Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 User Guide

							 Chapter 7    Edit your project 131
 2 Do one of the following:
 •To trim off the start of the clip: Choose Trim > Trim Start, or press Option–Left Bracket ([).
 •To trim off the end of the clip: Choose Trim > Trim End, or press Option–Right Bracket (]).
 •To trim the edit point closest to the playhead: Choose Trim > Trim to Playhead, or press Option–
Backslash (\).
The clip is trimmed to the playhead (or skimmer) position, and the Timeline updates accordingly.
New end point of the trimmed clip
Trimmed clip
In the case of connected clips or storylines, Final Cut Pro trims the selected clip. If there is no 
selection, Final Cut Pro trims the topmost clip.
Make roll edits with the Trim tool
A roll edit adjusts the start point and the end point of two adjacent clips simultaneously. If you 
like where two clips are placed in the Timeline, but you want to change when the cut point 
happens, you can use the Trim tool to roll the edit point between the two clips. No clips move in 
the Timeline as a result; only the edit point between the two clips moves. No other clips in the 
project are affected.
When you perform a roll edit, the overall duration of the project stays the same, but both clips 
change duration. One gets longer while the other gets shorter to compensate.
A B C
A BC
Before edit
After edit
In the example above, clip B gets shorter while clip C becomes longer, but the combined 
duration of the two clips stays the same.
You can see a “two-up” display in the Viewer as you trim edit points in the Timeline. This display 
shows a more detailed view of each side of an edit point. For more information, see 
Show 
detailed trimming feedback
 on page 13 7 .
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Roll an edit point
 1 Choose the Trim tool from the Tools pop-up menu in the toolbar (or press T ).
The pointer changes to the Trim tool icon .
Tip:  To switch to the Trim tool temporarily, hold down the T key. When you release the T key, the 
tool reverts to the previously active tool.
 2 In the Timeline, click the center of the edit point you want to roll so that both sides of the edit 
point are selected.
 3 Do one of the following:
 •Drag the edit point left or right.
 •Press the Plus Sign (+) key or the Minus Sign (–) key followed by the timecode duration to add 
or subtract from the current edit, and press Return.
The timecode entry field (with blue numbers) appears in the Dashboard in the toolbar as 
you type.
For more information about entering timecode values, see Navigate using timecode
 on 
page 14 3 . 
 •Position the playhead or skimmer at a point in the Timeline to which you want to move the 
edit point, and choose Trim > Extend Edit (or press Shift-X).
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The edit point is rolled to the new location. The combined duration of the two clips stays 
the same.
If you can’t roll the edit point any farther and one side of the edit point appears red, you’ve 
reached the end of the media for one of the two clips.
Make slip edits with the Trim tool
Performing a slip edit doesn’t change a clip’s position or duration in the Timeline, but instead 
changes what portion of the clip’s media appears in the Timeline. A slip edit allows you to 
change a clip’s start and end points simultaneously.
Whenever you arrange clips in the Timeline so that edit points line up with musical beats or 
other fixed sync points in a movie, you want to keep your clips in position to maintain the 
alignment. These situations leave you with very little room to adjust a clip because you cannot 
change its duration or move it elsewhere in the Timeline. All you can do is move both the start 
and end points of the clip simultaneously, keeping the clip’s position and duration fixed.
The portion of the clip seen in the project changes, but its position in the Timeline stays the 
same. Surrounding clips are not affected, and the overall duration of your project doesn’t change.
00:00:30:00
00:00:10:00
A B C
Before edit
00:00:37:00
00:00:17:00
After edit
A B C
In the example above, the slip edit changes the start and end points of clip B, but not its duration 
or position in the Timeline. When the project plays back, a different portion of clip B’s media 
is shown.
Note:  To slip a clip, it must have media handles on both sides, meaning that there must be 
additional media available on both the head and the tail of the clip. If you’re having trouble 
slipping a clip, check that the clip has media handles on both sides. You can double-click any edit 
point to view or adjust its media handles in the Precision Editor.
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If there are no media handles available, consider using the Position tool  instead. For more 
information about the Position tool, see Arrange clips in the Timeline
 on page 11 7 .
