# L-cut

Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/l-cut
Last updated: 2026-10-08

> Definition: An L-cut is a split edit in which the audio of one shot continues after the picture has cut to the next shot, so the viewer keeps hearing the previous scene while seeing the new one.

An L-cut lets the sound stay behind while the picture moves on. A speaker finishes their sentence, but you're already looking at the product they mentioned, or at the listener's reaction. It's one of the most common edits in documentaries, interviews and explainers, and you've seen thousands of them without noticing.

## Where does the name L-cut come from?

The name comes from the shape on an editing timeline. The outgoing clip's audio runs on under the next shot after its video has ended, so the clip forms an L: video on top stopping early, audio underneath reaching further right. The reverse shape, with audio starting early, is a [J-cut](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/j-cut).

## How are L-cuts used in YouTube and short-form videos?

L-cuts are mostly used to change what the viewer sees without interrupting what they hear. Typical cases:

- **Cutaways.** The creator says "here's the new dashboard" and the picture cuts to a screen recording while the voice continues.
- **Reactions.** In an interview, the picture cuts to the host nodding while the guest is still mid-sentence.
- **Exits.** A line of dialogue finishes over the first shot of the next section, so the transition doesn't clip the last word.

In talking-head content, laying [B-roll](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/b-roll) over continuing dialogue is the everyday L-cut. It keeps the voice continuous while the picture changes, which also hides any [jump cuts](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/jump-cut) underneath.

## L-cut vs J-cut: what's the difference?

The difference is the direction the audio overlaps. In an L-cut the previous shot's sound continues after the cut. In a J-cut the next shot's sound starts before the cut. L-cuts suit reactions and cutaways. J-cuts suit introductions and scene openings, where sound draws you into the next shot.

## What's an example of an L-cut?

A founder says, "Last month we crossed our first thousand signups, and the support inbox exploded." Halfway through, the picture cuts to a screenshot of the inbox. The founder's voice keeps going over it. The picture changed at a different moment from the audio, which is an L-cut.

## Can you make an L-cut in Vidiyo?

You can make the cutaway kind of L-cut in Vidiyo, which is the one most talking-head videos use. Ask the assistant to show a clip or image over a line, and it places it muted on a video track above the speaker, so your voice carries on under the new picture. Vidiyo doesn't have a split-edit tool for offsetting one clip's audio from its own picture: each clip keeps picture and dialogue together so they never drift out of sync.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why is it called an L-cut?

On a timeline, the outgoing clip's audio extends further right than its video, under the next shot, so the clip's outline looks like the letter L.

### Is B-roll over dialogue an L-cut?

It works the same way. When you cut away to B-roll while the speaker keeps talking, the voice continues past the picture change, which is the essence of an L-cut.

### When should I use an L-cut?

Use it to show a reaction while someone is still talking, to cut to what the speaker describes, or to let a sentence finish over the next scene so a transition doesn't chop it.

## Related terms

- [J-cut](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/j-cut)
- [B-roll](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/b-roll)
- [A-roll](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/a-roll)
- [Timeline](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/timeline)

## Where Vidiyo does this

- [Layers and keyframes, by hand or by chat](https://getvidiyo.app/features/layers-and-keyframes)
- [Edit video by chatting](https://getvidiyo.app/features/chat-video-editing)