The Selects workspace is one screen. Five panels sit around a central preview and timeline, and you can fold any of them out of the way. This guide names each panel, says what it is for, and points you at the guide that goes deeper.
The layout at a glance
The Selects workspace arranges five panels around the preview and the draft timeline.
Assistant, far left. Describe the edit you want, or leave comments on a draft.
Project panel, next to it. Two tabs: [Project] for every file, folder, synced timeline and draft, and [Apps] for built-in apps like Remove silence and Captions.
Preview, center. Plays whatever is selected, with the source minimap underneath when you are looking at a source file.
Transcript, right. Every word of the open draft, with speaker labels. The [Adjust] tab sits beside it, for fine-tuning whatever is selected on the timeline.
Draft timeline, along the bottom. Your drafts as tabs, the timeline below them, and the floating toolbar at its bottom right.
Tip: Every panel except the preview and the timeline folds away. When one is folded, a small labeled button appears where it used to be, so click [Assistant], [Project], or [Transcript] to bring it back.
Assistant panel
The Assistant panel sits at the far left, on its own. It is where you describe the edit you want and where you review a draft. The composer has two modes, [Chat] for a conversation and [Comments] for leaving timestamped notes on a draft.
Fold it away and a thin rail takes its place, with a chat icon that shows [Assistant] when you point at it. Click the icon to bring the panel back.
Learn more in Edit with chat and Review a draft with comments.
Project panel
The project panel has two tabs at the top, [Project] and [Apps]. Each app you open gets its own tab beside them. The [Project] tab lists everything in the project: source files, the folders you sorted them into, synced timelines, and every draft you have made.
Below the tabs sit three controls: a + button on the left for adding and creating, a magnifier beside it, [Search project], for finding items by name, and a view toggle on the right for list, flat, and card views. Flat view lists every file without folder rows, which is quicker to scan when your footage is spread across a lot of folders.
In list view, you can move around the project panel with the arrow keys:
Up and Down: select the row above or below. Hold Shift to add the next rows to your selection.
Right: opens a closed folder. On a folder that is already open, it selects the first item inside.
Left: closes an open folder. On an item inside a folder, it selects that folder.
Type in the search box to narrow the panel to the items whose names match. To find a moment by what is on screen instead, click [Find moments] in the box. It runs a scene search across all your analyzed files. Learn more in Search your footage: text and scene search.
The + button opens [Media], [Folder], [Timeline], [Synced timeline], and below a divider, [Import synced timeline].
Working in the project panel
Three gestures cover most of what you do in the project panel.
Click a file to load it into the preview, with the source minimap underneath.
Switch to card view to see each analyzed file's topics as cards.
Drag a file, a topic, or a whole folder straight onto the timeline.
Hover a file and buttons appear at the end of its row. A file that has not been analyzed yet shows [Analyze]. An analyzed file shows a + icon, [Add to current timeline], that adds it to the timeline you have open, at the playhead on a draft, and an ellipsis that opens the same menu as right-click.
Right-click a file for the rest, in this order: [Rename], [Reveal in Finder], [Color label], [Add to current timeline], [Add to new timeline], [Audio gain/volume], and [Delete]. On Windows, [Reveal in Finder] reads [Show in File Explorer]. [Add to current timeline] shows only while a draft is open, and places the file at that draft's playhead. [Add to new timeline] starts a new draft with the file. [Color label] opens a submenu of colors, with [None] to clear it.
A draft row also offers [Duplicate], and a synced timeline row offers [Edit synced timeline]. Select two or more media files and the menu adds [Sync]. Select files that have not been analyzed yet and it adds [Analyze (number) files]. While a synced timeline is open, it also offers [Add to (name)], or [Remove from (name)] if the files are already in it, so you can change what is inside it.
Learn more in What are topics and subtopics?.
What is in the Apps tab
The [Apps] tab sits beside [Project] at the top of the project panel. It holds the built-in apps and the Explore gallery. The apps available now include:
[Sync tools]: prepares a synced timeline step by step, from analyzing and syncing its files to updating its speakers and topics.
