Premiere Pro Timeline Editing (beginner guide)

Make your first cuts and build a rough edit in the Timeline. Here’s how to do it in Premiere Pro on macOS, step by step — part of the free Premiere Pro beginner curriculum.

Lesson 3 of the Premiere Pro curriculum. Next up: Trimming and Transitions.

What you’ll do

• Identify Timeline anatomy: video tracks (V1, V2, V3) stacked above the center divider, audio tracks (A1, A2, A3) below; track headers on the left; playhead (CTI — Current Time Indicator) as the vertical line
• Use J/K/L in the Source Monitor to find the right moment in a clip
• Mark an In point (I) and Out point (O) on a clip in the Source Monitor
• Place a clip in the Timeline using Overwrite (period key) or Insert (comma key) — overwrite replaces, insert pushes
• Move the playhead by clicking in the timeline ruler at the top, or by pressing Space to play/stop
• Select a clip in the Timeline with the Selection tool (V) and delete it with the Delete key
• Understand track targeting: the illuminated V1/A1 buttons in the track headers determine where Insert and Overwrite edits land — click the track header button to target that track
• Use Cmd+K to cut (add edit) at the playhead on targeted tracks
• Use Cmd+Z to undo, Shift+Cmd+Z to redo
• Understand render bar colors above the timeline: green = rendered and smooth, yellow = likely smooth, red = may drop frames; press Return to render

Do it hands-free with Skilly

Reading steps is one thing; doing them while the menus are in front of you is another. Skilly is a voice-first tutor for macOS: you ask out loud — “where’s the timeline panel?” — and it answers while moving your cursor to the exact button, watching your actual Premiere Pro window. It’s the same Premiere Pro curriculum these lessons come from, taught live instead of read. Free to start.

Keep going

This is one stage of the full Premiere Pro beginner curriculum. Continue with Trimming and Transitions.