7

Tips for Edits Made with the Ripple Tool
Keep the following in mind when using the Ripple tool:
• If you lengthen a clip item, clip items on the same track move forward in time. Clip
items on other unlocked tracks that begin after the original location of the edit point
you are adjusting also move forward in time.
• If you shorten a clip item, clip items on the same track move backward in time, as do
clip items after the initial location of the edit you are adjusting on other unlocked tracks.
• If you can’t ripple because of a “Collision” message, it is because clip items on other
tracks can’t move back in time without bumping into other clip items.
• All tracks are affected when you use the Ripple tool. If you don’t want other tracks in
the sequence to be affected by the Ripple tool, lock those tracks (see “Locking Tracks
to Prevent Edits or Changes”).
• You can temporarily turn the Ripple tool into the Roll tool by pressing the Shift key.
Release the Shift key to return to the Ripple tool.
• While dragging, press the Command key to “gear down” and make a more precise edit.
Performing a Ripple Edit in the Timeline
When you use the Ripple tool to adjust the duration of a clip in the Timeline, always pay
attention to where Final Cut Pro previews the location of the new clip Out point. Even
when you are adjusting a clip’s In point with the Ripple tool, the location of the clip’s Out
point is what you should pay attention to.
When you adjust a clip’s In point with the Ripple tool in the Timeline, it appears that the
clip’s In point is moving in the Timeline, and that the clip’s duration is changing from
both its In and Out points. This is not true. The position of the clip’s In point in the Timeline
never changes after a ripple edit is performed. Final Cut Pro is actually showing you two
things at once:
• The duration by which the clip is being trimmed
701Chapter 44 Performing Slip, Slide, Ripple, and Roll Edits