# Projects

> Create, configure, duplicate, organize, trash, restore, and move projects.

Formats Studio docs · Start · https://formats.app/docs/projects · Updated 2026-09-27

## Create and configure a project

- Create a project from the Projects page with **New Project**.
- Set the project name, description, resolution, frame rate, and background color.
- Resolution and frame rate define the export canvas and timeline timing, so pick them to match your target delivery.
- You can revisit project specs later from the editor toolbar.

## Canvas size and aspect ratio

The canvas defines the frame your video is composed and exported in. Pick a size when you create a project, or change it any time from the **Canvas** panel while editing.

On **New Project**, the **Resolution** section offers ready-made presets for common platforms. Each preset card shows its pixel size and aspect ratio. Choose **Custom** to type an exact width and height instead.

| Preset | Resolution | Aspect ratio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| YouTube 1080p | `1920x1080` | `16:9` landscape |
| Shorts / TikTok / Reels | `1080x1920` | `9:16` vertical |
| Square | `1080x1080` | `1:1` square |
| Instagram Portrait | `1080x1350` | `4:5` portrait |
| Twitter/X | `1280x720` | `16:9` landscape |
| 4K UHD | `3840x2160` | `16:9` landscape |
| Custom | Your own values | Anything you enter |

To change the size after the project exists:

1. Deselect any clip so the properties sidebar shows the **Canvas** panel.
2. Edit the **W** and **H** fields to set the frame width and height in pixels.
3. Use **Swap** to flip width and height, for example to turn a landscape project into a vertical one.
4. Use **Reset** to return the canvas to `1920x1080`.

> **Note:** Dimensions snap to even numbers and range from `320x240` up to `7680x4320`. Existing clips keep their current position and scale when the canvas changes, so reposition anything that now sits outside the new frame.

## Organize the project list

- Search projects by name, and sort or filter the list as it grows.
- Use thumbnails and metadata to spot the project you last worked on.
- The active workspace is shown on the Projects page, so you always know where projects are stored.
- Use **Duplicate** to branch a variation without touching the original.

## Trash and restore

- Deleting a project moves it to **Trash** rather than removing it immediately.
- Restore a project from the Trash section while it is still there.
- **Empty trash** permanently deletes trashed projects and any media they exclusively reference.

> **Warning:** Permanent deletion cannot be undone, so confirm the name before emptying trash.

## Move work between workspaces

- Use **Export Project** to create a bundle that packages the project with its media.
- Import a bundle into another workspace to continue the same edit on a different machine or folder.

> **Tip:** Bundles are the safe way to hand a project to someone else, because they carry the linked media along with the timeline.

## Related

- [Workspaces and storage](https://formats.app/docs/workspaces): Where your projects live on your Mac, switching workspaces, missing media and cache maintenance.
- [Editor layout](https://formats.app/docs/editor): The toolbar, the tools column with your agent, Media, Library and Transcript, the preview, the Inspector and the timeline.