Tip #213: Secrets of the [Hidden] Delete Key
… for Apple Final Cut Pro X
Tip #213: Secrets of the [Hidden] Delete Key
Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com
Two different ways to delete clips.
Whether you edit on a laptop or full-size keyboard, there are two Delete keys at your disposal. One is above the Return key, indicated by the red arrow in the screen shot, the other is… hidden.
The big Delete key, which deletes going backwards, is the normal delete key for most Final Cut operations. In addition to deleting text as you would expect, it also deletes clips.
The smaller Delete key, next to the End key, deletes going forward. You can quickly see the difference by deleting text from the middle of a paragraph. The big difference in Final Cut, though, is when you use this smaller key to delete a clip: It deletes the clip AND replaces it with a gap. Many students find this very distracting.
When deleting clips, the big Delete key always changes the duration of the timeline. The small Delete key does not.
EXTRA CREDIT
The forward delete key exists on laptops, too, but it’s hidden. Simply press the Fn key (in the lower left corner of the keyboard) while typing the big Delete key.
Cool.
Shift + Delete will also delete a clip and replace it with a gap.
I don’t think I’ve ever used the forward delete …. for anything. You can be sure I will now.
Yes, very cool! I work on two iMacs and I have the smaller keyboards, so I’ll be using the Fn key and the delete key. It works very well. Most important part of this Tip is this: When deleting clips, the big Delete key always changes the duration of the timeline. The small Delete key does not. Very cool indeed!
Brilliant – did not know this – what a time saver
I use the forward delete key all the time on my Mac Pro to put gaps in place of deleted material. Never knew what the laptop equivalent was. This tip will save me a lot of time on the trackpad. Very timely since I’m editing on planes today and have a lot of these to do.