Editing Clips and Sequences
When first starting Flame with a new project, the Timeline environment is selected by default. Once you have loaded some media into the Media Library using the MediaHub, you are ready to add source clips to a sequence. You can also create new sequences from the Workspace Media panel, or right-click a clip and select Open as Sequence.
User Media Panel.
The Timeline view, by default, displays a single Source Timeline tab. This tab shows the content of the source clip selected in the Media Panel. It also shows Sequence tabs for all open sequences in the Selected Reel. To visualise sequences open in a different reel, use the Reel selection drop-down button at the top left of the Timeline view.
You can close all Timeline tabs using the X button, which appears when you hover over a tab. The Source Timeline provides additional controls and can be set to remain hidden or visible at all times. You can adjust its behaviour in Preferences User Timeline.
The Sequence tabs cannot be reordered from the Timeline view but are placed in the same order as their corresponding clips in the Media Panel.
You can inspect the source clip and sequence information by using the Alt+Click keyboard shortcut on a tab, which opens the Clip Information box. The Timeline tab context menu provides access to other functions.
- Rename: Rename the clip.
- Close All Sequences: Close all opened sequences in the current reel.
- Reveal Clip: Highlights the clip in the Media Panel. This is also achieved by double-clicking on the tab. Inversely, double-clicking on a clip in the Media Panel selects its Source or Sequence tab.
- Export Current Sequence...: Export the selected clip to the chosen destination.
Editorial Operations
The following procedures list a few methods to add clips quickly to a timeline after starting Flame for the first time. These methods are certainly not the only way to edit, but should give you a start in familiarizing yourself with editing in Flame.
To insert a first clip in a sequence:
Select a clip in the Media panel to display it in the source player.
Drag the positioner in the timebar to the frame where you want your clip to start, then click In.
Drag the positioner in the timebar to the frame where you want your clip to end, then click Out.
Click the Insert button.
The clip is added to the sequence. Extra frames outside of your selected In and Out points remain as handles.
To insert a second clip in the sequence:
Select another clip in the Media panel to display it in the source player viewer.
Drag the positioner in the timebar to the frame where you want your clip to start, then click In.
Drag the positioner in the timebar to the frame where you want your clip to end, then click Out.
Click the Insert button.
The clip is added to the sequence starting at the positioner location. If you hadn't moved the positioner after inserting the first clip, the positioner was located at the last frame.
To overwrite a clip in the sequence:
Move the timeline positioner to the first frame of the second clip that you inserted in the sequence.
Select another clip in the Media panel to display it in the source player.
Drag the positioner in the timebar to the frame where you want your clip to start, then click In.
Drag the positioner in the timebar to the frame where you want your clip to end, then click Out.
Click the Overwrite button.
Depending where the positioner was placed and the length of the second and third clips, existing material is overwritten, but the overall length of the sequence does not change.
Continue adding clips to your sequence, as needed. At this point, you are ready to fine-tune your edit sequence by trimming clips, adding tracks for compositing, adding effects to your timeline segments, and using other timeline and editing tools.
Editing with Keyboard Shortcuts
If you like to edit with keyboard shortcuts, a useful workflow to follow is to switch between the F5, F6, and F7 shortcuts.
- F5 forces the focus back to the Timeline view, and is useful if you explicitly click on a clip in the workspace, but want to switch back to editorial and drive timeline navigation.
- When the focus is on the Timeline, F6 switches to the Source Timeline tab, but also enables keyboard shortcut navigation within the media panel folder where the current source is located (using Select Next Clip or Select Previous Clip). You can use this to quickly navigate through your sources, yet not lose focus on the timeline.
- When the focus is on the Timeline, F7 sets the focus on the current active sequence, and allows you to navigate through its timeline using keyboard shortcuts (for example for Next or Previous Transition).