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Trimming frames from a clip
There are several ways to build a movie, but all of them involve selecting the portions of
source clips you want to include. You rarely use an entire clip.
In
and
Out points
define the
first and last frame of the clip. Setting In and Out points does not actually delete frames,
but instead marks what portion of the clip you want included in the movie. They serve as a
window over the entire clip. You can move them as needed and regain the frames you trim.
A
D
B
C
In and Out points serve as a window over a clip
A
Trimmed frames
B
In point
C
Out point
D
Trimmed frames
You always trim from either end of a clip. To trim frames from the middle of a clip, you
must first split the clip (which creates two instances of the original clip), and then trim the
unwanted frames from the ends of each. You can set In and Out points and trim clips in
several ways, by using buttons in the Monitor window, menu commands, or simply by
dragging the ends of a clip in the Timeline window.
Trimming frames from either end of a clip in the Timeline window
You can remove or regain trimmed frames from either end of a clip by dragging the clip’s
edge in the Timeline window. To help you locate the precise frame you want, the Timeline
view of the Monitor window displays the changing In or Out point of the clip as you drag.
If a clip has another clip immediately adjacent to the edge you’re trimming, the Monitor
window displays the frames of both clips side-by-side. Subsequent clips in the Timeline
window shift as you drag the clip’s edge. When trimming frames, empty space adjacent to
the edge you trim shifts in time just as a clip would.
A pop-up window displays the number of frames you are trimming as you trim them. This
window displays a negative value if you drag the edge toward the beginning of the movie
and a positive number if you drag toward the end of the movie. You can tell whether you
have trimmed a clip by looking for a small gray triangle in the top corner at either end of the
clip in the Timeline window. The triangle indicates you have not trimmed that edge.