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Synchronize your video to a beat

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to synchronize your images and videos to the beat of a song to make your final video or project more exciting and impactful.

Click on any of the images below to view full-size.

How to add markers

Open Pinnacle Studio and add the music track you want to work with to A/V Track 2. Before adding any images or videos, you need to add markers across the timeline to mark where the beat drops in the audio track.

• Drag the playhead to where you want to place a marker and then click on the Marker icon to mark the beat.

• Alternatively, press the space bar on your keyboard to start playing the music and as the music is playing, press the M key on your keyboard to mark where the beat drops.

As you add markers, orange icons will pop up to indicate the markers.

• To move the marker to a different position, click on the marker and drag it forward or backwards on the timeline to adjust its position.
• Click on the Marker Panel to make further adjustments to your markers such as deleting any of the ones created or even change the marker color.

How to sync photos to the beat

Once you’ve set all your markers, you’re ready to add media to the timeline. We’ll start with a collection of photos, and synchronize the beat at the moment between 2 photos.

• Make sure you are in the correct editing mode by going to the right of the screen and selecting Insert Mode which is this arrow icon pointing to the right.

Insert Mode allows you to make changes to one clip and will make changes to the clips that follow that clip automatically.  This is important especially when syncing video clips to a beat.

• Go to your project bin and hold down CTRL on your keyboard and click all the photos you want to use. Then drag them onto A/V Track 1.
• From here, click on each photo individually and hover your mouse on the edge of the photo to extend or shorten its length so that the photo ends where the markers are set.

This means that the photo will change at the exact moment the beat drops so our clips will sync nicely alongside our music track.

How to sync videos to the beat

• Add your video clips to A/V Track 1 on the timeline.

In this example, the video clip is of two girls diving into a lake.

• Drag the playhead to the point on the video clip where you want to drop the beat. In this example, I want to drop the beat right when the girls splash in the water.
• Click on the Split Clips icon or press N on your keyboard to split the video clip into two different sections.

• Hover your mouse over the beginning edge of the video clip.

Since you’re in Insert Mode, when you click and drag the clip to the right, you’ll see the clip is being automatically shortened.

• Do this until the end of the video clip you split lines up to the marker on the timeline.

Now if you play our video from the start, you’ll see you have a great video showing off all the highlights of a summer vacation that syncs along with the music of your choice!