Speed, Slip, and Guides
Advanced timeline tools that take your screencast editing from good to professional — precise clip speed control, content repositioning, and timeline organization.
Speed changes how fast a clip plays. Slip repositions content inside a fixed clip window. Guides mark chapters and checkpoints on the timeline ruler. Together, these make long-form screencast editing manageable.
Clip Speed Control
Change Speed Dialog
Right-click clip → Change Speed…
Options:
Speed: 150% (faster) / 75% (slower)
✅ Pitch compensation (preserve audio pitch at changed speed)
✅ Apply to all linked clips
Split audio: separate audio on speed change
Screencast use cases:
| Speed | Use case |
|---|---|
| 200% | Fast-forward through slow typing/navigation |
| 150% | Speed up menu browsing or file operations |
| 75% | Slow down to show a complex gesture clearly |
| 50% | Emphasize an important click or keyboard shortcut |
Speed via Drag
Ctrl+drag clip edge (while holding Ctrl)
→ Dragging left (shorter): speeds up
→ Dragging right (longer): slows down
→ Speed % shown in status bar while dragging
Freeze Frame
Create a still frame from a single frame in the clip:
Position playhead on the frame to freeze
Right-click clip → Insert Freeze Frame
→ Duration: set freeze duration (e.g., 2 seconds)
→ A still-frame clip is inserted at that point
Screencast use case: Pause on a config screen or diagram while you talk through it.
The Slip Tool
Slip repositions the source content shown inside a clip without moving the clip on the timeline.
Activate Slip: Timeline Toolbar → Slip Tool
OR assign shortcut via Ctrl+Alt+, → search "slip"
With Slip active:
Mouse drag left/right → content shifts inside clip
Left/Right arrow keys → slip 1 frame at a time
Example — Slip Workflow
Original:
Timeline position: 0:10 → 0:40 (30 seconds)
Source content used: 0:05 → 0:35 of source clip
After slipping 5 seconds right:
Timeline position: 0:10 → 0:40 (unchanged — same position)
Source content used: 0:10 → 0:40 (shifted — different content)
Use case: You trimmed a 30-second window from a recording, but the wrong 30 seconds is showing. Slip to reveal the intended content without re-editing clip positions.
Batch Slip
Select multiple clips with Shift+click
Enable Slip tool
Shift+drag → all selected clips slip together
Guides (Timeline Markers)
Guides mark named positions on the timeline ruler — chapters, segments, review points.
Add guide at playhead: G
Delete guide: G (if playhead is on a guide — toggles)
Edit guide: Double-click guide triangle in ruler
Jump to next guide: Ctrl+Right
Jump to previous guide: Ctrl+Left
Guide Colors
Right-click the ruler → Add Guide → choose color:
| Color | Convention for screencasts |
|---|---|
| Red | Problem section needing review |
| Yellow | Chapter marker |
| Green | Good take — keep this section |
| Blue | B-roll insertion point |
| Purple | Music sync point |
Guide Workflow for Screencasts
First pass (review):
1. Play recording at 2x speed (L, L)
2. Press G whenever you find something to keep (green)
3. Press G whenever you find a problem (red)
Second pass (cut):
1. Ctrl+Right → jump to first problem guide
2. Cut and remove
3. Ctrl+Right → jump to next
4. Repeat until done
Markers
Markers are per-clip annotations (inside the clip, not the timeline ruler).
Add marker to clip:
Select clip → Right-click → Add Marker
→ Enter name and set color
Keyboard:
Num+* (numpad asterisk) → Quick add marker at playhead
Ctrl+Right → next guide (timeline)
Markers are useful for noting:
- Where you said something wrong in the audio
- Where a visual glitch occurs
- Where to add a callout overlay
Chapter Structure Workflow
For a 2–5 minute screencast with chapters:
Place guides at chapter boundaries:
0:00 G → "Intro"
0:30 G → "Setup"
1:30 G → "Demo"
3:00 G → "Result"
4:30 G → "Outro"
Now you can:
- Jump between chapters: Ctrl+Right / Ctrl+Left
- Export chapter timestamps for YouTube descriptions
- Add title cards at each guide position
Keyboard Reference
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Add guide at playhead | G |
| Next guide | Ctrl+Right |
| Previous guide | Ctrl+Left |
| Next snap point | Alt+Right |
| Previous snap point | Alt+Left |
| Quick add marker | Num+* |
| Change speed | Right-click → Change Speed |
| Speed by drag | Ctrl+drag (mouse) |
| Insert freeze frame | Right-click → Insert Freeze Frame |
Hands-On Practice
1. Open project with 3-min screen recording
2. Add chapter guides:
Ctrl+Home → G → name it "Intro"
Move playhead to 0:30 → G → "Setup"
Move playhead to 1:30 → G → "Demo"
Move playhead to 3:00 → G → "Outro"
3. Navigate between chapters:
Ctrl+Right → jumps through each guide
Ctrl+Left → goes back
4. Speed up a slow section:
Find a 20-sec section where you type slowly
Right-click clip → Cut → isolate that section
Right-click new clip → Change Speed → 200%
Preview: press Space
5. Practice slip:
Enable Slip tool from toolbar
Drag the speedup section left/right
See source content change (status bar shows timecode)
6. Ctrl+S → save