When you load single or multiple clips into the source viewer in the Blackbird Editor, you have source control over the editing process. The editing process uses marks to define the duration of your source clips. The source viewer is denoted by blue accents and contains the source clip you are working with.

Take note of the source patch selector on the far left side of the timeline. This patch selector handles various functions, including patching sources to edit tracks. In this case, it will show you what tracks are in your source. For example, you may have one video track and four audio tracks in your source clip.

To edit directly to the timeline from the source viewer:

  • Mark a start and end point on the clip in the source viewer to define the duration you want to edit.

  • Drag from the source viewer anywhere on the timeline.

As you drag, notice that the video and audio tracks from the source clip land on the timeline. If you want to omit certain tracks while dragging the marked clip onto the timeline, you can disable the tracks not required. To do this, go to the source selector and disable the video and audio tracks 3 and 4 in this example. This way, only audio tracks 1 and 2 will be edited over.

The rule of dragging from source to timeline is that the selectors on the source side always win. This means that if you disable certain tracks on the source side, they will not be included in the edit even if the timeline has additional tracks enabled.

In the next video, precise advanced marked editing directly to the edit viewer will be discussed, covering more in-depth editing techniques to enhance your editing experience in the Blackbird Editor.

By using marks and the source viewer's controls, you can precisely define and edit your source clips on the timeline, creating a seamless and efficient editing workflow.