For more accurate visual feedback on edits involving contiguous clips, you can turn on “Show 
detailed trimming feedback” in Final Cut Pro preferences. For a slip edit, this “two-up” display in 
the Viewer shows the start and end points of the clip you’re slipping. For more information, see 
Show detailed trimming feedback
 on page 13 7 .
Slip a clip in the Timeline
 1 Choose the Trim tool from the Tools pop-up menu in the toolbar (or press T ).
The pointer changes to the Trim tool icon .
Tip:  To switch to the Trim tool temporarily, hold down the T key. When you release the T key, the 
tool reverts to the previously active tool.
 2 Drag a clip left or right.
As you drag, a timecode field indicates the amount of time you’re moving the start point and the 
end point. Yellow edge selections on the start point and end point indicate a slip edit.
New position of frame
Yellow edge selections on the start point and end point indicate a slip edit.
Original position of frame
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When you release the mouse button, the slipped clip appears in the Timeline with a new start 
point and a new end point.
With the current selection, you can also slip the clip with keyboard shortcuts by doing either of 
the following: 
 •Nudge the start and end points (one frame or 10 frames) to the left or right.
 •Enter an amount of time to slip the clip left or right.
Note:  If either the start point or the end point turns red as you drag, you’ve reached the end of 
the available media for that side of the clip.
Make slide edits with the Trim tool
Performing a slide edit allows you to move a clip’s position in the Timeline between two other 
clips without creating a gap. The clip’s content and duration remain the same; only its position 
in the Timeline changes. When you slide a clip, the adjacent clips get longer and shorter to 
accommodate the change in the clip’s position. The combined duration of these three clips stays 
the same, and the project’s total duration remains unchanged as well.
A BC
A B C
Before edit
After edit
Note:  To slide a clip between two others, the preceding clip and the following clip must have 
media handles, additional media available beyond the edit point. You can double-click any edit 
point to view or adjust its media handles in the Precision Editor.
If there are no media handles available, consider using the Position tool 
 instead. For more 
information about the Position tool, see Arrange clips in the Timeline
 on page 11 7 .
For more accurate visual feedback on edits involving contiguous clips, you can turn on “Show 
detailed trimming feedback” in Final Cut Pro preferences. For a slide edit, this “two-up” display 
in the Viewer shows the two edit points you are adjusting: the end point of the preceding clip 
and the start point of the subsequent clip. For more information, see Show detailed trimming 
feedback
 on page 13 7 .
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Slide a clip in the Timeline
 1 Choose the Trim tool from the Tools pop-up menu in the toolbar (or press T ).
The pointer changes to the Trim tool icon .
Tip:  To switch to the Trim tool temporarily, hold down the T key. When you release the T key, the 
tool reverts to the previously active tool.
 2 Option-drag a clip to the left or right.
Yellow selections on the neighboring clips indicate a slide edit.
Original Timeline position
Yellow selections on the neighboring clips indicate a slide edit.
As you drag, a timecode field indicates the amount of time you’re moving the clip in 
the Timeline.
This clip’s duration is the same. 
This clip is shorter.This clip is longer.
New Timeline position
When you release the mouse button, the slide clip appears at the new position in the Timeline. 
The adjacent clips are trimmed to accommodate the change in the clip’s position.
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With the current selection, you can also slide the clip with keyboard shortcuts by doing either of 
the following: 
 •Nudge it (one frame or 10 frames) to the left or right.
 •Enter an amount of time to slide the clip left or right.
For more information, see Arrange clips in the Timeline
 on page 11 7 .
Note:  If either edit point turns red as you drag, you’ve reached the end of the available media for 
that side of the clip.
Note:  You can also make slide edits by entering a timecode value to move clips or by nudging 
clips with keyboard shortcuts. For more information, see Arrange clips in the Timeline
 on page 11 7 .
Show detailed trimming feedback
For more accurate visual feedback on edits involving contiguous or connected clips, you can turn 
on “Show detailed trimming feedback” in Final Cut Pro preferences. For example, for a simple 
ripple trim, this “two-up” display in the Viewer shows the end point of the left clip and the start 
point of the right clip.
