Abstract: A novel method for retiming a portion of a media content (e.g., audio data, video data, audio and video data, etc.) in a media-editing application is provided. The media editing application includes a user interface for defining a range in order to select a portion of the media content. The media editing application performs retiming by applying a speed effect to the portion of the media content selected by the defined range. For a faster speed effect, the media editing application retimes the selected portion of the media content by sampling the media content at a faster rate. For a slower speed effect, the media editing application retimes the selected portion of the media content by sampling the content at a slower rate.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a media-editing application. The application receives a selection of several media clips for creating a multi-camera media clip. Based on metadata stored with the media clips that identifies sources of the media clips, the application automatically assigns the clips to at least two different groups in the multi-camera media clip. For each group of the multi-camera media clip, the application automatically orders the assigned clips along a timeline using timing data. The application uses the timing data to automatically initially synchronize the different groups of the multi-camera media clip. The application automatically adjusts the initial synchronization of the groups by comparing audio data of media clips assigned to different groups.

Abstract: A media application of some embodiments includes a timeline, which is a composite display area for displaying media clips that are part of the composite media presentation. The timeline of some embodiments includes a primary lane called a spine as well as one or more anchor lanes. The spine represents a primary sequence of media, which, in some embodiments, does not have any gaps. When a clip is deleted or removed from the timeline, the media-editing applications automatically closes the gap created in place of the clip. The clips in the anchor lanes are anchored to a particular position along the spine. Anchor lanes may be used for compositing (e.g., removing portions of one video and showing a different video in those portions), B-roll cuts (i.e., cutting away from the primary video to a different video whose clip is in the anchor lane), audio clips, or other composite presentation techniques.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a program that creates a composite media presentation from several media clips. The program creates an audition set for a particular location in a composite display area for placing media clips to specify a description of the composite media presentation. The program adds to the audition set several different types of media clips that are candidates for placement in the composite display area at the particular location. The program iteratively selects a different media clip in the audition set as the only committed media clip in the audition set to include in the composite media presentation.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provides a media editing application that includes tools to perform a variety of different editing operations based on roles assigned to media content. In some embodiments, the media editing application includes focus-editing tools to emphasize or de-emphasize different sets of clips based on the assigned roles. In some embodiments, the media editing application allows one or more sets of clips to be disabled or enabled during playback based on the assigned roles.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a graphical user interface (GUI) of a media-editing application. The GUI includes a composite display area for displaying a set of media clips that define a composite presentation. The set of media clips includes a particular media clip which includes several different groups of ordered clips that are selectable for use in the composite presentation. The GUI includes a preview display area for simultaneously displaying video images from several of the different groups corresponding to a time in the composite presentation. The displayed video images in the preview display area are selectable to determine which of the groups is for use in the composite presentation.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide a media-editing application for creating and editing a media presentation that displays the results of edits as the edits are made to the media presentation. The media-editing application displays the movement of media clips of the media presentation as the media clips are being moved within the media-editing application to change the media presentation. Also, the media editing application in some embodiments can dynamically display the results of edits in a preview display area. That is, the media editing application has a preview generator that can generate previews of the media presentation on the fly as media clips are being dragged into and within the timeline. This allows the user of the media-editing application to see and hear the results of the operation while performing them.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a media editing application that uses metadata or metadata tags associated with media content to facilitate editing operations. In some embodiments, the editing operations are performed on the media content at various different stages of the editing process in order to create a composite presentation. In creating the composite presentation, one or more effects are associated with a metadata tag. Once the effects are associated, the media editing application applies the effects to different pieces of media content tagged with the metadata tag in order to create the composite presentation.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a media-editing application. The application displays a trackless composite display area for creating a composite presentation from several different media clips. The composite presentation includes a multi-camera media clip that includes one of several different groups of ordered media clips. Upon receiving a selection to edit the multi-camera media clip in the composite presentation, the application displays each of the different groups of ordered media clips as separate tracks in the composite display area.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a list view that displays a list of media clips and, for each media clip, displays each tag associated with the media clip. The list view includes a list area for displaying the list of media clips and tags. In some embodiments, the list view includes a preview section for displaying a representation of a clip selected from the list view's list area. The list view, in some embodiments, displays information related to each tag such as a starting point of the tag's range, an ending point of the tag's range, and a duration of the range.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide a virtual staging area for presenting media content. The virtual staging area of some embodiments is formed by staging areas of multiple different devices in which a same set of content can be viewed. To provide a common viewing experience, the staging areas are presented in a similar manner across different types of user devices. Each staging area may be presented as a virtual movie theatre that has movie posters that advertise user content. A sharing service operates on each of the different devices to facilitate the virtual staging area. The sharing service of some embodiments allows a person to choose a piece of content stored on a device. The sharing service then publishes the content to the device's staging area. From there, the content is then distributed across to the person's other devices.

