A shoot dropped straight into Selects is a flat pile of files. Folders let you group them so the project reads clearly before you start editing. You can build them by hand, or ask chat to sort the whole lot.
Make a folder yourself
Folders work the same way in prep and in the editor.
Click [Create folder] in the project panel.
Type a name. Leaving it blank gives you New folder.
Drag files into it.
Anything you have not filed sits under Unfiled. Synced timelines get their own Synced Timelines folder automatically, so you do not need to group those yourself.
To remove a folder, delete it from the project panel. You will be asked to confirm first.
Let chat sort it for you
On a big shoot it is quicker to hand the whole pile over.
Open the more-actions menu, the ellipsis at the top of the project panel, and choose [Organize files]. This opens the [Assistant] and drops a ready-made request into the chat box.
Read it, change it if you want something different, then send.
Chat proposes a layout and waits for you to confirm before moving anything.
Note: The request is only prefilled, not sent. Nothing moves until you send it and then approve the layout chat comes back with.
Left to its own devices chat groups into main footage and B-roll, but your instructions win. Ask for folders per shoot day, per location, or any structure you like, and say so in the message before sending.
Drafts can be filed too, so you can keep an edit beside the footage it came from, or gather every draft into one folder.
FAQs
Does organizing affect analysis or credits?
No. Folders are just how your files are arranged. Moving a file does not analyze it, re-analyze it, or cost credits.
If I delete a folder, do I lose the files?
Deleting a folder is about the grouping, not the media. Your original files on disk are never touched by anything you do in the project panel.
Chat asked me about some files instead of just moving them
That is deliberate. When it cannot tell where something belongs, it asks rather than guessing, so a clip does not quietly end up in the wrong place.