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Descript’s effects come in two kinds: audio effects that clean up and shape sound, and visual effects that enhance or stylize the picture. For step-by-step instructions on adding, adjusting, or removing effects, see Applying and adjusting effects.

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How effect order works

Descript processes effects from top to bottom in the order they appear in the Properties panel. This order can affect how your audio or video sounds and looks. For example, placing Reverb before EQ will sound different than placing EQ before Reverb. You can reorder effects anytime by dragging them up or down in the panel.
Note: Effect order only matters for effects stacked on the same layer or region. Effects on different tracks are processed independently.

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Visual effects

Visual effects can be applied to individual layers or to entire scenes:
  • Layer-level effects apply only to the selected layer.
  • Scene-level effects apply to all visuals within that scene.
  • Visual effects are scene-specific. If a clip spans multiple scenes, apply the effect to each scene or use the All scenes toggle in the scene editor.
The table below describes each visual effect, including what it does, which settings you can adjust, and where to learn more. For effects with additional options or usage tips, click the Learn more links.

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Audio effects

Audio effects apply to script layers or sequence tracks and persist across all scenes the layer appears in:
  • Audio effects can’t be applied to scenes. They must be added to specific media layers or sequence tracks.
  • To apply effects to a specific voice or recording, use the Sequence Editor.
  • Studio Sound works differently: it’s applied directly to the original media file and enhances the entire source.
The table below describes each audio effect. For effects with additional options or usage tips, click the Learn more links.

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Known limitations

A few effect combinations and behaviors are worth knowing about:
  • Some effects replace everything below them. Effects like Threshold override the layer beneath them rather than blending with it. If you don’t see other effects applying as expected, check whether a replacement-style effect is sitting above them in the stack.
  • Ascii combined with Shadows can look broken. This is a known rendering interaction. Apply one or the other for the cleanest result.
  • Stacking Portrait Lighting and Uplighting can produce uneven results. Combining them can look unnatural. Try one at a time and adjust the strength before reaching for the other.