If you’ve already browsed and imported your media into DCP, the next logical step is getting that content onto your editing timeline. In this tutorial, we pick up right where the previous DCP web tutorial left off – moving from the Import section into the Timeline, so your clips are ready for editing, trimming, and transitions.
This guide walks through exactly how to drag and drop your video assets – intros, main content, and end slides – into the timeline, plus a handy trick for navigating a busy timeline view.
Step 1: Start From the Import Section
Before you can build your timeline, your content needs to already be available in DCP’s Import panel. As covered in the earlier tutorial, this is where you browse and organize the raw footage, graphics, and slides you plan to use in your final edit.
Once your assets are visible in Import, you’re ready to start assembling them on the timeline.
Step 2: Drag and Drop Your Intro
The first element most editors add is the intro – typically the first thing viewers see in a YouTube video or tutorial series.
Simply click and drag the intro clip from the Import section directly onto the timeline. DCP will place it at the point where you drop it, giving you full control over sequencing right from the start.
Step 3: Zoom In and Out of the Timeline
Once you start adding multiple pieces of content, your timeline can get crowded fast. DCP makes it easy to adjust your view:
- Press the plus (+) key to zoom in on the timeline for more precise editing.
- Press the minus (-) key to zoom out and see more of your project at once.
Zooming out is especially useful once you’ve got several clips and graphics loaded, since it gives you a clearer overview of how everything fits together before you start fine-tuning.
Step 4: Add Graphic Files (Like a Title Card)
Not everything on your timeline needs to be a video file. In this example, the intro itself is actually a graphic image rather than video content. DCP treats these the same way – just drag and drop the graphic from Import onto the timeline alongside your video clips.
This means your timeline can mix and match:
- Video clips
- Static graphic/image files
- Any other supported media types
Step 5: Add Your Main Tutorial Content
After the intro is in place, drag your main video content – in this case, the core tutorial footage – onto the timeline. At this point, your project will typically have three key parts:
- Intro (graphic/image)
- Main content (video)
- End slide (added later)
Step 6: Save the End Slide for Last
Rather than adding your end slide right away, it’s best practice to drag it into the timeline after you’ve finished your editing and transitions. This keeps your workflow clean and ensures the end slide lines up properly once the rest of your edit is locked in.
Quick Recap
Here’s the simple workflow for building your DCP timeline:
- Import your content (previous tutorial)
- Drag and drop the intro onto the timeline
- Use +/- to zoom in and out as needed
- Drag and drop graphic files (like title cards) same as video
- Drag and drop your main video content
- Add the end slide last, after editing and transitions are complete
What's Next?
Now that your content is organised on the timeline, you’re ready for the next stage of the DCP workflow: editing your video and adding transitions. That’s exactly what the next tutorial in this series covers – so stay tuned to keep building out your project step by step.
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