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␡- Trimming in the Timeline
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This chapter is from the book Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro for Avid Editors, 4th Edition
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro for Avid Editors, 4th Edition
Trimming in the Timeline
An alternative to using the Trim Edit window is to perform an FCP trim directly in the Timeline as you would in Avid. Trimming in the FCP Timeline is easy and direct, and uses methods similar to those covered earlier in this lesson. These methods include dragging edit points using the Roll (dual-roller) and Ripple (single-roller) trim tools, using keyboard shortcuts, and entering a numerical trim value.
To roll two edit points in the Timeline:
- In the Tool palette, click the Roll tool, or press R.
- In the Timeline, move the Roll tool over the edit point between the two clips you want to trim, and then drag the edit point left or right. The amount of the trim appears in an information box next to the Roll tool in the Timeline. In the Canvas, a two-up display, similar to Avid’s Small Trim mode, appears as you drag.
To ripple a single edit point:
- Press the keyboard shortcut RR, or click and hold down the Roll tool in the Tool palette, and slide over to select the Ripple tool when it appears.
- Move the Ripple tool into the Timeline toward the In or the Out point.
- Drag the In or Out point left or right. The clip box shortens or lengthens to represent the duration change; and all the clips that follow are adjusted (rippled) by the trim amount.
To trim using keyboard shortcuts:
- Click an edit point using either the Roll or Ripple tool. You can press the keyboard shortcut V to select the edit point, and U to cycle sides.
- Do one of the following:
- Press the < or > key to trim one frame. These act like the Avid Trim Frame keys.
- Press Shift-< or Shift-> to move the multiframe trim amount.
- Press the Left or Right Bracket key ([ or ]) to trim one frame.
- Press Shift-[ or Shift-] to trim the multiframe trim amount.
To enter a trim amount:
- Select an edit transition using one of the trim tools.
- Type a minus (–) and then the amount (as you would in Avid) for a negative trim, or just type the trim amount for a positive trim. This amount appears at the top of the Timeline.
- Press Return.
To trim using the Selection tool:
- Press A to return the pointer to the default Selection tool.
- Drag one end of a clip left or right. Depending on whether the clip is “open ended,” this method of trimming in the Timeline may be limited by adjacent clips or produce a gap. You will learn how to remove gaps in Lesson 6.
To create L-cut and split edits:
FCP remembers which audio and video clips were captured together and binds or “links” those clips in the Timeline. This can be helpful when you want to trim both the video and audio tracks of the same clip by the same amount. But when you want to trim only one track of a clip, you must override the FCP default linking system by toggling linked selection. In Avid 5, the option to toggle Link Selection is also available and even uses the same keyboard shortcut as FCP.
- To select just the video or audio track of a linked clip, turn off the Linked Selection control in the Timeline button bar, or press Shift-L. This will allow you to select just the audio or video tracks to trim.
- From the Tool palette, choose the Roll tool, or press R.
- Drag the clip’s audio or video edit point left or right.
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Home > Articles
␡- Working with the Trim Edit Window
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In this chapter, author Diana Weynand covers the basic Avid approach to trimming video and shows how to perform those same functions in Final Cut Pro.
This chapter is from the book Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro for Avid Editors, 3rd Edition
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro for Avid Editors, 3rd Edition
Goals
- Use the Trim window
- Perform dual-roller and single-roller trimming
- Use J-K-L trimming
- Trim in the Timeline
- Trim by dragging edit points
- Trim with keyboard shortcuts
- Trim by time amount
- Work with Linked selection
- Create split edits using trim tools
- Asymmetrical trimming
- Trim in the Viewer
In this chapter, we will cover the basic Avid approach to trimming and show how to perform those same functions in Final Cut Pro. In general, FCP is far less modal than Avid. You can perform trims in FCP without entering a “trim mode,” whereas in Avid, to trim you always enter Trim mode. Both, however, have similar trim windows that behave in similar ways. Like Avid, FCP lets you trim clips by dragging directly on an edit point in the Timeline or entering a trim duration. In addition to these options, FCP also has dedicated trim tools located in the Tool palette. There are numerous ways to trim clips in FCP. The trick is to find your comfort zone of what’s familiar and then to explore the new alternatives.
