Working with Groups

Last Updated:

July 26, 2021 15:30

A group is a set of media, annotations, and/or enhancements combined into a single track.

Group media to:

• Organize the timeline.
• Move a set of media on the canvas or timeline.
• Edit properties such as scale or opacity for all media in the group together.
• Create custom assets that can be shared and reused across projects.
• Save a media group to your library to use in a future project.

Characteristics of a group:

• Groups can contain an unlimited number of media, annotations, enhancements, or tracks.
• Groups can be nested in other groups for further organization.
• Spaces are maintained between media in groups on magnetic tracks.

Create a Group

1. Hold Shift+click to select media on the timeline to add to the group.
2. Right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac) the selection and select Group, or press Ctrl+G (Windows) or Command+G (Mac).

Edit a Group

Some groups in the default Camtasia library and on the TechSmith Assets for Camtasia website have editable properties such as title, subtitle, or shapes. See Edit Media Properties Overview.

Option	Steps
Open Group Expand a group on the timeline to view and edit media individually.	Click the + icon on the group on the timeline or click a group on the canvas and press Ctrl+Shift+G (Windows). Media within the group appear on separate tracks. The group name displays in a tab above the timeline.
Close Group Collapse items within a group to a single track.	Click the X icon on the group tab above the timeline or press Control+Shift+U (Windows). The group displays on a single track on the timeline.
Navigate Between Groups and Timeline	Click a tab to navigate between open groups or the main timeline. Camtasia displays a green tab name for the currently selected tab.
Add Media to an Existing Group	Right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac) media on timeline or canvas and select Cut. Click the + icon to open the target group. Paste media into the group: On Windows, right-click the canvas or an empty section of the timeline and select Paste. On Mac, click the Add a Track icon. Control+click the empty track and select Paste Media at Playhead.
Remove Media from Group	Right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac) clip on timeline and select Cut. Click the X icon to close the tab. Paste media: On Windows, right-click the canvas or an empty section of the timeline and select Paste. On Mac, click the Add a Track icon. Control+click the empty track and select Paste Media at Playhead.
Rename Group	Double-click group tab on timeline and type new group name.
Ungroup Media	Right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac) group on the timeline and select Ungroup.
Edit Group Properties	Select a group on the timeline or canvas and click the Properties button. The Properties panel displays a list of editable group properties (also known as Quick Properties). See Create Custom Assets.
Resize All Media in a Group	Select a group on the timeline or canvas and drag the corner handles on the canvas. All media in the group is scaled proportionately.
Resize Group Area Set the overall area of the group to a different size for advanced editing workflows. The size of individual media within the group is not affected.	Right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac) a group on the timeline and select Resize Group. Select one of the following options:  Canvas Size: The group is the same size as the canvas. Camtasia crops any items that extend beyond the canvas edge. This option is useful to center a group on the canvas and prevent it from being moved accidentally. Visible Size: The group area includes all items without cropping. This is useful to zoom out on items that extend beyond the canvas. Custom Size: Enter a custom height and width in pixels and click Resize. This is useful to restrict media from displaying beyond an area of specific size.
Crop Group on the Canvas	Select a group on the timeline or canvas and click the  icon. Drag the handles on the canvas to the desired size.
Move Group	Click and drag to move a group: On the timeline to a different time in the video. On the canvas to a different location on the screen in the video.
Add Enhancements Add animations, behaviors, and effects to media groups or individual media in groups.	To a Group: Click and drag enhancements onto a group on the timeline. To Individual Media: Click the + icon to open the group. Click and drag enhancements onto media in the group on the timeline.
Rotate Group on the Canvas	Select a group on the timeline or canvas and drag the center handle.

Add a Group to the Library

Save media groups to your Library to share or reuse in projects.

1. Right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac) a group on the timeline and select Add to Library.
2. Enter a name.
3. Select a library.
4. Click Use Canvas Size or Use Visible Size to set the saved group dimensions. To learn more about these options, see Reuse Assets Across Projects (Asset Libraries).
5. Click OK (Windows) or Add (Mac).

Preview a Group

Preview only the media within a group on the canvas.

1. Click the + icon to open a group.
   
2. Click the Preview Mode button.
   
   
   • Enable Preview Mode: All media on the timeline is visible on the canvas.
     
   • Disable Preview Mode: Only the group is visible on the canvas. The exported video includes all media.
     

This help topic is for Camtasia version 2021. If you have a previous version, upgrade to the latest version of TechSmith Camtasia or view the help for another version in the Previous Versions section.

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In This Article

• Create a Group
• Edit a Group
• Add a Group to the Library
• Preview a Group

Related Articles

Timeline Overview

Reuse Assets Across Projects (Asset Libraries)

Create Custom Assets

How to Use Groups Tabs Tutorial