1-second timeline grid

NickHope wrote on 9/10/2004, 1:20 AM

Having spent years editing in Premiere with the timeline display set to 1-second divisions, I'm finding myself really lost in Vegas without an obvious visual feedback of the length of my events while I'm ripple editing in the timeline. For example if I'm shortening the beginning of the event I have no idea how long I'm making the event without looking up to the ruler, which is a long way away and varies according to timeline zoom.

I've got the grid turned on at 1-second spacing but it's only dark enough to see if I've got "snap to grid" set on, which I don't want. I'm even thinking now of recording a silent audio track with a "spike" every second to place under my video track and use as a "visual metronome". But that will take up screen space and slow the program a little too.

Anyone any ideas?

Comments

JohnnyRoy wrote on 9/10/2004, 5:08 AM

Try using timeline selections to help you. At the bottom right of the track display are three timecode readouts. The first is the selection start, the second is the selection end, and to the third (which is the one you want to watch) is the selection duration. If you double click them, they turn into entry fields!

If you want to know how long an event is, just double click it and a selection will be made that is the duration of the event. You can now readout the exact length by looking at the third timecode in these three boxes. What’s more, you can double click the third box, enter in the duration you want, and the selection will adjust to that duration. You can now adjust the end of the event to snap to the new selection duration and you’re all done. You can make frame accurate adjustments very easily this way.

This works on transitions too. Double click a transition will make a selection around it. Adjust the selection using the timecode readout and then adjust the transition to snap to the new selection. You can also drag the selection to a new location for adjusting multiple events or transitions to be the same duration.

Tip: If you have a mouse wheel on your mouse and you give the track area the focus, the mouse wheel will zoom in and out on the track so you can temporarily zoom in to see what you’re editing and then zoom right back out again.

~jr

NickHope wrote on 9/11/2004, 3:38 AM

Thanks for that jr

I would love it if that 3rd box (or a 4th) would automatically show the length of an event I'm ripple editing. Premiere Pro has this in it's monitor window. I think I'll put in an enhancement request.