When you add a new scene, Descript automatically applies a Smart Transition between it and the previous scene. Smart Transitions smooth out scene changes by rearranging, zooming, and fading visual elements in your composition.

This guide is specific to Smart Transitions. For other transition types — including wipes, fades, and cross-zoom — see the Transitions article.

This article covers:

• How to adjust Smart Transition settings
• How to change a Smart Transition to a different transition type
• How to turn Smart Transitions on or off

How to adjust Smart Transition settings

Once a transition is applied, you can control how it behaves in the Properties panel.

1. Open the Properties panel in the sidebar.
2. Navigate to the Transitions section.
3. Click the settings (sliders) icon for the transition you want to adjust.

• Duration: Adjust how long the transition takes to complete. A shorter duration creates quick cuts; a longer duration creates more gradual transitions.
• Easing: Choose how the transition progresses over time.
• Add Fades: Control whether Descript adds fades between layers. By default, this is set to On, which applies fades between non-contiguous layers (for example, two separate clips) but not to clips that cross a scene boundary. Set to Off to remove fades across the transition entirely.

Change a Smart Transition to a different transition type

To change the transition between scenes, click the transition row in the Transitions section to open the visual grid, and select one of the other presets.

Turn Smart Transitions on or off

By default, Smart Transitions are enabled for all new scenes. You can turn this off in App Settings. This won't affect existing scenes—only new ones you create.

1. Click your profile photo in the top-right corner, then select Settings.
2. Click App Settings.
3. Toggle Smart Transitions on or off.