How to Trim Clips in PowerDirector (Before Version 24.3)
Keep one part of a clip or several, in the layout before version 24.3.
Updated Oct. 16, 2026 · 4 min read
In a hurry? Use the Trim & Multi Trim quick guide instead.
PowerDirector's trim window opens the whole source clip so you can choose what to keep, down to the frame. Multi Trim pulls several pieces out of one long take in a single pass. This guide covers versions before 24.3. If you're on PowerDirector 24.3 or later, the current trim guide covers the redesigned window.
- In PowerDirector, select the clip, click Edit above the timeline, then click Trim. Or use the scissor button above the timeline.
- Move the playhead to where the keeper starts and press I.
- Move the playhead to where the keeper ends and press O. The blue stretch is what you keep.
- Switch the preview to Output to play only the part you're keeping.
- Switch to Multi Trim to repeat that and pull several segments out of the same file.
- Click Trim to apply.
Steps to Use Single Trim and Multi Trim
Prefer to watch? Here's the whole thing in a 4-minute video, or follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open the Trim Window
Select the clip and click Edit in the toolbar above the timeline. Then click Trim in the Tools list under the Video tab.
Or click the scissor button in the toolbar above the timeline to go straight there and skip the Edit panel.
Two tabs sit at the top of the window: Single Trim for one piece, Multi Trim for several. They work the same way, so learn the first and you already know the second.
Step 2: Set the In Point
Move the playhead to where the keeper starts and click Mark In, the first icon under the strip. Or press I on your keyboard.
Step 3: Set the Out Point
Move the playhead to where the keeper ends and click Mark Out, just right of Mark In. Or press O. The stretch between the two points turns blue, and that blue part is what you keep.
Fine-Tune the Selection
You can drag the yellow markers at each end of the strip to nudge a point without re-marking it.
The panel on the right shows the selection's duration and its start and end timecodes. You can type into all three when a shot has to be an exact length.
The lock moves the selection without resizing it. Set the length once, then click the lock icon to the right of Mark Out under the strip. Dragging now slides the whole selection along the clip at that fixed duration. That's how you find the best 6 seconds of a shot without rebuilding a 6-second selection each time you try somewhere else.
Step 4: Preview the Output
Next to the playback controls, switch between Original and Output to choose what the preview plays. Original plays the whole source, and Output plays only what you've selected. Check Output before you commit, so you can hear whether your in point lands mid-word.
Step 5: Pull Several Pieces Out With Multi Trim
Click the Multi Trim tab at the top of the window. Then mark in and out exactly as before, do it again somewhere else in the clip, and again.
Each selection is added to the Selected Segments list on the right. When you finish, they all come back to the timeline as separate clips, so one long take gives you several usable pieces in one pass.
Click the magnifiers in the controls under the strip to zoom the view in and out. You can also drag the blue box on the bar above the thumbnails to jump to the part you want to work on closely.
Remove a Segment
Select a segment in that list and click the trash icon underneath to remove it.
Mark the Bad Parts Instead
Sometimes it's far quicker to mark what you want gone. Select the unwanted stretches, then click the double arrow at the left end of the controls under the strip to invert the selection. What you marked gets discarded and everything else becomes the blue keepers. For an interview with a handful of fluffed lines, this is much faster than marking a dozen good takes.
Let Scene Detection Do the First Pass
If the clip contains several distinct scenes, Scene Detection will find the cuts for you. Click the Scene Detection icon in the controls under the strip, and PowerDirector asks whether to split the video automatically.
Choose No, just mark the scene breaks to get a red line on the strip at each scene change, so you can trim against those marks. Or choose Yes, split the scenes for me to split the clip into separate segments there and then. Click OK to confirm.
Step 6: Apply the Trim
When the selection looks right, click Trim at the bottom right of the window. What you kept lands on the timeline, and in Multi Trim each segment comes back as a separate clip.
We tested these steps in PowerDirector 365 version 23.5 on Windows.
Don't have PowerDirector yet? Multi Trim pays for itself the first time you pull several usable pieces out of one long take.
Download PowerDirector Free →FAQ About Trimming
Dragging an edge shortens a clip already sitting in your project, and that can leave a gap on the timeline. The trim window lets you choose which part of the source you want in the first place. It gives you frame-accurate in and out points, a preview of just the selection, and the option to take several pieces at once.
Yes. Trimming never touches the file, so reopening the trim window and moving the in and out points gives you back whatever you cut. The original stays whole in your library either way.
Use Multi Trim with the selection inverted. Mark only the parts you want gone, click the double arrow, and everything else becomes the segments you keep. Marking three mistakes beats marking four good stretches, and the advantage grows the longer the take is.
