Understanding Tracks

The Timeline is divided horizontally into Tracks. Think of tracks as transparent layers stacked on top of one another.

Video Tracks (V1, V2, V3...)

Video tracks are located in the top half of the timeline. ORAPHIM processes video tracks from the top down.

  • A clip on V2 will completely cover and hide a clip on V1 happening at the same time, assuming the V2 clip fills the entire frame.
  • If the clip on V2 is scaled down (like a picture-in-picture effect), cropped, or is a text graphic with a transparent background, you will see the clip on V1 underneath it.
  • Workflow Tip: It is common practice to keep your primary "A-Roll" (main narrative, dialogue, interviews) on track V1, and place your "B-Roll" (supplementary footage, cutaways) on V2. Graphics and titles usually go on V3 and above.

Audio Tracks (A1, A2, A3...)

Audio tracks are located in the bottom half of the timeline. Unlike video tracks, audio tracks do not obscure one another. All audio tracks playing at a specific point in time are mixed together and heard simultaneously.

  • Workflow Tip: Keep your audio organized. For example, dedicate A1 and A2 solely to dialogue, A3 and A4 to sound effects (SFX), and A5 and A6 to background music. This makes mixing in the Audio Workspace significantly easier later on.

Track Controls

On the far left side of the timeline, each track has a header containing several important controls:

Video Track Controls

  • Lock (Padlock Icon): Locks the track. Clips on a locked track cannot be moved, cut, trimmed, or deleted. Use this to protect your finished music bed or completed A-Roll while you experiment on other tracks.
  • Enable/Disable (Eye Icon): Toggles the visibility of the track. If you disable a video track, all clips on that track will disappear from the Program Monitor.

Audio Track Controls

  • Lock (Padlock Icon): Locks the track.
  • Mute (M): Silences the track. You will not hear it during playback or on export.
  • Solo (S): Mutes all other audio tracks except for the one(s) currently soloed. This is useful for listening closely to a specific voice or sound effect to check for background noise.

Adding and Deleting Tracks

ORAPHIM supports an infinite number of tracks.

  • To add a new track, simply drag a clip from the Media Pool into the empty space above your highest video track (or below your lowest audio track). ORAPHIM will automatically create a new track for it.
  • Alternatively, you can right-click the track header area and select Add Track.
  • To delete an empty track, right-click its header and select Delete Track.