Also in Avid, unless you lock tracks, you are free to adjust individual tracks separately. In FCP, the default is to bind or “link” the video and audio portions of a clip so that when you select one track, all tracks become selected. This is covered in more depth in Lesson 8, but this lesson includes steps to select just the audio or video portion of a clip so that you may trim one track at a time to create a Split edit or L-cut.
While most of the trim functions are covered in this lesson, a few additional techniques for changing the length of a clip in the Timeline, such as trimming an edit using the Extend function, or dividing a clip by using Add Edit, are covered in Lesson 6.
Working with the Trim Edit Window
While Avid has you select a separate mode to trim, in Final Cut Pro, you do not change modes. You do, however, have a Trim Edit window, which is much like Avid’s big trim window. Inside the Trim Edit window, FCP handles trimming virtually the same way Avid does. To open the FCP Trim Edit window, you can lasso an edit point with a special tool, or simply double-click the edit point. If you want to map a Trim Edit button to simulate clicking Avid’s Trim Mode button, you can map it to one of the button bars. You can also use keyboard shortcuts.
To open the FCP Trim Edit window:
Do one of the following:
- Double-click the edit point between two clips in the Timeline.
- From the Tool palette select the Edit Selection tool (the second tool), or press G, and lasso an edit point.
- Add the Trim Edit button from the button list (Option-J) to your Timeline button bar, and click that to open the edit point closest to the playhead.
- In the Timeline, press V to select the edit point closest to the playhead. Then press Cmd-7 to open that edit point in the Trim Edit window. A familiar “big” trim window opens on top of the Viewer and Canvas window areas.
For every function on the A side of the window, you will find corresponding functions on the B side. The preview and trim keys are in the middle of the window, beneath the A and B images.
To close the Trim Edit window:
Do one of the following:
- Press Cmd-W.
- Click anywhere in the Timeline except an edit point.
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Home > Articles > Digital Audio, Video
␡- Performing Trims
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This chapter is from the book Editing with Avid Media Composer 5: Avid Official Curriculum
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Editing with Avid Media Composer 5: Avid Official Curriculum
Performing Trims
Now that you know what each trim technique does, let’s explore how to trim in Media Composer.
To enter Trim mode:
- In the Timeline, place the position indicator near the transition you want to trim.
- Click the Record Track buttons for all tracks that you want to trim.
- Do one of the following:
- Click the Trim Mode button in the Timeline palette.
- Click the Trim Mode button between the Source and Record monitors.
- Press the U key on the keyboard.
In addition to selecting the appropriate tracks and clicking the Trim Mode button, you can enter Trim mode by lassoing the transition that you want to trim.
To lasso the transition:
- Position the pointer in the gray area above the top track in the Timeline.
- Click the mouse button, and drag a lasso around a transition (on one or more tracks). The position indicator snaps to the lassoed transition.
- After you enter Trim mode, if necessary, select or deselect the Record Track buttons to isolate the tracks you want to trim.
Trim Interface Changes
When you enter Trim mode, the interface changes. You are no longer looking at the Source and Record monitors; instead, you are looking at the A-side Trim monitor (which represents the last frame of the A-side clip) and the B-side Trim monitor (which represents the first frame of the B-side clip). The picture shown here depicts other such trim-related changes that occur.
Performing a Dual-Roller Trim
When you enter Trim mode, you automatically are set up for a dual-roller trim, indicated by the presence of trim rollers on each side of the transition point.
In addition, both trim boxes (between the A-side Trim monitor and B-side Trim monitor) are highlighted in pink.
And finally, when you hover your pointer over the transition, it turns into a dual-roller trim icon.
