How to Use Nested Projects in PowerDirector
Reuse a whole project as one clip, and tweak it per video without touching the original.
Updated Aug. 29, 2026 · 3 min read
In a hurry? Use the nested projects quick guide instead.
A nested project puts a whole saved project onto your timeline as a single clip. The obvious use is a series intro: one project holds the intro, every episode drops it in, and the episode number gets changed per video without rebuilding anything or disturbing the original.
- Media tab > My Projects, or Import Project for one that is not listed.
- Drag it onto the timeline. A pds label on the clip means it nested.
- Double-click the clip to edit it. Your changes stay in this project.
Steps to Nest a Project
Prefer to watch? Here is the whole thing in under two minutes.
What It Is For
Anything you build once and use repeatedly: a title sequence, a branded outro, a lower-third arrangement. Nesting keeps it as one object on the timeline instead of a dozen clips you have to avoid disturbing.
Step 1: Find the Project
On the Media tab, My Projects lists the PowerDirector projects you have saved. If the one you want is not there, Import Project adds a project file from disk.
Step 2: Drag It In, and Check the Label
Drag the project onto the timeline the same way you would a clip, then check what landed. A clip carrying a pds label is a nested project. If instead you got a spread of separate clips, the project was expanded rather than nested.
Got separate clips instead? It is a preference. Open Preferences, go to the Editing tab, and set Set default insert project behavior to As Nested Project. Until that is set, dragging a project in expands it and the feature never appears to work.
Step 3: Edit Inside It
Double-click the nested clip, or click its project tab, to go inside. You get the project's own timeline and can change anything on it.
Your changes stay here. Editing a nested project affects the clip in this project only. The original project file is not modified, so the same intro can be nested into ten videos and carry a different episode line in each.
The Result
Click the tab for the main project to come back out. The nested clip on the timeline now shows the version you just edited, still as a single object.
Haven't got PowerDirector yet? Nesting is how a series intro stays one thing instead of a dozen copies to maintain.
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