Know the editing surfaces.
| Surface | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Project | Comps and imported media |
| Navigator | Find a comp, nested group or use of a shared comp |
| Library | Starting items and animation presets |
| Canvas | View and edit the current picture |
| Layers | Identify objects and real nested children |
| Properties / Controls | Adjust the selected object and exposed parameters |
| Timeline | Arrange clips and edit timing |
| Basement | Detailed parameters, effects and relationships |
| Deliver | Review and produce output |
Navigating changes the view. Entering an instance opens its shared source, so source edits can affect several uses.
Save the source, preserve dependencies.
New Project starts a document; New Composition adds a comp within it. Open Project opens a .carverproj. Import Media adds media. Save As chooses a new path; later Save writes there. Confirm success before closing.
- Keep a separate copy before using a newer candidate.
- Do not assume the project embeds original media or fonts.
- Verify after moving a project between machines.
- Automatic crash recovery is not promised by this development guide.
Comp time and clip placement are different.
A comp has explicit dimensions, frame rate and duration. Its duration is not automatically the longest clip. A clip is the timed placement of an object; trimming it does not change the comp duration. Comp start is a clock origin, not a substitute for moving a clip.
In/Out bounds are explicit, and Out is exclusive. In 0/Out 90 covers frames0–89. Work range, visible clip range and selected export scope need to be checked together.
Confirm selection and nesting.
Select the intended object and confirm the active comp or Group before editing. A Group owns children; an instance references a shared comp. Locked tracks can refuse changes. Track hiding and clip disabling have different effects.
Panel movement, collapse and presentation change the workspace. Preferences and tool defaults may persist across projects; do not treat them as disposable test state.
Understand what Undo can restore.
Unsaved-change decisions include saving, discarding or cancelling. Cancelling should preserve the current work. Undo does not recover content deliberately discarded by closing, and it should not be assumed to undo exported files or another application’s writes.
Use the menus and release-specific shortcuts appropriate to your package. A shortcut printed in a development menu is not proof of a qualified action on every platform.