Introduction to Final Cut Part 3: Trimming and Effects

You can modify clips after placing them in the Timeline. Use the arrow keys to move frame by frame () or to the next edit (^/v). Use the keyboard shortcut V to select the edit, U to choose which side of the edit to trim, and the square brackets ([/]) to trim or add one frame. The rest of the sequence will Ripple along the Timeline. Hit Backslash (\) to play the section around your cut. If you use U to choose both sides of the edit, you can then use the square brackets to Roll one shot over the other.

You can also trim clips by double clicking a cut on the Timeline, to open the Trim Edit window.

Trim Edit is a side-by-side display of the outgoing and incoming clips. Click on either clip so the green bar appears above it. You can then shorten or lengthen it by dragging the In and Out points (a "Ripple Edit"). Click between the clips so the green bar appears above both, and you can make one longer and the other shorter at the same time, keeping the same total length (a "Rolling Edit").

To delete a section from your Timeline, use the Razor Blade (B) tool to cut a section. Or mark In and Out points (I/O) in the Canvas window, to define the section to be removed. Lock any tracks that you don't want to cut, and press Shift Delete. The subsequent clips on the Timeline will ripple over to fill the gap.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

To apply a transition other than a straight cut, click on the Effects tab in the Browser, and drag a transition from the Browser to a cut between two clips on the Timeline. Or select the transition in the Effects menu.

You must have enough extra frames on the ends of the two clips to allow them to overlap (typically 15 frames, half a second). You can preview the transition by dragging the playhead through it (with Snapping turned off.) To adjust the length of the transition, double click it in the Timeline to open it in the Viewer.

Transitions may have to be rendered before they can be played back to tape. To render all your transitions, select Sequence/Render All/Both. Or click on one transition to select it, and choose Sequence/Render Selection/Both. The red bar above the transition on the Timeline will turn blue when it has been rendered.

Note: for an emergency reboot, hold the Power button on the back of the computer for several seconds until it restarts.

Save your project. To back up your work, copy the project file onto a memory stick. Select File/Close Project so it doesn't open for the next person in the Editing Room, and Shut Down the computer (in the Apple menu.)

See also Part 1:Starting a Project or Part 2: Assembling Clips or Part 4: Titles and Output.

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