Definition: Insert vs. Overwrite Edits

[ This article was first published in the September, 2006, issue of
Larry’s Final Cut Pro Newsletter. Click here to subscribe. ]

This technique was suggested by an email from Bob Hughes, who wrote:

I have just assembled all my dance performance clips on the timeline and everything so far is in sync. Now I need to put extra clips (part of an interview with the dance teacher) right at the front, is there a way of pushing all the clips back to give me the space I need without throwing all my clips out of sync?

Larry replies: Yup. there are two types of edits within Final Cut: an overwrite edit, which replaces whatever it lands on in the timeline, and an insert edit, which “inserts” itself into the timeline at the point of the playhead.

My recommendation is to always use an Overwrite edit as your default edit, because it will give you the results you expect. However, for those occasions when you need to insert a shot, without damaging any material that is already edited, the Insert edit is your choice.

To do an Insert edit, set your In and Out on a clip in the Viewer. Then, position the playhead in the timeline where you want to insert the clip. Finally, drag the clip from the Viewer to the Canvas and drop it on top of the yellow Insert overlay menu that appears.

Your clip is automatically inserted at the position of the playhead in the Timeline and all the clips to the right of the inserted clip are shifted to the right.