Things to Remember

Don't be intimidated by the timeline editing behavior. Keep practicing, and it will click. The primary points to remember are the Ctrl key and the ripple behavior. Whether you are rippling an edit point or rippling timeline material for an Insert or Extract, the Ctrl key is the modifier for all Ripple functions. You use the Ctrl key modifier for extracting when dragging and for inserting when dropping. In addition, the Ctrl key modifier turns the standard Selection tool into the Ripple Edit tool so that your cuts remain seamless.

As you edit, pay attention to which tracks are locked and why; try to create an intuitive order to the media in your timeline. If you build your primary edit on the Video 1 track and get it as tight as possible before you start adding titles and transitions, you will save yourself the headache of inserting and shifting media around when you don't want to.

I have found a structure for building my sequences that works quite well. It usually entails editing all of my main video and audio content on specific tracks. All my titles, graphics, music, and additional sound effects have their own tracks, which I rename accordingly. Being able to quickly identify what is what within your edit will help you better manage your sequences and content. With nested sequences I also find that breaking an edit into working sections helps the managing project's process. If it is logical to break your project down into smaller pieces and separate sections, create a new sequence for each part. All of this discussion and all of these ideas are thrown into motion in the lessons found in the book's advanced techniques sections; this is just a reminder to get you thinking about your own workflow and structure.

So, get that primary edit in shape, then prepare for adding transitions and using the Effect Controls panel in the next chapter.