To perform a dual-roller trim using the Trim buttons:
- Before performing the trim, it’s often useful to play the transition several times to analyze exactly how it looks and what you think should be done to change it. To repeatedly play the currently selected transition, click the Play Loop button below the B-side monitor, or press 5 while in Trim mode. To stop looping the playback, click the Play Loop button again or press 5 or the space bar.
- After you’ve decided how you’d like to perform the trim, use the Trim buttons (below the A-side Trim monitor) to add frames to one side of the selected transition, and remove them from the other. The Trim buttons correspond to the M, comma, period, and backslash keys on the keyboard.
- To analyze the result of your trim, you can loop the playback by repeating step 1. You can also trim by dragging the trim rollers in the Timeline.
To trim by dragging the rollers:
- Click one or more trim rollers in the Timeline, and then drag them forward or back in the sequence. The pointer turns to a hand icon as you drag. If you are performing a single-roller trim, make sure that the Trim pointer is pointed in the direction you want to trim.
- Ctrl+drag (Windows) or Command+drag (Macintosh) to snap to an IN or OUT mark, the previous or next edit point, or an edit point on another track. As you trim, the trim boxes display the number of frames that have been trimmed from the outgoing and incoming sides of the transition.
Exiting Trim Mode
After you’ve performed your trim, you’ll want to exit Trim mode.
To exit Trim mode and return to Source/Record mode, do one of the following:
- Click the Source/Record Mode button at the bottom of the Timeline palette or between the right and left Trim monitors.
- Click anywhere in the timecode (TC1) track in the Timeline.
- Click the Trim Mode button.
- Click a Step Forward or Step Backward button below the Trim monitors.
- Press a Step key (1, 2, 3, 4).
- Press the Escape key.
Performing a Single-Roller Trim
Performing an A-side or B-side single-roller trim is very similar to performing a dual-roller trim, but you first have to choose which side you want to trim.
To perform a single-roller trim:
- Click the picture of the outgoing (A-side) or incoming (B-side) frame. The dual pink Trim mode rollers in the Timeline turn into a single yellow roller that moves to the side of the clip to be trimmed.The corresponding trim box (in the Trim window) is highlighted, and the other one is not highlighted.Additionally, the pointer becomes a yellow single-roller icon when you hover it over the transition point.
- To analyze the transition for trimming, you may want to loop the playback repeatedly through the transition. To do this, click the Play Loop button, or press the 5 key or space bar.
- Trim the transition earlier or later by clicking the Trim buttons.
- To analyze the result of your trim, you can loop the playback across the transition again by repeating step 2.
Trimming Using the Trim Smart Tools
In addition to entering Trim mode to perform trims, you can also trim using the Ripple Trim and Overwrite Trim buttons in the Smart Tool.
Trimming with the Smart Tool trim buttons is a very tactile way to interact with your footage; you can select trims in the Timeline without first entering Trim mode.
Ripple Trim
Ripple Trim performs the same type of trim that has been discussed already in this chapter. The term ripple simply means that both additive trims (trims in which you add frames to the A- or B-side of a clip) and reductive trims (trims in which you remove frames from the A- or B-side of a clip) shuffle all adjacent frames forward or backward as the trim is performed. (You can also perform dual-roller trims while using the Smart Tool trim buttons.)
To use Ripple Trim:
- In the Smart Tool, click the Ripple Trim button.
- Select a transition in the Timeline.
- To perform an A-side single-roller trim, click to the left of the transition.
- To perform a B-side single-roller trim, click to the right of the transition.
- Perform the trim by clicking the appropriate Trim button. (Loop the playback before and after the trim, as necessary.)
Overwrite Trim
Overwrite Trim, on the other hand, is a little different. When you perform a reductive trim using Overwrite Trim, you actually trim in black filler (video) or silence (audio) in place of the removed frames. In this way, all frames in the Timeline remain untouched (they don’t shuffle down), and you leave a gap in the sequence.
