# Edit a clip

A map of the clip editor: the transcript, the tool rail, the toolbar over the video and the timeline, and how a save renders the clip again for free.

- Page: https://www.snipri.com/docs/edit-a-clip
- By [Cihan Düzgören](https://www.snipri.com/about) · November 2, 2026 · 3 min read
- Section: Editor, in [the Snipri docs](https://www.snipri.com/docs)

Every clip opens in an editor made for one short clip. A save renders the clip again from its own footage, without transcribing or selecting again, and edits never count against your plan.

## Open the editor

In My clips, open a clip and press **Open editor**. The editor fills the screen, and the arrow at its top left, **Back to clip**, closes it again.

## How the editor is laid out

- The top bar holds the clip's title, **Undo** and **Redo**, the save state and **Save changes**.
- The video sits in the middle, with a toolbar over it for the clip's format and the framing of each scene.
- The transcript stands beside the video on a wide screen. On a smaller one it is the first tab of the rail.
- The rail of tool tabs opens a panel beside the video, or along the bottom on a phone.
- The timeline runs under the video, with playback, the clip's length and a row for each layer.

## The tools

Each tab of the rail opens one tool, and each tool has a guide of its own:

- **Words**: correct, replace, hide or cut the words, and add emoji. [Edit a clip's transcript](https://www.snipri.com/docs/edit-the-transcript)
- **Captions**: the caption style, font, colours, highlight and position. [Change a clip's caption style](https://www.snipri.com/docs/change-caption-style)
- **Text**: lines of your own over the video. [Add text to a clip](https://www.snipri.com/docs/add-text-to-a-clip)
- **Media**: images, video clips of your own, your brand, and an intro and an outro. [Add images and video to a clip](https://www.snipri.com/docs/add-images-and-video) and [Add an intro and an outro](https://www.snipri.com/docs/add-an-intro-and-outro)
- **Hook**: the title card the clip opens on. [Edit the opening hook](https://www.snipri.com/docs/edit-the-opening-hook)
- **B-roll**: stock footage over one phrase of the clip. [Add B-roll to a clip](https://www.snipri.com/docs/add-b-roll)
- **Music**: a track of your own, and the volume and fades of the clip's sound. [Add music to a clip](https://www.snipri.com/docs/add-music)

The length and the framing are worked from the timeline and the toolbar: [Trim and split a clip](https://www.snipri.com/docs/trim-and-split-a-clip) and [Reframe a clip](https://www.snipri.com/docs/reframe-a-clip) cover them.

## The timeline

The timeline shows the clip's video, with its scenes, and its sound. **Timeline & layers** opens it to its full height, with the captions and a row for every text, image and video layer, and **Hide details** closes it again.

Drag along the ruler to move the playhead, or press Space to play. **Fit** shows the whole clip, and the zoom beside it brings a moment closer. Drag the clip's start or end to trim it, and **Trim** opens its exact length.

## Save

Changes wait until you press **Save changes**, and the line beside the button says **Unsaved changes** until you do. **Undo** and **Redo** step through the changes until then. The clip renders again while the editor says **Rendering your clip…**, then **All changes saved**, and the new version takes the old one's place in My clips.

> **Tip:** Press ? anywhere in the editor for its keyboard shortcuts. [Keyboard shortcuts in the editor](https://www.snipri.com/docs/editor-keyboard-shortcuts) lists them all.

If a save does not go through, [Fix an edit that won't save](https://www.snipri.com/docs/fix-an-edit-that-wont-save) goes through each message. Editing, rendering again and splitting are free on every plan, and the [clip editor](https://www.snipri.com/features/clip-editor) page shows the editor at work.

Previous guide: [Download your clips](https://www.snipri.com/docs/download-clips)

Next guide: [Edit a clip's transcript](https://www.snipri.com/docs/edit-the-transcript)

Still stuck? Write to [hello@snipri.com](mailto:hello@snipri.com) with the name of the video and what the screen said.