Track Types
The timeline supports nine track kinds:
| Track Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Video | Primary screen recording content |
| Audio | Audio playback tracks |
| Sound Effect | Sound effects |
| Background Music | Background music with voice ducking support |
| Overlay | Graphical overlays (text, shapes, images) |
| Captions | Subtitle and word-level generated caption tracks |
| Metadata | Non-visual metadata (markers, annotations) |
| Effect | Video effects including Auto Zoom |
| Special Effect | Reserved for special effects |
| Camera Layout | Camera frame layout configuration |
Grouped Recording Tracks
Grouped Recording Tracks
When "Group Recording Tracks" is enabled, related tracks are collapsed into a single "Recording" row:
- Screen video + Camera overlay + System audio + Microphone audio → one grouped header
Overlay and sound effect tracks are packed into multi-lane groups to avoid visual overlap.
Recording group track header showing all four member tracks collapsed into a single row with the group header label
Ungrouping Recording Tracks
You can permanently dissolve the Recording group into individual first-class timeline lanes. This is useful when you want to work with screen, camera, system audio, and microphone tracks completely independently.
- Right-click the Recording group header in the timeline track list.
- Choose Ungroup Recording Tracks… at the bottom of the context menu (shown in red with a divider above it).
- In the confirmation dialog titled "Ungroup Recording Tracks?", review the message — it states how many individual tracks the group will be split into and that the action cannot be undone — then click Ungroup to confirm, or Cancel to abort.
Recording group track header context menu showing 'Ungroup Recording Tracks...' as a destructive (red) item at the bottom, separated by a divider from the other menu items
'Ungroup Recording Tracks?' confirmation dialog with the message body, a red 'Ungroup' button, and a 'Cancel' button
The confirmation message reads: "This splits the Recording group into N individual tracks. This cannot be undone." where N is the number of member tracks.
After ungrouping:
- System audio and microphone become first-class timeline lanes with their own visible track rows.
- AutoCut, gap management, and Reset Recording Timeline continue to treat the recording set as a unit, so timeline-wide operations still work correctly.
- Click-to-split (blade tool) and MCP split commands treat each lane as standalone — splitting one lane no longer automatically splits the other recording tracks alongside it.
- The dissolved state is saved across autosave, duplication, export, and reopen. The timeline will not revert to a grouped layout when you close and reopen the project.
Timeline after ungrouping showing four separate individual track rows: Screen, Camera, System Audio, and Microphone, each with its own header
Drag and Drop
Drag clips, images, or video files straight from Finder onto the timeline — they land exactly where you drop them. You can also rearrange clips by dragging them between tracks. A drop indicator shows where the media will be placed before you release.
Freeze Frames
Insert a still from any moment directly onto your timeline. Position the playhead on the frame you want, then use the Add menu to create a freeze frame clip. The still is placed as a new clip you can trim or move like any other.
Scene Transitions
Add smooth animated transitions between clips on the timeline. Drop a transition between two adjacent clips for a polished cut. The transition inspector uses a grid layout for easy browsing.
Background Music
Add a music track to your project from the timeline. The redesigned music inspector lets you adjust volume and control voice ducking — music automatically dips while you are speaking and comes back up during pauses.
Clip Labels
Clip labels on the timeline show useful details at a glance:
- Audio source — whether the clip uses microphone or system audio
- Speed — the current playback speed if changed from 1×
- Volume — the current volume level if adjusted
Labels are ellipsized when clips are narrow, so they never overflow the clip boundary.
Speed Presets
In addition to custom speed values, quick presets are available for 5× and 10× playback — useful for time-lapse style edits in tutorials and demos.
Timeline Features
Zoom & Navigation
- Scroll horizontally to navigate
- Pinch or use zoom controls to adjust the timeline scale
- Timeline zoom slider in the preview toolbar for quick, precise zoom adjustments
- Click the ruler to jump to a specific time
- Click anywhere on the timeline tracks to move the playhead instantly
- Drag the playhead to scrub through your recording
Selection
- Click a clip to select it
- ⌘+Click to add/remove from selection
- Shift+Click to select a range
- Drag a marquee rectangle to bulk-select clips
Snapping
Toggle snapping in the toolbar. When on, clips snap to other clip edges, the playhead, and markers. A visible snap guide line appears while you drag or trim to show exactly where the edge will land.
Ripple Editing
Toggle in the toolbar (default: off). When on, deleting or trimming a clip automatically shifts trailing clips to close the gap.
Captions
Generated captions are imported as word-level caption clips, with one cue per spoken word. This keeps caption timing precise enough for short caption reveals and agent workflows. Subtitle segmentation controls let you adjust how captions are split into lines. See Word-Level Generated Captions for setup and provider details.
Preview Strips
Optional filmstrip thumbnail previews on the video track (experimental, off by default). Audio waveforms use a bottom-anchored, smoothed, gradient style for better readability.