Trimming on the Timeline using handles
The quickest way to trim is by dragging the edges of clips directly on the Timeline. Watch the Player as you trim, so you can find the frame on which you want to begin or end.
Let’s first consider the simplest trimming case, in a movie with only one clip. Then we’ll turn to the more usual situation of trimming a single clip that is surrounded by other clips.
To trim a single clip on the Timeline:
1. Delete all but one clip from the Timeline. If the Timeline is empty, drag a scene in from the Album.
2. Expand the Timescale to make fine adjustments easier.
Position the mouse pointer anywhere on the Timeline except directly over the edit line. The pointer becomes a clock symbol. Click-drag it to the right to expand the Timescale.
This illustration shows maximum expansion, where each tick mark represents a single frame:
3. Position your mouse pointer over the right edge of the clip. The pointer becomes a left-pointing arrow.
4. Click-drag to the left while keeping an eye on the Player, which updates continuously to show the last frame in the trimmed clip.
As you shorten the clip, the arrow cursor becomes two-directional, indicating that the clip edge can be dragged both left and right. You can reduce the clip to as little as a single frame, or increase it up to the end of the source scene.
5. Release the mouse button. The clip is now trimmed.
The secret to trimming a clip when multiple clips are on the Timeline is that you must first select the clip to be trimmed by clicking on it with the mouse.
To trim with multiple clips on the Timeline:
1. Set up the Timeline with two short clips.
2. Adjust the Timescale until the clip you want to adjust is a convenient size for editing.
3. Click the second clip. The video track should now look something like this:
You can trim the right-hand edge of the clip just as in the single-clip example above. As you do so, the last frame of the clip is displayed in the Player. As long as the second clip remains selected, you can continue to trim more video by dragging the edge to the left, or restore some of the trimmed video by dragging the edge to the right.
4. With the second clip still selected, move your mouse pointer over the left edge of clip until the pointer changes to a right arrow.
5. Drag the left edge of the second scene to the right.
As you drag, the first frame of the clip is displayed in the Player. As long as the clip remains selected, you can continue to trim more video by dragging the edge to the right, or restore some of the trimmed video by dragging the edge to the left.
6. Release the mouse button. The clip you trimmed snaps back against the right edge of the first clip.
Gaps and fills: Trimming with the Ctrl key
As we have seen in the example above, when you shorten a clip on the video track, the clip and any clips to the right of it move leftwards as necessary so that no gap is left. At the same time, clips on other tracks are shortened to keep the whole Timeline in sync. When you trim a clip on any other track, however, gaps are not automatically closed up, and no other track is affected.
This default trimming behavior simplifies editing under most circumstances, but Studio also gives you a way to invert the behavior when needed. If you press the Ctrl key before you begin trimming a clip on the video track, neither that clip nor any other will be repositioned, and gaps are not closed up. There is no effect on other tracks.
Meanwhile, using Ctrl when trimming clips on other tracks again inverts the normal behavior. The clips on the track will close in to fill any gap left by the trim. Clips on tracks besides the one being trimmed are again unaffected.
Note: Click here for information on the parallel behavior of Ctrl when deleting clips.