Editing Project · How-to
Trim and cut your recording
CursorClip has no trim handles to drag. You cut with the scissors button on the timeline. Turn the scissors on, click the timeline where you want a cut, then turn the scissors off. Each part of the recording is now a purple block on the Video lane. CursorClip calls these blocks segments. Click the block you don't want and click Delete Segment. That trims the start or end, or takes out a middle part.
Where the scissors button is
The timeline sits under the video preview. The bar along its top holds the playback controls. The scissors button is in the middle, just left of the back 10 seconds button and Play. It's a small grey square with a scissors icon and no text.
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Middle
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Hover over it and the tooltip reads "Enter Cut Mode - Click on timeline to split".
Trim the start
To trim the end, do the same where you want the video to stop, then delete the last block.
- 1
Move the playhead to the cut point
Click or drag the time markings along the top of the timeline. The red playhead line moves there.
- 2
Turn on cut mode
Click the scissors button. It fills with color, its icon turns white, and the pointer becomes a crosshair over the timeline.
- 3
Click on the red playhead line
A white line with a small scissors icon and a time badge follows the pointer. Line it up with the red playhead and click. The recording splits in two.
- 4
Turn off cut mode
Click the scissors button again. While cut mode is on, every click on the timeline makes another cut.
- 5
Select the part you don't want
On the Video lane, click the purple block before your cut. It gets a white outline and the Segment panel opens on the right.
- 6
Click Delete Segment
It's the red button under Speed in the Segment panel. You can also press the Delete key, or right-click the block and choose Delete Segment.
Cut out a part in the middle
Cut mode stays on until you turn it off, so make both cuts in one go.
- 1
Click the scissors button to turn on cut mode.
- 2
Click where the unwanted part starts, then where it ends.
- 3
Click the scissors button again to turn cut mode off.
- 4
Click the middle block, then click Delete Segment. The blocks on either side join up.
Speed up or slow down a part
Select a block, then pick a speed under Speed in the Segment panel: 0.5x, 0.75x, 1x, 1.5x or 2x. Click More speeds for 0.1x, 0.25x, 1.25x, 3x and 4x.
The speed applies to the whole block, so cut around the part first. A block with a changed speed shows a small badge on the timeline, like 2x. Click 1x to go back to normal.
Undo a cut
Press ⌘Z to undo a cut, a delete or a speed change. Press ⇧⌘Z to redo. The Undo and Redo arrow buttons in the toolbar at the top of the editor, to the right of Crop, do the same.
If it doesn't work
I can't see the scissors button
The timeline is collapsed. Click the up arrow at the right end of the bar under the preview to expand it.
Clicking the scissors button does nothing
Another edit is still open. If you're cropping, click Apply or Cancel. If you're choosing the area for a Manual zoom, click Done or Cancel. The timeline also locks while an export runs.
The cut line turns red and no cut happens
Each block has to keep at least half a second of the recording. If a cut would leave less, CursorClip shows "Segment too short (minimum 0.5s)" and skips it. Click a little further from the start, the end or another cut.
Clicking a block makes a cut instead of selecting it
Cut mode is still on. Click the scissors button to turn it off, then press ⌘Z to undo any stray cuts. Esc doesn't turn it off, even though the tooltip says it does.
Delete Segment is greyed out
Only one block is left, and CursorClip won't delete the last one. If you haven't cut yet, make a cut first.
The Delete key does nothing
It works only when cut mode is off, a block is selected and there's more than one block. The Delete Segment button does the same job.
I deleted the wrong part
Press ⌘Z. CursorClip has no list of deleted parts, so undo is the only way back.
Tips
- You can't drag the edge of a block to trim it, and there's no shortcut to split at the playhead. Cut mode is the only way to cut.
- Zooms move with your cuts. A zoom that sits entirely inside a deleted part drops off the Zoom lane, and comes back if you undo. How automatic zooms work explains the rest.
- Your export includes every cut and speed change. CursorClip is free to record and edit, and you need a license to export. See Export your video.