Best workflow for using descript exports and replacing sample clip with originals?

[soaringchicken]

I use descript.com to share edits with the client. The client can easily use the transcript tool to edit the video. They offer an xml download which I can open in premiere and it works great and I get their edits in a PR timeline.  The problem of course is that this timeline references the exported .mp4 file I uploaded to descript.

What I want to do now is replace those clips with the timeline that they were exported from so I can then use the right click multicam>enable and then right click "multicam>flatten" to turn all the instances of the nested sequence into the original clips. The result would be the client's edit but now using all the original clips with the ablity to trim add etc.

However, selecting all the instances of the .mp4 and loading the timeline to replace them with in the source monitor and going to replace clip "match frame" or not does not keep the I/O of the .mp4 clips, it either has the replacing timeline nests either all start at 0 or all start with the SAME offset based on the offset of the match frame.  What I want is something that behaves the same way as right clicking on the clip in the project panel and going to "replace footage" except instead of replacing it with another file, replace it with my timeline.

Gah, how are others doing this descript (or similar transcription based online editing tool) back to premiere workflow?

[PaulMurphy]

I love Descript and use it daily to create radio edits and collaborate with my director before moving to Premiere for fine cutting and adding b-roll.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-click solution for this workflow, but there are ways to speed it up:

You’ll need to Shift + Option/Alt + drag your original sequence onto each clip in the Descript sequence. This will replace the video clip with the nested sequence, keeping the same in and out points. Then, you can use your multicamera workflow to flatten the sequence.

Personally, I prefer not to use multicamera for flattening because it unlinks the video and audio of each clip. Instead, I Shift + Option/Alt + drag the original sequence onto each clip, turn off the Nest button (under the timecode in the Timeline), and Match Frame (F) to load the sequence in the Source Monitor. Then, I Overwrite (.) to replace the nested sequence with the original clips in the sequence.

To speed this up further, go to Settings > Timeline and tick Set Focus on the Timeline when prompting Insert/Overwrite edits. With this setting, you can quickly replace each clip by pressing F and . repeatedly, without needing to use the mouse to switch panels.

[jason_jones6329]

Hey Paul!! Glad to see you here.  Funny I was looking for a better solution to this.  You do exactly what I already am doing.  It would be great if something can streamline this more.

[PaulMurphy]

@jason_jones6329  fancy meeting you here!

I would love it if someone built a plugin for this. I spoke with @Matthias Möhle and he said that Automation Blocks should be able to automate the process.

[oakleafmedia]

You just saved me Paul! Wondering if you have any kind of tutorial for this? I'm struggling to find a best practice to roundtrip a multicam edit from premiere to descript...I ran into a few issues with my plan of making proxies and then replacing the clips later. I'm not usually a multiclip or multicam sequence user so there's a learning curve for me there...ust wondering you're whole process? So appreciate the above insight!