Essential Keyboard Shortcuts to Use in Premiere Pro, FCP, DaVinci

Achieve a higher editing efficiency with popular key combinations in Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Davinci Resolve.

close up of keyboard

Have you ever watched a professional editor at work? There’s one thing that stands out. They move at a frightening speed—a lightning pace that your eyes will struggle to keep up with. Their secret is hotkeys—keyboard shortcuts that enable you to speed up the editing process exponentially. Any professional editor knows these keyboard shortcuts like the back of their hand. It’s one of the most important skills and techniques every video editor should master. So, if you want to be the best (and make your job a whole lot easier), you’ll want to learn these essential keyboard shortcuts no matter what software you’re using. 

Below, we’re giving you the rundown on hotkeys for Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve.

Importance of keyboard shortcuts 

Keyboard shortcuts are important for a number of different reasons, helping you to excel at your job. Here’s how.

Efficiency and speed

When you use keyboard shortcuts, you’re reducing the need for grabbing the mouse and dragging it across the screen each time you need to do something. For example, if I want to save my project in Premiere Pro, I have to grab the mouse, navigate to file, then click save. With a keyboard shortcut I simply hit CTRL + S and I’ve completed the same task three times as fast.

So, when you use keyboard shortcuts, you’re gaining access to the most frequently used commands (cutting, playing, saving), minimizing the time it takes to complete those tasks. As a result, once you’re comfortable with these keyboard shortcuts, you’ll be a far more efficient, speedier editor.

Precision

It may sound far fetched but over a long period of editing you will naturally feel tired as time wears on. Using keyboard shortcuts requires less physical effort than when using a mouse, meaning that you can reduce fatigue and stay focused for longer. When you’re using a mouse, you have to navigate the extensive menus which always carries the risk of a mistake or misclick (especially if you’re tired). There’s nothing more frustrating than clicking the wrong selection on a drop-down menu and then having to start again!

When we use keyboard shortcuts, we’re selecting the correct command every single time, making us more precise.

Consistency

Once drilled into you, you’ll be able to utilize keyboard shortcuts to perform common tasks and access common tools in a uniform, efficient manner. This can help standardize your process, reducing the need for repetitive movements and reducing the time it takes to carry out the edit. As any professional editor can testify, all of this is going to lead to a more streamlined, consistent workflow. 

Customization

Believe it or not, every editor will tell you that the powers that be don’t always get the keyboard shortcuts right. If something doesn’t make sense to you, the beauty of these different softwares is that you can change the keyboard shortcuts to suit whatever your needs may be. By having full control with customization, every editor can create a comfortable, natural setup for themselves that ultimately enables them to be the fastest, most efficient editor possible.

Professionalism

Whether it’s Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve, there’s not one professional editor out there who isn’t using keyboard shortcuts.

By using keyboard shortcuts you’ll achieve all of the above and, by default, that makes you a more professional, sought-after editor. Just by using hotkeys, you’re demonstrating to peers and clients that you have a high level of familiarity and mastery with the software—you’re an expert in the industry and can be trusted with projects. Meanwhile, the increased speed and efficiency is a game-changer. If you’re getting the job done to a high standard and within set deadlines, the work is going to keep on coming.

Essential Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts

MacWindowsTask
JJReverse the playback, playing through your timeline backwards.
KKPauses the playback.
LLPlay forward through your timeline.
SpacebarSpacebarPlay and pause.
I (in) and O (out)I (in) and O (out)Select a section of your timeline.
Cmd + DCtrl + DDuplicates a clip.
Cmd + shift + DCtrl + Shift + DCreates a new sequence.
Cmd + ZCtrl + ZUndo your last action.
Cmd + Shift + ZCtrl + Shift + ZRedo the action you just removed.
Cmd + [ or ]Ctrl + [ or ]Moves a clip to the previous or next track.
Cmd + Shift + [ or ]Ctrl + Shift + [ or ]Moves a clip to the beginning or end of a sequence.
Cmd + KCtrl + KSplit a clip where your playhead is positioned.
Cmd + TCtrl + TOpen the opacity/volume settings of a clip.
Cmd + Shift + CCtrl + Shift + CToggle through clip and sequence markers

How to create custom Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts?

  1. Go to the “Edit” menu and select “Keyboard Shortcuts”.
  2. In the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box, select “Application” from the dropdown menu.
  3. Scroll down and find the command you want to assign a shortcut to.
  4. Double-click the current shortcut field and enter the new shortcut you want to use.
  5. Click “Accept” to save the changes.

Note: If the new shortcut you entered conflicts with an existing one, Premiere Pro will alert you and give you the option to either reassign the new shortcut or keep the existing one.

Download Premiere Pro Keyboard Shortcuts

To obtain a complimentary PDF guide containing numerous Premiere Pro shortcuts and hotkeys for both Mac and PC, simply click on the button below.


