FCP 7: Using the Keyboard to Move Things

[ This technique works in Final Cut Pro 7 and all earlier versions. ]

This article was spurred by an email yesterday from Michael Harrell who was trying to sync separate audio with video clips. He asked:

Is there a way to move clips one frame at a time? I don’t mind doing it manually, but it’s frustrating when I can’t get it within a frame or so by dragging it.

The answer is yes – in fact, we can easily move quite a bit of stuff. Specifically, we can move the playhead, a clip or group of clips, or an edit point.

The key is to select something first. (The playhead is the default selected object in the Timeline, if nothing else in the Timeline is selected.)

Here’s how to get something to move:

You can change the default of 5 frames in Final Cut Pro > User Preferences > Editing tab. Change the value in “Multi-Frame Trim Size” to the number of frames you want to move when pressing Shift + comma/period.

I’ve been using this technique for years and find it invaluable. This allows you to move one clip, a group of clips, or every clip on every track — all you need to do is select something first.


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2 Responses to FCP 7: Using the Keyboard to Move Things

  1. mike says:

    larry jordan: your sites, creative cow, and ken stone are my go-to spots when i can’t figure out what’s going on or how to quickly solve a problem. your sheer output is insane! do you ever sleep? thanks for your newsletter. cheers, mike

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