Contents
Timeline basics and keyboard shortcuts
Select, trim, move, cut and delete clips on the timeline, with shortcuts.
The timeline shows every lane of your edit: captions, graphics, effects, filter, video and audio. You can edit it by hand at any time.
Editing by hand
- Select a clip by clicking it. Shift-click selects a range; Cmd/Ctrl-click adds or removes a clip.
- Trim by dragging a clip's edge. Hold Shift to ripple-trim and close the gap.
- Move clips, graphics, captions, music and effects by dragging them.
- Cut with Cut at playhead above the timeline.
- Right-click a clip for rotate, flip, speed (25% to 400%), reverse, detach audio, delete and ripple delete.
- Zoom with the slider above the timeline.
- Lane controls: the eye hides a lane, the speaker sets a lane's volume, the pencil renames it.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+Z or Ctrl+Y | Redo |
| Space | Play or pause (timeline focused) |
| Delete or Backspace | Delete the selected item and leave a gap |
| Shift+Delete or Shift+Backspace | Ripple delete: remove the clip and close the gap |
| Escape | Clear the selection or close a menu |
Gestures
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Drag a clip edge | Trim |
| Shift while trimming | Ripple trim |
| Alt while dragging source audio | Move the audio on its own |
| Right-click a clip or cut | Clip or transition actions |
Notes
- Shortcuts don't run while you are typing in a text box or the chat.
- Click the timeline once if a key doesn't respond.
- The timeline is read-only while Novacut is editing or an export is running.