Properties Panel

The Properties panel is where you adjust everything in a scene or layer—layout, background, animations, effects, and more. Located on the right side of the editor, the Properties panel updates automatically based on what you’ve selected.

  • No selection → Displays scene-level properties for the scene where the playhead is positioned
  • Scene selected → Displays scene-level properties for the selected scene
  • Layer selected → Displays layer-level properties for the selected video, image, text, or audio element

What you’ll find in the Properties panel

Image of Descript's editor interface with the Properties panel highlighted

Depending on your selection, the Properties panel will display some or all of the following editable properties. Note, certain layer types may include additional editable properties not listed here.

Property Scene Layer Description
Layout Choose a preset layout for the scene, such as side-by-side or full screen. Learn more about using layouts to quickly style your scenes.
Duration Adjust how long the scene or clip lasts.
Background Set a background color for the scene.
Size & position Resize, crop, and position the selected layer on the scene editor.
Effects Apply audio or visual effects. Some effects apply to the entire scene; others apply to individual layers. View the full list of effects
Transitions Add an entrance or exit transition to the scene. See available transitions here and learn how to apply them to your scenes.
Audio Adjust audio-specific settings like volume, panning, or mute/solo.
Opacity, borders Make a layer more transparent and/or add a border.
Animations Add entrance, exit, or motion animations to a layer. Learn more about using animation presets and/or custom animations.

Manage layers in a scene

When no layer is selected, the scene-level view appears by default. Scroll to the bottom of the Properties panel to find the Layer list, which shows every visual or audio layer in the current scene.

  • Click a layer to view and edit its properties
  • Drag layers to reorder them on the scene editor
  • Right-click a layer to rename, lock, hide, or delete it

The Layer list near the bottom of the Properties panel

Selecting a layer in the scene editor will automatically open that layer’s properties in the Properties panel. To return to scene-level settings, click the Back button in the top-left corner of the Properties panel.

Layer-level view in the Properties panel

Tip

You’ll know you’re editing a layer when the panel shows the layer’s name at the top. If you're editing scene-level properties, it will display Scene instead.

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