About Trim mode

Trim mode lets you see outgoing and incoming frames in real time as you refine edits. It’s especially useful when you want to precisely fine-tune cuts or transitions. In this mode, some Program Monitor controls are adjusted to help you focus on trimming.

To enter Trim mode, select the Program or Timeline panel and press Shift + T.

Trim mode interface overview

In Trim mode, the selected clip’s In and Out points appear in a split-screen view on the Program Monitor. The frame before the edit is shown on the upper-left, and the frame after the edit is shown on the upper-right. You can play, pause, and step through the frames using the J, K, and L keys on your keyboard.

Split-screen view in Trim mode showing outgoing and incoming frames with key controls.

Key terms and controls

• Outgoing edit point: The frame in the outgoing clip where the edit or transition begins.
• Trim type indicator: A visual cue that shows whether you're trimming the In or Out point.
• Out shift counter: Tracks how many frames you’ve adjusted on the left side of the clip.
• Trim backward 5 frames: Shortens the outgoing clip by five frames.
• Trim backward: Moves the left edit point one frame at a time, adjusting the timeline accordingly.
• Add default transition: Inserts a standard transition effect between clips at the edit point.
• Trim forward: Moves the right edit point one frame at a time.
• Trim forward 5 frames: Trims five frames from the right side of the clip.
• In shift counter: Tracks how many frames you’ve adjusted on the right side of the clip.
• Incoming edit point: The frame in the incoming clip where the edit or transition begins.

Playback and review trims

To review the currently applied trims while the edit point selection is still active and in Trim Edit mode, select the Play button or press the Spacebar. The playback loops around the current edit point selection, playing from a specified Pre­rolling time before the first edit point and ending at a specified Post-rolling time after the last edit point.

To stop playback, select the Play button or press the Spacebar. The playhead will move to the selected edit point nearest where you stop.

Behavior of trim tools in Trim mode

While in Trim mode, you can trim clips using any trim tool, including the Selection tool:

• Dragging within a clip adjusts the edit point normally.
• Dragging across two clips applies a rolling trim, adjusting both clips at once.
• Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) while dragging the outgoing or incoming clip to perform a regular trim on that side.
• Dragging left trims backward; dragging right trims forward.

The trimming behavior matches how edits are handled in the Timeline panel, making it easy to switch between modes.

Exit Trim mode

To exit Trim mode, click anywhere in the timeline or press Shift + T again.