Apple iMovie HD - Manual (Page 41)

Chapter 5 Editing Basics 41
Editing Clips with Direct Trimming
You can trim and crop your clips using an editing technique called direct trimming.
Click the timeline viewer button (it has a clock on it) to open the timeline viewer. You
can then select a clip and drag either end to shorten it. There are some important
points to understand before you start, however.
Where You Grab Your Clip Matters
In the timeline viewer, you get different results depending on where you place the
pointer when you drag a clip.
Dragging from the center of the clip moves the clip to a different location in your
movie. As you move the clip to the right, a gap is created. You can drag other clips to
fill the gap, or you can leave a gap for your own artistic reasons (they’re handy
backgrounds for text or can add an extra dimension to a transition or effect).
Tip: A fast way to get rid of a gap is to view it in the clip viewer, where it appears as a
black clip. Select the black clip and delete it.
Dragging from the end of a clip toward the center of the clip shortens the clip. The
trimmed video is still present, but it won’t appear in your movie. If you decide to
lengthen the clip later, you can drag the end to lengthen the clip again and the hidden
footage is restored.
Rippling and Overwriting Clips
If you move a clip over an empty space in the timeline viewer, the clip replaces, or
overwrites, the empty space. If you move a clip over another clip, the clip you’re
moving pushes aside the clip and all the adjoining clips, moving them all in the
direction you’re dragging.
If you decide that you want to overwrite a clip with another clip, you can hold down
the Command key as you drag. The clip you’re moving overwrites (or trims) the other
clip.
Gap Drag pointer
Direct trimming pointer