Fluition has a Clip Sequencer Window that is designed to assist with modifying the timing aspects of clips contained within a Region. For most applications, the Clip Library Window offers extensive capabilities for manipulating how clips are played within a Presentation. However, when multiple clips are contained within a Region it may be beneficial to access the Clip Sequencer.
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The Clip Sequencer helps visualize clips contained within a Presentation and will adjust Start, End, In, Out and Duration values in the Clip Library Window. The Clip Sequencer can be opened using the icon from the Tools Palette or by choosing Show Sequencer from the View menu option. |
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The Clip Sequencer displays the clips using a timeline-based window. The clips can be manipulated by dragging and stretching the icons used to represent the clips. Stretching a clip involves grabbing the edge of a clip with the mouse cursor and dragging it along the timeline. After the mouse button is released the modifications made to the clips will be applied to the Clip Library Window.
The Clip Sequencer also has a Refresh Button that will reload the clip information from the Clip Library Window into the Clip Sequencer. When the Clip Sequencer displays information about the selected clips, the method used to display the clips is different depending on the group associated with the clips.
When the Show Images option is selected from the Tools Palette or the Options window the Clip Sequencer window will display a thumbnail preview of the clip as well as additional information concerning the type and duration of the clip. If the clip is not an image then an icon identifying the type of clip will be displayed over the clip information. If the Show Images option is not selected then only the information about the clip will be displayed.
The Clip Sequencer can be zoomed in on using the Zoom pop-up menu. The Zoom values are 1 sec, 6 seconds, and one minute. The top of the Sequencer has a Slider that can be used for viewing time values at selected points in the timeline.
After selecting a clip in the Clip Library Window, the Clip Sequencer will display all of the clips contained within the same Region as the selected clip. The Clip Sequencer determines how the clips are displayed using the type of group that the clips belong to. The Clip Sequencer affects the timing aspects of the clips in the Clip Library also using the group. When using image files, stretching the clip will only affect the duration of the clip. When using clips that have a duration (e.g. video, animation, audio, textstream, etc.) when grabbing the edge of the clip, the starting and ending times within the clip will be affected.
When the clips are grouped sequentially, the clips will be displayed along side of each other. The width of the clips determines the duration of the clip and the left position of the clip determines the starting time in the Presentation. Sequential groups are more constrained in their possibilities for manipulation on the timeline, but are also simpler in their layout.
When the clips are grouped in parallel, the Clip Sequencer will stack the clips on top of each other. The location of the clips on the timeline will determine when they are played within the Presentation and when they start and end. Images and media clips with durations are affected the same way in either sequential or parallel groups. Parallel groups are more flexible in their capabilities but are slightly more cumbersome in their display.