Sound effects must be made to move with the video

Hi,

In CapCut, the behavior you are describing with the SFX going out of sync when you edit earlier clips is indeed due to the "main track magnet" (or "magnetic timeline") feature, which is designed to keep everything relative to the beginning of the timeline. While grouping should ideally help, it doesn't always work perfectly for this specific scenario with SFX.

Here are a few strategies you can try to fix this, ranging from workarounds within CapCut to slightly different editing approaches:

1. Disable Main Track Magnet Temporarily (Less Ideal but Possible):

   • While you're making those specific edits to earlier clips that cause the shift, you could temporarily disable the "main track magnet" (it's usually an icon that looks like a magnet or a toggle in the timeline tools).

   • However, be very careful with this. Disabling it means everything won't automatically shift, so you'll have to manually adjust all subsequent clips and elements to maintain sync. This is generally not recommended for complex edits, but for very minor, isolated adjustments, it might be a quick fix.

2. Use Compound Clips (More Robust for Sections):

   • This is often the most effective solution for keeping a group of clips and their associated SFX together.

   • How to do it:

     1. Select the clip (or clips) that your SFX is synced to, along with the SFX itself.

     2. Right-click on the selected items (or use the "Create Compound Clip" option, if available in your version of CapCut, often found in the right-click menu or under "Modify" or "Clip").

     3. This will combine them into a single "compound clip." Now, when you trim or extend clips before this compound clip, the entire compound clip (including your synced SFX) will move as one unit, maintaining its internal sync.

   • Benefit: This treats the clip and SFX as an indivisible unit, so their relative timing won't be affected by shifts in the main timeline.

   • Drawback: If you need to edit the original clip or SFX within the compound clip, you'll have to "decompose" or "open" the compound clip first, make your changes, and then potentially re-compound it.

3. Place SFX on a Higher Track and Lock It:

   • There is an option to "lock" a track, preventing anything on it from moving inadvertently.

   • How to check: Look for a "lock" icon next to the track number or name.

   • Right-click (or long-press) on the SFX track and look for a Lock icon on the side of the timeline. Tap it to prevent changes.

   • If available: Place your SFX on a separate audio track above your main video track. Once synced, lock that audio track.

   • Benefit: Prevents the SFX from moving even if the video clip below it shifts.

   • Drawback: If the video clip itself moves relative to the start of the project due to earlier edits, and the SFX track is locked, the SFX will no longer be synced to the moving video clip. This method is best if you're only adjusting things within the video track and want the SFX to stay at a fixed point in time. This is less likely to solve your specific "clip shifts due to magnet" problem.

4. Export as Sub-Clip (More Drastic):

   • If you have a section of your video that is perfectly synced with SFX and you're done editing that specific section, you could export just that section as a short video clip.

   • Then, re-import that exported clip back into your main project.

   • Benefit: This creates a single, immutable video file with the SFX baked in, so it will move as one unit on your timeline.

   • Drawback: You lose the ability to easily re-edit the individual components (video and SFX) once exported. Only use this if you're absolutely sure that section is final.

5. Adjust SFX Manually After Main Edits (Last Resort/Time-Consuming):

   • If none of the above work, or if your edits are minor and infrequent, you might just have to manually drag the SFX back into sync after you've finished trimming/extending earlier clips.

   • Tip: Use markers on your video clip (or even on the SFX track if CapCut allows) to denote the exact sync points before you start editing earlier clips. This will make it easier to re-align.

6. Add SFX After All Major Timeline Edits
   • First, finalize all clip trimming, sequencing, and transitions.
   • Then, go back and add your SFX only once your clip timings are locked.
   • Best for ensuring perfect sync without future drift.
7. Use Markers
   • Some versions of CapCut allow you to add timeline markers. If you can:
     • Mark the exact sync point.
     • Use the marker to re-align the SFX quickly if things shift.
   • This is helpful for longer edits where tracking manually is harder.
8. Add SFX Directly to the Clip (Workaround)
   • CapCut doesn't allow direct audio linking to a video clip like some pro editors (e.g., Premiere).
   • But a workaround is to export the clip with the SFX as a mini video, then import it back in. That way, the SFX is “baked in.”
   • Useful if your edit is mostly finished and you want to prevent sync drift.

What Doesn’t Work Well

• Grouping: This only helps when manually dragging elements around—not during ripple edits.

• Auto-snap: It aligns clips visually but doesn't preserve sync when earlier clips are changed.

Summary:

• Lock the audio track before trimming earlier clips.

• Or, finish video edits first, then add SFX.

• Use export/reimport if syncing must be perfect.

• Grouping alone won't solve sync drift caused by timeline ripple.

Recommendation:

The Compound Clip method (Strategy 2) is generally the most robust and recommended way to maintain sync between video clips and their associated SFX in CapCut when dealing with a magnetic timeline.

It allows you to keep editing your project while ensuring specific elements stay locked together.

Let us know what version of CapCut you're using (PC or mobile) and we can give more targeted steps/screenshots.