Sony Vegas 5 Manual

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CHP. 3BASIC EDITING TECHNIQUES
CHAPTER59
Basic Editing 
Te c h n i q u e s
Vegas® projects are multitrack compilations of events that occur over time. The events in your project are 
references (pointers) to source media files. Vegas software is a nondestructive editor, so editing events in 
your project does not alter the source media files in any way. 
Getting around
When editing and playing back the project, the cursor identifies where you are along the project’s timeline. 
Moving the cursor
Use the following keyboard commands to move the cursor in the timeline.
Changing focus
Focus is used to describe which objects have the attention of a program. For example, when you click a file in 
the Media Pool, the Media Pool window has focus. To instantly switch the program’s focus to the track view 
(timeline), press   or, from the 
View menu, choose Focus to Track View.
In Vegas software, it matters which track has focus when you perform a task. For example, when you double-
click a media file in the Explorer, it is inserted into the track that has focus. You can click a track on its track 
number to make it the focus track. A blinking white line under the track number and shading in the track 
list indicates a track has focus.
Description Keys Description Keys
Go to beginning of projectCtrl+Home 
or WMove left/right to marker(s)Ctrl+Left/Right Arrow
Go to end of projectCtrl+End 
or EMove to marker #0-9 keys (not numeric 
keypad)
Go to beginning of selection 
or view (if no selection)Home
Move left/right to event edit points 
including fade edges (see figure below)Ctrl+Alt+Left/Right 
Arrow
Go to end of selection or view 
(if no selection)EndNudge cursor on timelineLeft or Right Arrow
Move right by grid marksPage Down
Move left/right one frame Alt+Left/Right Arrow
Move left by grid marksPage UpMove left/right one frameCtrl+Alt+Shift+Mouse 
wheel
Go to Ctrl+GCenter in view\
Event edit point cursor jumps
Alt +0
3 
						

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BASIC EDITING TECHNIQUESCHP. 3
Making selections
You have the flexibility to select one or more events, a time range, or events and a time range. All selection 
options can apply to a single track or to multiple tracks.
To select an event, click it.
Selecting multiple events
You can select multiple events in your project using several methods. 
Tip: Once you have selected multiple events, you can group 
them together. For more information, see Grouping events on 
page 141.
Note: You can select multiple video events, multiple audio 
events, or a combination of both video and audio events. 
However, you can only use commands and operations that 
apply to both types of events for selections composed of both 
audio and video events. 
Selecting nonadjacent events
1.
Hold the   key.
2.Select the events by clicking them. 
To deselect an event, simply click it again to 
toggle the event selection on or off. 
Selecting a range of events
1.
Hold the   key.
2.Click the first event that you want to select. 
3.Click the last event that you want to select.
All events between the first and last selected 
events are highlighted and selected.
Selecting a block of events
1.
Click the Selection Edit Tool button ( ).
2.Position the cursor in a corner of the area that you want to select.
3.Click and hold the left mouse button.
Selected events
Selected events
Ctrl
Shift 
						

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4.Drag the cursor to the opposite corner of the area you want to select. A rectangle is drawn on the 
workspace. All events within this rectangle are selected.
Hold the left mouse button and right-click to toggle through the three types of selection boxes: free, 
vertical, or horizontal.
Tip: You may include or exclude events from a selection area 
by pressing   and clicking an event. To deselect all events, 
click anywhere in the workspace outside of the selected 
events.
Selecting all events to the end of the track
1.
Right-click an event. A shortcut menu appears.
2.From the shortcut menu, choose Select Events to End. All events on the track after the selected event are 
selected. 
Tip: To move large blocks of events, you can use Select 
Events to End
 with events selected on different tracks. Press 
 and click to select events on different tracks, and then 
right-click to access the shortcut menu.
Selecting all events that refer to a specific media file
Right-click a file in the Media Pool and choose Select Timeline Events from the shortcut menu. All events 
that use the selected media file in the active take are selected.
Hold   or   while choosing 
Select Timeline Events from the shortcut menu to add the events to the 
current selection.
Selecting a time range
Time selections are indicated by a shaded box and a bar that 
appears on the top of the timeline. You can use the time 
selection bar for playing back a smaller portion of your project or 
to apply cross-track edits.
Note: Unless an event is locked, a selected time range 
affects all events, or portions of events, that occur within the 
range.
Dragging to select a time range
1.
Position the mouse pointer above the ruler (on the marker bar). The mouse pointer changes to a left/right 
arrow cursor ( ).
2.Drag to select a region. All events, or portions of events within the region are highlighted.
3.Drag the yellow handles on either end of the time selection to increase or decrease your time range 
selection.
Tip: You can move the entire selection range by dragging the 
time selection bar.
Ctrl
Ctrl
CtrlShift
Only the events within 
the time selection are
affected by edits or 
played back. Time selection 
						

