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Missing Essential Keyboard Commands in 2.0
I’ve just checked and I must say I’m a bit stumped. In v.1.5 you could load many clips into the source viewer and you could map a keyboard command to load First/Last/Next/Previous clip. Now in 2.0 I can’t seem to find the equivalent commands under Keyboard Customization. Jacob, help me out, please don’t tell me they have removed keyboard commands that I think are so needed.
Thanx
LS -
23 Replies
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Maybe the engineers, in their all-seeing wisdom, thought that we should exercise our mouse muscles a little more. Maybe I can learn to love scrolling down long lists to get to the next clip. I hope you’re mistaken. But then again, looking over the design choices in 1.5, and for that matter in just about all Adobe apps, I fear you’re not. Useability (minimizing the effort the user has to make to accomplish any task) doesn’t seem high on the list of their design priorities.
What about a keyboard assignable lock track function? Is that in 2? I’m getting real tired of clicking on those tiny little boxes to lock tracks. I now have to force myself not to rain a curse down on their heads every time I have to do it.
I apologize in advance if my criticism offends some people here but I’ve used NLEs since 1990 and I find a near total lack of user-centric design thinking in Adobe apps. I really wish there was way to explain to them or show them what steps could be taken to make this app less of a constant chore to use and maybe even a pleasure.
In fact it could be even be made enjoyable to use if they would recognize two things about the use of NLEs that are fundamental over and above the manipulation of elements on the timeline (that Adobe does do good job at)
1. Editing means frequently having to do many repetitive functions
2. Editing means frequently having to do the same function to many thingsIn other words:
1. Any function done in the NLE should be mappable to a keystroke combination. It’s been shown time and time again that the discrete act of striking keys is faster and more energy efficient than the non-discrete act of mousing. Mousing has its place where it’s more efficient than keystrokes and even when it’s not it should always be an option but not exclusively, at the expense of keystrokes. The track lock function mentioned above is an example of inappropriate mouse-over-keystoke design choice. As well keystrokes can be automated by macro programs and strings of multiple functions can be assigned to a single keystroke. That way one can do tedious repetitive tasks quickly and efficiently. They do crop up. This also applies to batch exporting. The software can work all night. I can’t.
2. Any function one can do to a clip should be do-able to groups of clips at the same time. Sure the effects are pasteable on multiple clips but gain and speed changes are not. And, more importantly, if you want to modify the effects on a group of clips you should be able to do it without having to delete the existing effects, one by one, before applying the changed effects again.
These are fundamental useability criteria in the design of any NLE since the first EMCs and Avids started rolling out a decade and a half ago. They should have been much more front and center in the initial design of Premiere Pro 1.0. Why they weren’t is beyond me. But it appears they haven’t been addressed much, if at all, in 2. They really should be incorporated soon.
David
AllinOneFilms.com -
How about something which is in fact a basic function of Windows:
In the bin, you should be able to hit a letter or number, and be taken to the first item in the bin beginning with that character. For example, let’s say I have 100 files in the bin, with various names. I know I need a file named house.avi – I should be able to select the bin window, and type “h” and be at least taken to the h’s. Am I missing this function?Based upon the negative feedback on 2.0, I hesitate to spend the money, although many of the new features do sound good.
Mike
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I have attended this version of PP because i need full keyboard commands to make a fast editign workflow. But… what i see is Adobe make a footstep in the wrong direction. So, unfortunately, the Axio system is not good for me, i’m looking now for Avid (i come from Discreet Edit).
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[Paolo] “unfortunately, the Axio system is not good for me, i’m looking now for Avid (i come from Discreet”
Same background as me, Paolo. There’s a PPro2 thread over on the Matrox forum where useability is being discussed very eloquently by ex and not so ex edit*ors. The designers and marketing types at Adobe should head over, too. They might learn something about how a useable NLE was developed.
As for Avid, the opinion has been expressed elsewhere that the release of suite now is a cash grab before Avid and Apple eat Adobe’s lunch at NAB. Personally I think if they waited any longer to release the user base would have stormed their gates.
David
AllinOneFilms.com -
[Mike Cohen] “How about something which is in fact a basic function of Windows”
How ’bout an explorer interface for the project window. I believe that was actually removed from Premiere 6.5. Like the source window, talk about backward steps in useability.
Another of my pet peeves is trying to go to the head of a timeline when a clip is selected. Hitting the home key takes you to the head of the clip. You have to deselect it before you can go to the head of the timeline. Couldn’t there be a Windows ctl-home function that takes you there regardless? You’ve gotta wonder if their designers ever talked to users.
Or this happens to me frequently. I’m editing near the end of a timeline (a common editing situation, eh). I’ve played the last bit I’ve worked on and I change an effect in the last shot. The cursor is resting at the end and I mistakenly hit play. Off it goes to the head of the timeline and starts playing from there. Like, this is something every editor wants to do? Sometimes I just sit there dumbstruck in wonder.
David
AllinOneFilms.com -
David-
The one that always drives me crazy is this: you have an interview byte, cover part of it with b-roll okay so far – THEN the producer decides they want the interview on-cam – guess what, you can’t just pull the clip back into the source window and drop it back on the TL as audio and video, you actually have to recut it to ge the video back!! (at least in 1.5) Hopefully this is one that changed in 2.0 (although no one has mentioned it yet, probably don’t have fickle producers who want an on-line finished program at each step of the off-line!!)
slainte,
marisu -
Marisu, It may be best to lay your b-roll on a seperate video track to avoid that.
David
AllinOneFilms.com -
David-
I could, and I do . . . but the fact of the matter is that I think if audio and video are linked they should STAY that way – regardless of whether you choose to use one, the other or both. Besides, once you get up to 6-10 layers of video you end up spending half your time scrolling up and down to see all the tracks (and toggling those damn locks on and off). I’m not saying you can’t make it work – it just slows me down SOOOOOOOOOOO much with all the scrolling and toggling I’m nearly crazy as it is (alright, I’m crazier, I guess I was at least halfway round the bend before 😉
slainte,
marisu -
to pull back video after removing b-roll, just hold down the ALT key and drag the out point of the clip – this temporarily unlinks the video from the audio. This feature has been in Premiere for quite a while.
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Just curious – is there an extend edit function as there is in Avid & FCP? A single keystroke extends the cut point to where the timeline cursor is parked.
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