Skim media in Final Cut Pro for Mac

• In Final Cut Pro, move the pointer forward or backward over a clip in the browser or the timeline.

  The skimmer (a vertical red line) indicates exactly where the pointer is as you skim, and the corresponding frames are displayed in the viewer.

  

  Tip: You can also press the Space bar at any time to play forward from the skimmer position.

The Blade, Trim, and Range Selection tools behave as skimmers as you move the pointer over a clip.

1. In Final Cut Pro, select a clip in the timeline or open the precision editor.

2. Click the Tools pop-up menu above the timeline, then choose the Blade, Trim, or Range Selection tool.

   

3. Move the tool forward or backward over a clip.

   When using an editing tool as a skimmer, you can skim and add markers to clips below connected clips in the timeline.

   

In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following:

• Turn all skimming on or off: Click the Skimming button.

  You can also choose View > Skimming (or press S).

• Turn audio skimming on or off: Click the Audio Skimming button.

  You can also choose View > Audio Skimming (or press Shift-S).

When skimming is turned on, the skimming buttons appear highlighted.

You can turn on clip skimming to limit audio skimming to an individual clip. This is useful if you have a connected clip in the timeline and want to skim it without also hearing audio from the clip in the primary storyline. When clip skimming is turned on, Final Cut Pro displays the source timecode for clips as you skim.

• In Final Cut Pro, choose View > Clip Skimming (or press Option-Command-S).

  A checkmark appears next to the menu item to indicate that clip skimming is turned on.

You can also use clip skimming to skim and listen to an individual audio component when editing clips that show expanded audio components. If clip skimming is turned off, you hear combined audio for all components in the clip as you skim.