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Mastering Final Cut Pro shortcuts can significantly streamline your video editing process and enhance your workflow. Familiarize yourself with these key shortcuts for tasks such as adding markers, adjusting volume, navigating the timeline, and color grading, to ensure efficient and precise edits, ultimately saving time and elevating the quality of your projects.
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Shortcuts (AKA hotkeys) in Final Cut Pro not only expedite the editing process but also offer precision, control, and a more intuitive interaction with your project. From color grading to keyframing, these shortcuts are the backbone of a professional editor's toolkit.
Here is an overview of what I’ll go over in this article:
Cmd + N
Ever felt the urge to start fresh with a new canvas? Instead of diving deep into the menu options, just press Cmd + N. This shortcut instantly sets you up with a new project, ready for your creative touch.
Cmd + O
Need to revisit a previous masterpiece or continue where you left off? Forget about navigating through folders. Simply hit Cmd + O and select your desired project to jump right back into editing.
Cmd + W
Too many windows cluttering your workspace? Instead of reaching for that tiny 'x' in the corner, use Cmd + W. It swiftly closes the active window, helping you maintain a clean and focused workspace.
Cmd + S
Don't risk losing hours of hard work. Whenever you make a significant change or just want peace of mind, press Cmd + S. This ensures all your edits and adjustments are saved instantly.
Cmd + Z
Made a mistake or just changed your mind about that last edit? No need to panic. By pressing Cmd + Z, you can effortlessly revert to the previous state, giving you the freedom to experiment without worry.
Cmd + Shift + Z
Realized that undo wasn't necessary? Instead of trying to recreate your last action, simply use Cmd + Shift + Z. This brings back the change you undid, ensuring your creative flow remains uninterrupted.
Cmd + Q
Done for the day or need a break? Close Final Cut Pro in a heartbeat without navigating through menus. Just press Cmd + Q, and you're out, ready to come back whenever inspiration strikes next.
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Space
Switching between reviewing your edits and making adjustments? Just tap the Space bar. This toggles between playing and pausing your video, making it a breeze to analyze your work.
L
Want to see how your edits flow in real-time? Press L. This plays your video forward, allowing you to watch your masterpiece come together.
J
Need to review a specific segment again? Hit J. This plays your video backward, giving you a unique perspective and ensuring you didn't miss any details.
K
When you need a moment to think or make a precise edit, press K. This stops your video playback immediately, letting you focus on the task at hand.
Shift + L
Looking to quickly skim through a longer section or find a specific moment? Use Shift + L. This fast-forwards your video, helping you navigate to your desired point with speed.
Shift + J
Missed something and need to go back quickly? Press Shift + J. This rewinds your video, ensuring you can revisit any segment with ease.
Right Arrow
Perfecting your edits requires attention to detail. To move frame by frame and make precise adjustments, tap the Right Arrow. This advances your video by one frame, giving you granular control.
Left Arrow
Need to step back and review the last frame? Just hit the Left Arrow. This moves your video back by one frame, allowing you to refine your edits with precision.
Cmd + B
Need to make a cut in your clip? Simply press Cmd + B. This activates the Blade Tool, allowing you to swiftly slice through clips and create breaks wherever you need them.
A
Looking to move or adjust a clip? Hit A. This brings up the Select Tool, your go-to for selecting, moving, and making general adjustments to your clips.
T
Fine-tuning the start or end of your clip? Press T. This activates the Trim Tool, enabling you to adjust the in and out points of your clips with precision.
P
Want to rearrange clips in the timeline? Use P. This switches to the Position Tool, allowing you to move clips around while leaving gaps, offering more flexibility in organizing your project.
Cmd + X
Need to remove a clip and use it elsewhere? Hit Cmd + X. This cuts the selected clip, ready to be pasted wherever you need it, keeping your workflow smooth and efficient.
Cmd + C
Found the perfect clip and need it elsewhere too? Press Cmd + C. This copies your selected clip, allowing you to replicate it in any other part of your project.
