
Moving clips to, from and within the Timeline: Lesson 5-3
One of the beauties of Premiere Pro is how easy it is to add clips anywhere in the project, move them around, and remove them altogether.
Adobe Certified Expert exam objectiveGiven a scenario, add clips to the Timeline. |
- Overlay The newly placed clip and its audio replace what was on the sequence.
- Insert The first frame of the newly placed clip cuts the current clip, and without covering up anything, slides the cut segment and all clips after it to the right. This requires holding down the Ctrl keya keyboard modifier .
And there are two ways to move a clip from a location on the Timeline: - Lift Leaves a gap where the clip used to be.
- Extract Works like a Ripple Edit in that other clips move over to fill the gap. This move requires a keyboard modifierholding down the Ctrl key before clicking on the clip to be removed.
Adding and moving clips on the Timeline
You'll start by setting up a new sequence with three clips on it.
1. | Continue with Lesson 5-2 or open Lesson 5-3. |
2. | Select File > New > Sequence. |
NoteThe New Sequence menu displays the default values for numbers and types of tracks from the Project Settings Default Sequence submenu.
3. | Name the Sequence Lesson 5-3 and click OK.![]() |
4. | Select three video clipsVideo 5k-Video 5mand drag them to the newly created Sequence 5-3 in the Timeline. |
5. | Press backslash (\) to expand the view.![]() |
Overlay edit example
6. | Drag Video 5n from the Project panel to the Timeline so its first frame is approximately in the middle of the first clip. |
Notethe Program Monitor shows two images. The left view is the new out-point of the first clip that will precede the new clip. The right view is the new in-point of the next clip that will follow the newly placed clip.

7. | Drop Video 5n on the sequence.That is an Overlay edit. It covers the video and audio that was there before. It does not change the length of the sequence.[View full size image]![]() |
Insert edit example
8. | Press Ctrl+Z to undo that edit. |
9. | Drag Video 5n to the same place, but this time hold down the Ctrl key before releasing the mouse button.Video 5n will slice the first clip in two, sliding the second half of the first clip and all subsequent clips to the right and inserting Video 5n on the Timeline.That is an Insert edit. Your sequence will now be longer.[View full size image]![]() |
NoteAs you hold Video 5n over the first clip in the sequence, press and release the Ctrl key and note that the monitor display switches back and forth. It shows only one image for an insert editwhere you will cut clip oneand two images for an overlaythe new out-point for clip one and the new in-point for clip two.
Lift and Move edit example
NoteNo keyboard modifier is needed as you place the clip at the end of the sequence since nothing comes after it. [View full size image]

Extract and Move edit example
13. | Press Ctrl+Z to return to the original position. |
14. | Press the Ctrl key and then click and drag the second clip to the end of the sequence.This is an Extract and Move. Because you held down the Ctrl keya keyboard modifierwhile removing the clip from its former position, you created the equivalent of a Ripple Delete. The sequence length will not change. The clip order will be Video 5k, 5m, 5n, and 5l.[View full size image]![]() |
Extract and Overlay edit example
NoteIf you had not used the Ctrl keyboard modifier when removing the clip from itsoriginal location, that would have left a gap therea Lift and Overlay edit.

Extract and Insert edit example
18. | Press Ctrl+Z to return to the original position. |
19. | Press the Ctrl key and then click and drag the first clip to the center of the third clip. Continue holding down the Ctrl key and drop the clip there.That is an Extract and Insert. Clips slide over to fill the gap left by the removed first clip and the clips after the insert edit point slide to the right. The sequence length remains unchanged.[View full size image]![]() |
Modifier key feedback
![]() | As you drag a clip from the Project panel to a sequence, or from one place on a sequence track to another, Premiere Pro displays a text message at the bottom of the user interface. If you are not using Ctrl, it'll say "Drop in Track to Overwrite. Use Ctrl to enable Lesson 2. |