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How to Turn an Audio Podcast into a Video in Riverside

Cristi Cotovan

Cristi Cotovan

— 6 min read
How to Turn an Audio Podcast into a Video in Riverside

If you have an audio-only podcast and want to post it on YouTube or other video platforms, Riverside makes it straightforward. Upload your audio, add a cover image, and export as video — all in a few clicks. Here is the full workflow.

Upload Your Audio File

Start by uploading your audio file to a project in Riverside. You can upload separate audio tracks for different speakers, or upload a single file and tell Riverside how many speakers are on it. Riverside will automatically analyze the audio, separate the speakers, and transcribe everything.

Once processing finishes, go to the Recordings tab. You will see the separated speaker tracks listed as Speaker-0 and Speaker-1 (or however many speakers were detected), each marked as "Ready."

Click Edit to start a new edit from these files.

Riverside Recordings tab showing two separated speaker tracks (Speaker-1 and Speaker-0) both marked Ready, with Edit and Share buttons
The Recordings tab shows the auto-separated speaker tracks ready for editing.

Rename the Speakers

In the editor, the speakers show up with different colors in the transcript. Click on each speaker's name and select Rename to give them proper names. This makes the transcript easier to follow and is important if you plan to add captions later.

Riverside editor showing transcript with two speakers labeled in different colors, with rename options visible
Rename each speaker in the editor so the transcript labels them correctly.

Switch from Audio Only to Video Format

By default, the edit opens in Audio Only mode. To turn it into a video, click the format selector at the top left where it says "Audio Only." A dropdown appears with format options:

  • 16:9 — YouTube, Spotify (widescreen)
  • 1:1 — LinkedIn, X, Instagram (square)
  • 9:16 — Shorts, Reels, TikToks (vertical)
  • Audio only — the current setting

Select 16:9 for YouTube. The editor immediately switches to video mode with a preview area where you can add visual elements.

Riverside format selector dropdown showing 16:9, 1:1, 9:16, and Audio only options
Switch from Audio Only to 16:9 to enable the video canvas.

Add a Cover Image

With the video canvas active, open the Images panel from the right sidebar. Click Upload to add your own image — a podcast thumbnail, a Canva design, or any cover artwork you have prepared.

Riverside Images panel open in the sidebar showing Upload button, search for royalty-free images, auto generate b-roll option, and recently uploaded images
The Images panel lets you upload your own cover art or search royalty-free images.

Once uploaded, click the image to add it to the canvas. If it is a landscape image that does not fill the entire preview area, use the Fill Video button (the expand icon in the toolbar above the image) to make it fit the full screen.

Riverside editor showing a podcast cover image added to the video canvas with selection handles and a Make video, Replace toolbar
The uploaded cover image appears on the canvas with selection handles and a toolbar for adjustments.

Handling Square Images

If your cover image is square rather than widescreen, it will not fill the entire 16:9 canvas. You have two options: leave the surrounding area black, or set a custom background color to blend with your design.

To set the background, deselect the image and click Background at the top of the preview. Use the color picker to choose a color that matches your artwork — typically a dark shade works well.

Riverside background color picker dialog showing hue slider and hex color input with a square podcast cover image behind it
Use the background color picker to match the area around a square cover image.

Extend the Image to the Full Episode Duration

By default, Riverside adds the image for only about five seconds. For a static cover that should stay on screen the entire episode, you need to extend it manually.

Zoom into the timeline using Ctrl + mouse wheel (Windows) or Cmd + mouse wheel (Mac). You will see the image as a thin slice at the beginning of the timeline. Select the image, then drag the right edge to extend it. Keep zooming out and dragging until the image snaps to the end of the timeline.

Riverside editor showing the podcast cover image visible in the preview at the middle of the episode timeline, with transcript and waveforms below
After extending the image, it stays on screen throughout the entire episode — no matter where you scrub in the timeline.

Export as Video

When everything looks right, click Share in the top right corner and go to Export. Set the file type to Video, choose your quality (1080p HD is fine for a static image), and optionally enable Normalize audio levels or Remove background noise. Click Export Video to render and download your file.

Riverside Share and Export panel showing Video file type, 1080p HD quality, normalize audio levels toggle, remove background noise toggle, and Export video button
Export as video with 1080p quality — the static image and your audio become a ready-to-upload video file.

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If you're eager to learn more about Riverside and wish to have a one-on-one Riverside coaching session, feel free to book a call with me. I'm here to help you with any questions you have and to guide you through the best workflows, tips, workarounds, or just answer any questions you may have!

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  • My recommendation is to record with video if possible, but if you have audio-only episodes, this workflow gets them onto YouTube quickly.
  • You can also add captions, brand elements, and text overlays before exporting to make the video more engaging.
  • If you have multiple speakers on a single audio file, Riverside can automatically separate them — just specify the number of speakers during upload.

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