# Tracks

> Video, audio, text and subtitles tracks, the track panel, magnetic and free, lock, solo, hide, ducking and opacity.

## Kinds

| Kind      | Holds                                  | Header shows              |
| --------- | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Video     | Video, photos, placeholders            | Magnetic, eye, mute, solo |
| Audio     | Music, sound, voiceovers, placeholders | Magnetic, mute, solo      |
| Text      | On-screen texts                        | Magnetic, eye             |
| Subtitles | Caption bars from a transcript         | Eye                       |

A new project starts with Video 1, which is magnetic, and Audio 1, which ducks. The topmost visible video track wins at each moment; black shows where no track has picture. The piece is as long as its longest track. Audio never lengthens the picture.

The + button at the top of the track headers offers Add Video Track, Add Audio Track and Add Text Track. Subtitles tracks come from Generate Subtitles.

## The active track

Click a header, or empty space in its row, to make a track active. Split, Paste, Import, Audio and Add Placeholder act on the active track when nothing is selected.

## Magnetic and free

On a magnetic track clips stay packed edge to edge. Trims ripple, deletes close gaps, and dragging a clip reorders it. On a free track a clip sits where you put it and gaps stay. Video 1 starts magnetic; other tracks start free. Text tracks can be magnetic too. Turning magnetic off keeps clips where they are.

## The track panel

Click a track's name in its header to open its panel on the left. Close it with the X or Esc. Type in the name field to rename the track.

For a video or audio track:

| Section   | Controls                                                                      |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Track     | Locked, Magnetic, Visible and Opacity (video), Duck under other audio (audio) |
| Sound     | Muted, Solo, Level from 0% to 150%                                            |
| Subtitles | Generate Subtitles…                                                           |
| Contents  | Clips, Ends at, Position                                                      |
| Arrange   | Up, Down, Video above, Audio below, Delete Track                              |

Text and subtitles tracks have their own panels. See [Text](https://docs.usebetterapps.com/betteredits/text) and [Captions](https://docs.usebetterapps.com/betteredits/captions).

The header's right-click menu carries the same switches: Rename…, Visible, Duck under other audio, Add Placeholder, Add Text, Generate Subtitles…, Regenerate Subtitles…, Locked, Move Up, Move Down, Add Video Track Above, Add Audio Track Below and Delete Track.

## Lock

A locked track refuses every edit: moves, trims, splits, deletes, drops, level and framing changes, and on a subtitles track the bars, style and position. Mute, solo and level still work. Lock the active track with ⌥⌘L, the Locked switch in the panel or the header menu. A locked header shows a lock button; click it to unlock.

## Hide

The eye on a video, text or subtitles track hides it from the preview and the export. A hidden video track's sound still plays; mute it for silence. Hidden tracks dim in the timeline. Audio tracks cannot be hidden, only muted.

## Mute and solo

The speaker button mutes a track. The headphones button solos it: while any track is soloed, only soloed tracks are heard.

## Level and opacity

Each track has a level from 0% to 150% that applies on top of its clips' levels. Video tracks also have an opacity; below 100% the tracks beneath show through. Placeholders take their track's opacity. When either is not 100% the header shows a small percentage badge; change the value in the panel.

## Ducking

An audio track with Duck under other audio on is lowered while a non-ducking audio track plays. Audio 1 ducks by default and voiceover tracks do not, so music drops under a take without any keyframes. See [Voiceover and music](https://docs.usebetterapps.com/betteredits/voiceover-and-music).

## Order

Earlier video tracks composite above later ones. Move a track with Up and Down in the panel or the header menu. Video above and Audio below add a track next to this one. Delete Track removes the track and everything on it.