Scenehand Help Centre

How do I start using Scenehand?

Start a free trial from the Sign up page — 14 days and 5 credits — five hours of Standard analysis — with no card required. You create a project, add footage, and Scenehand analyses it in one pass. Installing the desktop app is the recommended next step, because ingest and local playback are much faster there.

What do I need before my first upload?

A project and the footage itself. There is no setup, no plugin and no timeline preparation — Scenehand reads the files as they are. If your media lives on an external drive, connect the drive and point the desktop app at it rather than copying files first.

How long does analysis take?

Roughly real time per stream on first pass, running in the background while you work. A one-hour interview is usually searchable within the hour; a multi-terabyte shoot day is queued and processed continuously. You get a notification the moment each file is ready.

Can I use Scenehand without the desktop app?

Yes — the web app covers browsing, search, Ask, Story and comments. What it cannot do is ingest an external drive in the background or scrub local media without an upload wait, which is why the desktop app is the recommended way to run it.

Do I need to re-upload footage I already have online?

It depends where it lives. A customer-owned Azure Blob container can be connected today, behind a feature flag — ask support to switch it on for your workspace. Frame.io, Google Drive and Dropbox are planned and not available yet; anywhere else, ingest with the desktop app or the browser uploader. Where a connector is available Scenehand reads from your storage and ingests a proxy rather than copying your originals across.

What video formats does Scenehand support?

ProRes 422 HQ, H.264, HEVC, DNxHD, XAVC and MXF are supported everywhere. Camera RAW formats — BRAW and R3D — are supported on Enterprise, and are in beta on the desktop app.

What resolutions and frame rates work?

4K, 6K and 8K, at any frame rate from 23.98 to 60 fps. Mixed-rate and mixed-resolution projects are fine — timecode is preserved per file, so citations stay accurate across sources.

How do I ingest an external drive?

Connect the drive, open the desktop app and select the drive as a source. Ingest runs in the background and is resumable end to end, so you can unplug the drive and it picks up exactly where it stopped.

My drive disconnected mid-ingest — do I start over?

No. Ingest is resumable end to end, so it continues from the last completed chunk rather than restarting the file. Reconnect the drive and it picks up on its own.

Can I add footage to a project later?

Yes. Projects are open-ended — add footage at any point and it joins the same searchable library. Tags, speakers and search all extend to the new material automatically.

Is there a file-size limit?

In the browser, yes. A file has to be under 8 GiB and under four hours, in a codec the browser can compress locally — anything past that stays on your machine with the reason shown rather than failing silently. The desktop app has no per-file size or duration cap, which is why it is the right route for long masters and multi-terabyte shoot days. Both are still bounded by your plan’s storage and monthly credits.

How do I find a shot when I do not remember the filename?

Describe it. Search accepts plain description — “wide, outside, just after the rain” — as well as shot size, setting, people, camera angle and tags. Every result is a scene card you can scrub without opening the file.

Can I filter by shot size or setting?

Yes. Filters cover shot size, camera angle, setting, roll type, people and any tag in the project library, and they combine with a text search rather than replacing it.

What is the difference between scene view and file view?

Scene view breaks the library into story beats, which is what you want when hunting a moment. File view groups by source file, which is what you want when checking coverage on a particular card or camera. Your search and filters carry across both.

Why is a scene not appearing in my results?

Check in this order: that analysis has finished for the file, on the ingest queue; that no filter from an earlier search is still applied; and that you are in the right project and scope. Then try a plainer description — two or three words about what is on screen. If it is still missing, send support the filename and its analysis status.

What kinds of questions can I ask?

Anything answerable from the footage: where a subject is discussed, which scenes cover a location, who appears most, whether you have enough coverage of something. Answers lead with the verdict and cite the scenes and timecodes behind it.

How do I know an answer is accurate?

Every claim carries a scene and a timecode you can play. Nothing is asserted without a citation, so you verify by clicking rather than trusting.

What does it mean when Ask says NOT SURE?

NOT SURE means the evidence in your footage is too thin to answer confidently. Ask says so instead of inventing a citation — a deliberate design choice, and the reason its answers can be trusted.

Can I limit a question to one file or scene?

Yes. Scope a question to the whole project, a single source file, or the scene you are looking at. The answer never wanders outside the scope you set.

Can Ask make changes to my project?

Ask can propose changes — jump to a moment, mark an in/out range, suggest a tag — and you approve each one. AI never silently changes a project.

What does Story actually produce?