This display is available for ripple, roll, slip, and slide edits as well as for trimming in the 
Precision Editor.
Turn on detailed trimming feedback
 1 Choose Final C ut P ro > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,).
 2 Click Editing.
 3 In the Timeline section, select the “Show detailed trimming feedback” checkbox. 
The “two-up” display appears in the Viewer whenever you use a supported edit type or when 
trimming in the Precision Editor.
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Tip:  You can use the Option key to change the detailed trimming feedback display on the fly. If 
detailed trimming feedback is enabled, press the Option key to disable it. If detailed trimming 
feedback is disabled, press the Option key to switch the view between the end point of the left 
clip and the start point of the right clip.
View and navigate
Zoom and scroll in the Timeline
Being able to see and get to any point in your project is critical to efficient editing and 
storytelling. There are many ways to adjust the view of the Timeline. Learning keyboard shortcuts 
can save you time.
Fit the entire contents of the Timeline into the available window size
Whether you’re zoomed in to a single clip or zoomed out so far that all the clips in your project 
appear on the left side of the Timeline, you can quickly change the view so that all the clips fill 
the visible part of the Timeline and no scrolling is required.
 mChoose View > Zoom to Fit (or press Shift–Z).
Before choosing Zoom to Fit
After choosing Zoom to Fit
Zoom in to and out of the Timeline using the Zoom slider
 m To zoom in to the Timeline: Drag the Zoom slider to the right, or press Command–Plus Sign (+).
 mTo zoom out of the Timeline: Drag the Zoom slider to the left, or press Command–Minus Sign (–).
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Zoom in to and out of the Timeline using the Zoom tool
 1 Choose the Zoom tool from the Tools pop-up menu in the toolbar (or press Z).
The pointer changes to the Zoom tool icon .
Tip:  To switch to the Zoom tool temporarily, hold down the Z key. When you release the Z key, 
the tool reverts to the previously active tool.
 2 Do one of the following:
 •To zoom in to the Timeline: Click the section of the Timeline you want to zoom in to. (You can 
also drag over an area of the Timeline to zoom in to just that area.)
Click multiple times to continue zooming in.
 •To zoom out of the Timeline: Option-click the section of the Timeline you want to zoom out of.
Option-click multiple times to continue zooming out.
Scroll a zoomed-in Timeline
 1 Zoom in to the Timeline until you see a portion of the project only.
 2 Do one of the following:
 •Drag the slider at the bottom of the Timeline left or right.
 •Drag the slider at the right side of the Timeline up or down.
 •Choose the Hand tool from the Tools pop-up menu in the toolbar (or press H), and drag in the 
Timeline. 
Tip:  To switch to the Hand tool temporarily, hold down the H key. When you release the H key, 
the tool reverts to the previously active tool.
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Adjust Timeline settings
In Final Cut Pro, it’s very easy to adjust the Timeline display options. For example, you can show 
clips with or without video filmstrips or audio waveforms. Or you can change the vertical height 
of the clips or the size of filmstrips or audio waveforms in relation to the video thumbnails that 
appear in the filmstrip of each clip in the Timeline. You can also show only the clip labels.
The snapping behavior makes it easier and quicker to do things like line up a video clip with an 
audio clip, or align the playhead to a particular marker. When snapping is turned on, items you 
move in the Timeline appear to jump, or “snap,” directly to certain points in the Timeline. This can 
help you quickly line up edits with other items in the project. 
Snapping affects the functions of many of the editing tools in Final Cut Pro, including the 
Select tool, the Trim tool, the Position tool, the Range Selection tool, and the Blade tool. Several 
elements trigger snapping in the Timeline:
 •Clip boundaries (start and end points)
 •The playhead and the skimmer
 •Markers
 •Keyframes
 •Range selections
Adjust Timeline clip appearance and height
 1 Click the Clip Appearance button in the lower-right corner of the Timeline.
The Clip Appearance window appears.
 2 Do one of the following:
 •To display clips with large audio waveforms only: Click the leftmost Clip Appearance button (or 
press Control-Option-1).
 •To display clips with large audio waveforms and small filmstrips: Click the second Clip 
Appearance button from the left (or press Control-Option-2).
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