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Hotkey considerations: FCP, FCP-X, Avid MC, Premiere
With the recent drama of FCP X, I (with countless others) have been tentatively exploring editing software alternatives. I’m a hotkey fanatic, especially in FCP and After Effects. As I’ve fiddled around with Avid MC and Premiere I’m trying to decide whether I should set up FCP-style hotkeys, or if I should learn a new set of hotkeys which would make it easier to walk into a production house, sit down, and start cutting?
It’s almost like language — do I want to keep a Final-Cut-Pro accent as I’m cutting on Avid MC? Any advice / experiences-to-share appreciated.
[Apologies in advance for posting in FCP X — since there’s the “FCPX Techniques” forum, I figure this is the closest we have to a forum about the transitions a number of us might be making over the next 12 months….]
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3 Replies
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I teach editing, so I’ll give you the same advice I give them: Always learn the shortcuts. Avoid color-coded keyboards when possible.
Like you said, it is like a language. If you want to move top Costa Rica, you’ll always be better served to learn Spanish than to travel with an interpreter. By the same token, if you ever anticipate working on someone else’s machine, you’re better served to know the shortcut than to carry around your prefs file.
Professor, Producer, Editor
and former Apple Employee -
Ben –
In PPro CS5 and CS5.5 you can load FCP shortcut keys, to get you up and running quickly. Here’s a link to the Adobe help file:
https://help.adobe.com/en_US/premierepro/cs/using/WS1c9bc5c2e465a58a91cf0b1038518aef7-7c2ea.html
It’s mentioned under Customize or Load Keyboard Shortcuts. I believe it’s just a setup file which you can load as is, or customize if need be.
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
If you’re learning Avid, learn the Avid keyboard shortcuts. They’re incredibly logical when you get down to straight cutting and trimming. 90% of your editing can be done with your left hand on the keyboard without even moving it off the home keys.
Michael
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Michael Hancock
Editor
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