I too used to think this. I've got a timeline with my clips and stuff up there in front of me, why get involved with another function that will inhibit my creativity? I can see the clips and there spatial arrangement and can make decisions based on what I can see? Why need to "confuse" the issue with yet another process?

Well, and speaking for myself, for simple projects - whatever that means! - this holds true. There will be others here who read this and think ALL editing for ALL projects - simple to complex - is a just a matter of t/l activity - fine!

The trimmer has made this "messy" editor a tad more organised. For one I can focus on one clip at a time, do my minor "surgical" work within Trimmer and then Copy and/or select bits from THAT clip for use. However, and very recently, I've been editing and now finished, for me what is a moderately complex project. I might add that the more complex the work=creative-options where a direct result of me relying more heavily on Trimmer. Without this functions I would not have considered using it in the way I had. This has been a direct result of my awareness being made of the "Region" option. The trimmers Regions function allows me to make and store collections of video/audio OR video OR just audio bits with NAMED titles. This you can not do just on the t/l.

For example within say 150 clips you can store and have available Regions that you have created as "Cutaways". The original clips called 001.avi, 002.avi, 003.avi . . . . .. 00n.avi are still there in the background. But Trimmers Regions will have made available to you a selectable set of Trimmed Regions named, for example "Cutaway of Fred"; "Ho here's a good piece of footage of Fred getting the wedding cake thrown in his face! Hmmm.. can use this later during the speech" . . . get the picture? - Garo, I've found this to be a boon itself. It allows me to give a slice of media something as an aide memoir. All you get on the t/l is the avi name which might have useful during capture and then in selecting from the Bins you've created, but the Trimmer and the Regions function adds that little Extra piece of opportunity to be more creative.

Will there come a time when I don't use the trimmer anymore? When I know instinctively what my final edit is about by looking at the Zen like names in my Bins? Well maybe . . and maybe not . . time will tell. However, the Trimmer on this project I've just completed saved my bottom on several occasions . . I've subsequently understood even more about Region management and shall employ this too. The one "drawback" at present is that you can't migrate these fab Regions to anything like a Bin. I can't, for example, have a Bin I've named "Cutaways" and then plop these regions in there. There are other restrictions with Region creation, but at present I'm letting my money "ride" on this number on the table until such time as I move on. But, I do feel at present there is still a lot of mileage from using Trimmer.

You may wish to read the extensive treads on this. I think the number of posts to this subject have been up there amongst some of the record-breaking Forum inputs from our friends here about. Read the other threads - do a Search for Trimmer - very informative.

garo, good question, been asked before . . will be asked again in the future, I'm sure of that . . . . .

Regards,

Grazie - the Messy Editor

I read a comment recently from SonyEPM that implied that you would be able to put those regions into bins soon.

I think the bins and trimmer are just taking babysteps in V4. If, as I suspect, it becomes possible to place ranges from the trimmer into bins then the next step would be to be able to apply media effects and velocity envelopes to those regions and save the whole treated range into a bin. Of course that could mean saving the very same region several times in the bins

Rob Mack

One very simple effective thing I do with the trimmer: Add video only (or audio only). When you drag avi files from the explorer you get everything. And I very often don't need that. It clutters up my timeline and track structure.
Tor

For me the trimmer is very useful eliminating the need of continuous scrolling - zooming and messing on the timeline when:
I work on long projects and need to mark in-out points in lengthy clips / need to insert a portion of audio or video part / need to insert different segments of a long clip in various places among or over the events on the timeline / need an audio segment (or various segments with different in-out points) of a video clip to repeat it in various places on the timeline to fill some background gaps or simply to add it or to replace existing audio parts. (This way I don't have to create new audio files or in case of a single segment, searching it each time on the timeline). By saving markers and regions to the media files not only have instant access to these files and their markers-regions saved settings from the trimmer history but keeps the timeline clean. This way I know that any markers and regions defined on the timeline refer to the events on the timeline only.

>Add video only (or audio only). When you drag avi files from the explorer you get everything. <

If you right-click/drag from the explorer you can choose video only or audio only.

Gary