Editing tool that automatically shifts all downstream clips when trimming or extending a cut, maintaining timeline length.
Technical Details
Modern editing systems like Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve perform ripple edits in real-time, with the calculation of the new timeline position typically occurring in under 100 milliseconds. The ripple mode operates with a mathematical offset calculation: when a clip is shortened by 2:15 seconds, every subsequent clip shifts exactly that time difference to the left. In professional systems, the ripple effect can be limited to individual tracks or applied across multiple tracks. Keyboard shortcuts activate ripple mode: "B" in Avid, "Alt+Drag" in Premiere Pro.
History & Development
Lightworks introduced the ripple edit digitally in 1989 as the first non-linear editing system, inspired by analog flatbed editors like the Steenbeck, where removing footage automatically closed a gap. Avid perfected the feature in 1991 with Media Composer by introducing segment modes and track isolation. Apple revolutionized ripple editing in 1999 with Final Cut Pro through Magnetic Timeline concepts, which enabled automatic gap closing in all directions.
Practical Use in Film
In Thelma Schoonmaker's editing of "Goodfellas" (1990), ripple edits allowed for precise timing of voice-over passages without manual timeline adjustments. Documentaries benefit particularly: in "Free Solo" (2018), ripple cutting efficiently condensed 47 hours of raw footage, as interview trims automatically pulled B-roll material forward. Action sequences, however, require caution: ripple edits can destroy precisely choreographed music or sound design synchronization, which is why editors like Lee Smith ("Dunkirk") use lock tracks.
Comparison & Alternatives
In contrast to ripple editing, the roll edit does not change the overall length but only shifts the edit point between two adjacent clips. Slip and slide edits manipulate clip content without timeline shifts. Insert editing combines ripple functionality with new clips, while overwrite editing replaces existing clips without changing their length. In complex projects with over 200 tracks, editors prefer lock modes or blade tools to avoid unintended ripple effects on music and effects tracks.