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BASIC EDITING TECHNIQUESCHP. 3
Selecting a time range during playback
1.
Click the Play () or the Play From Start ( ) button to begin playback.
2.Press   where you want the time selection to begin.
3.Press   where you want the time selection to end.
4.Click the Stop button ( ) to stop playback.
Using shortcuts for time selections
These shortcuts can speed up the process of making precise time selections.
Tip: Press   to recall the last five time selection 
areas.
Looping playback
If you want to play back the time range, click Play ( ) to play only the events within the time range. Click 
the 
Loop Playback button ( ) or press   to toggle loop playback on and off. Vegas software continually plays 
back the portion of the timeline within the time selection when loop playback is toggled on.
Selecting events and a time range
Selecting a time range does not automatically 
select events. Excluding locked events, all items 
within the time range play back and are affected by 
Edit menu commands. However, you may select 
specific events to edit, and then select a time 
range. 
1.Select the events you wish to edit. For more 
information, see Selecting multiple events on page 
60.
2.Place the mouse pointer above the ruler (on the 
marker bar). The mouse pointer changes to a 
left/right arrow cursor ( ). 
3.Drag to select the region. Notice that events 
that were not initially selected in step 1 remain 
unselected (not highlighted).
Selecting tracks
Click a track header to select it. Hold  or  to select multiple tracks.
Description Shortcut
Set time selection duration equal to an 
event’s durationDouble-click the event
Extend selection to the end of the 
currently selected event edgeCtrl+Shift+Alt+Right Arrow
Extend selection to the beginning of the 
currently selected event edgeCtrl+Shift+Alt+Left Arrow
Drag a time selection on an event without 
selecting/deselecting the eventCtrl+Shift+drag on the event
I
O
Backspace
Q
Unselected Selected
SelectedSelected
Unselected
Unselected
Time selection
event
event
eventevent
event
event
CtrlShift 
						

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Selecting groups of composited tracks
Click the vertical bar below a parent track to select a group of composited tracks. For example, clicking the 
area marked A in the following track list to select tracks 2 through 6. Clicking the area marked B selects 
tracks 5 and 6.
Editing events
Copying events
You can copy events, or portions of events, to the clipboard and paste them into your project. You may copy 
a single event or multiple events. Copying preserves the original event information, edits, and other 
modifications.
1.Select the events to be copied. For more information, see Selecting multiple events on page 60.
2.Select a time range, if applicable.
3.Click the Copy button ( ). 
Copying selected events
When copied, selected events are reproduced and placed on the clipboard. Time information is also placed 
on the clipboard.
Events before copy Clipboard contents Events after copy
The original events are not 
affected and do not 
change.
A
B 
						

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BASIC EDITING TECHNIQUESCHP. 3
Copying a time selection
Events within the time selection and across all tracks are reproduced and placed on the clipboard. Time 
information is also placed on the clipboard.
Copying a time selection and events
Events and portions of selected events within the time selection are reproduced and placed on the clipboard. 
Time information is also placed on the clipboard.
Cutting events
Cutting events removes them from their respective tracks, but places the cut information (events and time) 
on the clipboard. Once on the clipboard, you may paste the information into your project.
Tip: You can apply a ripple edit after cutting. For more 
information, see Applying post-edit ripples on page 73.
1.Select events or a time range. For more information, see Making selections on page 60.
2.Click the Cut button ( ). 
Cutting selected events
When cut, selected events are removed from the timeline and placed on the clipboard. Time information is 
also placed on the clipboard. 
Events before copy Clipboard contents Events after copy
The original events are not 
affected and do not 
change.
Events before copy Clipboard contents Events after copy
The original events are not 
affected and do not 
change.
Events before cut Clipboard contents Events after cut Events after cut in 
post-edit ripple mode 
						

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Cutting a time selection
Events within the time selection are reproduced and placed on the clipboard. Time information is also 
placed on the clipboard. When cutting a time selection, ripple edit mode affects the position of material on 
all tracks or affected tracks after the cut.
Cutting a time selection and events
Events and portions of selected events within the time selection are reproduced and placed on the clipboard. 
Time information is also placed on the clipboard. When cutting a combination of time selection and event 
selection, post-edit ripple mode affects the position of material on all tracks or the tracks of selected events 
after the cut.
Pasting events
Once information is copied to the clipboard, you may choose a variety of ways to paste the clipboard items. 
Items are always pasted from the cursor’s position along the timeline. 
When post-edit ripple mode is enabled, material is pushed down the track to make room for pasted material. 
The exact behavior of the ripple depends on what is being pasted, and the type of ripple edit you chose to 
perform. If one or more events are pasted, only those tracks where pasted material appears are ripple edited.
Tip: You can apply a ripple edit after pasting. For more 
information, see Applying post-edit ripples on page 73.
1.Move the cursor to the desired location on the timeline.
2.Click either the track number or within the track where you want to paste the event. This track is the 
focus track; there can be only one focus track at a time.
Note: If you are pasting multiple events from different 
tracks, new tracks are automatically created as needed.
3.Click the Paste button ( ).
Events before cut Clipboard contents Events after cut Events after cut in 
post-edit ripple mode
Events before cut Clipboard contents Events after cut Events after cut in 
post-edit ripple mode 
						

