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aebsunywccny
aebsunywccny
Participant
November 15, 2022
Question

Can't move clips on timeline

  • November 15, 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 1549 views

I am working on a student project.  The professor has given me an After Effects template to package my project.

My creative cloud app says that After Effects is up to date. (23.0.0 (Build 59)

I am on Mac OS-X 13.0.1, which is supposedly also up to date.

 

The template has an introductory clip and two ending clips, for credits and the college logo. 

 

Then it has a clip (#2 out 4) where I can insert my work.  The place where I am supposed to insert my work is originally set for 1 minute, but my work is 10 minutes.  I have reset the composition settings both for the entire template and for my clip to accommodate the longer work.  I have three clips inside my section.  I have no trouble arranging those within the section and getting them to preview.  I can slide them back and forth on the timeline.

 

The problem arises when I try to slide the credits and the closing logo to be after my work.  They will not slide.  They are most definitly NOT locked.  

 

The professor has sent me a video where he shows that he can slide them on his PC.  I have tried to follow his instructions.  I have shift selected both clips.  I have pressed shift and then drag.  I have tried using the onboard trackpad and an external mouse.  I have locked and unlocked the clips, just to make sure.  They will not move.

 

I have read a number of online posts that say that when a clip will not slide that means it is locked, but the lock logo is most definitely not showing for these clips.  As I said, I have turned it on and off.

 

I have created a youtube video of a screen capture, showing me trying to drag the final two clips https://youtu.be/Q3H1AFKS1mI

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

R
Community Expert
Rick GerardCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 16, 2022

Here is a list of potential problems:

  1. AE is not an editing app. Your comp is about 10 minutes long. The average AE comp is somewhere around 7 seconds and one shot. Does your comp need to be that long because you have transitions between shots that can not be done in an NLE like Premiere Pro?
  2. Zoom in on the timeline by using the little mountains to big mountains slider at the bottom of the timeline, dragging the left and right blue buttons on the top of the timeline above the work area, or using Alt/Option + mouse drag in the timeline. The clips you are trying to drag around are nested comps, and their duration is only a few seconds. That makes it very difficult to select the layer and move it. 

 

It might be helpful and save time if you spend some time in the Learn Workspace or with the User Guide so you have a better understanding of the UI and standard workflows.

 

 

JohnColombo17100380
Community Manager
JohnColombo17100380Community Manager
Community Manager
November 15, 2022

Hi @aebsunywccny,

Thanks for making this report and posting the video. It appears that the zoom level of the Timeline is too low for you to grab the clips and move them. Instead, the mouse click is being interpreted as an attempt to drag out the end of the clips and that fails because the clips are already at their maximum length.

 

Try zooming in on the Timeline with the slider at the bottom, between the mountain icons. Then you should be able to move the clips. You can also place the Current Time Indicator (aka playhead) to the point where you would like the clips to start and press Cmd/Ctrl + [ to move the clips.

 

Cheers,

- John, After Effects Engineering Team  

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