--- title: "The 7 ways to edit clips into a timeline in DaVinci Resolve" author: "Cutsio Team" date: "2026-05-15" lastmod: "2026-05-15" category: "DaVinci Resolve Advanced Workflows" excerpt: "DaVinci Resolve offers seven distinct editing methods: Insert, Overwrite, Replace, Fit to Fill, Place on Top, Append at End, and Ripple Overwrite. This guide covers when to use each and how keyboard shortcuts speed up your workflow." tags: ["DaVinci Resolve","Edit Page","Insert Edit","Overwrite","Replace Edit","Fit to Fill","Append at End","Ripple Overwrite","Timeline Editing"] --- ## What are the seven ways to edit clips into a timeline in DaVinci Resolve? DaVinci Resolve offers seven distinct editing methods for placing clips onto the timeline: Insert, Overwrite, Replace, Fit to Fill, Place on Top, Append at End, and Ripple Overwrite. Each method behaves differently depending on where the playhead is positioned and whether clips already exist at that location. You can access them through the edit overlay in the timeline viewer, the toolbar buttons, or keyboard shortcuts. ![Seven Ways to Edit](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/edit/seven-ways/seven-ways/seven-ways-en-xl@2x.jpg?_v=1602556736) The edit overlay appears when you drag a clip from the source viewer or media pool into the timeline viewer. It displays icons for each edit type, letting you choose the behavior by dropping the clip onto the corresponding icon. Once you learn the keyboard shortcuts, you can edit without taking your hands off the keyboard. ## How does the Insert edit work in DaVinci Resolve? Insert places the source clip into the timeline at the playhead position and pushes all existing clips to the right to make room. If the playhead is in the middle of an existing clip, Insert splits that clip and places the new clip in the middle, pushing the latter half to the right. ![Insert](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/edit/seven-ways/insert@2x.jpg?_v=1642652707) Insert is the best choice when you want to add a clip without overwriting existing content. It preserves every frame already on the timeline by shifting everything forward. The keyboard shortcut is F9. Use Insert when you are building a rough cut and adding new material between existing clips. For example, if you have an interview sequence and want to add a B-roll clip in the middle, Insert places the B-roll without losing any of the interview footage. ## How does the Overwrite edit work in DaVinci Resolve? Overwrite places the source clip at the playhead position, writing over whatever clip or clips were there before. This is the most common type of edit and behaves like pasting over existing content. ![Overwrite](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/edit/seven-ways/overwrite@2x.jpg?_v=1642652709) When you Overwrite, the new clip replaces the frames on the timeline starting at the playhead. The total timeline duration remains the same because the new clip takes the place of the old frames. If the source clip is longer than the space available before the next clip, Overwrite removes the excess frames from the timeline. The keyboard shortcut is F10. Overwrite is ideal for replacing sections of your timeline when you know the new material is better than what is currently there. It is the default editing behavior in most NLEs and the fastest way to build a timeline from selects. ## How does the Replace edit work in DaVinci Resolve? Replace replaces a single clip on the timeline with a source clip of the exact same length. The source clip's out point is automatically adjusted so it matches the duration of the clip being replaced. ![Replace](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/edit/seven-ways/replace@2x.jpg?_v=1642652710) Replace is useful when you have locked timing — a music video cut to a specific beat, a dialogue scene with precise pacing — and you want to swap the content without changing the duration. Mark an in point and out point in the source viewer that roughly match the target clip duration, and Resolve adjusts the out point automatically to fit exactly. The keyboard shortcut is F11. Replace is also available by holding Shift while dragging a clip onto the timeline. ## How and when would you use Fit to Fill, Place on Top, Append at End, and Ripple Overwrite? ### Fit to Fill Fit to Fill takes the marked portion of the source clip and applies a speed change so it fits into the selected space on the timeline. The speed change is calculated automatically. ![Fit to Fill](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/edit/seven-ways/fill@2x.jpg?_v=1642652706) Use this when you have a gap of a specific duration and a clip that is slightly too long or too short. Resolve automatically adjusts the speed to make it fit. The keyboard shortcut is Shift+F11. This is useful for filling gaps in documentary sequences where exact timing matters but the clip content can tolerate modest speed changes. ### Place on Top Place on Top puts the source clip on the next available video track at the playhead position. It does not affect any clips on lower tracks. ![Place on Top](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/edit/seven-ways/ontop@2x.jpg?_v=1642652708) Use this for titles, graphics, picture-in-picture effects, and overlay elements. The keyboard shortcut is F12. Place on Top creates a new video track if all existing tracks have clips at the playhead position. ### Append at End Append at End places the source clip after the last edit on your timeline, regardless of where the playhead is positioned. You can also select multiple clips in the media pool and append them all at once. ![Append at End](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/edit/seven-ways/append@2x.jpg?_v=1642652706) This is the fastest way to build a rough cut from selects. Mark in and out points on each clip, press Shift+F12 (or Option+F12 on Mac), and each clip is added to the end of the timeline in sequence. For editors who pre-select clips in Cutsio and export an EDL, the Append at End behavior mirrors how the XML import builds the timeline — clips are appended in the order they were highlighted in the transcript. ### Ripple Overwrite Ripple Overwrite replaces a shot of one length with a shot of a different length. If the new clip is longer, it pushes everything downstream to make room. If it is shorter, it pulls everything in so there are no gaps. ![Ripple Overwrite](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/edit/seven-ways/ripple-over@2x.jpg?_v=1642652711) This is different from standard Overwrite because it adjusts the timeline duration to match the new clip length. Use it when you want to replace a section of the timeline and have the overall duration automatically adjust. There is no default keyboard shortcut — assign one in the Keyboard Customization panel. ## How do you use keyboard shortcuts to edit faster in DaVinci Resolve? | Edit type | Keyboard shortcut (Windows) | Keyboard shortcut (Mac) | Best for | |---|---|---|---| | Insert | F9 | F9 | Adding clips without overwriting | | Overwrite | F10 | F10 | Replacing sections of the timeline | | Replace | F11 | F11 | Swapping content without changing duration | | Fit to Fill | Shift+F11 | Shift+F11 | Filling gaps with speed adjustment | | Place on Top | F12 | F12 | Titles, graphics, PiP | | Append at End | Shift+F12 | Option+F12 | Building rough cuts from selects | | Ripple Overwrite | (assign custom) | (assign custom) | Replacing with duration adjustment | The seven edit types give you precise control over how new clips interact with existing timeline content. The most efficient editors learn all seven and switch between them based on the specific editing task. ## How does pre-editing with Cutsio connect to the seven edit types? When you pre-edit footage in Cutsio and export an EDL or XML, DaVinci Resolve imports the timeline using the Append at End method — each clip from your highlighted transcript selections is placed sequentially. This means the timeline arrives in Resolve as a rough cut built from your AI-assisted selects. From there, you use Overwrite to replace weaker selects with better alternatives, Insert to add B-roll between interview sections, Place on Top for titles and graphics, and Fit to Fill to adjust clip durations for precise timing. The seven edit types become refinement tools for a timeline that was assembled upstream, rather than construction tools for building from scratch.
Cutsio

