Change clip speed, make a speed ramp or a freeze frame

Applies to 0.11Updated 29 Oct 20262 min read

Use Clip › Speed/Duration… for slow or fast motion, Clip › Speed Ramp… for a smooth change of speed, and Clip › Video Options for freeze frames.

Slow down, speed up or reverse a clip

1. Select the clip and choose Clip › Speed/Duration….
2. Type a Speed % (50 is half speed) or a Duration (seconds).
3. Tick Reverse Speed to play the clip backwards.
4. Tick Ripple Edit, Shifting Trailing Clips to move the clips after it. With it off, the clip only grows into empty space.

Make a speed ramp

1. Select a video clip and choose Clip › Speed Ramp….
2. Set Speed after the ramp % (50 at first) and the Ramp length (seconds) (1.00 at first).

The ramp starts at the playhead when it is inside the clip, otherwise at the clip's start. The sound keeps its own speed.

Shape the speed with keyframes

In Effect Controls, open Time Remapping and add Speed keyframes. Clip Length decides whether the clip Follows Speed Keyframes or Stays the same length. While a clip has speed keyframes, Speed/Duration is off; switch the stopwatch off to use it again.

Smoother slow motion

Choose Clip › Video Options › Time Interpolation:

• Frame Sampling: repeats frames. Sharp, but can look steppy.
• Frame Blending: mixes neighbouring frames.
• Optical Flow: builds new in-between frames for the smoothest result. It needs macOS 15.4 or later.

Freeze a frame

• Clip › Video Options › Add Frame Hold at Playhead: the clip holds the frame under the playhead to its end.
• Insert Frame Hold Segment: cuts at the playhead and inserts a 2-second hold. What follows moves later.
• Frame Hold Options…: tick Hold On and choose Source Frame at Playhead, In Point or Out Point. The sound plays on. Untick Hold On to bring the motion back.

If it still doesn't work: open a ticket in Account › Support and we'll help.