- Change the Size of Text in the Browser and Timeline
- Zooming the Timeline
- Zooming Faster
- The Two Fastest Ways to Zoom
- Vertical Movement
- Image Quality in the Viewer vs. the Canvas
- Monitor Your Video Full Screen
- Remove Scroll Bars for Better Playback
- Back to Square One
- iChat Theater
- Green Is Not Just for Stoplights
- Visibility Lights and the Arrow Keys
- More Visibility Shortcuts
- The Secrets of the Right-Pointing Arrow
- Displaying Audio or Video Clip Names
- Display a Filmstrip of Images in the Timeline
- Displaying Source or Auxiliary Timecode
- Display Field Interlacing
- Duplicating Browser Clips
- Sorting Browser Columns
- Sorting Out Multiple Issues
- A Faster Way to Move Columns
- Customize Browser Columns
- Searching Browser Columns
- Searching Effects
- Viewing Thumbnails in the Browser
- Display Images Instead of Names in the Browser
- Fancy Light Table Tricks
- More Browser Fun
- Browser Keyboard Shortcuts
- Hidden Tricks with Tabs
- Jumping Between Tabs
- Riddle Me a Riddle
- Selecting Multiple Clips
- Selecting an Edit Point
- Using Range Selection
- Get Moving with Timecode
- Locking Tracks
- Toggling Display Modes
- Scrolling the Timeline
- Scrubbing the Playhead
- Find the Missing Playhead
- Scrubbing Timeline Thumbnails
- Discover Project Properties
- Markers Got Spiffed Up
- Markers Can Be Moved!
- A Better Way to Move Between Markers
- Reading Clip Markers
- Using Markers to Log Footage
- Deleting Multiple Clip Markers
- Markers Have Default Colors
- Using Markers in Multiclips
- Option Means Opposite
- Other Option Key Tricks
- The Fastest Way to Find a Keyboard Shortcut
- I Feel the Need—for Speed!
- Create a Custom Keyboard Shortcut
- “A”—An Amazing Authority
- Wonderful, Wacky, W
- How to Remove a Button
- Creating a Custom Button
- Reset/Remove All Buttons in a Button Bar
- Additional Thoughts
Get Moving with Timecode
Timecode offsets get things to move quickly with precision. Here’s how.
Here’s a technique I use all the time to move things by a precise amount.
On the keypad, press + (plus) or – (minus), followed by a number, and then press the Enter key. Here’s what happens:
- If nothing is selected, the playhead moves by the amount you entered.
- If a clip is selected, the clip moves, provided it isn’t blocked by another clip.
- If an edit point is selected, the edit point moves, provided the clips on both sides of it have sufficient handles for the movement.
The direction in which something moves depends on the sign. Plus moves to the right; minus moves to the left.
The distance something moves depends on the number you type in. If the number you enter is two digits or less, Final Cut Pro considers it to be frames. If the number is four digits or less, it’s considered to be seconds and frames. If it’s six digits or less, it’s considered to be minutes, seconds, and frames. Punctuation is not necessary.
So, typing –20 and pressing Enter with nothing selected moves the playhead 20 frames to the left. Typing +1200 and pressing Enter with a clip selected moves the clip 12 seconds to the right, provided it isn’t blocked by another clip. Typing +6 and pressing Enter with an edit point selected moves the selected edit point six frames to the right.
I use this technique all the time for trimming and positioning effects, because it’s both fast and accurate.