Apple Final Cut Express 4 - Manual (Page 484)

484 Part VII Fine-Tuning Your Edit
Sliding Clips in the Timeline
Performing a slide edit allows you to move a clip’s position in the Timeline between two
other clips without creating a gap. The clip’s content and duration remain the same;
only its position in the Timeline changes. When you slide a clip, the adjacent clips get
longer and shorter to fill any gaps that would normally be created. The combined
duration of these three clips does not change, and therefore the sequence’s duration
remains unchanged as well.
In the following example, clip B slides to the left. The slide edit changes the Out point
of clip A and the In point of Clip C, but the In and Out points of clip B stay the same.
The duration of clip B does not change, nor does the overall length of the sequence.
Note: To slide a clip between two others, the preceding and following clips must have
handles (extra media beyond the clip In and Out points).
A B C
A B C
Before edit
After edit