How to edit a video podcast: a step-by-step workflow

Before you edit: record for the edit

• Record each person on a separate audio track.
• Record each camera separately (or use a platform like Riverside that records each guest locally).
• Clap or use a sync point at the start if recording in person.
• Keep cameras at eye level with consistent framing.

Step 1: Organise and sync

Import all cameras and audio tracks, name them by person, and sync them using timecode, waveforms or your clap. Most professional editors, including Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, can sync clips by audio waveform automatically.

Step 2: Fix audio first

• Balance volume between speakers.
• Reduce background noise and room echo.
• Remove loud breaths, coughs and table bumps.
• Apply gentle compression so quiet and loud moments are closer.

Audiences tolerate simple visuals; they leave over bad audio.

Step 3: Cut the conversation

Remove false starts, technical chatter, long pauses and tangents that don't add value. Keep natural back-and-forth; over-editing a conversation makes it sound unnatural. Transcript-based editors like Descript are fast for this.

Step 4: Switch cameras

Show whoever is speaking, cut to reactions occasionally, and use a wide shot for cross-talk. Some editors offer automatic speaker-based switching; review it, because it often switches too often.

Step 5: Add on-screen elements

• Lower thirds with names and titles.
• Captions (burned-in or closed).
• Simple graphics when a guest mentions something visual.
• Intro and outro.

Step 6: Chapters and metadata

Add chapter timestamps in your YouTube description so viewers can jump to topics. Write a description that summarises the episode and links what was mentioned.

Step 7: Export and make clips

Export the full episode, then cut 3–5 vertical clips of the best moments for Shorts, Reels and TikTok. AI tools like Opus Clip suggest clips quickly; check that each one makes sense without context.

Time-saving tips

• Build a project template with your intro, lower thirds and music.
• Keep a list of standard cuts (sponsor reads, technical talk).
• Ask hosts to mark great moments live by noting the time.

Should you outsource it?

Multi-speaker video podcasts are among the most time-consuming edits. If you publish weekly, a podcast editor often saves more time than it costs; see podcast editing cost. DoneEdit, our own service, only edits solo videos (one English speaker, up to 10 minutes raw), so it fits solo episodes and segments rather than interviews.

Worked example: a one-hour, two-camera episode

1. Copy all camera files and the audio recorder files into one folder per episode.
2. Create a multicam sequence and sync by audio waveform.
3. Level each mic and apply light noise reduction.
4. Watch through once, marking sections to cut: false starts, off-topic stretches, technical problems.
5. Remove those sections, then tighten pauses.
6. Switch angles to follow whoever's speaking, with wide shots for back-and-forth.
7. Add name titles the first time each person appears.
8. Add chapters to the YouTube description.
9. Export, then pick clip moments for Shorts.

Checklist: before you export

• Audio levels match between hosts and guests.
• No long silences or crosstalk left by accident.
• Camera switches don't cut people off mid-word.
• Lower thirds are spelled correctly.
• The opening gets to the point quickly.

Common video podcast editing mistakes

• Cutting too tightly, so the conversation loses its natural rhythm.
• Leaving one guest much quieter than the host.
• Switching cameras on every sentence.
• Forgetting chapters, which help viewers jump around long episodes.
• Making clips that need context from the full episode to make sense.

Outsourcing options

Podcast editors and agencies handle multi-speaker episodes, syncing and audio cleanup. DoneEdit doesn't edit multi-speaker podcasts; it's for short single-speaker videos, such as a solo trailer or a short update episode.

Key takeaways

• Record with editing in mind: separate tracks, steady framing and a clap to sync.
• Fix audio before visuals.
• Cut for pace without losing the natural conversation.
• Add chapters and make clips that stand on their own.