Playing Clips and Sequences
You use the transport controls in the Viewer and Canvas to play forward, backward,
between In and Out points, one frame at a time, or loop playback. You can also move
around within clips and sequences by jogging, shuttling, and scrubbing, and by
entering timecode numbers.
To play a clip in the Viewer or a sequence in the Canvas:
1
Open a clip in the Viewer or make the Canvas or Timeline active.
2
Do one of the following:
 Click the Play button.
 Press the Space bar.
 Press L.
 Choose Mark > Play > Forward.
To stop playback, press the Space bar or click the Play button again.
You can navigate backward at 1x (normal) speed, for instance, if you want to search for
precise locations to set your In and Out points.
To play media in reverse:
1
Open a clip in the Viewer or make the Canvas or Timeline active.
2
Do one of the following:
 Shift-click the Play button.
 Press Shift–Space bar.
 Press J.
 Choose Mark > Play > Play Reverse.
Once you set In and Out points for a clip to define what part you want to use in your
sequence, you may want to review the In and Out points. You can use the Play In to
Out feature so that playback starts precisely at the In point and stops at the Out point,
to make sure that the edit points are exact. This is useful if you’re editing dialogue and
you want to make sure you’re cutting on the proper sound at each of your edit points.
You may also want to use this feature if you’re matching action and want to make sure
you’re starting and ending at the right frames.
Chapter 8
Navigating and Using Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas
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II
To play a clip or sequence between In and Out points:
1
Open a clip in the Viewer or make the Canvas or Timeline active.
2
Do one of the following:
 Click the Play In to Out button.
 Press Shift-\ (backslash).
 Choose Mark > Play > In to Out.
If you want to preview how the cut you’ve made at the Out point will play, you can play
to the Out point. This is useful because it quickly shows you if you’ve left out a frame, or
if you need to shave off more frames. For example, if you’re editing dialogue, you can
make sure you cut out on the very last frame of a pause at the end of an “s” sound,
while leaving out an “i” sound that follows in the actor’s next sentence.
To play a clip from the current position of the playhead to the Out point:
1
Open a clip in the Viewer or make the Canvas or Timeline active.
2
Do one of the following:
 Command-click the Play button.
 Press Shift-P.
 Choose Mark > Play > To Out.
You can also play around the current playhead position. This is useful if you want to
watch the outgoing and incoming media around an edit point, perhaps to decide how
you want to trim one side or the other.
To play a clip around the current playhead position:
1
Open a clip in the Viewer or make the Canvas or Timeline active.
2
Do one of the following:
 Choose Mark > Play > Around.
 Click Play Around Current Frame.
 Press \ (backslash).
Note: The amount of video played depends on the pre-roll and post-roll settings in the
Editing tab of the User Preferences window. For more information, see Volume IV,
Chapter 23, “Choosing Settings and Preferences.”
You can also play every frame of a clip. This is useful for getting a preview of a clip or
sequence with effects applied, without rendering first. While the clip won’t play back
at 1x (normal) speed (it plays back somewhat more slowly, depending on the number
of effects applied and on the data rate of the clip), every frame plays back, with no
frames dropped.
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Part II
Learning About the Final Cut Pro Interface
To play every frame of a clip:
1
Open a clip in the Viewer or make the Canvas or Timeline active.
2
Do one of the following:
 Choose Mark > Play > Every Frame.
 Press Option-\ (backslash) or Option-P.