[Remove silence]: tightens the pauses between sentences across the whole draft.
[Cut filler words]: strips out "um", "you know", and repeated phrases.
[Speaker audio settings]: decides whether each speaker's assigned tracks play only while they are talking, or stay on throughout.
[Check names and terms]: corrects proper nouns before they reach your export.
[Captions]: turns your transcript into styled captions on the timeline.
[Effects]: adds text, stickers, transitions, zooms, filters, and sound effects.
[Clip highlights]: ready-made templates that turn your footage into a short edit.
[Generate video], [Generate audio], and [Generate image]: create video, voices, and images with AI.
And many more, with new apps added over time.
Note: Every tool is listed even while you are looking at a source file, and clicking one that edits a draft asks you to pick a draft first. [Cut filler words] works only when at least one file in the draft was transcribed in English. [Check names and terms] works either way.
Learn more in Remove silence in Selects, Cut filler words, and Check names and terms before editing.
Preview and minimap
The preview in the center plays whatever is currently selected, either your draft or a source file you clicked in the project panel.
Click [Compare with source] to watch your edit against the original footage and see what was left out. Cut sections show grayed out, so you can spot at a glance what did not make it in.
The preview toolbar also holds [Frame size], which sets the output frame size of the open draft. The menu lists sizes rather than ratios: 3840 × 2160 or 1920 × 1080 for 16:9, 1080 × 1920 for vertical, 1080 × 1080 for square, and 1440 × 1080 or 1080 × 1440 for 4:3 either way up. [Original] matches your source footage, and [Custom] lets you type your own width and height. [Frame size] shows only while a draft or synced timeline tab is open, not while you are viewing a source file, and the size you pick carries through to your editing software.
On a synced timeline, the preview toolbar also holds [Track view], the grid icon. A synced timeline opens in [2×2], showing up to 4 camera angles side by side so you can compare them. Choose [3×3] for up to 9 angles, or [1 track] to watch one angle at full size. The grid fills from V1 up, left to right and top to bottom. It only changes what you see in the preview, so your timeline and your drafts stay as they are.
The source minimap is the strip under the preview showing a whole source file end to end. It appears while you are looking at a source file or comparing with the source, and it is also where unusable shots are marked.
Learn more in Set your draft's frame size and frame rate and Find shaky and blurry shots.
Transcript panel
The transcript panel on the right shows every word in the open draft, grouped by speaker. Click any word to move the playhead to that exact moment.
A topic outline sits on the right edge of the panel, as a rail of dashes that shows its titles when you point at it. Click a topic to scroll the transcript straight to it.
Right-click a selection to edit from the text: [Cut] and [Uncut] to remove and restore, [Play] to hear it back, [Edit word] to fix a misheard word, [Merge with above] and [Split caption] to reshape a caption, and [Speaker] to reassign who is talking.
Draft timeline
The draft timeline runs along the bottom of the workspace. Your drafts sit as tabs in the bar above it. The + at the end of that bar opens a menu: [New timeline] starts an empty one, and any drafts you have closed are listed below it so you can reopen them.
Drag a tab along the bar to reorder your drafts. You can also move the timeline into its own window, which helps on a second monitor. Right-click a draft tab and choose [Open in new window], and the timeline opens as a separate window while the rest of the editor stays put. Right-click the tab again and choose [Dock panel] to bring it back.
The timeline follows the conventions you already know: tracks stack vertically, clips sit on tracks horizontally, and you drag clips to move or reorder them.
The floating toolbar
The floating toolbar sits at the bottom right of the timeline and holds the tools you reach for while cutting.
[Selection]: the default cursor, for picking and moving clips.
[Razor]: splits a clip where you click.
[More]: the three-dot button. It holds [Zoom], [Hand], [Add marker] and [Shortcuts], plus two switches, [Snap] and [Multi-cam view]. [Multi-cam view] opens every camera angle and audio track in a synced timeline into its own lane, and folds them back when you switch it off.
