How To Edit a 1-Minute Video Using an Existing Template via Descript

Introduction

Here, you will learn how to edit one-minute videos using templates we already have on Descript. The software simplifies video editing and allows even someone with no previous video editing experience to learn how to use it quickly.

Processing one-minute videos are one of the things that we do in the Content Factory. We create a lot of these videos through repurposing, and they all go through the same process such as what you'll see here.

Note: This is not available for purchase as a standalone service.

Also, visit How To Edit A One-Minute Video Using Descript which is our main tutorial for editing a one-minute video.

Task Checklist

Information that you will need:

  1. LastPass access for Descript
  2. The location of the video that you will be working on

Note: Please email operations@yourcontentfactory.com for access concerns. List down the sites, tools, and materials you need access to in your message.

Steps:

  1. Go to LastPass and launch Descript
  2. Download Descript (desktop app)
  3. Load Descript
  4. Prepare the template
  5. Add elements

What you will learn:

Here, you will learn how to quickly edit a video using a pre-existing template in Descript, how to use Descript to quickly transcribe videos, and how to make small tweaks to the template.

Estimated time it takes to do the task:

The process usually takes 15 minutes on average.

Step 1: Go to LastPass and launch Descript

Launch Descript using LastPass. If you didn't receive an email for the Descript account, please email operations@yourcontentfactory.com to request it.
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Step 2: Download Descript

You should download the Descript desktop app. To do so, go to the upper right corner of the Descript page and select "download."
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Step 3: Load Descript desktop app

After the app is downloaded and installed, run it and then  go to "Templates." You can use the search bar at the top to get to it faster. Once it shows up, click on it to reveal the various aspect ratios available.
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Step 4: Prepare the template

Open the "Templates" folder and locate the template that you want to duplicate.
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For a vertical video, use 9:1
For a square video, use 1:1
For a horizontal video, use 16:9
For a portrait video, use 4:5

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Right click on the appropriate template and press "Duplicate." Remember that you should always duplicate the template. Never edit the template directly.
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Rename the duplicated template.
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Step 5: Add elements

Every object in the preview window can be edited. For text editing, just click on the text to edit. To change attributes such as font size, color, or shadow setter, use the panel on the right side.
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To add images, text, voiceovers, etc., click on the + sign. To add a video, drag the video into the editor.
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Whenever you drag a video into the editor, the app automatically transcribes the video to generate the transcript. When that process is done, the editor will update with the transcript displayed.

Additional things you can do

As much as we try to speak clearly and concisely on video, filler words seem to find their way into the things we say. You should always remove these filler words when working on a video. Fortunately, Descript has this feature built into the app/service.

To remove filler words...

  1. Go to the wrench icon on the toolbar and select "Remove filler words."
  2. Choose between "Delete" or "Ignore" and then "Apply to all."
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The AI transcription capability of Descript is one of the best. However, it's not perfect. It still gets some of the words wrong.  Fortunately, the app offers a way for you to edit text.

To edit text...

  1. Highlight the word
  2. Press "E" to edit, type in the correct word, and then select "Correct."
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Watch a video demonstration

Additional Resources

If you found this tutorial helpful, you should jump on our MICRO: Video Editing Course in the Academy. There's much more to learn because this tutorial is just a part of a course.

If you're lucky enough to have access to our Office Hours episodes, please make sure to visit Break Down Content Into Smaller Pieces Through Repurposing to watch Dennis demonstrate how to repurpose content. He'll also explain how it plays its part in the Content Factory.

You'll see Dennis share all the cool techniques that he uses, including the use of Artificial Intelligence in repurposing content. Learn how you can turn one piece of content into many other forms of media, which you can then use as blog posts, snippets, etc.

That's it. You're done. Good job!
This task is just one of the many things you can do in the Content Factory. If you enjoyed this tutorial, then check out our Task Library, where you can learn how to get a thousand other things done.

Verification Checklist

The documented task must meet the following criteria:

#1. The Descript template was duplicated with the original template preserved.

#2. The video is using the correct aspect ratio.

#3. The video contains no filler words

#4. The transcript was checked for correctness.

#5. All the necessary elements such as text, images, voiceovers, etc. were added to the video.

#6. All the necessary corrections to formatting were done using the panel on the right.