Add video effects that synchronize with background music

If your project has a background music track to which you’ve added beat markers, you can apply special effects to the video in your project that synchronize with the music.

  • Jump Cut at Beat Markers:  Jumps the video ahead by the number of frames you choose, from 3 to 30.

  • Split at Beat Markers:  Splits the video at every beat marker. You can then apply different effects to each section of video to create a visually striking movie project. You can also rearrange clips and add new ones while retaining the “cut-on-the-beat” pattern.

  • Flip at Beat Markers:  Flips the video at every beat marker, which makes the video appear as if you’re viewing it from the other side.

These effects don’t alter how the background music plays.

To add jump cuts at beat markers:

  1. Make sure your project has a background music track to which you’ve added beat markers.

  2. In the Project browser, select a single video clip or a frame range.

  3. Choose Clip > “Jump Cut at Beat Markers” > [number of frames]; the Clip menu appears in a light gray bar across the top of your computer screen.

    If you have automatic transitions and titles turned on, you need to turn them off. Click the Turn Off Automatic Transitions button in the dialog that appears. You can turn them on again later by choosing File > Project Theme, and then selecting “Automatically add transitions and titles.”

    In the Project browser, the selected video is split into smaller clips, with each clip jumping ahead by the number of frames you chose in the submenu.

  4. Play back the effect by placing the playhead (the red vertical line) anywhere before where the effect begins in the Project browser and then pressing the Space bar.

    Press the Space bar again to stop playback.

Applying this effect shortens the total playing time of the clip a bit.

To split video at beat markers:

  1. Make sure your project has a background music track to which you’ve added beat markers.

  2. In the Project browser, select a single video clip or a frame range.

  3. Choose Clip > Special Effect > “Split at Beat Markers.”

    The Clip menu appears in a light gray bar across the top of your computer screen.

    In the Project browser, the video clip is split at every beat marker.

To flip video at beat markers:

  1. Make sure your project has a background music track to which you’ve added beat markers.

  2. In the Project browser, select a single video clip or a frame range.

  3. Choose Clip > Special Effect > “Flip at Beat Markers.”

    The Clip menu appears in a light gray bar across the top of your computer screen.

    In the Project browser, the video clip is split at every beat marker, and every other clip is flipped horizontally.

  4. Play back the effect by placing the playhead (the red vertical line) anywhere before where the effect begins in the Project browser and then pressing the Space bar.

    Press the Space bar again to stop playback.