Insider Tips: Use FCP’s Collapse to Connected Storyline

Every week, Frame.io Insider asks one of our expert contributors to share a tip, tool, or technique that they use all the time and couldn’t live without. This week, Reuben Evans explains how to use Final Cut’s Collapse to Connected Storyline to keep your timelines organized.


Cleaning up your timeline helps to keep you organized while you are working. Final Cut Pro has always let you collapse connected clips into your primary storyline, but now you can group your connected clips into a secondary storyline.

How to use Collapse to Connected Storyline

Whether you’re editing a documentary or a feature, things can get messy. When you have connected clips that go several lanes high, sometimes there is something going on with a clip that you won’t see when you are focused on the primary storyline without having to scroll up.

So, to tidy up your timeline, just select a group of overlapping connected clips and go to Edit->Collapse to Connected Storyline.

This results in the clips being grouped together in a single connected storyline. This helps you to reduce the “height” of your timeline. That way, you can always see what is going on regardless of the amount that you have zoomed in.

If you have transitions or effects, those will be preserved. The playback will be exactly the same as before. Timeline tidied, workflow streamlined.


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Reuben Evans

Reuben Evans is an award-winning screenwriter, executive producer at Faithlife, and a member of the Producers Guild of America. He has produced and directed numerous documentaries and commercials. Reuben’s tools of choice are RED Cameras, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve. He writes for Frame.io Insider and is part of the Blade Ronner Media writers network. Reuben resides in Washington state with his wife, four kids, and one crazy goldendoodle puppy named Baker.