Edit Tools

Flowblade Movie Editor has six edit tools, 4 move tools and 3 trim tools.

Use Keyboard Shortcuts! It is much faster to use keys 1-7 to change tools. Note that keys 1-7 only change tools if timeline has keyboard focus.

Insert Tool

Splice out one or more clips and insert them at desired cut on any track.

  1. Pick 'Insert' tool
    • Use Tool Switcher button drop menu or press 1 key.
  2. Select clip
    • Click Left Mouse on a clip.
  3. Select other end of clip range if moving multiple clips
    • Click CTRL+Left Mouse on the clip you wish to be the other end of move clip range.
  4. Drag Clip(s) to new position
    • Press Left Mouse on a selecetd clip and drag clip/s to a new position.
    • Yellow arrow displays insert point.
    • You can also move clips to a different track.

Cursor context sensitive changes

When cursor changes appenrance you have access to some different edit actions.

Overwrite Tool

Lift out one or more clips and insert them at any point to overwrite on any track.

  1. Pick 'Overwrite' tool
    • Use Tool Switcher button drop menu or press 2 key.
  2. Select clip
    • Click Left Mouse on a clip.
    • Select other end of clip range if moving multiple clips. Click CTRL+Left Mouse on the clip you wish to be the other end of move clip range./li>
  3. Drag Clip(s) to new position
    • Press Left Mouse on a selecetd clip and drag clip/s to a new position.
    • Red shadow clips show overwrite area.
    • You can also move clips to a different track.

Cursor context sensitive changes

When cursor changes appenrance you have access to some different edit actions.

Trim Tool

Make clip longer or shorter from either clip's end or from clip's beginning.

  1. Pick 'Trim' tool
    • Use Tool Switcher button drop menu or press 3 key.
  2. Select trimmed cut and select new in or out frame
    • Press with Left Mouse on a clip near the side you wish to trim. Cursor changes appearance to show which end of clip is to be trimmed.
    • Continue on to Left drag on clip to select new in or out frame
  3. View trimmed cut
    • Press Play Loop button to view edit.
  4. Select new trim
    • Click with Left Mouse on another clip near the side you wish to trim

Trim Tool Multi Track Ripple Mode

Make clip longer or shorter from either clip's end or from clip's beginning and move items on other tracks to maintain position sync with trimmed track.

  1. Pick 'Trim' tool
    • Press R key to switch to Multi Track Ripple mode.
  2. Select trimmed cut and select new in or out frame
    • Press with Left Mouse on a clip near the side you wish to trim
    • Continue on to Left drag on clip to select new in or out frame
  3. Items after trim point maintain position sync with trimmed track.
  4. Trim range is limited so that no overwrites can happen on other tracks.
  5. Press R key to exit to Multi Track Ripple mode.

Roll Tool

Move edit point between two clips so that their combined length stays the same.

  1. Pick 'Roll' tool
    • Use Tool Switcher button drop menu or press 4 key.
  2. Select trimmed cut and select new in or out frames
    • Press with Left Mouse on a clip near the cut you wish to trim on the side you wish to view while trimming
    • Continue on to Left drag on the two selected clips to select in or out frames for both clips
  3. View trimmed cut
    • Press Play Loop button to view edit.
  4. Select new trim from another clip
    • Click on empty space on the Timeline
    • Click with Left Mouse near the cut you wish to trim

Slip Tool

Change the displayed area of media in a clip while keeping the clip position unchanged on the timeline.

  1. Pick 'Slip' tool
    • Use Tool Switcher button drop menu or press 5 key.
  2. Select trimmed clip and change displayed media
    • Press with Left Mouse on a clip you wish to slip trim
    • Continue on to Left drag from clip area to display different area of media
  3. Select new trim from another clip
    • Click on empty space on the Timeline
    • Click with Left Mouse on the clip you wish to trim

Spacer Tool

Move all Timeline items after pressed frame on all tracks or on a single track

  1. Pick 'Spacer' tool
    • Use Tool Switcher button drop menu or press 6 key.
  2. Select a clip on Timeline and move it and all items to the right of it
    • Press Left Mouse on a clip.
    • Continue on to Left drag clip and all clips and compositors to right of it to a new position
    • It is not possible to move items on top of clips. Items can only be moved on top of empty space
  3. Use Control button to only affect items on a single track
    • Press Control and use Left Mouse to move all items on single track to the right of the selected clip

Box Tool

Select and overwrite move all Timeline items contained in a box selection.

  1. Pick 'Box' tool
    • Use Tool Switcher button drop menu or press 7 key.
  2. Select an area on Timeline by dragging a box selection with Left Mouse around all items you wish to move and release mouse button.
  3. Press Left Mouse inside the box selection and drag the box into new position on timeline and release mouse. Cursor changes when inside selected area to show that you now move selected items.
  4. Box contents are overwritten on new position and Compositors are moved.

Move Tool clip end trim

When an Insert, Overwrite or Spacer tool is selected the ends of clips can be dragged to lengthen or shorten the clip.

  1. Pick 'Insert', 'Overwrite' or 'Spacer' tool
    • Use Tool Switcher button drop menu or press 1, 2 or 6 key.
  2. Select clip end to trim
    • Click Control + Right Mouse on a clip.
    • The nearer clip end will be selected for edit.
  3. Drag clip end
    • Added clip length will perform overwrite on blanks and empty space
    • Added clip length will perform insert on other clips
    • Decreased clip length will perform splice out.