Adding Clips to the Timeline

There are four ways to add clips to the timeline. Learn all four — each is optimal for different situations.

Core Idea

Clips go from Project Bin → Clip Monitor (review & zone) → Timeline. The Clip Monitor is the review step you should never skip — it saves you from placing garbage takes on your timeline.

Method 1: Drag and Drop

The most intuitive method:

1. Click clip in Project Bin
2. Drag to the target track in the timeline
3. Drop at the desired position

Behavior:

• Drops at mouse release position
• Snaps to nearby clip edges and guides
• If dropping on an existing clip: shifts it (Normal mode) or overwrites (Overwrite mode)

Snap toggle: Snapping helps with alignment. Toggle with the magnet icon in the toolbar.

Method 2: Zone Insert (V key)

The fastest method for screencast editing:

1. Double-click clip in Project Bin → loads in Clip Monitor
2. Press I at the start of useful content
3. Press O at the end of useful content
4. Press V → zone is inserted into timeline at playhead position

V               → Insert zone into timeline (on active track)
B               → Overwrite zone into timeline (replaces existing)

tip

This is the screencast workflow: load clip → set zone → press V. No mouse dragging needed. 100% keyboard.

Method 3: Overwrite (B key)

Like V but replaces whatever is on the timeline at that position:

1. Set zone in Clip Monitor (I / O)
2. Position timeline playhead at target
3. Press B → clip overwrites whatever is there

Use overwrite mode when:

• Replacing a bad section with a re-record
• Inserting b-roll over existing audio

Method 4: 3-Point Editing

Professional insert editing — set 2 points in the clip, 1 point in the timeline (or vice versa):

In Clip Monitor:
  I → set source In
  O → set source Out

In Timeline:
  Position playhead at target location

Then:
  V → Insert at playhead
  B → Overwrite at playhead

Activate target tracks for 3-point editing:

A               → toggle active track as target
Ctrl+1–9        → select target track N
Shift+A         → toggle all tracks active
Alt+Shift+A     → switch all tracks active

Dropping Clips: Normal vs Overwrite vs Insert Mode

The Edit Mode (in timeline toolbar) affects drag-and-drop behavior:

Mode	What happens when you drop a clip	Shortcut
Normal	Clips don't shift; overlapping region is trimmed	Default
Overwrite	Dropped clip replaces existing content underneath	—
Insert	All clips after drop point shift right to make room	—

Select edit mode from the timeline toolbar dropdown.

Grouping Clips

When video and audio are linked, they move together:

Audio/Video linked by default:
  Drag clip → both V1 and A1 move together

Ungroup:
  Right-click clip → Split Audio/Video
  OR Ctrl+Shift+G

Group custom clips:
  Select multiple clips → Ctrl+G

Ungroup:
  Select group → Ctrl+Shift+G

Edit inside group without ungrouping:
  Ctrl+click inside group → edit that clip only

Adding Multiple Clips Efficiently

For a screencast with multiple takes:

1. Import all takes to Project Bin
2. Rename: take-01, take-02, take-03...
3. Double-click take-01 → Clip Monitor
   Press I at good start, O at good end → press V
4. Double-click take-02 → Clip Monitor
   Press I/O → press V (adds after previous)
5. Repeat for each take

Result: Timeline built from best sections of each take,
        all keyboard-driven, no dragging.

Undo Mistakes

Ctrl+Z          → Undo last action (multi-level)
Ctrl+Shift+Z    → Redo

Kdenlive has deep undo — dozens of steps. If you drop a clip wrong, Ctrl+Z immediately.

Keyboard Reference

Action	Shortcut
Insert zone from Clip Monitor	V
Overwrite zone from Clip Monitor	B
Set zone in	I
Set zone out	O
Toggle active track	A
Select target track 1–9	Ctrl+1 – Ctrl+9
Group clips	Ctrl+G
Ungroup clips	Ctrl+Shift+G
Edit inside group	Ctrl+click
Undo	Ctrl+Z
Redo	Ctrl+Shift+Z

Hands-On Practice

1. Import your test screen recording to Project Bin

2. Double-click the clip → Clip Monitor loads it

3. Play with Space, navigate with J/K/L

4. Press I at 5 seconds (skip the "settling in" time)
   Press O at 30 seconds

5. Make sure V1 is the active track (press 1)

6. Press V → zone is inserted at playhead position in V1

7. Double-click again, set new zone (30s–60s) → press V again
   → Second section added right after the first

8. Press Ctrl+Home → Ctrl+Space → preview the assembled edit

9. If you made a mistake: Ctrl+Z to undo
   Redo with Ctrl+Shift+Z

What's Next

• Cut Techniques
• Trim and Ripple