QuickTip: Selecting a clip without moving the playhead

[Jeremy Garchow]

C is one my favorite FCPX keys!

[Simon Chan]

love it thanks!

[T. Payton]

I also found out that option clicking works also. As long as skimming is turned off.

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T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[Ben Scott]

only thing I have found is clip range marking on connected clips doesnt work as expected e.g. press x whilst roll over connected clip

it wont allow any trim to marked range, which is a very useful function

it does work on things like lifting audio across sections of course though

[David Eaks]

Here’s another way to select a clip in the timeline, without changing the playheads position (and with the skimmer active).

Click and hold on an empty area of the timeline above or below the clip you want to select, drag the selection box over the clip, done. Now you can click and drag the selected clip to a new position, trim the ends, apply the default transition etc. My favorite part is that you can do this during playback.

I especially like trimming the end of a clip during playback, while watching the audio waveforms to anticipate where the cut will be before the playhead gets there. Fast and fun!

Not so much the other way around, e.g. trimming the start of a clip when the playhead is past the edit point. Because when the magnetic timeline ripples, the playhead keeps it’s position relative to the timeline, NOT relative to the position it was in the clip, not the behavior I expect in this “paradigm”. So playback “jumps” or “skips” instead of continuing to play smoothly, thus ruining a part of the pleasure that cutting in X could, should and hopefully will be.

FCP X and I have a serious love/hate relationship at the moment, really looking forward to the next update (man I hope it’s an “encouraging” update)!

[Ricardo Guerreiro]

I’m in shock! Been struggling with this for months but only today I put myself thourg the trouble of searching on the web. I used to do the click empty space and drag over clip but it’s not always handy… Just C!!!?? Uau… One of the happiest FCPX days for me. Thanks

[T. Payton]

Ricardo – there are a number of more techniques in this tutorial:

https://library.creativecow.net/payton_t/FCPX_Editing-During-Playback/1

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T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[Michael Sasser]

I have a problem. Somehow I have switch the default. When I click a clip. the playhead stays there. I have to option click to get it to move to the clip. So annoying! How do I change it back?

[T. Payton]

That is actually the new default behavior since 10.0.6. The playhead doesn’t move when selecting clips.

I don’t particularly like the new behavior all the time but when a few of my fellow editors saw it, they think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

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T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque