Superimposing Clips
In some cases, you may want to place one clip directly above another clip in a different
track. This is called a superimpose edit. You can use a superimpose edit to quickly stack
a source clip on top of a clip already in your sequence. If there isn’t an available track in
your sequence, Final Cut Pro creates a new one for the source clip.
Superimpose edits obey the standard rules of three-point editing, except that if no In
or Out points have been specified in the Canvas or Timeline, the position of the
playhead in the Timeline is not used as a default In point. Instead, the clip that
intersects the position of the playhead in the current destination track provides the In
and Out points for the source clip (as it does when you use the Mark Clip command).
You can set the In and Out points in the Canvas or Timeline so that the superimpose
edit spans multiple clips, as long as there’s enough media in your source clip to cover
the specified area.
If you perform several superimpose edits in the same location, each new source clip is
edited into the video track directly above the current destination track, and all other
previously superimposed video clips are moved up one track to make room. If your
superimposed clip contains audio, the source audio is placed on new audio tracks
immediately below any occupied audio destination tracks already in your sequence.
Before a replace edit
After a replace edit
New clip replaces the
selected area of the
sequence.
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Likewise, if you perform a superimpose edit with several source clips at once, all of
those clips are stacked on top of one another. The first clip in your selected group is on
top, with each successive clip appearing underneath.
To perform a superimpose edit:
1
Do one of the following:
 Position the Timeline playhead over a clip above which you want to superimpose
your source clip. The beginning and end of this clip are used as edit points for your
source clip.
 Set sequence In and Out points.
2
Set an In point in the Viewer to define the starting point of the source clip you want to
edit into your sequence.
3
Do one of the following:
 Drag the clip from the Viewer to the Superimpose section of the Edit Overlay in
the Canvas.
 Click the Superimpose button in the Canvas.
 Press F12.
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
Before edit
After edit
Superimpose section
of the Edit Overlay
in the Canvas
Superimpose button
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Rough Editing
The clip in the Viewer is placed in the track above the destination track, starting at the
beginning of the clip that intersects the Timeline playhead, or at the sequence In point.
If there is no track above the destination track, one is created.
Before a
superimpose edit
After a
superimpose edit
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