Ripple, roll, slip and slide
Ripple changes one edit and shifts everything after it. Roll moves an edit point between two clips without changing the total length. Slip changes which part of a clip you see. Slide moves a clip along the timeline between its neighbours.
The four trims at a glance
| Trim | What changes | What stays the same | Use it to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripple | The length of one clip, and the position of everything after it | The other side of the edit | Tighten or loosen a cut |
| Roll | Where the cut happens between two clips | Total sequence length | Make a cut land on a better frame |
| Slip | Which part of a clip's footage you see | The clip's position and length | Choose a better moment within a shot |
| Slide | A clip's position between its neighbours | The clip's content and the total length | Move a shot earlier or later |
Ripple
A ripple trim extends or shortens one side of an edit, and everything later in the sequence moves to keep up. No gaps open and nothing gets overwritten. It's the trim you'll use most. In Final Cut Pro, dragging the edge of a clip in the primary storyline ripples by default. In Premiere Pro, use the Ripple Edit tool (B), or Q and W to ripple-trim the previous or next edit to the playhead. In DaVinci Resolve, use Trim Edit mode (T) and drag one side of an edit.
Roll
A roll moves the cut point itself: one clip gets longer and the clip next to it gets shorter by the same amount, so nothing downstream moves. Use it when the edit is in the right place roughly but should happen a few frames earlier or later. Final Cut Pro: select the centre of the edit point with the Trim tool (T) and drag. Premiere Pro: Rolling Edit tool (N). DaVinci Resolve: in Trim Edit mode, drag the centre of the edit.
Slip
A slip leaves a clip where it is and the same length, but changes which part of the source footage plays. It's how you fix a shot that's in the right place but starts a beat too late. Final Cut Pro: drag the middle of a clip with the Trim tool, and use comma and full stop to slip one frame at a time. Premiere Pro: Slip tool (Y). DaVinci Resolve: Trim Edit mode, drag the middle of the clip; S toggles between slip and slide.
Slide
A slide moves a whole clip along the timeline. The clips either side lengthen and shorten to compensate, so the sequence length stays the same. Final Cut Pro: Option-drag the middle of a clip with the Trim tool. Premiere Pro: Slide tool (U). DaVinci Resolve: Trim Edit mode, with S switching from slip to slide.
Which one when?
- The cut feels slow or rushed: ripple.
- The cut is in the right place but on the wrong frame: roll.
- The shot is right but the moment inside it isn't: slip.
- The shot is right but should arrive earlier or later: slide.
All four become much faster once you trim from the keyboard and watch the result play. DaVinci Resolve's Dynamic Trim (W) and Premiere Pro's trim mode let you trim with J, K and L while the edit plays, which is how many professionals fine-cut.
Frequently asked questions
What is a ripple edit?+
A ripple edit changes the length of one clip and moves everything after it in the timeline to keep up, so no gap appears and nothing is overwritten.
What is the difference between a roll and a ripple edit?+
A ripple edit changes one side of a cut and shifts the rest of the sequence. A roll edit moves the cut point between two clips, lengthening one and shortening the other by the same amount, so the sequence length doesn't change.
What is the difference between slip and slide?+
A slip changes which part of a clip's footage is shown without moving the clip. A slide moves the whole clip along the timeline, adjusting the neighbouring clips to fill the space.
What are the slip and slide tool shortcuts in Premiere Pro?+
Y is the Slip tool and U is the Slide tool. B is the Ripple Edit tool and N is the Rolling Edit tool.
Written by Philip Brumpton, a product designer who builds KeyCut. Last checked October 2026.
Learn the keys by pressing them.
KeyCut puts the Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve keyboards on your iPad, colour-coded, and fires each shortcut into your editor on the Mac when you tap it.