Navigate within your Final Cut Pro project

The ability to jump to any point in the timeline instantly is one of the main benefits of a nonlinear editing environment. Final Cut Pro provides a variety of quick and easy ways to navigate your project.

You can also use a text-based view of the timeline to navigate and search your project. See Show a list-based view of your Final Cut Pro project.

You can use the J, K, and L keys to play through a project with different speeds or directions. See Play media in Final Cut Pro.

Navigate by skimming, clicking, or dragging

In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following:

Skim to a frame in your project: Move the skimmer left and right over the clips in the timeline to quickly view them in the viewer.
Move the playhead to a frame in your project: Move the playhead by clicking or dragging in the ruler at the top of the timeline, or by clicking the timeline background.
Tip: To prevent the playhead from moving while you select a clip in the timeline, press Option as you click.

Navigate frame by frame

To make it easier to find specific frames in a clip, you can step through the filmstrip frame by frame, rather than skimming it.

In the Final Cut Pro timeline or browser, move the pointer over a filmstrip, then click.
Do any of the following:
- Move backward in one-frame increments: Choose Mark > Previous > Frame (or press the Left Arrow key).
- Move forward in one-frame increments: Choose Mark > Next > Frame (or press the Right Arrow key).

Navigate subframe by subframe

You can navigate clips by subframes. A subframe has 1/80 the duration of a video frame and is a more precise unit of reference when viewing or editing audio waveforms that are zoomed in to the sample level.

Note: You can’t make edits to video at the subframe level.

In the Final Cut Pro timeline or browser, move the pointer over a clip, then click.
Do any of the following:
- Move backward in one-subframe increments: Press Option-Left Arrow.
- Move forward in one-subframe increments: Press Option-Right Arrow.

Note: You can change the timecode display below the viewer to show subframes. See Editing preferences.

Navigate by jumping

You can move the playhead quickly from point to point in the timeline.

In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following:

Go to the next edit point: Choose Mark > Next > Edit (or press the Down Arrow key).
Go to the previous edit point: Choose Mark > Previous > Edit (or press the Up Arrow key).
Go to the start of the project: Choose Mark > Go to > Beginning (or press the Home key).
Go to the end of the project: Choose Mark > Go to > End (or press the End key).
Go to the next marker: Choose Mark > Next > Marker, or press Control-Apostrophe (’).
Go to the previous marker: Choose Mark > Previous > Marker, or press Control-Semicolon (;).

For more information about markers, see Intro to markers in Final Cut Pro.

Helpful?

Final Cut Pro User Guide

Navigate within your Final Cut Pro project

Navigate by skimming, clicking, or dragging

Navigate frame by frame

Navigate subframe by subframe

Navigate by jumping