Speed, slow motion and freeze frames

Change a clip's speed, ramp it over time with keys, and hold a frame: time remapping in Edit mode.

A clip plays at one speed until you ramp it: then its speed is keyed over the clip, the way a video editor's time remapping works. A speed of 0 holds the frame. Ramps work on V1 scenes and on clips above.

Freeze a frame, then ramp into slow motion · 0:06
Description

The AI trailer in Edit, the KA-POW shot on V1 picked. With the playhead a second into it, Freeze frame (2 s) in the clip inspector holds that frame for two seconds and the shots after it move later. The freeze turned ramping on (the Speed stopwatch is lit), so with the playhead moved on, typing 30% keys the speed there: the shot eases into slow motion. Playing it shows the hold and the slowdown.

  1. Pick a clip and put the playhead where the frame should hold.
  2. In the clip inspector's Speed, click Freeze frame (2 s): that frame holds for two seconds and the rest of the clip plays after it. On V1 the scenes after it move later.
  3. Move the playhead on and type a speed (30% for slow motion): a key there. The freeze turned ramping on (the Speed stopwatch is lit); on a clip without one, click the stopwatch first. The speed eases from one key to the next.
  4. Play it.

Hold frame to end freezes the frame at the playhead until the clip ends. Right-click a clip → Speed has the same, and turns the ramp on and off. Speed keys show as amber diamonds along the foot of the clip.

What a ramp changes

  • The clip keeps its length on the timeline while you key it; a freeze adds its hold to it. Trimming its end longer holds its last frame.
  • A cut (⌘B) through a ramped clip leaves each half its own part of the ramp.
  • Removing the ramp gives the clip one speed that plays the same part of its source in the same length.
  • A ramped clip's own sound is left out (it would play at changing speeds). Keep the sound as a linked clip on an audio track to hear it at normal speed: see Linked video and audio.
  • Rate stretch (R) works on clips without a ramp: ramp a clip's speed with keys instead.

From the agent, CLI, REST API and plugins these are the speedRamp, speedKey and freeze edits: see Agent, CLI, API and plugins.