Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 User Guide

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The result is effectively an insert edit: the former connected clips are inserted in the primary 
storyline and subsequent clips ripple right to make room for the new clips.
Note:  You can drag clips from and to the primary storyline as long as there are no clips 
connected to them. If there is a connected clip, you must first move or remove the connected 
clip or use the Lift from Primary Storyline or Overwrite to Primary Storyline command.
Move clips from and to the...

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 2 Do any of the following:
 •To move selected clips from the primary storyline to connected clips at the same Timeline position: 
Choose Edit > Lift from Primary Storyline (or press Option–Command–Up Arrow). 
New connected clip at the same Timeline position
A gap clip fills in the vacated 
part of the primary storyline.
Gap clips fill in the vacated parts of the primary storyline, as needed. 
 •To move selected connected clips to the primary storyline: Choose Edit >...

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Cut clips with the Blade tool
Once you’ve added clips to the Timeline, you can easily cut them to adjust their durations or to 
remove unwanted sections.
The most basic edit is a straight cut. The term comes from the film editing process of cutting a 
filmstrip with a razor and attaching a new “clip” with glue.
Each time you cut a clip in your project, it is split into two clips. You can cut one clip at a time or 
multiple clips at a time. 
Cut a clip in the Timeline...

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An edit point appears as a dotted line where you clicked, and the clip is divided into two clips. 
The dotted line indicates a through edit, in which the media content on either side of the edit 
point is continuous.
Dotted line indicates 
through edit point.
To remove a through edit, do one of the following:
 •Select either or both sides of the through edit point, and choose Trim > Join Clips (or press Delete).
 •Select the clips on both sides of the through edit,...

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 3 Choose Trim > Blade (or press Command-B).
The selected clips are cut at the skimmer position.
Note:  If you don’t make a selection, this command acts only on the clip in the primary storyline.
Extend or shorten a clip
You can trim a clip in your project by adjusting the start point or end point of the clip. 
The default type of trim in Final Cut Pro is a ripple trim, which adjusts a clip’s start point or end 
point without leaving a gap in the Timeline. The change...

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Drag edit points with the Select tool
 1 In the Timeline, move the pointer to the start point or the end point of the clip you want to trim.
The pointer changes from an arrow icon  to a trim icon. The look of the trim icon changes to 
indicate whether the trim will affect the end point of the left clip or the start point of the right clip.
Trim the left 
clip’s end point.Trim the right 
clip’s start point.
 2 Drag the start point or the end point in the direction you...

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Enter a new duration for a clip using timecode
You can change the total duration of one or more selected clips by entering a timecode value. 
 1 Select one or more clips in the Timeline.
 2 Do one of the following:
 •Choose Modify > Change Duration (or press Control-D).
 •Double-click in the center of the Dashboard in the toolbar. 
The timecode entry field appears in the Dashboard.
 3 Enter a new duration for the selected clip.
Final Cut Pro moves the end point of the...

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Nudge edit points with keyboard shortcuts
You can fine-tune the start or end point of a clip using keyboard shortcuts. You can move the 
edit point by one or more video frames, and you can also move the edit points of connected 
audio clips (those not in the primary storyline) by subframes.
 1 In the Timeline, select the start or end point of the clip you want to trim.
 2 To move the edit point, do any of the following:
 •To move the edit point left by one frame:...

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 2 Position the playhead or the skimmer at the point in the Timeline to which you want to move 
the edit point.
Skimmer
 3  Choose Trim > Extend Edit (or press Shift-X).
The edit point is extended (or shortened) to the playhead or skimmer position.
The clip’s end point is extended 
to the skimmer position, and 
subsequent clips ripple right.
In the example above, if you selected the end point of the clip, subsequent clips in the Timeline 
are rippled accordingly. If...

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 3 To trim the edit point, do one of the following:
 •To move the edit point forward: Press the Plus Sign (+) key, type a timecode duration for the 
trim, and press Enter.
 •To move the edit point back: Press the Minus Sign (–) key, type a timecode duration for the trim, 
and press Enter.
The timecode entry field (with blue numbers and the plus or minus sign) appears in the 
Dashboard in the toolbar as you type.
Timecode entry field
The clip is shortened or extended...