Speed ramps: the 10-second fix for boring recordings

Short answer: a speed ramp plays a boring stretch of your recording at 2–4× speed, then returns to normal for the moment that matters. Unlike cutting, it keeps the workflow visibly continuous, viewers see that nothing was hidden, just compressed. It's the fastest single edit for making screen videos watchable.

Ramp vs cut: when each wins

Cut when the removed time carries zero information: you fumbled, you alt-tabbed, the kettle called. Ramp when the time carries shape but not detail: filling a long form, a file uploading, scrolling to the right section, repeating a step across ten rows. The sped-up motion says "this took effort and we respected your time", which is itself part of the story.

The speeds that read well

• 2×, barely noticeable compression; good for mild trims inside narration.
• 3–4×, the sweet spot for visible "fast-forward" energy; motion stays legible.
• 8×+, comedic/time-lapse territory; use once per video at most.
• 0.5×, the reverse ramp: slow-motion on the single payoff moment (the result appearing, the number changing). One per video, maximum drama.

Three rules of clean ramps

1. Never ramp the teaching moment. Speed the plumbing, not the payload.
2. Enter and exit on stillness. Start the ramp after a click completes, end it before the next meaningful action, mid-motion speed changes feel glitchy.
3. Mind the audio. Voiceover over a ramp should describe the outcome ("after filling in the details…") rather than narrate sped-up steps.

Doing it in practice

In a traditional editor: cut the clip at both ends of the slow section, apply a speed effect, smooth the joins. In Girato: press + Speed, drag the segment over the boring stretch on the timeline, pick the rate, the export re-times video (and keeps your zooms and effects aligned) automatically. Combined with vertical export, ramps are how a 3-minute workflow becomes a 35-second clip that doesn't feel rushed.