Essential Final Cut Pro keyboard shortcuts (Mac only)

MacTask
JReverse the playback, playing through your timeline backwards.
KPauses the playback.
LPlay forward through your timeline.
SpacebarPlay and pause.
I (in) and O (out)Select a section of your timeline.
Cmd + DDuplicates a clip.
Cmd + shift + DCreates a new sequence.
Cmd + ZUndo your last action.
Cmd + Shift + ZRedo the action you just removed.
Cmd + [ or ]Moves a clip to the previous or next track.
Cmd + Shift + [ or ]Moves a clip to the beginning or end of a sequence.
Cmd + NCreate a new project or sequence
Cmd + BSplit a clip
Cmd + TTransform settings on a clip
Cmd + Shift + MToggle clip and sequence markers
Cmd + Option + NCreate a new compound clip
Cmd + Option + WClose all open projects
Cmd + Control + 1Switch to primary storyline

How to create custom Final Cut Pro keyboard shortcuts?

  1. Go to the “Final Cut Pro” menu and select “Keyboard Layout”.
  2. In the Keyboard Layout dialog box, select the “Custom” tab.
  3. Find the command you want to assign a shortcut to and double-click the current shortcut field.
  4. Enter the new shortcut you want to use.
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for any other commands you want to assign shortcuts to.
  6. Close the Keyboard Layout dialog box.

Note: If the new shortcut you entered conflicts with an existing one, Final Cut Pro will alert you and give you the option to either reassign the new shortcut or keep the existing one.

Download Final Cut Pro Keyboard Shortcuts

Download the most sought-after Final Cut Pro shortcuts and hotkeys by clicking on the button provided below. You will receive a free PDF that covers both Mac and PC shortcuts, along with their explanations.


Essential DaVinci Resolve keyboard shortcuts

MacWindowsTask
JJReverse the playback, playing through your timeline backwards.
KKPauses the playback.
LLPlay forward through your timeline.
SpacebarSpacebarPlay and pause.
I (in) and O (out)I (in) and O (out)Select a section of your timeline.
Cmd + DCtrl + DDuplicates a clip.
Cmd + shift + DCtrl + Shift + DCreates a new sequence.
Cmd + ZCtrl + ZUndo your last action.
Cmd + Shift + ZCtrl + Shift + ZRedo the action you just removed.
Cmd + [ or ]Ctrl + [ or ]Moves a clip to the previous or next track.
Cmd + Shift + [ or ]Ctrl + Shift + [ or ]Moves a clip to the beginning or end of a sequence.
NNCreate a new project
Cmd + BCtrl + BSplit a clip
Cmd + Shift + DCtrl + Shift + DAdd a dissolve transition between clips
Cmd + TCtrl + TTransform settings on a clip
Cmd + Shift + MCtrl + Shift + MToggle clip and timeline markers
Cmd + Option + DCtrl + Option + DAdd a new node
Cmd + 1-4Ctrl + 1-4Switch between the cut, edit, color, and audio tabs

How to create custom DaVinci Resolve keyboard shortcuts?

  1. Go to the “Settings” menu and select “Keyboard Customization”.
  2. In the Keyboard Customization dialog box, select the “Custom” tab.
  3. Find the command you want to assign a shortcut to and double-click the current shortcut field.
  4. Enter the new shortcut you want to use.
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for any other commands you want to assign shortcuts to.
  6. Click “Save” to save the changes.

Note: If the new shortcut you entered conflicts with an existing one, DaVinci Resolve will alert you and give you the option to either reassign the new shortcut or keep the existing one.

Download Davinci Resolve Keyboard Shortcuts

By clicking the button below, you can download a free PDF file that includes a range of DaVinci Resolve shortcuts and hotkeys for both Mac and PC, with descriptions provided.


Similar keyboard shortcuts 

In those tables, you may have noticed a number of the hotkeys are shared across Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Below, we’ve highlighted those for you.

MacWindowsTask
JJReverse the playback, playing through your timeline backwards.
KKPauses the playback.
LLPlay forward through your timeline.
SpacebarSpacebarPlay and pause.
I (in) and O (out)I (in) and O (out)Select a section of your timeline.
Cmd + DCtrl + DDuplicates a clip.
Cmd + shift + DCtrl + Shift + DCreates a new sequence.
Cmd + ZCtrl + ZUndo your last action.
Cmd + Shift + ZCtrl + Shift + ZRedo the action you just removed.
Cmd + [ or ]Ctrl + [ or ]Moves a clip to the previous or next track.
Cmd + Shift + [ or ]Ctrl + Shift + [ or ]Moves a clip to the beginning or end of a sequence.

Final thoughts

Alongside learning film editing cuts, mastering color grading, sound design and export settings, knowing your way around an editing software with keyboard shortcuts is one of the most important things you can master as a professional editor. 

Using the free downloadable tables, no matter which software you’re using, you can now quickly learn and memorize the most essential hotkeys, enabling you to become a faster, more efficient and ultimately more professional editor.

Header image by Chris J. Davis on Unsplash