Cutting Out the Parts You Don’t Want
Editing is mostly removing. You film a lot, then keep only the good parts. The core tool for this is split (cutting one clip into two) and trim (shortening the ends).
Splitting a clip (the Split tool)
- Click a clip on the timeline to select it.
- Move the playhead (the vertical line) to the exact spot where you want to cut.
- Click the Split icon (a scissors) in the toolbar above the timeline. You can also press Ctrl+B on Windows or Cmd+B on Mac.
- The clip is now two clips. Delete the part you don’t want by selecting it and pressing Delete.
Trimming the start or end
To shorten a clip without splitting:
- Hover over the left edge of a clip to trim its start, or the right edge to trim its end.
- Click and drag the edge inward. The clip gets shorter; the trimmed part is hidden (not deleted forever — you can drag it back).
Rearranging and deleting
- Move a clip by dragging it to a new spot.
- Delete a clip by selecting it and pressing Delete.
- Undo any mistake with Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Z (Mac).
What to aim for
Good edits are tight — cut the pauses, the repeated takes, the “ums.” If a shot doesn’t add something, cut it. Watch your edit from the start and trim anything that drags.
Try it yourself
Take a single clip, split it into three parts, and delete the middle part. Then trim the start and end until it feels tight.
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