Cmd + V
Ready to place your cut or copied clip? Just hit Cmd + V. This pastes the clip into your timeline, making rearranging and duplicating elements a breeze.
Cmd + Shift + V
Want to apply the same effects or adjustments to another clip? Use Cmd + Shift + V. This pastes the attributes of one clip to another, ensuring consistency and saving you valuable time.
Delete
Need to remove an unwanted clip? Simply press Delete. This removes the selected clip from your timeline, helping you keep your project clean and organized.
Shift + Delete
Removing a clip and want to close the gap automatically? Hit Shift + Delete. This performs a Ripple Delete, removing the clip and closing the gap in one smooth action.
Home
Starting your review or edits from the very beginning? Simply press Home. This instantly takes you to the start of your timeline, ensuring you don't miss a single frame from the outset.
End
Finished editing and want to see the final moments? Hit End. This shortcut swiftly navigates you to the very end of your timeline, allowing you to review or edit the concluding segments.
Page Up
Navigating through multiple tracks and need to move up? Press Page Up. This elevates your position by one track, making it easier to manage layered edits and effects.
Page Down
Working with several tracks and want to descend to the one below? Use Page Down. This drops your position down by one track, streamlining the process of handling multiple layers in your project.
M
Want to highlight a specific point in your timeline for reference or action? Simply press M. This places a marker on your timeline, serving as a visual cue or reminder for future edits or reviews.
Cmd + M
Need to adjust or add details to an existing marker? Hit Cmd + M. This allows you to modify the marker's attributes, ensuring your notes and cues are always up-to-date and relevant.
Option + M
Realized a marker is no longer necessary? Use Option + M. This quickly removes the selected marker from your timeline, keeping your workspace clean and free from unnecessary distractions.
Cmd + +
Need a closer look at a specific section of your timeline? Press Cmd + +. This zooms in on your timeline, giving you a detailed view and allowing for precise edits and adjustments.
Cmd + -
Want to see the bigger picture or navigate to another section quickly? Simply hit Cmd + -. This zooms out on your timeline, providing a broader view and facilitating easier navigation.
Cmd + R
Looking to create a slow-motion effect or speed up a segment? Use Cmd + R. This brings up the speed adjustment controls for the selected clip, letting you modify its playback speed to achieve the desired effect.
Cmd + G
Working with multiple clips that you want to treat as a single unit? Press Cmd + G. This combines the selected clips into a compound clip, streamlining your timeline and making complex edits more manageable.
Cmd + 5
Want to add some flair to your clips or toggle between your project and the effects library? Simply press Cmd + 5. This shortcut toggles the visibility of the Effects Browser, giving you quick access to a range of effects to enhance your project.
Cmd + 6
Need to fine-tune the colors in your clip or switch between editing and color grading? Hit Cmd + 6. This brings up or hides the Color Inspector, allowing you to adjust color properties and achieve the perfect look for your footage.
Cmd + 1
Looking to browse through your media or toggle between your workspace and the media library? Press Cmd + 1. This shortcut toggles the visibility of the Browser, providing you with quick access to all your media assets.
Cmd + 7
Need to focus on a specific clip or switch between editing and a full view? Simply hit Cmd + 7. This brings up or hides the Timeline, ensuring you have a clear view of your project's sequence and can make edits with ease.
Cmd + +
Need a closer look at specific sections or frames in your timeline? Press Cmd + +. This zooms in on your timeline, offering a detailed view and enabling more precise edits and adjustments.
Cmd + -
Want to get an overview of your entire project or navigate between different sections swiftly? Simply hit Cmd + -. This zooms out on your timeline, providing a broader perspective and facilitating easier movement across your project.
Shift + Scroll Wheel
Navigating through a lengthy timeline with ease? Hold Shift and use the Scroll Wheel on your mouse. This allows you to scroll horizontally through your timeline, making it a breeze to move from one end to the other or find specific segments quickly.
