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Split / Merge scenes

Last updated May 22, 2026 · 4 min read

Mid-writing, realised one scene is really two? Two short scenes should merge? Both Split and Merge live in the Write editor (the Scene Board's Split / Merge aren't available yet).

Slima Script Studio Scene Board: Split / Merge are typically done in a scene card menu or in the Write editor

Split: divide one scene into two

When it's needed

  • INT/EXT changes mid-scene (e.g. starts indoors, moves to balcony) → split
  • Time jump (hours / a day passes) → split
  • Pacing too long: a single scene's dialogue runs long, harming visual pacing

How to split

In the script editor, right-click the scene element (a line of dialogue, action, etc.) where you want the cut → "Split Scene". The element you clicked becomes the first element of the new scene; everything from there on moves into the new scene, and everything before it stays in the original.

The first element can't be split (that would be a no-op), so "Split Scene" only appears on the right-click menu of a non-first element.

When you split, Slima:

  1. Inserts a new scene right after the original, holding the moved elements
  2. Auto-versions before the split
  3. Creates the new scene with a blank heading (it inherits only the original's time-of-day) — you fill in the INT/EXT and location yourself

The Scene Board's scene-card ⋯ menu also lists a "Split" item, but it's currently marked "coming soon" and is disabled.

After splitting

  • New scene auto-numbered (scene numbers are plain integers — e.g. scene 7 becomes scenes 7 and 8, everything after shifting +1)
  • You need to fill in the new scene's heading yourself (INT/EXT, location) — Slima won't guess; the new scene only carries over the original's time-of-day
  • Storyline tags are not auto-copied to the new scene; character chips are re-derived from the dialogue that moved across, not carried over as metadata

Merge: combine two scenes into one

When it's needed

  • Previous split was too fine — should be one scene
  • Two consecutive scenes share INT/EXT + location + time → merge
  • Scenes too short, hurting visual pacing

How to merge

In the Write editor, every pair of scenes is separated by a scene divider. On the divider above the scene you want to fold away (the lower scene), click the divider's merge button → the confirm dialog offers "Merge with Previous".

Confirm and that scene's dialogue and action are appended to the previous scene, and the scene itself (including its scene heading) is removed. So merging only goes one direction — upward; the first scene has no previous scene, so it can only be deleted, not merged.

The Scene Board's scene-card ⋯ menu also lists a "Merge" item, but it's currently marked "coming soon" and is disabled.

After merging

  • Both scenes' dialogue / description combine into one longer scene
  • The previous scene's heading is kept (INT/EXT, location, time)
  • The merged-away scene, including its heading, is removed
  • Character chips on the combined scene are re-derived from its dialogue

Auto-versioning

Split / Merge auto-versions (Auto-version rules) — recoverable.

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