Lock layers in Descript

Lock layers to prevent accidental changes to their position, scale or to avoid interfering with other layers while editing. Note that layer locking is done per scene — you’ll need to lock layers individually in each scene where you want them to stay fixed.

Lock a layer

  1. Right-click the layer in the scene editor.
  2. Select Lock layer. You won’t be able to move, scale, or edit this layer in the scene editor without unlocking it first.Locking a layer from the scene editor
  3. Once locked, you’ll see a lock icon next to the layer name in the Layers section of the Properties panel.
    Locked layer shown in Properties panel

Interacting with a locked layer

To modify a locked layer, you must first unlock it. You can select locked layers directly in the scene editor, but you cannot move, scale, or edit them. The Properties panel controls are also disabled for locked selections.

Lock an extended layer

Locking a layer only applies to the current scene. If the layer extends across multiple scenes, you’ll need to lock it in each one or from the Timeline.

  1. Select the entire extended layer by double-clicking it in the Timeline.
  2. Lock the layer using Option + L (Mac) or Alt + L (Windows).

Unlock a layer

You can unlock a layer directly from the scene editor or from the Properties panel.

From the scene editor: Select the locked layer and click the Unlock button in the scene editor.
Unlock layer option in the Scene Editor

From the Properties panel:

  1. Select the scene containing the locked layer.
  2. In the Properties panel, find the Layers section, then click the lock icon to unlock the layer.Unlocking a layer from the Properties panel