Smart transitions are now enabled by default for all scene-to-scene transitions. This feature automatically adds polished animations between your scenes, with improved stability for animated elements during transitions. You can disable this setting in the Settings menu → Advanced section if you prefer to set up transitions manually.

Additionally, Wordless media is now disabled by default for all new projects. This is because we’ve encountered a larger number of errors caused by or related to Wordless media. While you can still enable this feature in settings, we're actively working on a new and improved version that will address previous issues.

For users on the Web, or the upgraded Desktop app, recordings will now be available for playback instantly when you hit stop. If you're not sure which version of the Desktop app you're using, you can check in the Settings menu under the Labs heading. If you're on the older version of the app, you'll see an option to Upgrade.

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.

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 the available options work as they did before but the names are slightly different, for reference:

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.

Here are the updates we made to collaborative recording with Rooms in v110.

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.

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.

It's been a big month here at Descript. Check out all of the "exciting" updates we made in February in this video roundup hosted by the Descript Changelog:

Welcome to Descript Season 8 - which is focused on features that make you look good by default. In our last update, we announced our overhaul of our Templates library, now known as Layouts. The new Layout pack library has freshly redesigned layouts for you to choose from.

Join Descript's Head of Brand Vanessa for a deep dive into our new Layout packs.

You can click here for a playlist showing off all of the new layouts.

Seeing it is one thing, but why not try it for yourself?

To make this all easier to find and understand, we’ve also renamed the Canvas section to Scene editor. While the term Canvas may be somewhat common to 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 build the scaffolding.

And tying all of these changes together, we’ve added a new Layout picker to make it easier to preview layouts before adding them into your project. This can be accessed from the Scene panel, from the Scene editor toolbar, or from the Script toolbar.

Each of our new Layouts includes our new Smart transitions, which detect all the layers that change between scenes in a project, and automatically adds transitions for each one as it moves into the next layout. This can include fades, zooms, and other animations for a 1-click layer of professional polish.

Join us for a live demo with CEO Andrew Mason on March 11th, 2025. He’ll be showing off the new layouts, smart transitions, and taking your questions. Register here.

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

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. Here's what you need to know:

We’ve renamed the main visual editing space in Descript from “Canvas” to Scene editor. This relabeling is to help illustrate the relationship between:

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.

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:

This change will be rolling out slowly. As of now, 50% of users will see the new button, and increase over the next few weeks. If you’re not seeing it just yet, keep any eye out.