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Refining Audio Description with Smart Edit

Learn how to refine audio descriptions using the Edit Tab, Timeline Editor, and AI-powered Smart Edit feature in ViddyScribe Enterprise for precise control over phrasing, timing, and length.

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Illustration of a timeline editor with a selected teal description block, red start and end handles beneath it, and a glowing sparkle icon for AI edit above

ViddyScribe's AI engine creates excellent audio descriptions right out of the box. But sometimes, you need absolute control over the phrasing, timing, or length of a description to meet specific accessibility standards or artistic intent.

ViddyScribe Enterprise provides powerful tools for refining your content. In this tutorial, we'll explore how to use the Edit Tab, specifically the Timeline Editor and the AI-powered Smart Edit feature.

Step 1: Accessing the Edit Tab

After ViddyScribe has finished generating descriptions for your video (whether you chose the Auto or Text Only workflow):

  1. Go to the Library section of your dashboard.
  2. Click on the video you want to review.
  3. Select the Magic Wand icon to open the Edit tab of the Studio workspace, where you can see all generated descriptions alongside the video preview.
ViddyScribe Library page with Library highlighted in the sidebar and the Magic Wand icon highlighted in the detail panel for gov (5).mp4, showing a Load Descriptions in Studio tooltip

Step 2: Editing the Text

Need to change a word, rephrase a sentence, or adjust descriptions from a generation?

  • In the Edit tab, you'll see a list of all descriptions.
  • Click on the text of any description to modify it manually.
  • Select your preferred voice and peaking level here before generating the final audio.
  • The TTS engine will automatically update to reflect your new text.
Studio Edit tab for gov (5).mp4 with the Custom Descriptions text box highlighted, showing numbered WEBVTT description cues with timestamps, and the numbered description markers under the video preview also highlightedStudio Edit tab with the Audio section highlighted, showing the Voice dropdown set to Achernar (Female) and Audio Level for Descriptions set to Set Peak Level at -6 dB

Step 3: Using the Timeline Editor

The Timeline Editor is a visual, drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to adjust exactly when a description plays.

  • Moving a Description: Simply click and drag a description block along the timeline to change its start time.
  • Move to Playhead: Select a description block by clicking on it and click the Move to Playhead button to move the description to the same position as the playhead.
  • Add New Descriptions: Use the Add New Description button to insert a new description manually at the playhead's position.
  • Zoom In and Out: Use the Zoom controls to get a more complete look at your timeline, or to zero in on the exact frame you want your description to occur.
Studio Edit tab with the Open Editor button highlighted below the video preview and its numbered description markersFull-screen Timeline Editor with a city council video preview, a Move to playhead button, a zoom slider, two description blocks on the timeline with their start and end times, and the WEBVTT description list with an Add Description button on the right

Step 4: Using AI-Powered Smart Edit

Smart Edit is a powerful feature that lets you use natural language to modify your descriptions, saving you time and effort.

  1. In the Edit tab, open the Smart Edit input field by clicking the magic wand icon.
  2. Type a natural language instruction. For example:
    • "Shorten all descriptions to 8 words or less."
    • "Make all of the descriptions more impactful and punchier."
    • "Change all references to 'the man' to 'John'."
    • "Translate all descriptions to Spanish."
    • "Move all timestamps forward by 2 seconds."
  3. Click Apply AI Edit.

ViddyScribe's AI will interpret your instructions, adjust the text or timestamps accordingly, and present the changes for your review, saving you minutes to hours in your revision process.

Two stacked screenshots: the sparkle Smart Edit icon highlighted above the description list in the editor, and the Smart Edit Descriptions dialog with an instructions text box and Cancel and Apply AI Edit buttons

Step 5: Generate Edited Video

Once you are satisfied with your edits:

  • Click Edit Video with Descriptions to finalize the video with your selected voice and peaking level.
  • You can then proceed to the Library to download your final audio described video (MP4), audio track (WAV), or text file (VTT/TXT/JSON).
Studio Edit tab with the Edit Video with Descriptions button highlighted at the bottom of the settings panel, below the Custom Descriptions text box

Ready to refine your own audio descriptions? Get started with ViddyScribe Enterprise.

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53 languages · Standard & Extended AD · VTT, audio, and video