I’ve taught Avid Media Composer editors of all ranges and sometimes discover that veteran editors might be recognized by how little they depend on a mouse to get issues completed. So if there’s one factor I emphasize it’s this: to totally unlock the velocity and effectivity of Avid Media Composer, it is advisable get aware of keyboard shortcuts. Or higher but, construct your personal customized set.
In this text, I’ll be sharing the Avid keyboard shortcuts I discover probably the most helpful. But earlier than we get to that, I’ve to level out that most of those will not be default Media Composer keyboard shortcuts, so that you’ll must map them if you wish to attempt them out for your self. So let’s take a fast take a look at how to do this first.
How to map keyboard shortcuts in Avid Media Composer
There are two key strategies to map Avid keyboard shortcuts. Both require the digital keyboard, which you’ll discover in User Settings—scroll right down to Keyboard and double-click the energetic keyboard. You’ll additionally want the Command Palette within the Tools menu (Cmd/Ctrl+3). With each the digital keyboard and the Command Palette enabled, your display ought to look one thing slightly like this.
The first technique for mapping an Avid keyboard shortcut is straightforward. Just drag and drop capabilities from the Command Palette onto a key on the digital keyboard. Holding down Shift on the identical time, will add the Shift modifier to your keyboard shortcut selection.
Choosing this shortcut mapping technique permits you to flick thru all of the capabilities within the Command Palette (or utilizing the search bar) and shortly assign them to the keyboard shortcut that works finest for you.
Note: For this to work the “Button to button” reassignment should be enabled on the decrease left of the command palette (it’s by default).
Alternatively, you should utilize “menu to button reassignment,” as an alternative. You allow this with a test field on the opposite finish of the Command Palette. Menu to button reassignment works precisely the way it sounds, permitting you to map a perform from nearly any menu in Avid to a keyboard shortcut. To use this strategy, test the Menu to Button reassignment field within the Command Palette, then click on a key on the digital keyboard. The subsequent menu perform you choose (together with quick menus on the timeline or within the bin) will then be mapped to that shortcut key.
The finest Avid keyboard shortcuts
Right, let’s get right down to the important Media Composer shortcuts that can make your edits slightly bit simpler. As I discussed earlier, most of those aren’t the Avid defaults, so I’ll be utilizing Default/Palette/Menu within the subheadings in order that you realize the place to look if you’re setting them up because the shortcuts in your Media Composer setup.
Avid UI / Tool shortcuts
Media Composer’s workspaces (Palette)
Media Composer’s UI locations the 4 default workspaces (Edit, Audio, Color, and Effects) alongside the best hand aspect. Choosing one in all these workspaces will rearrange all of the instruments and UI to favor the duty at hand. It’s a superb option to work as you possibly can customise every of those workspaces to swimsuit the way you wish to work—like making audio tracks bigger within the timeline in your Audio workspace, for instance. These workspaces additionally put the instruments you want—just like the Effect Editor/Effect Palette—nearer handy as they’re docked within the related workspace.
To map these workspaces to keys so you possibly can shortly toggle between them, carry up the Command Palette. Under the Workspaces tab, you possibly can choose as much as 12 workspaces (W1, W2, W3…) which might then be dragged and dropped onto keys. Currently I’ve 5 all mapped out!
Export to file (Menu)
Exporting a timeline is generally completed from going to the next path within the file menu: File->Output->Export to file
With menu to button reassignment, we will map this on to a keystroke. On my system it’s set to Shift+E.
Markers window (Menu)
Many of us use markers in Media Composer for notes and to-dos for our timelines. Assigning this to an Avid keyboard shortcut makes it a lot simpler to name up these notes if you want them. I’ve it mapped to Shift+M. Note that you would be able to additionally map particular coloured markers from the Command Palette to keys as nicely.
Source Browser (Menu)
Avid’s tailor-made import window, the Source Browser, permits you to preview your clips previous to ingest, linking and importing in addition to creating bins based mostly on the containing folder. It’s a very useful gizmo that I’ve mapped to Shift+I. It might be mapped with menu to button reassignment from File->Input->Source Browser.
Timeline Clip Notes (Menu)
The Timeline Clip Notes characteristic is an unimaginable perform. As the identify suggests, it permits you to connect notes on to clips that may be learn by the timecode generator for burn-ins. Clip Notes may also be exported in EDLs and proven like markers in their very own window. To make them much more helpful, map them to a shortcut key by mapping “Add timeline clip note” from the Timeline menu. Then create one other shortcut for the “Timeline Clip Notes” perform underneath the Tools menu so you possibly can carry up the Notes window on demand.
Avid Timeline shortcuts
Link Selection toggle (Palette)
Link choice is a vital Media Composer perform that allows you to drag a video clip to a brand new timeline location place with out leaving its linked audio monitor behind. Sometimes, you would possibly want to maneuver the video or audio independently, so with the ability to toggle Link Selection with an Avid keyboard shortcut means you possibly can change modes at a second’s discover.
