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Participant
July 28, 2025
Question

Need help creating an Automation Blocks script to copy/paste clips from one timeline to another

  • July 28, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 254 views

Hi there! 

I have to pull a large number of vfx shots from the edit timeline of a film I'm working on, so I can export plates.

 

I have a spreadsheet with all of the in/out timecodes of where the clips are in the edit timeline, so I figured there must be a way to automate this - search the timeline for the clip at the specified tc, copy the clip, paste into a new sequence. 

 

I've watched a bunch of the tutorials, read a number of different posts and I still haven't gotten anything to work.  I even tried having chatGPT help out, and still nothing so far.  I know a couple of the tuts referenced automating things via a spreadsheet, but I guess my brain still hasn't clicked into the logic of Automation Blocks yet, cause I'm just banging my head against a wall.

 

Regarding chatGPT - I followed the prompt guidelines on the mamoworld site here:

https://docs.mamoworld.com/automation-blocks/forChatGPT/

and it did spit out an xml file for me, but it doesn't seem to do anything when executed in AB.  I've attached that script in case anyone wants to have a look.

 

Anyway, any thoughts, or help, or suggestions would be welcome. Automation Blocks is amazing, I just gotta get thru the learning curve I guess.

 

Thanks for your time!

2 replies

Mathias Moehl
Community Expert
Community Expert
July 29, 2025

These tutorials could be helpful:

 

Export Clips to a Spreadsheet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdpJbUOukpU

Import Clips from a Spreadsheet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPeOjwP1pX8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCt8eZCgQqc

 

You cannot really copy/paste clips with the Pr scripting engine (and hence also with Automation Blocks).

But you can retrieve the project item of a clip in the sequence and import that same project item into another composition (but it won't preserve effects applied).

Mathias Möhl - Developer of tools like BeatEdit and Automation Blocks for Premiere Pro and After Effects
Kevin J. Monahan Jr.
Community Manager
Community Manager
July 28, 2025

Hi Filmrebel27,

I read your post. Thanks for the Automation Blocks question. Great job on labeling it appropriately. A specialist from Automation Blocks should drop by shortly. I hope you can get your issue solved shortly. Sorry for the frustration. 

 

Thanks,

Kevin

 

Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community and Engagement Strategist – Adobe Pro Video and Audio