How do I delete a clip with Ripple Edit enabled?

[ldor]

Hi,

Can somebody help me with ripple edit please. I have no problem adding a clip, all related clips get shifted correctly and synchronization is not lost. But if I try to delete a clip a warning message appears "Clip(s) related to the clips to be deleted will also be removed. Do you want to continue?". And, if I choose Yes, it does delete the related clips. If I disable Ripple Edit then, when deleting a clip, the synchronization gets lost. And there are too many clips in the project, so restoring the synchronization manually takes much time. Is there a solution?
I use VS 2020.

[JEB]

Idor - I too have had difficulty with ripple editing from time to time. Just about the time I think I know how it will act, it does something like what you describe.
When I encounter something like this and am trying to REMOVE a clip when there are many things associated to it, and disabling the ripple would cause much more work to fix, like you describe, try this:

1. First, look over what items you have "locked" or associated with the time line clip you need to remove. Sometimes selective deactivation of ripple can fix this, but your case sounds like what my work around covers...
THE WORK AROUND
2. Because you want the ripple to keep your synchronization, which it the strength of that feature, let us use that to our advantage. Essentially use the problem to fix itself.
3. Create a blank scene, like a blue title card or static image, the same duration as the clip you want to remove.
4. Insert the blank scene into the time line right after the clip to remove. This will "push" all the subsequent items further because of the ripple and create a buffer in your time line with just the target clip with no associations.
5. At this point, and depending on how the ripple is causing problems you can try deleting the target clip and then the blank scene clip. This will depend on how the ripple is associating within your particular movie.
6. If you can not delete the blank scene without getting that same alert, then undo back to the end of step 4 and go to step 7.
7. Delete the target clip. You should not get the alert as it is no longer associated with anything on your timeline.
8. If you get an alert at this point there is a problem with the ripple understanding one (or some) of the tracks in your movie and essentially there is an error. The only fix is to turn off the ripple on that track(s).
9. If you do not get an error at this point then trim the blank scene to the first single frame of video and see if that generates an error. If it does then go to step 8. [You can also play with turning off ripple at this point as the other clips are essentially all back to where the have been]
- If it is still not working -
10. If you do not get an error after trimming to single frame then attempt to delete the much larger remaining portion of the blank scene, leaving a single frame of the blank scene.
11. If you get an alert/error at this point the go to step 8.
12. If you now have just a single frame of the blank scene and all the remaining associations correct then you have 3 options;
a. Change that single frame to blank/black/transparent and live with it (not recommended)
b. Attempt to delete that single frame, which might create an alert/error, create a 1-frame de-synchronization, or may work perfectly (ideal)
c. Pad the previous scene by a single frame and then delete the blank single frame, which move the de-sync into the preceding content. (tolerable at times)

The Ripple editor is a great tool and a big time saver, but when it starts to act up or prevent deletion without taking other content it can be a nightmare. Especially in complex or synchronized movies.
This work around is a little counter-intuitive as you are adding stuff in order to take stuff away, but it is to "trick" the ripple editor to re-associate to something new, in this case the blank scene.
Realize that the ripple edit can make mistakes and get confused, so also check what tracks are locked and not, or if at all.

I agree the most frustrating thing is when the ripple starts to delete items that it has "arbitrarily" associated with another scene to delete.
This is more true when you are trying to make final small adjustments in an otherwise ready to render movie and you don't want it to destroy all your work.

[lata]

Hi ldor
Are you wanting to delete a clip completely from the top timeline, or you wishing to replace the clip with another clip.
If you were to drag any image from the library, a black colour clip from the library over the clip you wish to replace, hold Ctrl key then drop to Replace Clip, view the tool tip.
Your timelines will look the same and any clips on the overlay tracks will be the same.

It really depends on the clip layout of your timelines to how you can do this, and we do not have a view of the timelines.

[ldor]

Idor - I too have had difficulty with ripple editing from time to time. Just about the time I think I know how it will act, it does something like what you describe.
When I encounter something like this and am trying to REMOVE a clip when there are many things associated to it, and disabling the ripple would cause much more work to fix, like you describe, try this:

Thank you, JEB. Somehow your suggestions did not work in my case. The easiest workaround I could find is to group all clips past the one I want to delete, separately for each track of course. The I disabled ripple edit and deleted the clip. Then I could shift all affected clips at once, this way it is easy to restore the synchronization, no need to shift all clips one by one. Then the clips can be ungrouped and ripple edit can be re-enabled.

[lata]

Hi
We can select all clips on the timelines by using Shift + Click ( first and last clip) this can be done over multiple timelines, then you only have the one selection to move, all clips in one go.