Creating selections and positioning the cursor

Selecting data and positioning the cursor are the first steps in a variety of editing tasks. You can move selected events, copy them to the clipboard, delete, edit, and more.

There are different methods of selecting events depending on the type of selections you want to make and the active editing tool. For more information, see Editing Tool

TIP

You can also choose Edit | Select and choose a command from the submenu for access to additional selection methods.

Selecting a single event

With the Normal or Selection tool active, click the event. The event is highlighted to indicate that it has been selected.

Selecting multiple adjacent events

Use this procedure to select multiple events that are located next to each other.

  1. Hold the Shift key and click the first and last event that you want to select. The events, including those between the selected events, are highlighted.

    NOTE To select all of the events in the project, choose Select from the Edit menu, and then choose Select All from the submenu.

  2. When you have finished selecting events, release the Shift key.

Selecting multiple nonadjacent events

Use this procedure to select multiple events that are not located next to each other.

  1. Hold the Ctrl key and click the events you want to select. The events are highlighted.

    NOTE To deselect an event, simply click it again.

  2. When you have finished selecting the events, release the Ctrl key.

Selecting all events

From the Edit menu, choose Select, and then choose Select All from the submenu (or press Ctrl+A) to select all tracks and events in your project.

Selecting all events to the end of a track

Right-click an event and choose Select Events to End from the shortcut menu. The event and all subsequent events on the same track are selected.

TIP You can also use this command with events selected on multiple tracks.

Selecting all events after the cursor position

Choose Select All After Cursor from the Menu Edit | Select or from a track's context menu to select all events under and after the current cursor position. You will be asked if you would like to select the event across All Tracks or only on the Selected Tracks.

Selecting all events that refer to a specific media file

Right-click a file in the Project Media window and choose Select Timeline Events from the shortcut menu. The cursor moves to the first event that uses the media, the timeline scrolls to the cursor, and all events that use the selected media file in the active take are selected. For more information, see Using takes as alternate versions of events

Hold Ctrl or Shift while choosing Select Timeline Events from the shortcut menu to add the events to the current selection.

TIP

  • When multiple events are selected, press Ctrl to move the edge of the previous or next selected event.

  • When multiple events are selected, press Ctrl+Shift to create a time selection from the previous or next selected event.

Selecting a range of events

  1. Select the Selection tool .

    NOTE You can add or subtract events from the selection area by holding down the Ctrl key and clickingon the event.

  2. Place the mouse pointer at any corner of the area that you want to select.

  3. Click and hold the mouse button.

  4. Drag the cursor to the opposite corner of the area you want to select.

    TIP Click the right mouse button while holding the left mouse button switch from rectangular selection, time selection,and track selection.

  5. Release the mouse button (and the Ctrl key if you are pressing it). The events are highlighted.

Selecting a time range

Click and drag along the marker bar, CD layout bar, time ruler, or a blank area of the timeline to select a time range. All events — and portions of events — within the region are highlighted.

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  • Double-click an event and drag left or right to extend the selection to the next fade or event edge on that track.

  • Dragging within an event will change the event's position on the timeline. To create time selection without moving the event, hold Ctrl+Shift while dragging.

  • If the Allow edit cursor to be dragged checkbox is selected on the General tab of the Preferences dialog, dragging the edit cursor will change its position on the timeline. To create a time selection without moving the cursor, hold Ctrl+Shift while dragging.

  • When multiple events are selected, press Ctrl+Shift+[ or Ctrl+Shift+] to create a time selection from the previous or next selected event.

Unless an event is locked, a selected time range affects all events—or portions of events—that occur within the range.

TIP To quickly select the full duration of the project, double-click the marker bar.

Editing the selection length

The current selection start, end, and length are displayed in the edit boxes below the timeline:

Double-click the boxes to edit them. You can enter timeline values, such as 00:00:25.381, or you can enter relative values by entering +/- and a number. For example, if the time ruler is displayed in frames, you could type +10 to add ten frames to the selection start, end, or length.

You can drag the ends of the time selection bar to adjust the selection length, or drag the middle of the bar to move the selection without changing its duration.

Selecting the start or end of an event for keyboard edge trimming

From the Edit menu, choose Select, and then choose Select Event Start or Select Event End from the submenu (or press [ or ]) to select the start or end of an event and enter keyboard edge-trimming mode. For more information, see Adjusting an event's length

TIP When multiple events are selected, press Ctrl+[ or Ctrl+] to move the edge of the previous or next selected event.

Positioning the cursor

To set the cursor position, click in the timeline or time ruler. The cursor moves to the position you click, and the cursor position is displayed below the timeline.