The Range Tool Is the FCP Tool Every Editor Should Be Using

Even if you consider yourself an advanced editor, stick around, because there are some Range Tool tricks here you might not know. Most people live in the arrow and the blade, but the tool sitting right between them quietly outworks both. Press R and meet the Range Tool.

Export just a section of your timeline

Say you want to export one chunk of your timeline, maybe you're grading clips for stock footage, or sending someone a quick snippet without the whole video. Press R to bring up the range tool, drag over the section on your primary storyline, then go File → Share and export however you like. Worth noting: exporting a range this way still includes the music, sound effects, and any titles or elements sitting over that selection.

Delete sections without blading

The range tool is killer for quickly cutting sections out. Don't like a chunk of a clip? Hold R, drag over it, press delete, and let go of R, holding it temporarily gives you the tool, then it snaps right back to the select tool when you release. Even better: select the part you like, then hit Option backslash to delete everything outside that range (if you can't remember the shortcut, it's Trim → Trim Selection). That one seriously speeds up your workflow.

Copy a slice of a clip

You can copy just a section too. Press R and drag your selection, hit Command C to copy, then V where you want to paste just that copied piece.

Duck audio and clean up keyframes

I use this one a lot for audio ducking. Hold R, select a section of your music, and raise or lower it a few decibels with Control plus or Control minus (or just drag, holding Command for a more gradual move so you're not jumping 20 decibels at once). You can also delete a bunch of keyframes at once: make a range selection over them, Control + right-click one, and hit Delete Keyframes, no more picking them off one by one.

Make quick speed ramps

Range-select the part of a clip you want to speed up, head to your retime menu, crank the speed on just that section, then adjust how gradual the ramp is by extending those opaque bars. Fast, smooth speed ramps in seconds.