacent fades in the same layer to have flipped time values
- a bug with related to deleting payment methods
- a bug causing Rooms recordings to go missing from the final project
- a bug causing flatten tracks to deliver an audio-only file
- a bug causing text element to get stuck on “loading font”
- a bug resulting in "Cannot export: Codec reclaimed due to inactivity” error


Descript 103.0.1
- Fixes an issue causing stock media and YouTube imports to consistently fail in certain app sessions