Build your rough cut before you open Resolve

Use Cutsio to highlight selects from your transcript, remove silence and retakes, and export an EDL. Your timeline arrives in Resolve already assembled — use the seven edit types to refine, not to build from scratch.

Try Cutsio Free

No credit card. 60 mins free.

## FAQ ### What is the difference between Insert and Overwrite in DaVinci Resolve? Insert pushes existing clips to the right to make room for the new clip without removing anything. Overwrite places the new clip over existing content, replacing the frames at the playhead position. ### Can I use Append at End with multiple clips selected? Yes. Select multiple clips in the media pool or source viewer and use Append at End to add them all to the timeline in sequence. ### Does Fit to Fill work with audio? Fit to Fill applies speed changes to both video and audio. The audio pitch is preserved by default, though you can disable pitch correction in the inspector. ### What is the difference between Replace and Overwrite? Replace adjusts the source clip's out point to match the target clip's exact duration. Overwrite places the source clip at its natural length, potentially leaving gaps or overwriting additional clips. ### How do I assign a keyboard shortcut to Ripple Overwrite? Open DaVinci Resolve Preferences, go to the Keyboard Customization panel, search for "Ripple Overwrite," and assign your preferred key combination.

Pre-select with AI. Refine with precision.

Let Cutsio build your rough cut from transcript-based selects. Then use DaVinci Resolve's seven edit types to refine, trim, and polish — all without scrubbing through hours of raw footage.

Try Cutsio Free

No credit card required. 60 minutes of free processing.