Cut on the Timeline.

Layers and Graph

The Timeline has two lenses, chosen by the tabs at its top: Layers, for cutting and arranging, and Graph, for shaping animation. Going to Animate (Alt+2) turns the Graph on, and going back to Edit puts the layers back. This guide is about the Layers lens; Keyframes and the Graph covers the other.

Each layer's header has a switch to hide or show it, solo it, and lock it so nothing on it can be selected, moved or trimmed. Alt-click a switch to apply it to every other layer instead, such as solo everything but this.

Choose a tool

The tools sit at the top of the Timeline. Each one is a different answer to what should happen to the clips around the one you drag.

Select V

Select and move clips, and drag an edge to trim it. Drag empty space to box-select; Ctrl adds to the selection. Drag clips onto another compatible layer to move them there. Esc cancels a drag.

Blade C

Click a clip to cut it at that frame.

Ripple trim Shift+B

Drag an edge to trim, and the clips after it on the layer move to close or open the gap.

Roll Shift+N

Move the cut between two touching clips. One gets longer and the other shorter, and their total stays the same.

Slip Y

Drag a clip to change which part of its source it plays, keeping its place and length.

Slide Shift+U

Move a clip between its neighbours, and they trim to fit.

Rate stretch R

Drag a media clip's end to change its length and its playback speed together.

Snapping pulls what you drag to clip edges, keys, markers and the playhead. Hold Ctrl while dragging to drag freely, and choose what snaps under View, Snap in the Timeline's menu. Linked selection, beside the tools, selects and edits a clip's video and audio together; Alt-click selects one side only.

Trim and split at the playhead

Put the playhead where you want the edit, select the clip, and:

Q and W

Trim the clip's start or end to the playhead. Add Shift to ripple the layer, so the clips after it move up.

Alt+[ and Alt+]

The same trims, on the keys other editors use. Shift ripples here too.

[ and ]

Move the whole clip so its start, or its end, lands on the playhead.

Ctrl+B

Split the selected clips at the playhead.

The same commands are in the clip's right-click menu: Split at playhead, and Trim to playhead with Start, End, Ripple start and Ripple end.

Move, copy and paste clips

Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V

Copy, cut and paste at the playhead. With keys selected instead of clips, these copy, cut and paste the keys.

Ctrl+Shift+V

Paste insert: makes room for the pasted range on its layers and pushes the material after it along.

Ctrl+Alt+V

Paste overwrite: replaces what's there, keeping the material before and after.

Ctrl+D

Duplicate the selected clips straight after the selection.

Alt+Left and Alt+Right

Nudge the selection a frame earlier or later, ten with Shift.

Ctrl+A

Select all clips.

The Edit menu also has Duplicate Linked Clips. A plain duplicate's later corrections are its own; a linked one shares future correction changes with the original.

Arrange clips

Select several clips, right-click, and open Arrange clips:

• Sequence without gaps puts them end to end from the earliest start, in timeline order, each keeping its layer and length. Sequence with gap… asks for the gap in frames first.
• Move group start to playhead, and Move group end to playhead, move them together.
• Align starts to primary clip, and Align ends to primary clip, line their starts or ends up with the primary clip.

A clip's right-click menu also has Set working range to selected clips, and Rename clip (F2).

Layers

Right-click a layer's header, or use the Layers menu at the top of the Timeline:

• Add video layer, Add audio layer and Add adjustment layer. An adjustment layer applies its effects to everything below it.
• Move layer up (Alt+Up) and down (Alt+Down), or to the top and bottom with Shift as well. Clips keep their timing.
• Rename layer (F2), and Remove empty layer.

A layer's own controls in the Inspector include its blend mode and mattes; see mattes.

Move through time

Space

Play and pause.

Left and Right

Step one frame, or ten with Shift. , and . step a frame from anywhere.

Up and Down

Jump to the previous or next clip start or end.

Home and End

The start and end of the composition.

F, = and -

Fit the Timeline to the window, or zoom in and out. Shift with the wheel, or the middle button, pans.

Clicking the lanes selects; time moves from the ruler, the keys, or Move playhead here in the Timeline's right-click menu.

The work range

The work range is the stretch you're working on. Playback loops over it, and an export can use it.

• B sets its start at the playhead and N its end, with the pointer over the Timeline.
• Edit, Working range and navigation has Mark Working Range In and Out, Set Working Range to Selected Clips, and Clear Working Range.

Markers

Press M to add a composition marker at the playhead, or right-click the Timeline and choose Add marker here. A marker's menu has Rename marker, Move marker to playhead and Delete marker. Edit, Working range and navigation steps to the previous and next marker.

Keys and clips can be anchored to a marker, so they move when it moves: see anchor to a marker.

Speed and time remapping

A media clip's right-click menu has a Time submenu:

Reverse playback

Plays the clip backwards without changing its length. Separate audio clips stay as they are.

Hold video frame at playhead

Freezes the frame under the playhead for the whole clip, keeping its length and audio. Clear frame holds brings the motion back.

Enable time remapping

Gives the clip Source Time keys you edit in Animate, for speed changes within one clip. Audio that's remapped changes pitch with it.

New speed ramp

Replaces the clip's source-time keys with Constant speed, Accelerate, Decelerate or Ease in and out, over its current length.

Reset source-time curve

Removes the remapping keys and goes back to the clip's normal speed, keeping its length.

For a constant speed change, use the Rate stretch tool, or set the clip's Playback rate in the Inspector.

Clip audio

Audio clips show their waveform. Drag the small handle at either end of a clip's audio to fade it in or out; Esc cancels the drag. A clip's Clip audio menu has Fade in to playhead, Fade out from playhead, Clear fades and Reset clip level. Each clip's Gain is a property you can key in the Inspector.

Delete and close gaps

• Delete removes the selection and leaves the gap. With keys selected, it removes the keys; with a transition selected, the transition.
• Shift+Delete is Ripple delete on selected tracks: it removes the clips and closes the gap.
• Close gap before clip, in a clip's menu, pulls it back to the clip before.

Deleting never asks first, because one undo brings it back.

Keys at a glance

Help, Keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+/) lists every key in Grapple, grouped by where it works, with a search field.