Learn more in Editing tools in Selects, Selects keyboard shortcuts, and Set up speakers, cameras, and audio for multi-cam.
Top bar
The top bar carries the controls that apply to the whole project.
Home icon and project name, on the left. The icon returns you to the Selects home screen.
Search, in the middle. Finds moments by what was said, or by what is on screen.
[View mode], on the right. Switches the panel arrangement between Default, Vertical video, Comment, and Preview.
Settings icon, on the right. Opens transcript and timeline preferences and [Keyboard shortcuts].
[Export], far right. Opens a menu to export your edit as a video or transcript, or hand it off to Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or DaVinci Resolve. It also lists [TikTok] and [YouTube] under [Socials] for publishing a finished video. If you chose a main editing tool, its icon sits next to [Export] and hands your edit off in one click. Right-click [Export] to choose your main editing tool, or choose [Hide] to remove the icon.
Learn more in Search your footage: text and scene search, Selects keyboard shortcuts, Selects app & editor workspace settings, and Export your edit to editing software, or as a transcript or video.
Folding and focusing panels
Fold a panel by dragging its edge shut, and a labeled button appears in its place: [Assistant] as a chat icon at the top of the thin rail on the far left, [Project] at the top left of the preview, and [Transcript] at the top right of the preview. Click the button to bring the panel back.
Only one panel is active at a time, and the active one owns your keyboard. On the Premiere shortcut preset, Shift + 1 selects the project panel, Shift + 2 the Assistant panel, Shift + 3 the draft timeline, and Shift + 4 the transcript. On the Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve presets these are Cmd + 1 through Cmd + 4.
View modes
Selects has four panel arrangements, and you switch between them from [View mode] in the top bar, next to the settings icon. Your choice is remembered per project.
[Default]: the five-panel layout described above, with the preview in the center.
[Vertical video]: moves the preview into a tall column down the right-hand side, so a 9:16 draft shows at a sensible size. The project panel and transcript sit side by side above the draft timeline, and the Assistant panel stays on the left.
[Comment]: three columns, the preview, the transcript, and the Assistant panel opened on comments. The project panel and draft timeline are hidden, so you can watch and comment without the edit in the way.
[Preview]: shows just the video preview while the chat stays open. Use it when you want to watch your draft as large as the window allows, close to full screen, with the chat still at hand.
Note: [Compare with source] is only available in Default. Switching to Vertical video or Comment turns it off.
Learn more in Set your draft's frame size and frame rate and Review a draft with comments.
FAQs
Where did the B-roll and Audio tabs go?
The B-roll and Audio tabs were replaced by the project panel, which lists every file in one place rather than splitting them across tabs. Sort your footage into folders and drag from there, or ask chat to find and place shots for you. Learn more in Add B-roll and audio to your edit.
Where are Remove silence and Cut filler words?
Remove silence and Cut filler words live in the [Apps] tab of the project panel, next to the [Project] tab. They used to sit in the floating toolbar on the timeline.
Where did Add marker go in the transcript?
Markers live on the timeline now, not in the transcript. Add one with [Add marker] under [More] in the floating toolbar, then click the marker on the timeline to write a note. Because a marker is pinned to the timeline rather than to a word, it stays put when you cut or rearrange the material around it. You can also give a marker a color when you write its note. The color shows on the timeline pin and in the [Comments] panel, and it carries through to a Premiere handoff.
A panel disappeared and I cannot get it back
The panel is folded, not gone. Look for its labeled button: [Assistant] as a chat icon at the top of the thin rail on the far left, [Project] at the top left of the preview, and [Transcript] at the top right of the preview. Click it and the panel returns.
Why can I not see the source minimap?
The source minimap only appears when you are looking at a source file, or when [Compare with source] is on. It is hidden while you are working on a draft alone, because there is no single source file to show.
