Editing, resizing and moving Labels

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Methods for changing labels: moving them, resizing them, changing their text content.

Contents

  1. Changing the length and position of labels with the mouse
  2. Moving a point label
  3. Expanding a point label
  4. Moving and resizing a region label
  5. Adjusting the junction point where two labels meet
  6. Moving a label when there is a selection
  7. Using cut, copy and paste
  8. Using the Context Menu
  9. Using the Labels Editor

Changing the length and position of labels with the mouse

You can move a label by clicking and dragging its circle handle. You can change the length of a label by clicking and dragging its triangle handle.

Bulb icon Holding Shift while dragging reverses this behavior, so that
  • dragging a circle handle changes the length of the label, and
  • dragging a triangle handle moves the label.

For example, this lets you resize a label by holding Shift while dragging its circle handle, then release Shift to move the resized label without having to move the mouse pointer to its triangle handle.

In the case where two labels meet you can adjust the junction point where they meet by clicking and dragging their shared circle handle.


Moving a point label

You can move a point label by clicking and dragging its circle handle:

PointMoveBefore W10.png PointMoveAfter W10.png
Before After


Expanding a point label

You can expand a point label into a region label by clicking and dragging either of its triangle handles:

PointExpandBefore W10.png PointExpandAfter W10.png
Before After


Moving and resizing a region label

You can move a region label by clicking and dragging either of its circle handles:

RegionMoveBefore W10.png RegionMoveAfter W10.png
Before After

You can change the length of a region label by clicking and dragging one of its triangle handles:

RegionAdjustBefore W10.png RegionAdjustAfter W10.png
Before After


Adjusting the junction point where two labels meet

You can adjust the junction point where two labels meet by clicking and dragging their shared circle handle:

LinkedRegionMoveBefore W10.png LinkedRegionMoveAfter W10.png
Before After


Moving a label when there is a selection

The illustration below shows what happens if you click in a label to select it, press Enter, then move the label.

LabelRegionMove1Before - W10.png LabelRegionMove1After W10.png
Before moving a label with a selection After moving a label with a selection

Contrast this to what happens if you click in a label to select it, then move the label.

LabelRegionMove2Before W10.png LabelRegionMove2After W10.png
Before moving a label when the label is selected After moving a label when the label is selected


Using cut, copy and paste

The following examples of cutting labels with Edit > Cut will move back any labels that follow to right of the removed label(s). To cut the label without moving following labels, use Edit > Remove Special > Split Cut.

Cutting and Pasting Region Labels

You can cut and paste region labels using Edit > Cut and Edit > Paste, but you have to make sure you do not select any audio, or you will end up cutting and pasting audio where you probably did not intend.

In the image below, the label was selected by clicking in it, then the audio track was unselected by Ctrl-clicking in the Track Control Panel's Select button of the audio track (this can also be done with the keyboard by Enter, Up then Enter).

The label was then cut to the clipboard with Edit > Cut:

LabelTrackPrepareToCopy W10.png

To paste the label at a different point in the audio track, either

  • click in the label track at the point where you would like the label to begin, or
  • click in the audio track at the point where you would like the label to begin then Shift + Down-arrow to extend the selection to the label track.

The label can then be pasted to that spot using Edit > Paste.

LabelTrackAfterPaste W10.png

Cutting and Pasting Point Labels

To cut and paste a point label to a different location, first select the text of the label as shown below. Note the difference in appearance of selected label text (the text is highlighted separately from the box) versus a selected label (where the entire label box is highlighted).

PointLabelTextSelected W10.png
  1. Do Edit > Cut (shortcut Ctrl + X) - the text of the label is cut to the clipboard, leaving a label with no text.
  2. Press Delete to delete the label, or right-click in the label and choose Delete Label from the context menu.
  3. Click in the new location for the label and do Edit > Labels > Paste Text to New Label.
PasteTextToNewLabel W10.png


Using the Context Menu

If you right-click on a label, the label's context menu will appear:

Label context menu.png

The context menu offers the following options

  • Cut: - cuts any selected text in the label and place it on the clipboard
  • Copy: - copies any selected text in the label and place it on the clipboard
  • Paste: - pastes the contents of the clipboard to the label
  • Delete Label: - deletes the entire label
  • Edit: - opens the Labels Editor with just the current label


Using the Labels Editor

The Labels Editor lets you add or remove Label Tracks and edit their labels entirely using the keyboard, so is particularly useful for visually impaired users.

Edit > Labels > Edit Labels... launches a keyboard-accessible Labels Editor. This shows all the labels at once in a tabular view, similar to a spreadsheet. Each row represents a single individual label:

EditLabelDialog - vertical buttons.png

Links

|< Label Tracks