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Adjust Shot Timing

Goal: Change how long a shot plays — its duration in the film — so the pacing of a scene feels right.

Shot timing is one of the most powerful pacing tools in editing. A beat held two seconds longer creates tension. A shot cut short creates urgency. ACT3 AI lets you adjust timing directly in the timeline without re-rendering any video — the AI-generated clip is trimmed or extended using its existing frames.

Timing adjustments are non-destructive: the original rendered video is preserved, and you can always reset a shot back to its original duration.

Steps​

  1. Open the Timeline. In the Editor, click the Timeline tab in the center panel. Your scenes and shots appear as horizontal blocks.

  2. Click on a shot block to select it. Click once on any shot block. A blue highlight appears around it. The shot's properties load in the right panel.

  3. Read the current duration. In the right panel under Shot Properties, the Duration field shows the current clip length — for example, 4.5s. The timeline block also shows this number printed inside it.

  4. Drag the right edge of the shot block to resize it. Hover over the right edge of the selected shot block until the cursor changes to a resize arrow. Then drag right to extend the shot or drag left to shorten it. The duration field in the properties panel updates live as you drag.

  5. Type a precise duration. If you want an exact number, click the Duration field in the right panel and type the value you want — for example, 3.0 for exactly three seconds. Press Enter to confirm.

  6. Understand what duration change does. Extending a shot beyond the original render length causes the last frame to hold as a still (freeze frame) for the added time — the AI does not re-render new video frames. Shortening a shot trims from the end. Neither action changes the underlying video file.

  7. Add a hold frame at the end of a short clip. If you want a clean pause on the final frame — useful for a reaction shot or a reveal — extend the shot duration by 0.5–1.0 seconds beyond its rendered length. The freeze frame creates a natural hold beat.

  8. Understand how adjacent shots interact. If you extend a shot and it runs into the next shot, the next shot is pushed right (later in time). ACT3 AI does not automatically overlap shots — that is controlled explicitly through transitions. Shots in the same scene do not overlap unless you set a transition.

  9. Preview the updated timing. Press the Space bar with the timeline focused to play from the current playhead position. Watch the scene play through with the new timing. If the pacing still feels off, adjust again.

  10. Reset to original duration if needed. Right-click the shot block and choose Reset Duration to restore the shot to the duration of the original rendered video.

Tips​

  • Adjust timing after all shots in a scene are generated. Trying to pace a scene with placeholder shots is guesswork — wait until you can see and hear the actual output.
  • Watch the scene at least twice before adjusting. The first pass your eye catches the obvious problems; the second pass you feel the rhythm.
  • Short shots (under 1.5 seconds) rarely register emotionally for the viewer. If a shot is important, give it at least 2 seconds.

Next steps​