Curious About These Buttons? Descript’s Timeline Tools Explained!

Have you ever wondered what those icons at the top right of your Descript timeline are?

These are called your timeline tools, and they're incredibly useful in optimizing your editing workflow. In this guide, we’re going to dive into what each of these tools does and how you can use them to speed up your editing in Descript.

Introduction to Timeline Tools

All five of these tools are found at the top right of your timeline.

By default, you start with the select tool on, but there are four other powerful tools at your disposal. Let’s take a look at each one.

The Select Tool

By default, the select tool is, well, selected.

Represented by a cursor icon, this tool allows you to select clips anywhere on your timeline. If you’ve never tinkered with these tools before, this is the one you’ve been using by default.

The select tool lets you:

• Move clips left and right by clicking and dragging.
• Adjust the length of clips by grabbing their ends and dragging.
• Move clips between layers by simply dragging and dropping.
• Quickly access it using the hotkey 'A' on your keyboard.

The Blade Tool

Next up is the blade tool, accessed by clicking on the razor blade icon or pressing the hotkey 'B.'

This tool turns your cursor into a razorblade icon, ready to make precise cuts in your timeline.

Key features include:

• Splitting clips by clicking where you want the cut.
• Adjusting properties separately for clips on either side of a cut.
• Cutting through any layer, whether it's audio, video, or script.

The Range Tool

The range tool, represented by the hotkey 'R,' lets you select a specific range within a clip. This tool is excellent for making fine-grained adjustments.

With the range tool, you can:

• Click and drag to select a portion of a clip.
• View the duration of your selected range in seconds.
• Adjust properties like volume or speed for just the selected range.
• Delete specific segments without affecting the rest of the clip.

The Slip Tool

The slip tool, accessed with the hotkey 'Y,' allows you to change which part of a clip is shown without altering the clip's overall duration.

The slip tool’s capabilities include:

• Hovering over a clip to see which part of it will play.
• Clicking and dragging left or right to adjust the in and outpoints of a clip.
• Keeping the clip's total length constant while changing the start and end points of the segment that plays.

The Hand Tool

Our final tool, the hand tool, can be accessed with the hotkey 'H.' As a purely navigational tool, it lets you scroll left and right across your timeline, making it easier to navigate through longer projects.

Summary of Hotkeys

For a quick recap, here are the hotkeys for each timeline tool:

• 'A' for the select tool
• 'B' for blade
• 'R' for range
• 'Y' for slip
• 'H' for hand