What is the playhead?
Also called: scrubber
Definition
The playhead is the vertical line on a timeline that marks the moment currently shown in the preview.
Playing the video moves the playhead. Dragging it by hand, called scrubbing, lets you find an exact frame. Most editing commands act at the playhead: split here, paste here, add an effect here.
On most timelines the preview shows the frame under the playhead, and playback starts from it. Snapping the playhead to the edges of blocks and cuts makes it easy to place an edit on an exact frame.
Related terms
- Timeline
- A timeline is the part of a video editor that lays the video out from left to right in time, with tracks for picture, sound and effects.
- Split
- To split a clip is to divide it into two at the playhead, so each part can be moved, trimmed or deleted separately.
- Trim
- To trim a video is to remove time from its beginning or its end.