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Overview

Use this page when your main job is pacing: removing dead time, tightening transitions, and keeping scene timing clean. [insert screenshot of timeline with playhead, clip trim handles, and split action highlighted]

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Before you start

  • Choose the scene you are editing.
  • Save a checkpoint before major structural edits.
  • Keep playback zoom level readable so trim precision is easier.

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Core workflow

  1. Select and inspect
    • Click the clip and review its start/end in the timeline.
  2. Trim edges
    • Drag clip boundaries to remove dead air or extra lead-in/out.
  3. Split at narrative beats
    • Split where topic or visual focus changes.
    • Keep each segment purpose-specific.
  4. Reorder deliberately
    • Move clips only after trims so timeline shifts are intentional.
  5. Validate transitions
    • Scrub across each cut and watch for abrupt motion or audio mismatch.
  6. Run a local preview pass
    • Play the edited scene at normal speed before continuing.
[insert screenshot of two adjacent clips with a clean transition at the scene boundary]

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Check your result

  • Each clip starts and ends on intentional beats.
  • Scene duration matches your target pacing.
  • Adjacent clips remain synchronized after edits.

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Troubleshooting

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A neighboring clip moved unexpectedly

Insert/overlap behavior can shift adjacent clips. Recheck the immediate neighborhood after every reorder operation.

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Scene duration changed more than expected

Scene length usually follows the farthest clip end. Inspect all tracks, not just the selected clip.

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Playback stutters during heavy edits

This is often preview buffering. Wait for stabilization, then re-verify before making additional trims.

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Next

Tune your workspace for fewer distractions in Hiding and Showing Panels.