Random Keyboard Shortcuts in Avid Media Composer

Mastering Media Composers Keyboard Shortcuts – Lesson 9 on Random Shortcuts

This is the ninth and last lesson in a series on mastering Avid Media Composer’s keyboard shortcuts on all the random and miscellaneous shortcuts not covered in the other lessons. Each lesson tackles a handful of shortcuts. By the end of all the lessons you should be flying through your editing sessions.

This isn’t just any old list of shortcuts. For many of them I explain exactly how they work and how I use them everyday as a professional editor.

If you’re just getting started, no worries. You can take this lesson and circle back to the previous lessons. You can find all the lessons here.

This lesson focuses on the random keyboard shortcuts in Avid that is not in the other lessons!

Everything Else

There are shortcuts that just don’t fit into any one group and groups of shortcuts I didn’t want to dedicate an entire lesson towards. Well, here they are! If you see any that I’ve missed over the past nine lessons, please let me know in the comments and I’ll add them in.

Toggle Source/Record

Shortcut: Esc

If you look at the image below, you’ll see the Source and Record Monitors. Source is on the left and Record is on the right. The Timeline or the material that’s loaded in the Monitor is represented by the white or gray bar beneath the player. When that monitor is active, meaning you can hit keyboard shortcuts like J, K, L, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Home, End, Space Bar, D, F, G, etc. and it’ll do something, the bar is white. When it isn’t active, it’s gray. Only one will be active at a time. In the example below the Record Monitor is active.

Use Esc as a keyboard shortcut to Toggle Between Source and Record Monitors in Avid — Use Esc to Toggle Between Source and Record Monitors

Hitting the escape key will switch between the two Monitors. You don’t have to click back and forth when you are deciding on In/Out Points in the Source Monitor and down in the Timeline. Try this one out if you haven’t used it before!

Undo

Shortcut: Cmd+Z (Mac) | Ctrl+Z (PC)

This is pretty straightforward. Just like in pretty much any program out there you can undo an action you just made. Keep hitting this shortcut to undo further and further back.

Redo

Shortcut: Cmd+R (Mac) | Ctrl+R (PC)

If you undo too far backwards, use this shortcut to go forwards an undo step.

Find

Shortcut: Cmd+F (Mac) | Ctrl+F (PC)

This shortcut opens the Find tool.

Use Cmd+F (Mac) or Ctrl+F (PC) is the random keyboard shortcut to open Find in Avid — Use Cmd+F (Mac) or Ctrl+F (PC) to open Find

Full Screen Playback

Shortcut: Cmd+Shift+F (Mac) | Ctrl+Shift+F (PC)

This shortcut enters Full Screen Playback mode.

If you’re on a laptop or a computer with a small screen, this is one of those super helpful random Avid keyboard shortcuts. I use it all the time on my tiny iMac.

Title Tool – Center Object Horizontally

Shortcut: Cmd+Shift+C (Mac) | Ctrl+Shift+C (PC)

In the Title Tool use this shortcut to align the text or object horizontally (left and right) across the screen. Basically this centers the text or object along an imaginary Y-Axis running down the middle of the Title Tool.

Title Tool – Align to Frame Bottom

Shortcut: Cmd+Shift+Z (Mac) | Ctrl+Shift+Z (PC)

In the Title Tool this shortcut aligns the selected object(s) to the bottom of the frame.

Title Tool – Send Object Backward

Shortcut: Cmd+Shift+K (Mac) | Ctrl+Shift+K (PC)

This will send a selected object, including text, back in the stacking order. This is important when you are placing objects on top of each other.

Title Tool – Send Object Forward

Shortcut: Cmd+Shift+L (Mac) | Ctrl+Shift+L (PC)

This will send a selected object, including text, forward in the stacking order. This is important when you are placing objects on top of each other.

Title Tool – Switch Between Selection Tool and Text Tool

Shortcut: Opt+Click Text (Mac) | Alt+Click Text (PC)

Holding Opt or Alt and clicking text will switch between the Selection Tool (how you move the text around the Title Tool) and the Text Tool (how you type in text).

Title Tool – Bold Text

Shortcut: Cmd+Shift+B (Mac) | Ctrl+Shift+B (PC)

This shortcut bolds selected text.

Title Tool – Italicize Text

Shortcut: Cmd+Shift+I (Mac) | Ctrl+Shift+I (PC)

This shortcut italicizes selected text.