Abstract: A novel method for creating multimedia presentations in a media editing application is provided. The method selects a portion of a media clip and retimes the selected portion of the media clip from a first playback speed to a second playback speed. The method defines a transition interval for a discontinuity between a first section of the media clip with the first playback speed and a second section of the media clip with the second playback speed. The media clip is played back according to a smoothed curve that is constrained by the transition interval, the first playback speed, and the second playback speed. The smoothed curve transitions gradually from the first playback speed at the start of the transition interval to the second playback speed at the end of the transition interval.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a non-transitory machine readable medium that stores a media-editing application which when executed by at least one processing unit provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for creating a composite media presentation from several media clips. The GUI includes a composite display area for placing media clips to specify the composite media presentation. The composite display area includes (1) a primary lane for placing a primary sequence of media clips and (2) several secondary lanes for placing media clips that are anchored to media clips in the primary lane. The GUI includes an editing tool that includes a first mode for performing an edit operation to a particular media clip and a set of media clips anchored to the particular media clip and a second mode for performing the edit operation to the particular media clip without performing the edit operation to the set of media clips anchored to the particular media clip.

Abstract: A media application of some embodiments includes a timeline, which is a composite display area for displaying media clips that are part of the composite media presentation. The timeline of some embodiments includes a primary lane called a spine as well as one or more anchor lanes. The spine represents a primary sequence of media, which, in some embodiments, does not have any gaps. When a clip is deleted or removed from the timeline, the media-editing applications automatically closes the gap created in place of the clip. The clips in the anchor lanes are anchored to a particular position along the spine. Anchor lanes may be used for compositing (e.g., removing portions of one video and showing a different video in those portions), B-roll cuts (i.e., cutting away from the primary video to a different video whose clip is in the anchor lane), audio clips, or other composite presentation techniques.

Abstract: A media application of some embodiments includes a timeline, which is a composite display area for displaying media clips that are part of the composite media presentation. The timeline of some embodiments includes a primary lane called a spine as well as one or more anchor lanes. The spine represents a primary sequence of media, which, in some embodiments, does not have any gaps. When a clip is deleted or removed from the timeline, the media-editing applications automatically closes the gap created in place of the clip. The clips in the anchor lanes are anchored to a particular position along the spine. Anchor lanes may be used for compositing (e.g., removing portions of one video and showing a different video in those portions), B-roll cuts (i.e., cutting away from the primary video to a different video whose clip is in the anchor lane), audio clips, or other composite presentation techniques.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a media editing application that allows a user to focus on a subset of media clips that the application combines to create a composite presentation. The media editing application of some embodiments includes a display area for displaying the composite presentation that the application creates by compositing several media clips (e.g., audio clip, video clip). The multimedia editing application of some embodiments also includes a composite display area (e.g., an area with multiple tracks that span a timeline) for displaying graphical clips representations of media clips that are part of the composite presentation.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a computer readable medium storing a media editing application for creating multimedia presentations. The application includes a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI includes a composite display area for displaying a portion of a timeline to which multimedia clips are assigned to create a composite media presentation. The timeline is divided into user-defined segments. The GUI includes an outline window for displaying a list of selectable items representing the user-defined segments, the selectable items for use in applying various operations to the user-modifiable segments. In some embodiments, the various operations include operations to insert a new segment into the timeline, to merge at least two segments into one segment, to hide a particular segment from view, to focus on a particular segment or group of segments in the composite display area, as well as other operations.

Abstract: A novel method for creating multimedia presentations in a media editing application is provided. The method selects a portion of a media clip and retimes the selected portion of the media clip from a first playback speed to a second playback speed. The method defines a transition interval for a discontinuity between a first section of the media clip with the first playback speed and a second section of the media clip with the second playback speed. The media clip is played back according to a smoothed curve that is constrained by the transition interval, the first playback speed, and the second playback speed. The smoothed curve transitions gradually from the first playback speed at the start of the transition interval to the second playback speed at the end of the transition interval.

Abstract: A computer readable medium (CRM) storing a media editing application for creating media presentations is described. The application includes a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI has (1) a display area for displaying a composite presentation that the application creates by compositing a plurality of media clips, (2) a composite display area for displaying graphical representations of a set of media clips that are part of the composite presentation and a set of media clips that are candidates for adding to the composite presentation, and (3) a preview tool for differentiating in the composite display area the graphical representation of any media clip that is part of the composite presentation from the graphical representation of any media clip that is a candidate for adding to the composite presentation.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a computer readable medium storing a media editing application for creating multimedia presentations. The application includes a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI includes a composite display area for displaying graphical representations of a set of media clips that are part of a composite presentation. Each graphical representation of a particular media clip is assigned to a particular row in the composite display area, where each row corresponds to a particular track in the composite presentation. Some embodiments of the GUI include a compression tool for assigning the graphical representations to new rows so as to reduce blank space in the composite display area, where the assignment of the graphical representations to new rows eliminates the correspondence between the rows and the tracks. Some embodiments include a collapsing tool for reducing a size of graphical representations in the composite display area.