People, themes, locations and the arc so far, plus the strongest soundbite in every scene and notes on what is missing. Every claim is cited to a scene and timecode.

When is Story most useful?

Before you have watched a frame, and again before you lock a cut. Early it tells you what you shot; late it flags gaps in the arc while you can still shoot them.

How do I get real names instead of “Speaker 1” in a transcript?

Speakers are labelled automatically as the transcript is built, and you can rename any of them once — the correction applies across the whole project, including citations already made.

Can I correct a speaker name or a mis-heard word?

Yes. Edit either in place. Speaker corrections propagate project-wide; word corrections update the search index immediately.

What can I get a transcript out as?

Clean, timecoded plain text, ready to paste into a script, a paper edit or production notes. Copy any range or the whole file.

Can I export subtitles as SRT or VTT?

Not yet. Transcripts come out as clean, timecoded plain text you can copy by range or by whole file, which suits a script or a paper edit but is not a subtitle format. Editorial export formats are deliberately out of scope for now — tell support if SRT or VTT would change how you work.

Which attributes are detected without me doing anything?

Shot size, camera angle, setting, roll type, the people on screen and recognisable on-screen objects — all applied as footage lands, before you touch it.

Can I add my own tags?

Yes, and they join one shared library so the whole team filters on the same vocabulary rather than inventing parallel systems.

How do I leave a note on a specific moment?

Pin it to a single timecode or mark a whole range on the timeline. You can quote a transcript line, assign with an @mention, and resolve it when it is handled.

How many people can review a project without adding cost?

As many as you like. Viewer seats are free and unlimited, and a Viewer can browse, search, ask, play and comment — only people who change content need a billed seat.

What can each role do?

Viewers browse, search, ask and comment. Editors also change content. Managers additionally handle members and billing.

What does the Insights view actually show?

Coverage and shot mix across the project, the A-roll to B-roll split, and who and where appears most. It is built from the same single analysis pass, so there is nothing to set up.

Can I get from a figure to the footage behind it?

Yes. Every stat clicks through to the scenes it was counted from, so a number is always one click from the material.

When are Insights most useful?

Before the edit starts, to see whether you have enough, and mid-shoot to spot a gap while you can still go and cover it.

What can I do from Slack?

Ask a question and get an answer cited to a scene and timecode, share a scene straight into a channel, and receive a note the moment new footage has finished analysing.

Do answers in Slack carry citations?

Yes. The same scene and timecode references come back in the channel, so nobody has to take a claim on trust.

Which Slack channels does it post to?

Whichever you connect. Point Scenehand at the channels your team already uses rather than creating new ones.

The installer says my Mac is not supported — why?

Three requirements, in the order the installer checks them: an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or later), macOS 14 or newer, and free disk for the proxy cache. Intel Macs cannot run it at all, and a Windows build is still in development — on either, use the web app, which does everything except background drive ingest and local scrubbing. If your Mac meets all three and the installer still refuses, send support your chip and macOS version from About This Mac. Download the desktop app →

How do I update the app?

The desktop app checks automatically and downloads in the background. Updates install when you relaunch, never mid-edit, and you can check manually from Help → Check for Updates. Release notes for every version are in the version menu. Desktop app releases →

Can I choose between stable and beta builds?

Yes. Switch channel in the update panel. Stable ships only tested releases; Beta gets pre-release builds first, with rough edges expected.

Why can I not sign in to the desktop app?

Work through it in this order: confirm the web app signs in on the same machine and network; check that a VPN or proxy is not blocking the sign-in redirect, and allow the app through if it is; if your team uses SSO, confirm your account has been provisioned for Scenehand. If all three pass, quit and relaunch, then email support with the app version from the version menu.

What is a credit, and how many hours does it buy?

A credit is the unit plans, packs and overage are measured in. One credit buys one hour of Standard analysis — transcript, scenes and frame tags. Studio’s deeper pass, which adds video embeddings, motion search and “more like this”, costs two credits an hour. Allowances are 20 credits a month on Standard, 45 on Studio and 65 pooled on Team — so 45 credits is 45 hours of Standard analysis, or 22.5 hours of Studio.

What happens when I run out of credits?

Analysis pauses rather than failing, and you can top up. Packs are 10 credits for $39, 25 for $89 and 50 for $159, with custom packs above 51. Your monthly allowance is always spent first; purchased credits are drawn on only once it runs out. Past both, overage is $4.00 per credit — $4.00 an hour of Standard analysis, $8.00 an hour on Studio.

Do top-ups expire?