Title Tool – Soft Drop Shadow

Shortcut: Cmd+Shift+H (Mac) | Ctrl+Shift+H (PC)

This shortcut adds a soft drop shadow to selected text or objects.

Title Tool – Duplicate Object

Shortcut: Cmd+D (Mac) | Ctrl+D (PC)

This shortcut duplicates a selected object.

Title Tool – Save Title As…

Shortcut: Cmd+Shift+S (Mac) | Ctrl+Shift+S (PC)

This shortcut will allow you to save your title.

MultiCam Mode

Shortcut: Cmd+Shift+M (Mac) | Ctrl+Shift+M (PC)

Use this shortcut to enter MultiCam Mode.

MultiCam 1

Shortcut: F9

This shortcut uses MultiCam 1 when in MultiCam Mode.

MultiCam 2

Shortcut: F10

This shortcut uses MultiCam 2 when in MultiCam Mode.

MultiCam 3

Shortcut: F11

This shortcut uses MultiCam 3 when in MultiCam Mode.

MultiCam 4

Shortcut: F12

This shortcut uses MultiCam 4 when in MultiCam Mode.

MultiCam 5

Shortcut: Shift+F9

This shortcut uses MultiCam 5 when in MultiCam Mode.

MultiCam 6

Shortcut: Shift+F10

This shortcut uses MultiCam 6 when in MultiCam Mode.

MultiCam 7

Shortcut: Shift+F11

This shortcut uses MultiCam 7 when in MultiCam Mode.

MultiCam 8

Shortcut: Shift+F12

This shortcut uses MultiCam 8 when in MultiCam Mode.

Smart Tool

Shortcut: Shift+Tab

This shortcut turns on or off the Smart Tool.

Smart Tool – Segment Mode (Lift/Overwrite) (Red Arrow)

Shortcut: Shift+A

This shortcut turns on or off the Segment Mode (Lift/Overwrite) (the Red Arrow) in the Smart Tool.

Smart Tool – Segment Mode (Extract/Splice-In) (Yellow Arrow)

Shortcut: Shift+S

This shortcut turns on or off the Segment Mode (Extract/Splice-In) (the Yellow Arrow) in the Smart Tool.

Smart Tool – Overwrite Trim (Red Trim Roller)

Shortcut: Shift+D

This shortcut turns on or off the Overwrite Trim (the Red Trim Roller) in the Smart Tool.

Smart Tool – Ripple Trim (Yellow Trim Roller)

Shortcut: Shift+F

This shortcut turns on or off the Ripple Trim (the Yellow Trim Roller) in the Smart Tool.

Keyframe

Shortcut: Shift+G

This shortcut turns on or off Keyframes.

Link Selection Toggle

Shortcut: Shift+L

This shortcut turns on or off Link Selection Toggle.

Audio Mark In

Shortcut: Shift+E

This shortcut marks an Audio In Point.

Audio Mark Out

Shortcut: Shift+R

This shortcut marks an Audio Out Point.

Go to Audio Mark In

Shortcut: Shift+Q

This shortcut moves the Time Position Indicator to the Audio In Point.

Go to Audio Mark Out

Shortcut: Shift+W

This shortcut moves the Time Position Indicator to the Audio Out Point.

Mark Markers

Shortcut: Shift+T

This shortcut marks an In and Out Point around the nearest Markers. I actually learned this one while making this lesson.

Current Settings

Shortcut: Cmd+= (Mac) | Ctrl+= (PC)

On various tools you can use this shortcut to jump to that tool’s settings.

Home (Move Window Back to Position)

Shortcut: Cmd+’ (Mac) | Ctrl+’ (PC)

If you move a window like a tool to a different part of the screen and want to move it back to where it is set in the workspace, use this shortcut.

What’s Next Now that you Know All the Keyboard Shortcuts in Avid?

That’s all the shortcuts for Lesson 9 of Mastering Avid Media Composer’s Keyboard Shortcuts on all random shortcuts. What’d you think? Learn anything new?

It’s time to try your hand at the Mastering Avid Media Composer’s Keyboard Shortcut Exam! Details in that link and in the video below.

Give me a shout if you have any questions. Leave me a comment below or message me through the contact page.

Please, if you found these lessons helpful I’d love for you to go to this page so we can stay in touch. There will be many more useful posts, videos, tutorials, guides and more to help you in your editing adventures and this is the best way to find out about them.

– Josh