I’ve been editing on non-linear systems for nearly 20 years.  I edited on Avid, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere.  Each time I learned the process of editing on these platforms, I somehow skipped trimming.  It wasn’t until I re-learned each NLE that I started to grasp trimming.  Once you get clips marked and into the timeline, you should never go back to the original clip.  All adjustments should be made in the timeline.  Other than undo, mark in and mark out, your next most used Tool in your NLE arsenal should be ALL trim tools.

What is trimming?  I took this definition from Final Cut Pro HD Hands-On Training by Larry Jordan.  “Trimming is the process of removing, or adding, frames to the beginning and end of your shots so that the edits flow naturally, maintaining your story, without calling attention to your editing.”

The first Tool in your NLE trim arsenal is the Ripple Tool (Rool Tool in Avid).  In both Avid and Final Cut, the Tool removes or adds frames to one side of an edit.  The Tool allows you to adjust just one side of an edit.  How about a video explanation for this?

Watch the clip below, 5 Minute Lesson The Ripple Tool

This is a lesson in Final Cut.  Ordinarily, I don’t like to focus on one NLE in this blog, but the Tool is an essential tool in editing. Plus, the fact that in Avid and Final Cut the Tool operates, in the same manner, I thought you could grasp no matter what your NLE is.