Overwrite Trim behaves this way only for reductive single-roller trims. Additive overwrite trims behave like dual-roller trims.
To use Overwrite Trim:
- In the Smart Tool, click Overwrite Trim.
- Select a transition in the Timeline.
- To perform an A-side single-roller trim, click to the left of the transition.
- To perform a B-side single-roller trim, click to the right of the transition.
- Perform the trim by clicking the appropriate Trim button. (Loop the playback before and after the trim, as necessary.)
Combining Ripple Trim and Overwrite Trim
Media Composer also allows you to enable both Ripple Trim and Overwrite Trim in the Smart Tool. Then, depending on where you place your pointer in the Timeline, you can enable one or the other.
To combine Ripple Trim and Overwrite Trim into one trim function:
- In the Smart Tool, click both the Ripple Trim and Overwrite Trim buttons.
- Do one of the following:
- Place the pointer in the upper half of the segment to enable Overwrite Trim.
- Place the pointer in the lower half of the segment to enable Ripple Trim.
You can also enable both Segment mode buttons, leaving all four on at once. Then, you can interact in a very dynamic way with both the segments and transitions in your sequence.
Scrubbing Audio While Trimming
You may want to hear the track as you’re trimming. You can do this by adding a simple step.
To scrub audio while you trim:
- Press the Caps Lock key, and solo the track you want to scrub.
- Trim using the Trim buttons or by dragging the trim rollers.
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You can use In and Out box in the Source panel to add things to the timeline. And you can use them on the timeline to remove things using the Program Monitor or the keyboard shortcuts, for all of these things would work of course the same way. You can also work with individual clip segments. And if you want to remove a segment from the timeline, just the same, there are two options, you can either do it like a film style cut or you can do it like a video tape cut. If I press the Delete key on my keyboard now, I'm going to remove this shot I've got selected and, it's going to leave a gap behind.
That's the equivalent to a Lift, for the segment, except that I don't need to mark In and Out marks, I'm just selecting that segment. I'll just undo. If you want to remove a few clips, you can just click and Lasso. And wherever the Lasso overlaps any clips. You see, you've got them highlighted, hit Delete, and they've gone. So, the Delete key is actually pretty handy. If you want to remove items and close the gap, which I'll do here, you just add the Shift key. So, Shift and the Delete key closes the gap. And you can see there that's just brought in that draw shot right across the screen.
I just undo that. I can also use the Alt key to partially select clips. So, if you've got a bit of video with some absolutely terrible audio, in fact, I think I've got an example, under my Race Media here. Here we go. There's a cable shot, which just sounds terrible. And if you accidentally put that into your sequence with the audio, as I have here accidentally on purpose, you might think, well hold on a second. And I definitely don't want that audio but I do want the video.
So, I'm going to hold down the Alt key to click on the audio only. Release the Alt key, hit delete, and you've just selected that part of the clip to remove it. This is just an example of how wonderfully flexible non-linear editors are, because it means that you don't need to worry too much about choosing the right part of your media originally. Another way you can use this is, if I zoom in a little bit with the plus key at the top of my keyboard, it's the one above the equal sign. I can divide my clips. So, if you look under the list of tools here on the left, one of them is a Razor tool.
And if I use the Razor tool, I can click onto a segment and break it into two parts. If I go back to my Selection tool, there you go, I've got two separate bits. So, I can now select the end, hit Delete, and the remaining part is still there. Now, if I just expand a little bit and drag this bike shot up over this draw shot. Let's say, for some reason, I feel (LAUGH), let's say it is my creative vision that I should have this bike shot in front. Maybe I'm going to do a special effect to blend this in with the draw search.
