[FEEDBACK WANTED]Automove clips when inserting new clips

[Andy]

So I'm working on adding this feature to OpenShot and need a bit of feedback.

I can think of a couple of ways to do this:

1. Have an 'Insert Clips' item on the clip context menu (or a keyboard shortcut - I(?)) - this will open the existing 'Add To Timeline' window. Either you have to preselect in the project files tree the clips you want to insert, or it would populate with every clip in the project (you would then have to manage which one(s) you want added).

2. Just use the existing Add To Timeline functionality, but adjust so existing clips after the playhead position are moved. The problem with this option is there is not so much control over which track to add the clips to.

3. Use a new, less detailed window (no transition or fade functionality) that just lists all the project files & you select which ones to insert.

Any feedback or other ideas on how to do it?

[Andy]

This was posted on Launchpad in repsonse:

About adding clips, maybe you could click in a given clip and have 2
options in the context menu:

"Add clips before this clip"
"Add clips after this clip"

(or "before selected clip" or "before current clip"...)

It's directly intuitive (text describes it correctly) and adds the 2
possibilites that an user could need.

Both options would bring up the "Add to timeline" menu but will add the
selected clips before or after the current clip. By default, the track
of the selected clip should be "configured" by default in the "Add to
timeline" menu but you can change it to use a different track or even a
new track.

Allowing to add clips to a different or new track would allow the user
to add music or clips for transitions just at the exact time as the
current clip without having to place them manually. As an example, if
you want to add music starting exactly when a concrete clip, you can
click over it, select ("add clips before this clip"), select an audio
file, select a NEW track, and the audio will be inserted at the exact
time than the selected clip, but in a new track, without displacing any
item, so music + current clip will be synchronized.

[beats]

I think that the answer at launchpad is a very good solution

[Victor]

I agree with the launchpad solution, but what I hope for is that it is possible to move everything on the time line (all tracks) forward, in sync with the length of the added clip. So when you want to add a clip to a project you don't have to move all titles/transitions and other clips on other tracks forward.

I hope you understand what I mean, and that it is useful feedback
(If needed, I can explain it more with pictures)

Thanks!

[Andy]

Hi Victor,

Yes, I understand what you mean, and yes, it is useful feedback!

[hvdwolf]

I agree with the launchpad solution, but what I hope for is that it is possible to move everything on the time line (all tracks) forward, in sync with the length of the added clip. So when you want to add a clip to a project you don't have to move all titles/transitions and other clips on other tracks forward.

This is my preferred option as well and from functional point speaking the only desired one.

But this one is also far more complicated.

Say you have a set of short video sequences or images (as a slideshow) with a music/narration track below it and these videos/images have transitions, therefore being on three tracks (video 1, video 2 and music)

If you insert a new image/video on either track 1 or 2 and you want a transition to accompany it, do the clips after the inserted clip have to (automatically) swap tracks (1->2 and 2->1to make the transition possible?

And if this gets too complicated, then another approach could be to select multiple clips (on multiple tracks) with their transitions, and move them as a whole.

Or (and this is maybe another feature request): Select multiple clips (on multiple tracks), group them, and be able to move the group and to keep them, as a grouped set, "always" together. This also requires an "Ungroup" action.

[Andy]

Yes, it does start to get very complicated as soon as transitions are involved

[hanspb]

And if this gets too complicated, then another approach could be to select multiple clips (on multiple tracks) with their transitions, and move them as a whole.

Or (and this is maybe another feature request): Select multiple clips (on multiple tracks), group them, and be able to move the group and to keep them, as a grouped set, "always" together. This also requires an "Ungroup" action.

I think these are very good ideas.

[pecu_83]

Hi there!

I am a new Openshot user. I just edited my first films with it. After couple of hours of editing, this feature was one of the things I was wishing for. Is it possible to make it so that when you left click on an empty spot on the timeline and start dragging the mouse, a rectangle would appear so you could select multiple clips and transitions and then move them as a whole?

Or a "lock" function. When a clip is in touch with another or with a transition, a lock-icon would appear between them and if you pressed it, it would lock those together and you could move them as a group? Of course pressing the icon again would unlock the clips and/or transitions.