The Advanced Timeline Tools let you fine-tune how you trim, split, and adjust clips and layers in your Descript project. These tools are especially useful for detailed audio or visual editing.
This article covers:
Enable the Advanced Timeline Tools
To enable the Advanced Timeline Tools, click the View menu at the top of the window, then select Timeline > Advanced timeline tools. When the advanced timeline tools option is toggled on, you'll be able to access the timeline tools via their keyboard shortcuts or a dropdown menu that includes the Select, Hand, Blade, Range, and Slip tools. Note: some tools are only available when the timeline is expanded.
Using tools in the Sequence Editor?
Advanced Timeline Tools must be enabled to use tools like Blade, Range, or Slip in the Sequence Editor as well.Â
What each timeline tool does
| Tool | Shortcut | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select Tool | A | Move, trim, or combine clips and layers | Move or reposition content in script or layer tracks. Drag media between script and layer lanes. Use Shift + click to multi-select adjacent script clips. |
| Range Tool | R | Highlight a section of the script track | Replace a section with a gap clip, remove content, apply visuals, or re-align words. You can also use the Add label to range option to mark non-speech sections of script media, like "cough" or "laugh". Labels behave like words: you can copy, delete, or move them in the script. |
| Blade Tool | B | Split clips or layers at a specific time | Break a clip into two parts so you can trim, move, slip, or delete sections independently. |
| Slip Tool | S | Change which portion of a clip plays | Shift the visible portion of media inside a fixed-duration clip without changing its position or length. |
| Hand Tool | H | Move around the timeline | Move around large or zoomed-in timelines without selecting or editing anything. |