If I turn off the eye ball here, I can see the image behind this. Let's say that I want to put an edit around about here for all of these clips in a single click. I'm going to choose the Razor tool, but this time, I'm going to hold down the Shift key. And you should be able to see that I get a Double Razor tool instead of a single and that's without, that's with, that's without. So, with this Shift key held down, the Razor tool now cuts every track all at once. And again, now I can go back to my Selection tool, Lasso these, hit Delete and they're gone. Coincidentally, you can also use the Play Head to add cuts using Ctrl+K, that would be Cmd+K on a Mac.
And now, that's going to add an edit to every selected track. So, that if I turn off Video 2 and do the same thing again, you'll see I'm just getting an edit on Audio 1 and Video 1, which it turned on, but not Video 2. Notice, as well, and this is particularly relevant for people who are used to working perhaps with, Avid Media Composer, is another editing system, that I don't get edits on the blank space of the timeline. There's no filler in Premiere Pro. So, I'm not adding an edit to the background. I'm only edits to clip segments. So, that's deleting and ripple deleting.
I can also right-click on any clip segments and choose Ripple Delete or Clear which is the same difference. Clear is a regular delete. We'll just undo that, Ripple Delete, closes the gap. There you go, just undo that. And again, that's deleting, and ripple deleting, on the timeline in Premiere Pro CS6.
Home > Articles
␡- Trimming in the Timeline
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This chapter is from the book Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro for Avid Editors, 3rd Edition
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro for Avid Editors, 3rd Edition
Delete Gaps On Timeline Avid Word
Trimming in the Timeline
An alternative to using the Trim Edit window is to perform an FCP trim directly in the Timeline as you would in Avid. Trimming in FCP’s Timeline is easy and direct, and uses methods similar to those covered earlier in this lesson. These methods include dragging edit points using the Roll (dual-roller) and Ripple (single-roller) trim tools, using keyboard shortcuts, and entering a numerical trim value.
To roll two edit points in the Timeline:
- Click the Roll tool in the Tool palette, or press the keyboard shortcut R.
- In the Timeline, move the Roll tool over the edit point between the two clips you want to trim, then click and drag left or right. The amount of the trim appears in an information box next to the Roll tool in the Timeline. In the Canvas, a two-up display, like Avid’s Small Trim mode, appears as you drag.
To ripple a single edit point:
- Click and hold the Roll tool in the Tool palette, or press the shortcut RR, and slide over to select the Ripple tool when it appears.
- Move the Ripple tool into the Timeline toward the In or the Out point.
- Click and drag the In or Out point left or right. All the clips that follow are adjusted (rippled) by the trim amount.
To trim using keyboard shortcuts:
- Single-click an edit point with either the Roll or Ripple tool. The keyboard shortcuts are V to select the edit point, and U to cycle sides.
- Do one of the following:
- Press the < or > key to trim one frame. These act like the Avid Trim Frame keys.
- Press Shift-< or Shift-> to move the multiframe trim amount.
- Press the left or right bracket key ([ or ]) to trim one frame.
- Press Shift-[ or Shift-] to trim the multiframe trim amount.
To enter a trim amount:
- Select an edit transition with one of the trim tools.
- Type a minus (–) and then the amount (as you would in Avid) for a negative trim, or just the trim amount for a positive trim. This amount appears at the top of the Timeline.
- Press Return.
To trim using the Selection tool:
- Press A to return the pointer to the default Selection tool.
- Drag one end of a clip left or right. Depending on whether the clip is “open ended,” this method of trimming in the Timeline may be limited by adjacent clips or produce a gap. You will learn how to remove gaps in Lesson 6.
To create L-cut and Split edits
FCP remembers which audio and video clips were captured together and binds or “links” those clips together in the Timeline. This can be helpful when you want to trim both the video and audio tracks of the same clip the same amount. But when you want to trim only one track of a clip, you must override FCP’s default linking system.
- To select just the video or audio track of a linked clip, toggle off the Linked Selection control in the Timeline button bar, or press Shift-L. This will allow you to select just one track to trim.
- Select the Roll tool from the Tool palette, or press R.
- Drag the clip’s audio or video edit point left or right.
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