# Timeline editor: A real timeline, built for screen recordings.

> Trim, split, speed up, reorder and join clips, with a track for every effect.

Canonical: https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/timeline-editor

Every take, zoom, title, graphic, camera move and audio clip sits on its own track. Trim, split, slow down, reorder and cut without leaving the app you recorded in.

## Highlights

### A track for everything

Video, audio, mic, system sound, zoom, effect, camera layout, camera move, annotation, title and graphic tracks. Only the tracks you use are shown.

### Trim, split and freeze

Split at the playhead, Option-click to cut, merge clips back together, or freeze a frame into a still you can stretch.

### Speed from 0.25× to 4×

Slow a clip down or speed through loading screens with presets or the speed slider.

### Many takes, one project

Record several takes, drag them into order and add slides between them. Each take keeps its own look.

### Transitions

Use hard cuts, the default, or Fade, Zoom Blur, Push and Blur between clips.

### Cut from the transcript

Open the transcript, filter for filler words and delete sentences. The video is cut to match.

## How to do it

### 1. Lay out your takes

Each recording, imported video or slide is a clip on the Video track. Drag clips to reorder them, and right-click to insert a slide after one.

### 2. Trim, cut and change speed

Drag clip edges to trim, press the scissors or Option-click to split, and pick a speed from the clip’s right-click menu or the clip panel.

### 3. Restyle as you go

Change a take’s background, trim it and delete the parts you do not need, all on the same timeline. Snapping lines blocks up with the playhead and with each other.

## From the CLI or an AI agent

An agent can read the transcript, cut the gaps with ripple and add polish in one undoable batch over MCP.

```bash
# edit_timeline over MCP, or the same JSON via the CLI
smoothcapture cli editor apply --input - <<'JSON'
{"revision": "…", "operations": [
  {"action": "cutRanges", "rippleAudio": true,
   "ranges": [{"startTime": 2.4, "endTime": 3.7}]},
  {"action": "updateClip", "clip": "…", "speed": 1.5}
]}
JSON
```

## FAQ

### Can I combine several recordings into one video?

Yes. Record more takes into the same project or import clips, then drag them into order on the Video track. Each take keeps its own background and frame.

### How fast can I speed up a clip?

From 0.25× to 4×. The right-click menu has quick presets, and the clip panel has a slider.

### Can I remove filler words?

Yes. Transcribe the clip, open the transcript editor, filter for fillers and delete the sentences you do not want. The cut is applied to the video.

More: [Transcripts and captions](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/captions)

### Is there undo?

Yes, on every track, including edits an AI agent makes. Each agent batch is a single undo step.

### Does SmoothCapture save automatically?

Yes. Projects save as you work. A project is a single .smoothcapture file you can move, back up or reopen with Open Last Project (⇧⌘L).

## Related

- [Captions & transcripts](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/captions)
- [Titles & motion graphics](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/titles-and-graphics)
- [Audio, music & voice-over](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/audio-and-voiceover)
- [Export & sharing](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/export)