Editing

Grab/Move

Reference

Menu: Strip ‣ Grab/Move

Hotkey: G

Holding down RMB and then moving the mouse drags the active strip in time or in channels. Pressing G moves the all selected strip(s). Move your mouse horizontally (left/right) to change the strip’s position in time. Move vertically (up/down) to change channels.

Holding down Ctrl while dragging snaps to the start and endpoints of other strips. The position of the mouse relative to the selection influences where the strips are snapped. If it is closer to the start of the selection, then the start frame of the selection gets snapped, else the end frame will get snapped.

To “ripple edit” (Make room for strips you drag) hold Alt when placing a strip.

You can also lock the direction to time with X or to change the strip’s channel with Y.

Start Frame Offset

The start frame offset for that strip could be selected by clicking RMB on the left arrow of the strip; holding it down (or pressing G rab and then moving the mouse left/right changes the start frame within the strip by the number of frames you move it. The frame number label under the strip displays the start frame of the strip.

• If you have a 20-image sequence strip, and drag the left arrow to the right by 10 frames, the strip will start at image 11 (images 1 to 10 will be skipped). Use this to clip off a rollup or useless lead-in.
• Dragging the left arrow left will create a lead-in (copies) of the first frame for as many frames as you drag it. Use this when you want some frames for transitions to the this clip.

End Frame

The end frame of the strip could be selected by clicking RMB on the right arrow of the strip; holding it down (or pressing G rab) and then moving the mouse changes the ending frame within the strip. The frame number label over the strip displays the end frame of the strip.

• Dragging the right arrow to the left shortens the clip; any original images at the tail are ignored. Use this to quickly clip off a rolldown.
• Dragging the right arrow right extends the clip. For movies and images sequences, more of the animation is used until exhausted. Extending a clip beyond its end results in Blender making a copy of the last image. Use this for transitions out of this clip.

Note

Multiple selection

You can select several (handles of) strips by Shift-RMB clicking: when you press G, everything that is selected will move with your mouse- this means that, for example, you can at the same time move a strip, shorten two others, and extend a forth one.

Grab/Extend from Frame

Reference

Menu: Strip ‣ Grab/Extend from Frame

Hotkey: E

With a number of strips selected, pressing E lets you interactively extend the strips. This is is similar to grabbing but is useful for extending (or shortening) time around the current frame.

All selected strip handles to the “mouse side” of the current frame indicator will transform together, so you can change the duration of the current frame.

Slip Strip Content

Reference

Menu: Strip ‣ Slip Strip Content

Hotkey: S

The slip tool allows you to change the position of the contents of a strip without moving the strip itself.

Tools

Erase Strips X, Delete

Delete the selected strip(s).

Duplicate Strips Shift-D

Duplicate a strip to make an unlinked copy; drag it to a time and channel, and drop it by LMB click.

Clear Strips Offsets Alt-O

To reset the (soft) start/end frame handles.

The Strip Menu contains additional tools for working with strips:

• Insert/Remove Gap
• Deinterlace Movies
• Set Render Size
• Reload Strips
• Swap Inputs
• Lock Strips
• UnLock Strips
• Swap Strips

Snap Strips

Reference

Menu: Strip ‣ Snap Strips

Hotkey: Shift-S

Position your cursor (vertical green line) to the time you want. Snap to current frame to start a strip exactly at the beginning of the frame. If your Time display is in seconds, you can get to fractional parts of a second by zooming the display; you can get all the way down to an individual frame.

Separate Images

Reference

Menu: Strip ‣ Separate Images

Hotkey: Y

For images sequence only – Converts the strip into multiple strips, one strip for each frame. Useful for slide shows and other cases where you want to bring in a set on non-continuous images.

Length

You have to specify the duration you want the resulting strips will be.

Reassign Inputs

Reference

Menu: Strip ‣ Reassign Inputs

Hotkey: R

This tool can be used to assign (reconnect) effect strips in a different way Just select three arbitrary strips and press R. If you don’t create a cycle, those will be connected to a new effect chain.

Cut (soft) at Frame

Reference

Menu: Strip ‣ Cut (soft) at Frame

Hotkey: K

Cut the selected strip in two by pressing K at the current frame. This will result in two strips of the same source, but resized to fit the original strip’s length. You will still be able to resize them after. Use Cut to trim off roll-ups or lead-ins, or roll-downs or extra film shot.

Note

Note on the Cut

When you cut a strip, you do not really make a cut like it cutting a real of film. In fact, you make a copy of the strip: the end of the original one is “winded” to the cut point, as with the beginning of the new copy.

For example, imagine that you have a strip of 50 frames, and that you want to delete the first ten ones. You have to go to frame 11, and press K; the cut divides your strip in two parts. You now can select the first small part (frame 1 to frame 10), and delete it press X.

You might think that you have really erased the frames (1 to 10), but there are still there, winded, as in a film reel, under your frame 11: you just have deleted one of the two copies of your strip created by the cut. And you can at any time get your lost frames back (just RMB click on the left arrow of the strip, then G grab it to the left to display the desired number of frames again (or to the right to hid more frames – this is another way to remove frames at the beginning/end of a strip!).

This is at the heart of nearly every editor solution, and that is quite handy!

Note

Action Stops

When extending the start beyond the beginning or end after the ending, keep in mind that only the last image copies, so when viewed, action will stop on that frame. Start your transition (fade, cross) a little early while action is still happening so that the stop action is not that noticeable.

Change the length of an effect strip by changing the start/end frame of the origin strips.

Cut (hard) at Frame

Reference

Menu: Strip ‣ Cut (hard) at Frame

Hotkey: Shift-K

Like Cut (soft) at Frame, it cuts a strip in two distinct strips, but this time you will not be able enlarge the resulting strips. You can still adjust the duration (hard) number buttons in the Strip Input panel.

Mute

Mute Strips H

Mute the selected strip(s).

Un-Mute Strips Alt-H

Un-Mutes all strips.

Mute Deselected Strips Shift-H

You can mute all strips but the selected.

Copy and Paste

You can copy a clip and paste it using the two header buttons.

Change

Reference

Panel: Properties Region ‣ Strip Input

Menu: Strip ‣ Change

Hotkey: C

The Change sequence operator modifies the file path or effect inputs/type on selected strips.

Effect

Switch the effects on a selected Effect strips.

Path/Files

Changes the source file contained in a selected strip.