by Zed Saeed

When evaluating a non-linear editing system, one of the first things I look for is the breadth of keyboard shortcuts it offers. Often, a glance at the shortcuts list reveals a great deal about the versatility of the editing system. Final Cut Pro does not yet offer a customizable keyboard, but it has a vast list of shortcuts that runs over 28 pages. This can be daunting to new users, but it is also a key source of Final Cut's power. I advise people getting started with FCP to spend a few hours trying every shortcut listed in Apple's manual (in Volume 1, starting on page 457). As you mark down the ones you find useful, you'll discover things about the program you never knew existed. The following are some of my favorites.

Shortcut Lists

Most menu commands in Final Cut Pro include a keyboard shortcut, displayed in the menu

Figure 1. In Final Cut Pro menus, keyboard shortcuts are displayed with icons representing modifier keys

itself, with icons representing modifier keys (Figure 1).

You'll also find a list of keyboard shortcuts in the FCP help system under Help>Keyboard Shortcuts. And you can find Final Cut Pro shortcuts online, as well. Point your browser to http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=36914.

JKL

The JKL keyboard combination will be familiar to most people who use the Avid. Final Cut Pro works similarly, but there is a significant difference. In both programs, repeatedly hitting J or L will increase forward or reverse speed incrementally (though the speeds are not identical). In the Avid, J always plays in reverse and L always plays forward. But in Final Cut they ratchet the speed up or down, which can be confusing for Avid folks. If you are playing forward at high speed in an Avid and hit the J key you will instantly start going backwards. But in Final Cut, you'll continue to play forward at the next slowest speed. To make Final Cut behave more like an Avid, hit K to stop playing before you reverse direction.

Final Cut also uses JKL in trim mode in a limited way. One difference is this: In the Avid, when you trim with JKL, your cut is adjusted as soon as you hit stop. In FCP, you must hit a mark button with the mouse or the keyboard to actually execute the edit. If you are trimming the head of a shot you must hit Mark In (I). If you are trimming the tail of a shot or rolling a cut, you must hit Mark Out (O).

The Option Key

Option-Drag Timecodes: Holding down the option key lets you drag timecode from one field to another in Final Cut Pro. For example, if you log your clips in advance, you may want to check some of them on tape before you begin loading. Open the Log and Capture window (Command-8), then Option-drag the timecode of the clip from the Browser to the current timecode field. This causes Final Cut Pro to immediately shuttle the deck to that position.

Option-Trim for Overlaps: By default, Final Cut links sync video and audio together, so that when you select one, you've selected both. Holding down the Option key as you trim allows you to affect just the track you are dragging with the trim cursor (Figure 2). You can also turn off Linked Selection -- either by clicking the chain link icon in the upper right of the timeline or with Shift-L. Either method is simpler and faster than unlinking and relinking clips individually.

Figure 2. Holding down the Option key allows you to trim a single track without the need to unlink clips.

Option Key to Move Shots: To move a clip from one place to another in the timeline, hold down the Option key after you begin to drag the clip. This extracts the clip from its original position and inserts it in the new position (just like yellow segment mode in the Avid). If snapping is turned on, the clip will jump from cut to cut as you drag. (Type "N" to turn snapping on or off.) You can also use this technique to drag one clip over another and reverse their positions. Watch for the curved pointer cursor, which indicates that the swap is working (Figure 3). If you want to move a clip from one place to another without dragging it, try this: Select the clip (or clips) and hit Shift-X to extract it from its current position and place it in the clipboard. Then move the playhead to the destination position and select Paste (Command-V) to insert the clip there.

Figure 3. To rearrange your cuts, hold down Option after starting to drag a shot in the Timeline.

Option Key to Toggle Between Pointer and Pen: When you're working in the timeline, you can view Volume graphs ("audio rubber bands") by hitting Option-W. (In the Canvas, this turns on timecode overlays, which provide complete info for the frame you're parked on.) To add audio keyframes, click on the graph with the Pen tool. To move existing keyframes, click and drag them with the pointer tool. To switch between the Pointer and the Pen tools, hold down the Option key. This trick also works in the Effects panel to adjust video keyframes (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Holding down the Option key turns the Pointer into the Pen Tool, allowing you to quickly add nodes to a volume graph, or keyframes to an effect.

Option-Click the Desktop to Hide Final Cut Pro: If you hold down Option and click on the desktop while you are in Final Cut Pro, it will hide Final Cut Pro's extensive interface. (This is a Mac shortcut and will work with any application.) You can also use Command-Tab to cycle through your open applications and bring Final Cut Pro back.

Commands for Editing

Control-V: Adds an edit at the current location of the playhead.

Shift-Delete: Select a clip and then hit Shift-Delete to remove it and pull up all the clips that follow (equivalent to Extract in the Avid).

Trim with the Bracket Keys: After selecting an edit, use the bracket keys ("[" or "]") to trim one frame at a time. Hold down the Shift key to trim multiple frames. You can set the number of frames under Preferences> General >Multi-Frame Trim Size.

Control-X: Loads the Text, or title editor into the viewer. Click on the Controls tab in the Viewer to customize the title.

Commands for the Timeline

Command-Option-W: Toggles waveform display in the Timeline.

Shift-T: Switches between the various track heights in the Timeline. Taller tracks are handy for audio editing.

Option-P: Like hitting play except that all frames are played. Unrendered effects play slowly. Useful for previewing effects and transitions before rendering.

Shift-Z: Fits your entire sequence into the Timeline (like Command-backslash in the Avid).

Option-Plus or Option-Minus: Zooms the timeline in or out. Similar to Avid Command-Left/Right Bracket. A gotcha to keep in mind is that Final Cut prioritizes selection over playhead placement. In the Avid, your new view is always centered on the playhead. But if a clip or transition is selected in FCP, the zoom will center on that item instead. A good habit is to use Command-D to deselect all before you start zooming. One advantage over the Avid, however, is that you can zoom while continuing to play. Depending on the complexity of your sequence and the speed of your processor, you'll be able to see a new view without stopping. Command-Plus/Minus can also be used to zoom the timeline, but if you use these commands when another window is selected, you may find yourself inadvertently magnifying the image in the Canvas or Viewer. Option-Plus/Minus only zooms the Timeline.

Watch Out for the Y Key

Final Cut Pro has four render quality settings: Hi Res, Low Res, Draft and Cuts only. These choices are located in the Render Quality pulldown menu on the top left side of the Timeline and they can be very useful. For example, you can work at Low Res to render effects speedily, then switch to Hi Res for a final render pass on your entire Timeline before outputting to tape. The "Y" key toggles through the four quality settings.

The problem is that if you hit Y by mistake, you will suddenly see a red line across all of your rendered effects and transitions, as if none of the renders ever happened. Hitting Y has changed you to a new render quality setting, and the effects haven't been rendered at that resolution. The solution is to press Y a few more times until you cycle back to the quality at which you did your original renders. The red line will disappear and your timeline will look normal again.