Master the Timeline Editor tools and techniques for professional video editing.

Timeline Basics

Timeline View

Horizontal workspace showing:

• Time ruler (top)
• Multiple tracks (vertical)
• Clips on tracks
• Playhead (red line)

Tracks

• Video tracks (top)
• Audio tracks (bottom)
• Multiple tracks per type
• Layer from top to bottom

Editing Clips

Selecting Clips

• Click to select (blue outline)
• Shift + Click for multiple
• Drag to select area
• Cmd/Ctrl + A for all

Moving Clips

• Drag left/right to change timing
• Drag up/down to change tracks
• Snapping helps alignment

Trimming Clips

Trim Start: Drag left edge Trim End: Drag right edge Shortens clip duration

Splitting Clips

1. Position playhead where you want to split
2. Select clip
3. Press S or click Split
4. Clip divides into two

Deleting Clips

• Select clip
• Press Delete or Backspace
• Gap remains (ripple delete removes gap)

Advanced Editing

Ripple Edit

Delete clip and close gap automatically

Roll Edit

Adjust edit point between two clips

Slip Edit

Change clip content without moving position

Slide Edit

Move clip and adjust adjacent clips

Playback

Controls

• Spacebar - Play/Pause
• J - Play backward
• K - Stop
• L - Play forward

Playhead

• Drag to scrub
• Click ruler to jump
• Use arrow keys to step

Loop Playback

• Set in/out points
• Enable loop
• Repeats section

Zoom & Navigation

Zoom Timeline

• Cmd/Ctrl + Plus - Zoom in
• Cmd/Ctrl + Minus - Zoom out
• Cmd/Ctrl + 0 - Fit to window
• Scroll to zoom at cursor

Pan Timeline

• Drag timeline when zoomed
• Scroll horizontally
• Minimap for overview

Transitions

Adding Transitions

1. Overlap two clips slightly
2. Right-click overlap
3. Select transition type
4. Adjust duration

Transition Types

• Cut (instant)
• Fade (cross-fade)
• Dissolve
• Wipe

Audio Editing

Volume

• Select audio clip
• Adjust volume slider
• Or keyframe for changes

Fade In/Out

• Drag fade handles on clip edges
• Audio fades smoothly

Mute Tracks

• Click speaker icon on track
• Mutes entire track

Markers

Add Markers

• Position playhead
• Press M
• Name marker (optional)

Use Markers

• Note important moments
• Edit points
• Sync points
• Chapter markers

Keyboard Shortcuts

Essential

• Spacebar - Play/Pause
• S - Split clip
• Delete - Delete clip
• Cmd/Ctrl + Z - Undo
• Cmd/Ctrl + D - Duplicate

Full shortcuts →

Best Practices

Organization

• Use multiple tracks for layers
• Name tracks clearly
• Group related clips
• Use colors for clip types

Efficient Editing

• Use keyboard shortcuts
• Ripple delete for speed
• Markers for planning
• Save frequently

Quality

• Match clip qualities
• Smooth transitions
• Balanced audio levels
• Test playback regularly

Troubleshooting

Choppy playback

• Reduce preview quality
• Close other apps
• Render preview
• Check system resources

Clips won't snap

• Enable snapping (S key)
• Zoom in for precision
• Check snap settings

Audio out of sync

• Check clip hasn't been moved
• Verify FPS matches
• Re-import if needed

Next Steps

• Add media to timeline
• Export your video
• Learn keyboard shortcuts