Import Your Media

Import media

Open Sequence and choose the import action from the empty state, use ⌘I, the plus icon in the library pane, or import from the File menu.

Sequence creates a project from a local video or audio file and stores the media metadata it needs for playback, transcription, export, and later relinking.

When import completes, Sequence creates a project with your first variant. That first tab is where your edits, transcript, markers, normalization choices, and export settings live.

This is why the app can later create additional variants from the same media without duplicating the original file.

What Sequence checks during import

Sequence validates the file and probes the media so it can understand the duration, frame rate, audio tracks, source timecode, codec details, and whether the file is comfortable for macOS playback. You can inspect this later from the metadata pane in the app.

If the file is already usable, Sequence loads it directly. If the file needs help, the app will guide you through Media Compatibility so you can remux or convert it before continuing. This does not overwrite your original media unless you explicitly enable the destructive preference to delete originals after remuxing.

Audio-only projects

You can import audio as well as video. For audio-only media, Sequence still gives you transcription, transcript editing, clean-up, and export options where they make sense. The video pane adapts to the media type, but the project still behaves like a normal Sequence project in the library.

Missing media and relinking

If a file is moved later, don’t re-import and start again. Use the missing-media relink flow instead. Sequence can relink the primary video, remuxed or converted media, normalized audio, and external audio separately, so you can keep the transcript and edits you already made.

Relinking is especially useful when you move a project between drives, archive a job, or clean up a folder after export. The app checks whether each stored path still exists and only asks for the items that are missing.

After import

Once your media is loaded, the usual next step is to download the transcription model if you haven’t already, then transcribe the project. You can also normalize audio, create variants, organize the project into a catalog, or start adding markers before you run transcription.