Final Cut Pro 6 - Performing a Replace Edit

Chapter 10

Three-Point Editing

157

II

 A replace edit places the source clip into your sequence so that the frame at the

position of the playhead in the Viewer is located at the Canvas/Timeline playhead
position. Therefore, it’s important that you have enough media in your source clip to
the left and right of the playhead in the Viewer to accommodate the space you’ll be
filling in the Timeline. If you don’t, you’ll see an “Insufficient content for edit” message.

 If you perform a replace edit by dragging a clip directly from the Browser,

Final Cut Pro uses the location of the Viewer playhead from the last time that clip
was open in the Viewer. If the clip is newly imported and has never been opened in
the Viewer, Final Cut Pro uses that clip’s starting frame, since that is the default
starting position for a clip.

 You can only perform a replace edit with one clip at a time. If you select multiple

clips, only the first one will be used.

The most basic use of the replace edit is to quickly and easily replace a clip in your
edited sequence with a source clip synchronized around a similar action.

To replace an entire clip in the Timeline with a clip synchronized to a point in
the sequence:

1

In the Timeline, move the playhead to a frame you want to match with a source clip.

For example, if both the sequence and source clip are shots of a person jumping, you
could move the Canvas/Timeline playhead to the first frame where the person’s feet
leave the ground.

2

Make sure that the correct Source and Destination controls are connected in the
Timeline for the clip you want to replace.

3

Double-click the replacement source clip to open it in the Viewer, then move the
Viewer playhead to the frame you want to match in the Timeline. Do not set any edit
points for the clip in the Viewer.

For example, if both the sequence and source clip are shots of a person jumping, you
could move the Viewer playhead to the first frame where the person’s feet leave the
ground. This frame will be placed at the location of the playhead in the Timeline.

158

Part II

Rough Editing

4

Do one of the following:

 Drag the clip from the Viewer to the Replace section of the Edit Overlay in

the Canvas.

 Click the Replace button in the Canvas.
 Press F11.

Important:

Make sure that the clip in the Viewer contains enough media on either side

of the playhead to fill the duration of the clip you want to replace in the Timeline. If it
doesn’t, you’ll see an “Insufficient content for edit” message.

Another common use of the replace edit is to line up a frame in a clip that’s already in
your edited sequence with an audio cue in an adjacent clip. For example, if you have a
video clip of a man dancing and an audio clip in another track of music, you can use a
replace edit to place a different portion of the same video clip into your sequence at
the same location, aligning a frame showing a particular movement of his foot with a
particular beat of the music.

Replace button

Replace section

of the Edit Overlay

in the Canvas

Chapter 10

Three-Point Editing

159

II

To use a replace edit to resync a video clip to an audio clip in another track:

1

In the Timeline, choose Mark > Clear In and Out (or press Option-X) to delete any
sequence In and Out points.

2

In the Timeline, find the audio cue you want to sync your video clip to, and position the
playhead there.

3

Make sure that the Source and Destination controls in the Timeline are set to the tracks
containing your video clip, and not your audio clip.

The video track should
be the only destination
track set.

160

Part II

Rough Editing

4

Without moving the Timeline playhead, press the F key to perform a match
frame operation.

This opens the master clip that the video clip in your sequence came from in the
Viewer, placing the playhead in the Viewer over the same frame that was under the
playhead in the Timeline. For more information on match frame editing, see “

Matching

Frames Between Sequence and Master Clips

” on page 430.

5

Move the playhead in the Viewer to the new frame that you want to align with the
audio cue that you selected in the Timeline.

6

Now that the Timeline playhead is lined up with the audio cue in your sequence and
the Viewer playhead is lined up with a video frame that you want to sync to it, perform
the edit by doing one of the following:

 Drag the clip from the Viewer to the Replace section of the Edit Overlay in

the Canvas.

 Click the Replace button in the Canvas.
 Press F11.

The original video clip item in your sequence is replaced with a new copy of the clip,
which is synchronized with your audio cue.

Chapter 10

Three-Point Editing

161

II

Important:

Make sure that the clip in the Viewer contains enough media on either side

of the playhead to fill the duration of the clip you want to replace in the Timeline. If it
doesn’t, you’ll see an “Insufficient content for edit” message.

If you set In and Out points in a sequence, a replace edit can overwrite more than one
clip at a time. A replace edit still works the same way: the Timeline and Viewer
playheads are used as the matching points for the edit.

To use a replace edit with sequence In and Out points:

1

In the Canvas or the Timeline, set In and Out points for the section of your sequence
you want to replace.

2

Move the playhead to the frame that you want the source clip to line up with.

This frame can be at any point between the In and Out points.

3

Make sure that the tracks containing the items you want to replace are set as
destination tracks.

4

Double-click the clip you want to use to replace the selected area (to open it in the
Viewer), then move the playhead to the frame you want to line up with the playhead in
the Timeline.

5

Do one of the following:

 Drag the clip from the Viewer to the Replace section of the Edit Overlay in

the Canvas.

 Click the Replace button in the Canvas.
 Press F11.

In and Out points define the
area you want to replace.