The Source Previewer
Chapter Studio uses the classic cutting-room layout: a source monitor beside the program view. Open a take in the Source Previewer, mark In and Out, and place it on the timeline already trimmed to your selection.
Two monitors, one window
The Source Previewer shares the monitor region with the viewer: Source on the left (the master you're marking), the 3D program view on the right (your sequence). It's a panel in the main window, so opening it never covers your timeline or squeezes the library and inspector; Source and program split only the space between the side panels. Drag the divider between them to rebalance, or double-click it to reset to an even split.
Show and hide the panel with its toggle in the toolbar's panel group. Reopening it restores whatever it last held, so the toggle is a panel switch, not a way to lose your place.
Opening media in it
- Double-click a library row or grid cell, a scene-list row, or a clip on the timeline.
- Right-click a clip or a library row and choose Open in Source Previewer; the command also lives in the Clip menu and on a button in the clip inspector.
Double-clicking a USDZ deliberately does nothing. There's no footage to mark, so you never get an empty monitor.
Source mode and Clip mode
A badge in the panel header tells you which of two modes you're in, and the difference matters:
| Badge | What you opened | What marks do |
|---|---|---|
| SOURCE | A master from the library | Held as pending, consumed when you place the file on the timeline |
| CLIP | A clip already on the timeline | Written to that clip immediately, one undo each |
Marking a take
Play or scrub to the moment. Space plays and pauses, ←/→ step frames, and the scrubber's playhead drags freely. Playback auditions stop at the Out point.
Press I for In, O for Out. The Mark In and Mark Out buttons are spelled out in the transport with their shortcuts. The scrubber fills the selected range between two handles, and timecode cards read out In, Out, Selected, Position and Duration.
Adjust or clear. Drag the In/Out handles directly, or use the Clear menu to drop the In, the Out, or the whole range.
Mark, then place
This is the workflow the panel exists for. Open a master, mark In and Out, then drag the file from the library onto the timeline: the clip lands already carrying your range as a non-destructive source window. Pending marks apply whichever way the file gets placed, and they're consumed by the placement, so dragging the same file again gives you the whole clip rather than a silent repeat of the old selection.
Placing without visiting the Previewer works exactly as before; marking first is an option, not a gate.
Tip. Open a clip that's already placed (Clip mode) to fine-tune its range with frame steps and fresh marks instead of dragging tiny clip edges on the timeline. Each mark is one undo.
Audio in the Previewer
Audio masters open in the Previewer too, with the same transport, marks and timecode. There's no waveform display yet; you audition by ear, which the stop-at-Out behavior makes quick.
Note. The Source Previewer is a Chapter Studio feature. On Chapter Vision you edit source ranges from the clip's trim card on the spatial timeline instead.