When Regenerate is unavailable, inspect what you selected and the state of that material before diagnosing a failed generation. A span that contains several separate edits and a candidate still awaiting acceptance are different situations. Record the exact object you want to change, then choose the next eligible action. The checklist below is an original diagnostic procedure for Descript, rather than a report of an executed generation or an Imagild feature announcement.
Start with the documented eligibility rules
Descript's repair guide excludes selections crossing multiple edit points, a scene boundary or Ignored text. It also identifies missing voice access after script changes and an already regenerated clip as blockers. Keep accepts a generated result and converts it into an audio clip that can be regenerated again.
The Regenerate overview currently limits the feature to English. Rewriting speech requires an authorized custom AI speaker. Video eligibility is narrower than audio eligibility; use its current guidance for that separate decision. These statements describe Descript, not a universal rule for other editors.
Make a selection-state worksheet
Before another attempt, note the composition, the selected text and its time range. Record whether the material is source audio or a generated candidate. Put intended wording changes in a separate column, so a voice-access problem does not get confused with a boundary problem.
| Record | Question to answer before acting |
|---|---|
| Selected span | Which edit points and scene boundaries are inside it? |
| Included text | Does any selected text carry the Ignored state? |
| Clip state | Original material, an unaccepted candidate, or a kept audio clip? |
| Intended operation | Preserve the words or deliberately rewrite them? |
| Permission | Is the required speaker available for this authorized change? |
| Observed result | Unavailable control, processing, or an explicit returned error? |
Treat these as separate observations. Do not write “the model failed” merely because the command could not be started. Conversely, an eligible selection does not prove that a later processing request will succeed. Preserve the actual status or error if a request does run.
Change one blocker without changing the editorial task
Imagine an invented training project where a broad selection includes two cuts and the start of the next scene. The intended task concerns only the earlier cut. In a project copy, identify that intended edit and exclude the unrelated region. Record why the smaller selection still represents the requested task. This is a structural eligibility check, not a comparison of which generated performance sounds smoother.
If the requested change genuinely spans a scene boundary, plan separate supported operations or choose another editing workflow. Do not erase a meaningful scene division just to make a control appear. Likewise, do not reactivate deliberately ignored material without understanding why it was excluded. An eligible selection is useful only if it still matches the approved content and scope.
Resolve a pending candidate deliberately
When the target is already a generated candidate, review it before accepting it. Keep should express an actual acceptance decision, not function as a ritual for unlocking another attempt. If the candidate is unsuitable, use the available review or revert route and preserve the source. Label an accepted version before making a further revision, so reviewers can identify which material the next operation starts from.
Finish the worksheet with the resulting selection and clip state. If all documented conditions appear satisfied but the control remains unavailable, retain the reproducible interval and current application details for product support. An Imagild film brief can record the authorized wording and intended visual treatment; it does not supply Descript's eligibility controls. Success here means identifying a permitted operation on the intended material, followed by ordinary review of any result, rather than merely making a button clickable.