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Clipboard events are pasted at the cursor position on the track. Existing track events can be overlapped 
with newly pasted information.
Using paste repeat
Use paste repeat to specify how many times clipboard events are pasted at the cursor position on the selected 
track and to specify the space between pasted events. 
1.Copy a selection to the clipboard.
2.From the Edit menu, choose Paste Repeat. The Paste Repeat 
dialog appears.
3.Specify the number of times to paste the clipboard contents 
and the space between successive copies. 
4.Click OK.
Using paste insert
When using paste insert, clipboard events are placed at the cursor position on the selected track and existing 
events on all tracks are moved further down the timeline by the total length of pasted information. This 
action differs from post-edit ripple mode because pasting in post-edit ripple mode affects only the tracks in 
which material is pasted, while paste insert affects all tracks in the project. 
1.Copy a selection to the clipboard.
2.From the Edit menu, choose Paste Insert
Punching-in and crossfading events 
You can insert events into the middle of (on top of) existing events without altering the timing of the 
project. When the inserted event ends, the original event continues playing as if it had never stopped.
You can choose the duration of crossfades for punched-in audio events.
1.From the Options menu, choose Preferences. The Preferences dialog appears.
2.Click the Editing tab.
3.Select Quick fade length of audio events. Specify a duration for each transition.
Clipboard contents Events before paste insert Events after paste insert
Events on all tracks (not just tracks with
pasted material) are pushed down the timeline. 
						

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Events that have previously been inserted or punched-in are not affected by this change. The concept of 
punching in and out only applies when you are inserting an event that is shorter than the event that it is 
being inserted into. In the following illustration, every frame is numbered so that you can see how the 
original event continues after the inserted event ends, as if it continued to play underneath the original.
Duplicating events
Duplicating is a combination of copying and pasting in one action. The process is like moving the event to a 
new position while leaving a copy behind. 
1.Press .
2.Drag the event you want to duplicate to the place where you want the new event to be positioned.
Inserting empty events and time
You can insert events into the timeline that do not have any contents and are not references to any media 
files. Empty events are useful as placeholders in the timeline that can be filled with media or recorded into at 
a later time. In either case, the new media is added to the empty event as a take. For more information, see 
Working with takes on page 94. To add an empty event to a track, from the 
Insert menu, choose Empty Event.
You can also make space in a project by inserting a length of time across all tracks. To insert a period of time 
into the timeline, from the 
Insert menu, choose Time. 
Trimming events
This section describes simple ways to trim events. For more information, see Using the Trimmer window on page 
96.
Tip: You can apply a ripple edit after trimming an event. For 
more information, see Applying post-edit ripples on page 73.
Trimming an event
During the trimming process for a video event, both the last thumbnail image on the event and the Video 
Preview window show the last frame in the event, allowing you to edit events very accurately.
1.Move the cursor over the edge of the event. The cursor changes 
when properly positioned ( ).
2.Drag the edge of the event to trim it.
Since a multimedia file often has both a video and an audio 
component, both events are trimmed (or extended) as a group 
unless you ungroup them or temporarily suspend grouping by 
clicking the 
Ignore Event Grouping button ( ). For more information, 
see Grouping events on page 141. 
Punched-in event
Ctrl
Trimming
grouped events
at the same time 
						

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Trimming an event beyond its end
You can trim an event beyond its end, extending it as a result. Once extended, the event loops as a default. 
A notch indicates where the looped event repeats. 
Alternately, you can turn looping off and make the last frame of an event’s media repeat for the duration of 
the event (a freeze frame). A notch appears at the point in the event where the video ends and the freeze 
frame begins. For more information, see Loop on page 133.
Trimming adjacent events
You can trim adjacent events simultaneously. Press   while dragging the common edge between two 
adjacent events. The trim adjacent cursor appears ( ).
Trimming a time selection
Trimming events removes all media outside the time selection. The removed information is not placed on 
the clipboard. Trimming is different from cutting in that the events within the time selection are preserved.
1.Select a time range. For more information, see Selecting a time range on page 61.
2.Press   or, from the Edit menu, choose Tr i m .
The material outside the time selection (across all tracks) is removed from the project. However, the time 
information (space) between events is not removed.
Trimming a time and event selection
1.
Select the events to be trimmed.
2.Select a time range. For more information, see Selecting events and a time range on page 62.
3.Press   or, from the Edit menu, choose Tr i m .
Only the portion of selected events outside the time selection is trimmed. Unselected events remain. The 
time information (space) between events is not removed. 
Events before trim Clipboard contents Events after trim
Trimmed information is not 
placed on the clipboard.
Events before trim Clipboard contents Events after trim
Trimmed information is not 
placed on the clipboard.
Ctrl+Alt
Press Ctrl+Alt over the 
boundary between two events...
...and drag left... ...or right to trim both events at once.
Ctrl+T
Ctrl+T