diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/context.ts b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/context.ts
index 5ec4ab3c01..defd7cd3c9 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/context.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/context.ts
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ import {
 	sortTrackSegments,
 } from "./timelineTracks";
 import { createProgressBar } from "./utils";
+import { splitZoomSegmentAt } from "./zoom-segments";
 
 export type ModalDialog =
 	| { type: "createPreset" }
@@ -604,26 +605,33 @@ export const [EditorContextProvider, useEditorContext] = createContextProvider(
 				});
 			},
 			splitZoomSegment: (index: number, time: number) => {
+				const segments = project.timeline?.zoomSegments;
+				const segment = segments?.[index];
+				if (!segment) return;
+
+				const newLengths = [segment.end - segment.start - time, time];
+				if (newLengths.some((l) => l < 1)) return;
+
+				let newSegmentIndex: number | null = null;
 				setProject(
 					"timeline",
 					"zoomSegments",
-					produce((segments) => {
-						const segment = segments[index];
-						if (!segment) return;
-
-						const newLengths = [segment.end - segment.start - time, time];
-
-						if (newLengths.some((l) => l < 1)) return;
-
-						segments.splice(index + 1, 0, {
-							...segment,
-							start: segment.start + time,
-							end: segment.end,
-						});
-						segments[index].end = segment.start + time;
-						sortTrackSegments(segments);
+					produce((zoomSegments) => {
+						const result = splitZoomSegmentAt(zoomSegments, index, time);
+						if (!result) return;
+						newSegmentIndex = result.newSegmentIndex;
 					}),
 				);
+
+				// The split + sort reorders the array, so the previously selected
+				// index can now point at the other half. Keep the user's selection
+				// on the new piece — the segment they were editing when they split it.
+				if (newSegmentIndex !== null)
+					setEditorState("timeline", "selection", {
+						type: "zoom",
+						indices: [newSegmentIndex],
+					});
+				else setEditorState("timeline", "selection", null);
 			},
 			deleteZoomSegments: (segmentIndices: number[]) => {
 				batch(() => {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/zoom-segments.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/zoom-segments.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dab4b78c2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/zoom-segments.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import { splitZoomSegmentAt } from "./zoom-segments";
+
+type Segment = {
+	start: number;
+	end: number;
+	amount: number;
+};
+
+function segment(start: number, end: number, amount = 1.5): Segment {
+	return { start, end, amount };
+}
+
+describe("splitZoomSegmentAt", () => {
+	it("splits into left [start, start+time] and right [start+time, end]", () => {
+		const segments = [segment(10, 30)];
+		const result = splitZoomSegmentAt(segments, 0, 8);
+
+		expect(result).not.toBeNull();
+		expect(segments[0]).toMatchObject({ start: 10, end: 18 });
+		expect(segments[1]).toMatchObject({ start: 18, end: 30 });
+		expect(result?.newSegmentIndex).toBe(1);
+	});
+
+	it("tracks the new piece by identity when the sort moves it past later segments", () => {
+		const segments = [segment(10, 20), segment(30, 40)];
+		const result = splitZoomSegmentAt(segments, 0, 5);
+
+		expect(segments.map((s) => s.start)).toEqual([10, 15, 30]);
+		expect(segments.map((s) => s.end)).toEqual([15, 20, 40]);
+		expect(result?.newSegmentIndex).toBe(1);
+		expect(segments[result?.newSegmentIndex ?? -1]).toMatchObject({
+			start: 15,
+			end: 20,
+		});
+	});
+
+	it("preserves the segment's other properties on both halves", () => {
+		const segments = [segment(0, 10, 2.5)];
+		splitZoomSegmentAt(segments, 0, 4);
+
+		expect(segments[0].amount).toBe(2.5);
+		expect(segments[1].amount).toBe(2.5);
+	});
+
+	it("keeps the new (right) piece selectable after a re-sort around existing segments", () => {
+		const segments = [segment(0, 10), segment(20, 30), segment(40, 50)];
+		const result = splitZoomSegmentAt(segments, 1, 5);
+
+		expect(segments.map((s) => s.start)).toEqual([0, 20, 25, 40]);
+		expect(segments.map((s) => s.end)).toEqual([10, 25, 30, 50]);
+		expect(result?.newSegmentIndex).toBe(2);
+		expect(segments[result?.newSegmentIndex ?? -1]).toMatchObject({
+			start: 25,
+			end: 30,
+		});
+	});
+
+	it("rejects splits that would leave a piece shorter than one second", () => {
+		const segments = [segment(10, 30)];
+
+		expect(splitZoomSegmentAt(segments, 0, 0.5)).toBeNull();
+		expect(splitZoomSegmentAt(segments, 0, 20.5)).toBeNull();
+		expect(segments).toHaveLength(1);
+		expect(segments[0]).toMatchObject({ start: 10, end: 30 });
+	});
+
+	it("returns null for an out-of-bounds index without mutating the array", () => {
+		const segments = [segment(0, 10)];
+
+		expect(splitZoomSegmentAt(segments, 3, 5)).toBeNull();
+		expect(segments).toHaveLength(1);
+	});
+});
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/zoom-segments.ts b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/zoom-segments.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6313aacb2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/zoom-segments.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import { sortTrackSegments } from "./timelineTracks";
+
+type ZoomSegmentLike = {
+	start: number;
+	end: number;
+};
+
+export type SplitZoomResult<ZoomSegment extends ZoomSegmentLike> = {
+	segments: ZoomSegment[];
+	// Post-sort index of the newly created (right) piece, so callers can keep
+	// the user's selection pointing at the segment they split instead of
+	// whichever piece the sort left at the old position.
+	newSegmentIndex: number;
+};
+
+export function splitZoomSegmentAt<ZoomSegment extends ZoomSegmentLike>(
+	segments: ZoomSegment[],
+	index: number,
+	time: number,
+): SplitZoomResult<ZoomSegment> | null {
+	const segment = segments[index];
+	if (!segment) return null;
+
+	const newLengths = [segment.end - segment.start - time, time];
+	if (newLengths.some((l) => l < 1)) return null;
+
+	segments.splice(index + 1, 0, {
+		...segment,
+		start: segment.start + time,
+		end: segment.end,
+	});
+	segments[index].end = segment.start + time;
+
+	const inserted = segments[index + 1];
+	const newSegmentIndex = sortTrackSegments(segments).indexOf(inserted);
+	if (newSegmentIndex === -1) return null;
+
+	return { segments, newSegmentIndex };
+}