This is part two of the tips series, and we're going game-show style: 15 rapid-fire Final Cut Pro tips, one after another. If you missed part one, start with the first 14 tips and come back. Here's a taste of what's in this round.
Timeline tricks
Hold Option while dragging a clip to duplicate it instantly instead of copy-pasting. Use Cmd+G to turn a gap in your storyline into a proper gap clip you can trim precisely. And when clips get microscopic on a long timeline, remember Cmd+Plus and Cmd+Minus zoom around the playhead, so park it where you're working first.
Effects and audio wins
Double-click any effect's name in the Inspector to rename that instance, which keeps complex stacks readable weeks later. Solo a clip's audio with Option+S to check a single element in a busy mix. Add fade handles to every audio edit by default; a two-frame fade on each cut eliminates the clicks and pops that make edits feel cheap.
Workflow habits
Set your project to auto-render in the background only when you step away, duplicate your project before big experimental changes (snapshots are free insurance), and learn to trust Roles for audio organization early, because untangling a 40-minute timeline without them is a special kind of pain.
All 15 tips are demonstrated in the video above, with the ones that deserve slow-motion explanation getting exactly that.
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