Timeline Edit Tools

Flowblade Movie Editor has 6 edit tools for doing timeline edits.

Selecting Tools

Use Tool Switcher button drop menu or press key 1 - 6 to pick a tool.

It is also possible to use Tool Dock instead of Tool Switcher button by selecting Dock in View->Edit Tool Selection Widget.

Use Keyboard Shortcuts! It is much faster to use keys 1 - 6 to change tools. Note that keys 1-6 only change tools if timeline has keyboard focus. Click Left Mouse on timeline to give it keyboard focus.

Move Tools

Move

Lift out one or more clips and insert them at any point to overwrite on any track.

  1. Select clip
    • Click Left Mouse on a clip.
  2. Select other end of clip range if moving multiple clips
    • Click CTRL+Left Mouse on the clip you wish to be the other end of move clip range.
  3. Drag Clip(s) to new position
    • Press Left Mouse on a selected clip and drag clip/s to a new position.
    • Red shadow clips show overwrite area.
    • You can also move clips to a different track.

Drag clip ends to change clip length.

  1. Place cursor near clip end
    • When cursor changes to horizontal arrow with vertical bar you can start clip end drag edit.
  2. Drag clip end with Left Mouse.
    • Added clip length will perform overwrite on blanks and empty space
    • Added clip length will perform insert on other clips
    • Decreased clip length will perform splice out.
  3. Drag clip end with CTRL + Left Mouse.
    • Added clip length will perform overwrite on all clips up length of the adjacent clip.
    • Decreased clip length will add material as much as possible from the adjacent clip.

Select and overwrite move all Timeline items contained in a box selection.

  1. Select an area on Timeline by dragging a box selection with Left Mouse around all items you wish to move and release mouse button.
  2. Press Left Mouse inside the box selection and drag the box into new position on timeline and release mouse.
  3. Box contents are overwritten on new position and Compositors are moved.

Dual Sync Trimming

  1. Check option Auto Sync Trim Single Childs
  2. When doing Clip End Drag Child Clip follows the legth change if it has enough media to do that.
  3. If Child Clip does not have enough media to apply the same edit it will remain unaffected.

Insert

Splice out one or more clips and insert them at desired cut on any track.

  1. Select clip
    • Click Left Mouse on a clip.
  2. Select other end of clip range if moving multiple clips
    • Click CTRL+Left Mouse on the clip you wish to be the other end of move clip range.
  3. Drag Clip(s) to new position
    • Press Left Mouse on a selected clip and drag clip/s to a new position.
    • Yellow arrow displays insert point.
    • You can also move clips to a different track.

Drag clip ends to change clip length.

  1. Place cursor near clip end
    • When cursor changes to horizontal arrow with vertical bar you can start clip end drag edit.
  2. Drag clip end with Left Mouse.
    • Added clip length will perform overwrite on blanks and empty space
    • Added clip length will perform insert on other clips
    • Decreased clip length will perform splice out.

Spacer

Move all Timeline items after pressed frame on all tracks or on a single track

  1. Select a clip on Timeline and move it and all items to the right of it
    • Press Left Mouse on a clip.
    • Continue to Left drag clip and all clips and compositors to right of it into a new position
    • It is not possible to move items on top of clips. Items can only be moved on top of empty space
  2. Use Control button to only affect items on a single track
    • Press Control and use Left Mouse to move all items on single track to the right of the selected clip

Trim Tools

Multitrim

Do Trim, Roll or Slip edits based on cursor position on timeline.

  1. Cursor change indicates which type of trim edit is done when edit is initiated with Left Mouse press.
    • If cursor is right on the cut, a Roll edit is done. Roll edit moves edit point between two clips so that their combined length stays the same.
    • If cursor is right on the center of clip, a Slip edit is done. Slip edit changes the displayed area of media in a clip while keeping the clip position unchanged on the timeline.
    • On other cursor positions a Trim edit on the closer clip end is done. Trim edit makes clip longer or shorter from either clip's end or from clip's beginning.
  2. Continue on to Left drag to complete the edit.

Ripple Trim

  1. Position cursor near clip end and keep Alt key down when pressing Left Mouse to start a Ripple Trim edit.
  2. Continue on to Left drag to complete the edit.
  3. Range of a Ripple Trim edit is limited in such a way that no clips on other tracks can overlap.

Keyboard Trimming

  1. Position cursor to select a trim you wish to perform.
  2. Press Enter key to start keyboard edit.
  3. Use Left or Right Arrow Key to move edit point. Keep Control key down to move 10 frames on a single arrow key press.
  4. Press Enter to complete keyboard edit.

Dual Sync Trimming

  1. Check option Auto Sync Trim Single Childs.
  2. When doing a trim Trim Child Clip follows trim if it has enough media to apply the same trim.
  3. If Child Clip does not have enough media to apply the same trim it will remain unaffected.

Other Tools

Cut

Cut single or multiple clips.

  1. Cut single clip.
    • Position cursor on the frame on the clip you wish to cut at and press Left Mouse.
  2. Cut clips on all tracks on selected position.
    • Position cursor on frame you wish to cut at and press Control + Left Mouse.

Keyframe

Edit Volume or Brightness filter keyfrmes on timeline.

  1. Click on the clip you wish to edit.
    • A Volume filter is created automatically if clip does not have one.
    • A keyframe editor overlay is displayed on timeline.
  2. Press and drag keyframe with Left Mouse to set its value and position
  3. Press on empty on overlay area with Left Mouse to create and drag keyframe.
  4. Delete key deletes the active keyframe.
  5. Press on Hamburger menu icon to change to Brightness keyframe editing or to access additional edit actions.
  6. Press outside overlay area to close overlay editor.