Allow “Remove Filler Words” and “Shorten Word Gaps” Tools to Stay Pinned On Screen with Keyboard Shortcuts
J
Joel Yeaton
Hey Descript team,
I rely heavily on both the Remove Filler Words and Shorten Word Gaps tools in my editing workflow, and while they’re incredibly useful, there’s one UX enhancement that would make a big difference in day-to-day use:
Request: Please allow these tools to be pinned or locked on screen (non-dismissable) and accessible via assignable keyboard shortcuts.
Why this matters:
Both tools currently disappear whenever I use other tools (like trimming or selecting text) to make manual adjustments. This slows things down significantly, especially since I do not batch-accept edits and instead prefer to go through each one manually to ensure cut quality.
Use case example:
• I’m reviewing Shorten Word Gaps edits, and I want to trim or adjust a particular gap.
• As soon as I make a manual selection or deletion, the Shorten Word Gaps panel disappears.
• I have to re-open it (via two clicks or Command-K and search) to move to the next item.
• Same applies to Remove Filler Words, where I often reject harsh edits and make smoother cuts manually, but again, the tool vanishes the moment I touch the timeline.
Suggested Improvements:
- Pin Tool Panels: Let us pin these AI tools so they stay docked while we make edits,
even when using selection, cut, or trim tools.
- Dedicated Keyboard Shortcuts: Add direct hotkey support to open these tools without needing to use Command-K or navigate through menus.
- Optional Default Behavior: Make the “stay open” feature toggleable in Preferences or per-tool settings.
Context:
• The “Avoid Harsh Cuts” toggle for Remove Filler Words has already been a great quality-of-life update, this would build on that by making manual workflows smoother.
• Since both tools still sometimes behave inconsistently (Shorten Word Gaps occasionally selects unknown text blocks instead of just silence), a more fluid manual approval process is crucial.
Thanks for considering! Would love to see this enhancement prioritized, it would make a huge difference for those of us using Descript as a pro-level post tool.