This article explains how scene boundaries impact visual and audio layers, how to add, move and delete scene boundaries, and when to extend layers across a scene boundary. These actions are essential for video editing and adjusting your content in Descript.
New to working with scenes?
Check out our how-to guide on working with scenes in Descript.
What are scene boundaries?
Scene boundaries, represented by forward slashes / in your script, control when all visual layers in a scene appear, end, or change. Boundaries represent the start point of a scene. As you edit your script and adjust your scenes and composition, Descript will trim your visuals so they remain within their scenes, so you won’t have to adjust individual elements.
Adding scene boundaries
From the Script Editor
Place your cursor in your script where you want to add a new scene and type /.
Adding scene boundaries on a blank line
- Typing one / slash will add a scene boundary
- Typing two // slashed will create a new empty scene.
From the Timeline
Click anywhere in the Timeline where you want to add a new scene and type /.
Moving a scene boundary
Click and drag the / scene boundary in your script and move to it's new location.
Deleting a scene boundary
Removing a scene boundary will move any visual layers from the corresponding scene to the previous scene and will extend the layers from the previous scene to the next scene boundary. To delete a scene boundary:
- Click on a scene boundary in your script.
- Press
Delete(Mac) orBackspace(Windows).
Extending layers over scene boundaries
They are situations where you will need to extend a layer across scene boundaries, such as having captions or music play across multiple scenes. Learn more about extending layers over multiple scenes.