Trim / Segment toggle (Palette)
Smart Tools are an Avid staple nowadays. Designed as an adaptive and intuitive option to change between choosing section modes. For instance, hover excessive half of a clip for yellow section mode and backside half for purple, and the identical for edit factors and trim instruments. But they could be a ache level for brand new Avid editors. My favourite option to work with Smart Tools is by mapping toggle switches to keyboard shortcuts to activate the device I would like at any given time. These cycle by all choices of the Smart Tools and Trim instruments on the contact of a button, with the UI exhibiting us simply above the timeline that’s at the moment energetic.
Both of those toggle switches might be discovered within the Smart Tools tab of the Command Palette with the names Segment Mode and Trim Type.
Avid Timeline Views (Palette)
Timeline views are presets for various preparations of the Media Composer timeline—particularly, a good way to swap between monitor sizes. For instance, I’ve an AUDIO template saved the place the video tracks are tiny and the audio tracks are giant and a VIDEO template which is the reverse.
So within the Command Palette underneath the More tab, you possibly can assign these views to TV1, TV2, TV3, and so forth., very like we’ve completed with our workspaces, after which assign these to shortcut keys for fast switching between them. Very helpful!
Track choose / Monitor (Palette)
This one’s a twofer. First to notice is that you would be able to, in fact, map particular tracks to a key, so in case you’re at all times enabling and disabling particular tracks this shall be useful. However, slightly identified secret is that underneath the Other tab, you’ll discover two buttons on the left there known as Add Option Key (or Alt on Windows) and Add Control Key.
If you first map a key to allow/disable a monitor and then drag and drop the “Add Option Key” button on prime—which provides the Opt/Alt modifier to the perform—then, if you hit that key, it should monitor that monitor.
I discover this to be completely invaluable as I’ll usually be fixing stuff up on decrease tracks after which wish to shift my timeline monitoring again to the highest monitor earlier than an export. So this permits me to do this with a single keystroke. Just resolve what number of tracks you’ll have after which set this to observe the very best one.
Go to Next Event / Go to Previous Event (Palette)
Next Event/Previous Event are important timeline navigation instruments that leap to the subsequent/earlier edit factors on the chosen monitor, so it’s value giving them a shortcut key of their very own. Note that there are additional choices to vary the conduct of this too—like “ignore track selectors—under the Move tab in Composer Settings.
Sync Lock All Tracks (Palette)
Rather than clicking all the time, set up a shortcut key for Sync Lock All Tracks to toggle track sync on and off. It’s a real timesaver
Transition Manipulation (Palette)
Turning this feature on allows you to lengthen and shorten transitions by clicking and dragging the edges. You might find this a more intuitive approach compared to typing numbers—and certainly more in line with other NLEs you might be more familiar with .
Timeline Zoom (Menu)
These shortcuts are mapped by default but if you wish to remap (or see their keys) all the zoom controls can be found in the Timeline Fast Menu under Zoom. Your options are zoom in, zoom out, show entire sequence, zoom into region (a selection) or zoom to the last view.
General editing shortcuts
Match Frame (Palette)
Match Frame is a commonly used Media Composer function that brings the clip in the timeline to the Source monitor at the frame you’re viewing. It will also add a Mark In at that point.
Find Bin (Palette)
This function finds the relevant clip in the bin—opening the bin if necessary—allowing you to easily bring up the rushes bin for a particular scene on a timeline by simply tapping the Match Frame shortcut to get into the Source monitor and then using Find Bin to bring up the rushes bin.
Digital Audio Scrubbing (Palette)
Audio scrubbing isn’t a function I personally use, but I know it’s popular for some Avid editors. It used to be toggled with the Caps Lock key, but isn’t part of the default Media Composers setup these days. So if you want to hear the audio while you’re scrubbing, you’ll need to map this to a keyboard shortcut from the Command Palette.
Top and Tail (Palette)
Using the Top command will ripple edit from the playhead to the previous edit point (the “top” of the shot). Conversely, utilizing the Tail command ripple edits from the playhead to the subsequent edit level (the “tail” of the shot).
Effect Controls (Palette)
Found underneath the FX and 3D tabs of the Command Palette, these buttons present better management when you’re working in Effect mode. Setting these controls up with their very own shortcuts will allow you to carry out scale/crop/monitor/bezier actions (amongst others) by hitting the important thing to allow the device, then interacting with the picture on the canvas. Lots sooner than fidgeting with sliders within the Effect editor.
Add Edit (Palette)
If you’re coming to Avid Media Composer from a special NLE, this one’s vital. It serves roughly the identical perform as Premiere’s Razor device or Final Cut’s Blade device, including an edit on the playhead place for any activated tracks.
Reduce / Enlarge (Palette)
Media Composer’s Reduce or Enlarge perform is restricted to viewing within the Record monitor and doesn’t have an effect on the rest. But with the ability to blow up the view might be helpful in case you’re making an attempt to learn small particulars (like a slate), whereas shrinking it could actually assist out throughout FX work.
Do your factor
I may counsel mappable Avid keyboard shortcuts all day lengthy however, on the finish of the day, customized keyboard shortcuts are concerning the instruments you want for your workflow. So go have enjoyable and construct your self a keyboard shortcut setup that can make your edits fly. It’s nicely well worth the effort.
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