Switching clips off without deleting them in Video by Zaweba
Press Shift+E in Video by Zaweba to switch a clip off so it is not seen, heard or exported, which lets you try alternatives without deleting anything.
Deleting a clip is final in feel, even when undo is close at hand. Switching it off is not. In Video by Zaweba, Shift+E disables the selected clip: it stays on the timeline, dimmed, but it is not seen, heard or exported. Press Shift+E again and it is back.
It is a tiny feature, and one of the most useful habits an editor can build.
What disabling does
A disabled clip keeps its place, its length, its trims, its effects and its keyframes. Nothing about it is lost. It simply stops taking part in the film. The preview plays as if it were not there, its sound is silent, and it is left out of the export.
Because it stays dimmed on the timeline, you can always see where it is. That is the difference from deleting: the clip is still in view as a reminder that it exists and could come back.
Trying alternatives
The main use is comparing options. Put two takes of the same moment on tracks above each other, disable one, and play. Then switch them over and play again. You are comparing in context, with the cuts either side, which tells you much more than watching the takes on their own.
The same works for music. Lay two possible tracks under a sequence, disable one, and listen. Swap and listen again. Effects and titles too: a version of a shot with a heavy grade above one without, or two styles of title stacked up.
When you have decided, delete the loser or leave it disabled in case the client asks for it later.
Checking what a layer adds
Disabling is also a way to test whether something earns its place. Switch off the background music and watch the scene with dialogue alone. Switch off a cutaway and see if the interview holds up without it. Switch off a sound effect and decide whether you miss it. If you don't notice the difference, the clip may not be needed.
This is especially handy on busy timelines with several layers of picture: graphics, a vignette, a colour layer and the footage. Turn layers off one at a time to see what each one contributes.
Getting ready for export
Since disabled clips are not exported, you can keep alternative versions inside the project without them appearing in the finished film. That means one timeline can hold, say, a version with a subtitle track and one without, as long as you remember which is switched off.
Before every export it is worth scanning the timeline for dimmed clips. A shot switched off during a test and then forgotten is a classic way to end up with a gap or a missing line in the final file. A quick play through from start to finish catches it too.
How it fits with other tools
Disabling sits alongside a few other ways of trying things. Several timelines in one project let you keep whole alternative versions. History lets you go back to an earlier state. Nested timelines let you package a section and work on it separately. Disabling is the lightest of these: one key, no new timeline, no going back. Use it for quick comparisons, and reach for the others for bigger experiments.
A few habits
Keep alternatives on the track directly above or below the clip they compete with, so the comparison is obvious. Give a disabled alternative a different label colour if you plan to keep it for a while, so it stands out. And clear out the alternatives you have rejected once a section is settled, to keep the timeline readable.
Shift+E costs nothing and changes how freely you can experiment. In Video by Zaweba it is one of the first shortcuts worth learning.
