Why This Matters
As your scenes grow, it’s easy to accidentally move assets or end up with uneven spacing.
Lock and tidy assets to:
Prevent accidental changes
Keep layouts aligned
Work faster on complex scenes
These tools are especially helpful once you’ve already arranged your content.
Lock and Unlock Assets
Locked assets keep your video layout organized by preventing accidental changes to assets on the canvas. You can lock and unlock assets either directly on the scene canvas or from the timeline view.
To lock an asset
Select the element on the canvas that you want to lock.
Right-click the asset and choose Lock from the dropdown menu.
A 🔒 icon will appear on the asset to show it is locked.
To unlock an asset
Right-click the locked asset on the canvas.
Select Unlock.
Lock or Unlock Assets from the Timeline
You can also manage asset locks from the timeline view:
Switch to Timeline view at the bottom of the screen.
Locate the asset in the asset list.
Click the lock icon next to the asset to toggle locking on or off.
💡 Want to learn more about the Timeline? Check out our article How do I use the Timeline in Synthesia?
Tidy your layout automatically
With a single click, you can automatically align and evenly distribute selected elements. Use this tool to streamline your workflow, especially when working with slides that have lots of items or bullet lists.
Use the Tidy Button:
Select multiple elements on the scene that you'd like to arrange.
Select the Tidy button.
The elements will automatically align horizontally or vertically.
Text elements (like bullet lists) will be left-aligned.
✍️ Some assets in pre-built templates may be locked without an Unlock option — this is expected for certain template elements and isn't the same as manually locking your own assets.
When should I use Lock vs Tidy?
Use Lock when your layout is finished and you don’t want it to move.
Use Tidy when elements look uneven or misaligned.