12:11
"How do you edit so fast?"
BogXD
Overview
This video explains a highly efficient workflow for video editing in Premiere Pro, focusing on keyboard shortcuts and a philosophy of minimizing hand movement. The presenter shares custom keybinds and techniques designed to speed up common editing tasks, such as cutting, trimming, navigating the timeline, and manipulating keyframes. The core principles emphasize keeping hands on the mouse and keyboard, utilizing finger movements over large hand shifts, and remapping frequently used actions to easily accessible keys. The goal is to transform the editor into an "editing demon" by eliminating inefficiencies and maximizing speed.
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Chapters
- The primary goal is to keep your hand on the mouse and avoid moving it to the keyboard for shortcuts.
- Maintain a consistent hand position on the keyboard, typically resting on the home row keys.
- Utilize finger movements for shortcuts rather than large hand shifts, which limits the usable keys to those reachable by fingers alone.
- Remap frequently used, multi-key default shortcuts (like Ctrl+K for cut) to single, easily accessible keys (like 'S').
This philosophy directly combats the physical inefficiency of constantly switching between mouse and keyboard, allowing for a more fluid and faster editing process.
Remapping the 'add edit' shortcut from Ctrl+K to the 'S' key, which is perfectly positioned under the resting fingers.
- Shift+S ('select nearest edit point as ripple in') quickly snaps the playhead to the exact beginning or end of a clip, avoiding issues with snapping to transitions.
- The 'Q' key performs a ripple delete from the beginning of a clip up to the playhead, moving subsequent clips forward.
- The 'W' key performs a ripple delete from the end of a clip to the playhead, moving subsequent clips forward.
- The 'C' key toggles between a zoomed-in view and a full sequence view, allowing for quick navigation and repositioning.
These shortcuts streamline the process of making precise cuts and removing unwanted sections, significantly reducing the time spent on basic timeline adjustments.
Using 'S' to cut, then 'Q' or 'W' to quickly remove unwanted clip segments and close gaps, especially useful for cleaning up audio tracks.
- The 'X' key performs a ripple delete on a selected clip segment between two edit points, removing the clip and closing the gap.
- The 'F' key (remapped from 'Delete') deletes a selected clip and ripples the timeline, avoiding the need to move the hand to the delete key.
- The 'N' key is used for nesting sequences, a technique for organizing complex edits.
- Using 'Shift+3' and 'Shift+1' to step forward or backward by a set number of frames (e.g., 5 or 10) for precise keyframe placement.
These actions replace multi-step processes with single key presses, drastically cutting down the time required for common editing tasks like deleting, clearing, and frame-by-frame adjustments.
Deleting a clip by pressing 'F' instead of reaching for the 'Delete' key, maintaining hand position on the keyboard.
- Keyboard shortcuts 'Alt+A' (ease in) and 'Alt+S' (ease out) quickly apply temporal interpolation to keyframes, replacing manual right-clicking and selection.
- Shortcuts like 'Shift+Z' (project panel), 'Shift+X' (effects panel), and 'Shift+C' (effect controls) allow instant switching between essential editing panels without using the mouse.
- 'Shift+B' quickly accesses shape properties like fill and stroke, useful for graphic elements.
- The 'Shift+M' shortcut activates the rectangle tool for quick shape creation.
Mastering these shortcuts for keyframe animation and panel management reduces the cognitive load and physical effort required for complex visual effects and interface navigation.
Applying 'ease in' to the start of a zoom animation with 'Alt+A' and 'ease out' to the end with 'Alt+S', instead of manually selecting interpolation options.
- Remapping J, K, L (reverse, stop, forward) to 1, 2, 3 for more comfortable playback control.
- The 'Alt+F' shortcut resets the program monitor zoom to 'fit' instantly.
- The 'Shift+G' shortcut toggles the visibility of guides, useful for maintaining consistent framing and alignment.
- The 'Shift+Z', 'Shift+X', 'Shift+C', and 'Shift+V' shortcuts quickly switch between different panels like Project, Effects, Effect Controls, and Timeline.
Optimizing playback controls and program monitor interactions allows for quicker review and precise adjustments, ensuring the final output meets visual standards.
Using the remapped keys 1, 2, and 3 to quickly play, stop, and fast-forward through footage without moving hands from the primary editing cluster.
Key takeaways
- Adopt a workflow philosophy that prioritizes minimizing hand movement between the mouse and keyboard.
- Identify your most frequent editing actions and remap them to single, easily accessible keyboard shortcuts.
- Leverage shortcuts for navigation (like zooming and jumping between edit points) to avoid tedious mouse work.
- Utilize ripple delete and trim shortcuts (Q, W, X) to efficiently remove unwanted footage and close gaps.
- Master panel switching shortcuts to quickly access tools and information without interrupting your flow.
- Customize shortcuts for keyframe interpolation (ease in/out) and playback controls to match your editing style.
- Continuously evaluate your workflow for inefficiencies and seek out shortcuts or techniques to improve speed.
Key terms
Premiere ProKeyboard ShortcutsWorkflowHand Movement MinimizationRemapping KeysRipple DeletePlayheadEdit PointKeyframesTemporal InterpolationEase In/OutPanel NavigationProgram MonitorNesting Sequences
Test your understanding
- What is the core principle behind the presenter's editing philosophy, and why is it important for speed?
- How can remapping keyboard shortcuts like 'add edit' (Ctrl+K) to a single key (like 'S') improve editing efficiency?
- Explain the function of the 'Q' and 'W' keys in trimming clips and how they differ from a standard delete.
- Why is using shortcuts like 'Shift+X' for the effects panel more efficient than clicking through menus with a mouse?
- How do shortcuts for keyframe interpolation, such as 'Alt+A' and 'Alt+S', speed up the process of animating properties?