PowerDirector Library Preview Window Overview
Preview library clips on their own, trim them before the timeline, and mark the moments you want.
Updated Aug. 19, 2026 · 4 min read
In a hurry? Use the Library Preview Window quick guide instead.
The Library Preview Window is PowerDirector's second preview, and it exists so you can look at a clip from your library without disturbing what is already on the timeline. It is also where a clip can be cut down before it ever arrives: set the part you want, choose whether it inserts or overwrites, and only that piece lands.
- In PowerDirector, open the View menu and choose Show Library Preview Window.
- Click a clip in the library, then set its Mark In and Mark Out points with I and O.
- Click Insert to drop the trimmed clip in at the playhead, or Overwrite to replace what is already there.
- Use Add Clip Marker to flag a moment, and the marker travels onto the timeline with the clip.
A Tour of the Library Preview Window
Prefer to watch? Here's the whole thing in a three minute video, or follow the written sections below.
Open the Library Preview Window
It's off by default, so you'll need to turn it on once. Open View in the top menu bar and choose Show Library Preview Window. A second preview appears beside the one you already have.
Two Windows, One Job Each
Turning it on quietly changes the other window's job. Before, clicking a library clip played it in the Project Preview Window. Now that duty moves across, so the project preview only ever shows your timeline and the library preview only ever shows the clip you clicked. That split is the whole point: you can compare a candidate clip against your edit without losing your place in either.
Preview Built-in Assets Too
It isn't only for your own footage. Click through the built-in backgrounds, title templates, transitions, overlays, and project templates and they all play here, which makes browsing for the right one much quicker than dropping each candidate on the timeline to see what it does.
Several familiar controls come along too, including full screen, the layout modes, snapshot, and the usual playback buttons, so nothing new to learn if you've already toured the project preview.
Pre-Cut a Clip Before It Reaches the Timeline
This is the part worth knowing about. Select a clip in the library, then drag the start and end sliders under the preview to the piece you actually want. Pressing I and O does the same thing, as do the Mark In and Mark Out buttons below. Trimming here means you bring in the ten good seconds instead of a three minute clip you then have to cut down on the timeline.
Insert or Overwrite
Two buttons sit under the preview, and they put the trimmed clip on the timeline in two quite different ways:
| Button | What it does to the timeline |
|---|---|
| Insert | Drops the clip in at the playhead on the selected track and pushes existing footage along, so nothing is lost |
| Overwrite | Drops the clip in at the playhead and replaces whatever was already sitting there |
Add a Clip Marker
Spotted the exact moment you want to cut on? Move the playhead to it and click Add Clip Marker. Double-click the marker to give it a name, a comment, and a color, which is worth doing if you're flagging several moments in one long clip.
Dragging Straight In Skips All of This
Here's the catch that surprises people. Your trim only comes along if you use the Insert or Overwrite buttons. Drag the same clip from the library onto the timeline by hand and it arrives at its full, untrimmed length, as though you'd never marked anything. The good news is the marks aren't lost: come back to the library preview and they're still set, ready to use properly.
Use the buttons, not the drag. A dragged clip ignores your Mark In and Mark Out and lands at full length. Only Insert and Overwrite bring the trimmed version.
Haven't got PowerDirector yet? Pre-cutting a clip before it reaches the timeline is a habit worth forming early.
Download PowerDirector Free →FAQ About the Library Preview Window
The Library Preview Window plays a single clip you've selected in the media library. The Project Preview Window plays your timeline. Once the library preview is open, each one sticks to its own job instead of sharing.
You almost certainly dragged it onto the timeline instead of using the Insert or Overwrite buttons. Only those two buttons carry your Mark In and Mark Out points across. Your marks are still saved, so just go back and use the buttons.
Yes. A marker you set in the library preview appears on the clip once it's on the timeline, along with any name, comment, or color you gave it.