Timeline essentials

Arrange and preview#

The Timeline places media and text on tracks. Position clips along time to control when they appear, and use track order to build layers. Move the playhead to inspect a frame; Space or K toggles playback. The zoom controls change how much time is visible without changing clip duration.

Trim and split#

Select a clip to edit it. Drag an edge to change the used portion, or put the playhead at a cut and use Split. The toolbar also provides Split left and Split right, which remove the corresponding side. Review the selected clips before applying an operation to multiple items.

Use snapping to align edges with nearby timeline positions. The default shortcut is N. Ripple editing is a separate timeline mode; check its state when you want subsequent material to move with an edit. Undo is available if the result differs from your intent.

Copy, duplicate, and control tracks#

Copy selected elements and paste them at the playhead, or duplicate a selection. Mute controls affect sound; visibility controls affect picture. A hidden picture element and a muted audio element are different states. Bookmarks help identify timeline positions for later review.

Separate source audio#

For supported video clips, the toolbar offers Extract audio or Recover source audio depending on the current state. This lets you work on the video's sound separately. Check alignment after moving either part so dialogue stays synchronized.

Choose the right workspace#

Edit handles clip assembly, text, effects, and transitions. Color operates on a selected video or image. Audio mixes the scene's tracks. The header Export action delivers the current scene. Read Keyboard shortcuts for the default controls.