Premiere Pro CC: Must Know Video Editing Shortcuts

Premiere Pro CC features additional helpful keyboard shortcuts. This is a list of Timeline Shortcuts that will speed up your video editing and let you work smarter.

I previously looked at time saving tips in Premiere Pro CS 6 here and here. In addition, Adobe Premiere Pro CC has added a lot of shortcuts to the Default keyboard settings, which saves you the time of adding them individually.

To clarify keyboard shortcuts: Mac users have Command & Option, PC users have Control & Alt.  The following shortcuts are written with Command & Option.  Simply sub these keys out for Control & Alt on a PC.

All the Default Shortcuts for Premiere Pro CC are listed here.  Let’s dive into some of the must know timeline shortcuts for Premiere Pro CC:

1. Toggle Audio Scrub:
   Shift + S

   Sometimes you want to hear audio when you scrub, sometimes you don’t. Turning off scrubbing increases processing power.

2. Toggle Trim Type:
   Control + T (Shift on PC)

   Toggles between standard trim (leaves a gap), ripple and roll.

3. Ripple Trim:
   Next Edit – W , Previous Edit – Q

   Lets you trim the head or tail of a clip, a quick way to work.

4. Slip Clip in Sequence:
   Option+ Command + left/right keys
   Add Shift to move 5 frames

   Changes the in and out points of the clip in the Premiere Pro timeline.  Note, it doesn’t change the length of the clip.

5. Slide Clip in Sequence:
   Option + , (left) or Option +. (right)
   Add Shift to move 5 frames

   Looks at 3 clips, slides the middle clip left or right.  Thehe clips to the left/right adjust in length (the middle clip stays the same length).

6. Add keyframes to Opacity/Volume:
   Command Click with Selection Tool

   This is quicker than switching to the pen tool to add keyframes and then switching back to the selection tool. If you don’t see the white line for opacity/volume, go to the wrench (Timeline Display Settings) and select “Show Video Keyframes” or “Show Audio Keyframes”.

7. Nudge (move a clip up or down):
   Up or Down Arrows

   Hold Alt/Option to select just video or audio (or click the linked selection button), then use the up or down arrow. This will add tracks if they don’t already exist (similar to the FCP behavior)

8. Nest:
   No Default (I use Option + C)
   Shift + T reveals clips in nest

   Select the clips you want to Nest, then press Option + C. Name the Nest a specific, useful name. Do not use the defaults. If I then wanted to step into the Nest I created, Shift + T will show me the original clips. I previously covered Nesting here.

9. Edit Clip in Audition:
   No Default (I use Shift + A)

   You can right click on a clip to do this, but I use this a lot and this is quicker. This is a round-trip, in that you make your changes in Audition and they show up back in Premiere Pro. I have written on this in more detail here.

10. Replace with After Effects Comp:
    No Default (I use Shift + E)

    You can also right click on a clip to this, but again I use this often and this Premiere Pro CC shortcut quicker. This is also a round-trip, in that you make your changes in After Effects and they show up back in Premiere Pro. Use this when you need to just send a clip to After Effects for something that cant be done in Premiere Pro (like Motion Tracking). If this is new to you, check the Adobe Help for more info.

11. Group Clips:
    Command + G

    Select the clips you want to group and press Command + G. When you click on a clip in a group, they all turn grey (selected).  Grouping allows you to move multiple clips as one clip.

    Some things to know about Groups in Premiere Pro:
    – If you click on the edge of a clip, it trims just that clip.
    – If you select the group first, clocking on an edge trims the group
    – Grouping will let you swap edit multiple clips as one clip.

12. Add Edit:
    Command + K  (for targeted tracks)

    Similar to using the Razor Tool, but it cuts tracks that are targeted (will cut all tracks that are targeted). To view your add edits in a Sequence, click the wrench icon and select “Show Through Edits”.

13. Replace with Clip from Source:
    No Default (I use Shift + R)

    Replace Edits looks at where the playheads are in the Source & Sequence (ignoring the In and Out). I have a video tutorial on this here for more detail.

14. Add Default Transitions to Selection:
    Shift + D

    This will apply the default transition to all selected clips. This shortcut now applies the transition to all clips. It didn’t work on the first and last clip in Premiere Pro CS6.

    Do you have Premiere Pro shortcuts that you can’t live without?
    Share your favorite Premiere shortcuts in the comments below!