What is timecode?

How timecode works

The common standard is SMPTE timecode, written HH:MM:SS:FF: hours, minutes, seconds and a frame count. At 25 frames per second the frame field runs from 00 to 24 and then rolls over into the next second, so 01:02:03:24 is followed by 01:02:04:00. The frame field is what separates timecode from an ordinary clock: it names a specific image, not a span of time.

Cameras and recorders write timecode into the file (or onto a dedicated track) as they record. It can be record run, which only advances while the camera is rolling, or free run, which follows the time of day so that several devices share one clock. Broadcast masters often start at 01:00:00:00 rather than zero, leaving room for bars, tone and slates before the program.

A media player's timestamp, like 00:14:05.320, is different. It measures elapsed time in seconds and milliseconds from the start of the file. It is fine for jumping around, but it does not say which frame you are on, and it resets for every file.

Drop-frame at 29.97 fps

North American video (NTSC and its descendants) runs at 29.97 frames per second, not 30. If you count 30 frame labels per second anyway, the label drifts behind the real clock by about 3.6 seconds every hour. Drop-frame timecode fixes this by skipping frame numbers 00 and 01 at the start of every minute, except every tenth minute. No actual images are thrown away; only labels are skipped.

Drop-frame is usually written with a semicolon before the frames, as in 00:59:59;29, while non-drop uses colons. The same rule applies at 59.94 fps, where four labels are skipped instead of two. At 24, 25 or 50 fps there is nothing to correct, so timecode there is always non-drop.

An example and common pitfalls

Say an interviewer notes that a great answer starts at 10:42:17:12 on camera A. If camera A and camera B were jam-synced to the same free-running clock, the editor can jump to the same address on B and get the other angle. Without shared timecode, the editor syncs by waveform or a clap instead.

• Mixing drop-frame and non-drop in one project, which shifts events by seconds over a long program.
• Assuming timecode starts at zero. Many files start at an hour mark or at the time of day.
• Treating 23.976 as 24. They are close, but a timeline and a clip that disagree will drift.
• Converting timecode to seconds without knowing the frame rate. 00:00:10:15 is 10.5 seconds at 30 fps and 10.6 seconds at 25 fps.

In MediaFind

MediaFind search results point at an exact time in each file, and you confirm them with one click. When you export selects with Pro, the FCPXML or EDL timeline has frame-accurate in and out points, snapped to each file's own frame rate, so the cut opens in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro on real frame boundaries. For the full workflow, see how to export selects to Premiere or Resolve.

Frequently asked questions

What does the last number in a timecode mean?

It is the frame number within that second. At 25 fps it runs from 00 to 24, and at 30 or 29.97 fps from 00 to 29.

Does drop-frame timecode delete frames?

No. It skips certain frame labels so that the timecode stays in step with the real clock at 29.97 fps. Every image is kept.

Is a YouTube timestamp the same as timecode?

No. A YouTube or player timestamp counts elapsed time from the start of the video. Timecode names individual frames and can start at any value.