… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #219: The Coolness of the J-K-L Keys

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

Shortcuts that speed playback.

Topic $TipTopic

Most of us are total mouse junkies. But, there are things you can do with the keyboard that are hard to do with a mouse. One of these involves timeline playback.

Since probably the first Avid, we’ve been able to playback clips on the timeline using the J – K – L keys. The benefit to using these keys is that they are conveniently grouped to match the fingers of one hand.

Here are some shortcuts you may not know:

  • J. Plays backward in real-time
  • K. Stops playback (the same as pressing Spacebar)
  • L. Plays forward in real time (the same as pressing Spacebar)
  •  

  • Tap J multiple times. Each time you tap, speed increases by 1X, up to a maximum of 6X
  • Tap L multiple times. Each time you tap, speed increases by 1X, up to a maximum of 6X
  •  

  • Press K & J. Slow-motion backward
  • Press K & L. Slow-motion forward
  •  

  • Press Shift + J. Starts slow, then ramps to high-speed backward
  • Press Shift + L. Starts slow, then ramps to high-speed forward

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… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #218: Shortcuts that Move Titles

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

These shortcuts give your text direction.

Text box colors indicate status of text in Premiere.
Red means you can edit text. Blue means you can move text.

Topic $TipTopic

The new Title tool in Premiere is really great, when it isn’t also driving me nuts. The problem is that I can never remember when I can edit the text and when I can move it.

Here’s the secret:

  • Select the text clip with the Text tool and the box turns red. Red means you can edit the text with the text tool.
  • Select the text clip with the Selection tool and the box turns blue. Blue means you can move the text box.

EXTRA CREDIT

There are helpful keyboard shortcuts that can help you move text boxes, once you’ve selected them in the Effect Controls.

Shortcut What It Does
Cmd – [arrow key] Moves the selected text box one pixel in the direction of the arrow.
Shift – Cmd – [arrow key] Moves the selected text box five pixels in the direction of the arrow.

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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #198: A Faster Way to Edit Audio – or, um, not

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

Edit only audio, only video or both from a clip.

A menu option in Apple Final Cut Pro X allowing editing audio, video or both.
This menu is accessible, but these shortcuts are MUCH faster.

Topic $TipTopic

In addition to HOW you edit, you can also control WHAT you edit. To access this menu, click the small downward-pointing arrow next to the editing icons above the timeline.

Or, use these keyboard shortcuts:

Shortcut What It Does
Shift + 1 Edit both audio and video into the timeline
Shift + 2 Edit video-only into the Timeline
Shift + 3 Edit audio-only into the Timeline

NOTE: These options need to be enabled before making the edit.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #197: Much Faster Ways to Trim Tops and Tails

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

Yes, you can trim by dragging. But, why waste the time?

A video clip in the Apple Final Cut Pro X timeline.
Trimming the top or tail of a clip starts by properly positioning the playhead.

Topic $TipTopic

Trimming the start (top) and end (tail) of a clip is something that we need to do SO OFTEN, that this tip alone can save you hours. These shortcuts ONLY work in the Timeline.

Shortcut What It Does
Option + [ Trims the start of a clip to the position of the playhead/skimmer
Option + ] Trims the end of a clip to the position of the playhead/skimmer
Option + Trims a clip to its selected range

 


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… for Apple Motion

Tip #188: Move Layers with a Keyboard Shortcut

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

Moving layers need not be difficult.

Tip Screen Shot

Topic $TipTopic

Moving layers in Motion with the mouse can be challenging because you need to very carefully watch the location of that thin blue line.

It is much better to use a keyboard shortcut. This is one of those shortcuts that, once you learn it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

  • Cmd + ] — Go up
  • Cmd + [ — Go down

Sigh… so simple.


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… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #164: 6 “Trim to Playhead” Shortcuts

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

Keyboard shortcuts that speed trimming to the Playhead.

Tip Screen Shot

Topic $TipTopic

These six keyboard shortcuts speed trimming an edit point to the playhead.

Shortcut What It Does
Q Ripple trim previous edit to playhead (does not leave a gap)
Shift + Q Extend (Roll) previous edit to playhead
Option + Q Trim previous edit to playhead (leaves a gap)
W Ripple trim next edit to playhead (does not leave a gap)
Shift + W Extend (Roll) next edit to playhead
Option + W Trim next edit to playhead (leaves a gap)

The cool part about these is that you don’t need to select the edit point first.

NOTE: These shortcuts are all from the Adobe Premiere Pro Default keyboard map.


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… for Apple Motion

Tip #091: A Faster Way to Fine Tune

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

This is a great option when you need to make small adjustments.

Tip Screen Shot

Topic $TipTopic

Every slider in Motion has a track that it slides in.

Press the Option key while clicking on the track and you’ll change the value of the setting by one unit.

Click left of the slider to decrease the value, click right of the slider to increase the value.

Not all sliders support this, but most of them do.


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… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #129: Hover Scrub Tricks

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

“Hovering” is the fastest way to view a clip.

Tip Screen Shot

Topic $TipTopic

Hover scrubbing is most valuable for quickly previewing the contents of a clip before you edit it into a sequence.

To “Hover Scrub” a clip, move (but do not click and drag) the cursor across a thumbnail in the Program panel. You can see the entire duration of a clip when hover scrubbing thumbnails left to right. When you move the mouse outside the boundaries of the clip, or focus is set away from the Project panel, the thumbnail resets to the poster frame. No audio is played during hover scrubbing.

  • To turn off Hover Scrub, press Shift + H.
  • When Hover Scrub is off, you can press the Shift key to temporarily enable Hover Scrubbing.
  • Use the keyboard shortcuts I and O to set In and Out points for the clip while hover scrubbing.
  • While hovering over a portion of a clip, double-click the icon, and the clip loads into the Source Monitor where the pointer was hovering. With this technique, Insert or Overwrite edits can be quickly made to the timeline.

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