M
Highlighting a specific point or noting a moment in your timeline? Simply press M. This places a marker on your timeline, serving as a visual cue or reminder for edits, reviews, or any other purpose.
Option + M
Decided that a marker is no longer needed? Use Option + M. This quickly removes the selected marker from your timeline, ensuring a clutter-free workspace.
Cmd + M
Want to adjust the details or notes of an existing marker? Press Cmd + M. This allows you to modify the marker's attributes, ensuring your annotations and cues are always accurate and relevant.
Option + Cmd + M
Segmenting your project into chapters or distinct sections? Hit Option + Cmd + M. This adds a chapter marker to your timeline, helping you organize your content and making navigation for viewers a breeze.
Cmd + T
Want to smoothly transition between clips without diving into the effects library? Simply press Cmd + T. This applies the default transition to your clips, providing a seamless flow between segments.
Option + E
Looking to quickly enhance a clip with a standard effect? Hit Option + E. This applies the default video effect to your selected clip, instantly elevating its visual appeal without the need to browse through multiple effects.
Q
Need to add a clip above your primary storyline without disrupting the main sequence? Press Q. This connects the clip to your primary storyline, allowing for supplementary content like cutaways or B-roll.
W
Want to place a clip within your existing sequence, pushing other clips forward? Simply hit W. This inserts the clip at the playhead's position, shifting subsequent clips to accommodate the new addition.
E
Adding a clip to the end of your sequence? Use E. This appends the clip to the very end of your timeline, ensuring a continuous flow in your project.
D
Replacing a segment in your timeline without altering its duration? Press D. This overwrites the clip at the playhead's position with the new clip, maintaining the original clip's duration.
Cmd + Alt + Up Arrow
Want to remove a clip from your timeline but keep the gap it occupied? Use Cmd + Alt + Up Arrow. This lifts the clip out of the sequence, leaving a blank space in its place.
D
Need to replace a segment in your timeline and adjust its duration to fit the new clip? Hit D again. This performs an overwrite edit, replacing the existing clip with the new one and adjusting the duration accordingly.
R
Swapping out a clip for another while retaining the original's position and effects? Press R. This replaces the current clip with a new one, ensuring a seamless transition without the need to reapply effects or adjustments.
Ctrl + =
Finding your audio too soft or wanting to emphasize a particular segment? Press Ctrl + =. This increases the volume of the selected clip, ensuring your audience hears every detail.
Ctrl + -
Is the audio too loud or overpowering other elements? Simply hit Ctrl + -. This decreases the volume of the selected clip, balancing your audio levels for a more harmonious mix.
Shift + S
Want to hear audio while skimming through your timeline or prefer a silent review? Use Shift + S. This toggles audio skimming on or off, giving you control over how you preview your project's audio.
Option + K
Looking to make dynamic changes over time to properties like volume, position, or effects? Press Option + K. This adds a keyframe to the selected property, allowing you to create smooth transitions and animations by adjusting values at specific points in your timeline.
Cmd + 6
Diving into color grading or need to make color adjustments to your clip? Simply press Cmd + 6. This brings up the Color Board, providing you with a range of tools to adjust exposure, saturation, and color, ensuring your footage looks just right.
The Command Editor displays a visual representation of your keyboard.
On the left side, you'll see a list of command groups. Clicking on a group will display the related commands in the center of the window.
The right side of the window shows the current keyboard shortcut for the selected command.
You can either scroll through the list of commands or use the search bar at the bottom of the Command Editor to find a specific command.
Click on the command you want to change.
Press the new key combination you want to assign to that command. If the key combination is already in use, FCPX will notify you, and you can choose to override it or select a different combination.
After making your changes, go to the "Save As" button at the bottom of the Command Editor.
Give your custom command set a name and save it. This allows you to switch between different sets of keyboard shortcuts if needed.
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