No. Purchased credits never expire and roll over month to month. They sit behind your monthly allowance, which is always spent first, so buying ahead of a big shoot is safe.

How do seats work?

A seat unlocks access, not an allowance — the whole team draws from one shared pool of credits. Team includes 3 billed seats; extra seats are $39 each. Viewers are always free.

Can I change or cancel my plan?

Yes, at any time, from Settings → Billing. Cancelling stops future charges and leaves your library intact and exportable through the end of the period.

How do I download an invoice or receipt?

Settings → Billing → open the billing portal. Every invoice for the workspace is listed there as a PDF, alongside the card on file and the billing address. Managers can reach it; Editors and Viewers cannot.

Can I get a refund?

Cancelling stops future charges and the current period runs to its end, with your remaining credits usable until then — so in the normal case there is nothing to refund. For a duplicate or mistaken charge, email support@scenehand.studio with the invoice number and you will get a reply within one working day.

How do I confirm our footage is excluded from AI training?

Your footage is excluded by default and there is no setting that opts you in. Everything Scenehand learns from it stays inside your project, is never shared, and is never used to train anything. Enterprise customers can have this stated contractually in a DPA. Clause 6 of the privacy policy →

Who can see my projects?

Only the people you invite. Projects live in your own private workspace, and you can remove everything at any time.

Can we run Scenehand on our own infrastructure?

Yes, on Enterprise. On-premise deployment, SSO and a DPA are all available, and your library moves with you if you migrate.

How do I delete a project?

From the project’s own settings. The project, its media and everything analysed from it — transcripts, scenes, tags and comments — go with it. This is immediate, and separate from deleting your account.

How do I delete my account?

Settings → Account → Delete account. The account is deactivated straight away and enters a 30-day cancellation window, during which you can restore it yourself and nothing is lost. At the end of the 30 days the account, its projects, media and analysis are purged permanently and cannot be recovered. Retention schedule →

How long do you keep my footage?

For as long as the project exists. Deleting a project removes its media and analysis; deleting your account starts the 30-day window above, after which everything is purged. There is no separate archive, and nothing is kept back for training. Retention schedule →

Do you show costs before heavy processing?

Yes. Any heavy processing shows an estimate before it runs, so a large re-analysis can never surprise you on the invoice.

Ingest sits at 0% and does not move

Almost always the drive. Check it has not slept or been remounted and reconnect it — ingest resumes from the last completed chunk rather than restarting. If the volume is definitely mounted and readable, quit and relaunch the desktop app, then read the file report for a codec or permission error. If it stays at zero, send support the drive type and that report.

I cannot sign in, or I have forgotten my password

Use “Forgot password” on the log-in page — a single-use reset link is emailed to the address on the account. If nothing arrives, check spam, then confirm you are using the address you were invited on. If your organisation signs in with Google, Microsoft or SSO there is no Scenehand password to reset: use the same button you used the first time. Locked out of the email itself — your workspace Manager can re-invite you.

A file finished but no scenes appeared

Usually the file is audio-only, or carries an unsupported codec inside a supported container. Open the file report on the ingest queue — it names the stream it could not read. If the report is clean and there are still no scenes, the file may be shorter than a single scene; send support the filename and the report.

A speaker is labelled with the wrong name

Rename them once on any line in that project and it corrects everywhere, including past citations.

Ask keeps answering NOT SURE

The question is broader than the footage supports. Narrow the scope to a file or a scene, ask about something the material actually covers, or rephrase it in the words a speaker would have used. Ask will not guess to fill a gap — but a NOT SURE on a question you know the footage answers is worth reporting, with the project name and the question.

Search returns nothing for an obvious shot

Usually a filter left on from an earlier search. Clear filters, then search again with a plain description. If that does not do it: confirm the file has finished analysing, widen from scene view to file view, and try one word rather than a phrase. Still nothing — send support the filename and what you searched for.

Proxies are slow to appear on the desktop app

Proxy generation runs behind ingest by design, so it finishes after the footage is already searchable. Both continue in the background, and leaving the app open on power rather than battery is materially faster. If proxies are still missing once ingest has fully completed, check free disk space for the proxy cache.

Timecodes look offset against my NLE

The source file has no embedded timecode, so Scenehand starts at zero. Check the file report — it states whether timecode was found. If it was not, re-ingest from the original camera file with timecode present, or conform against the file report rather than the scene timecodes.

Ingest, search, Ask, the desktop app, anything not working as described here.

Team rollouts, on-premise, SSO, a DPA, or volume pricing.