MC5 Editing - Shortcuts & Short Cut Keys
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Note:  MC5 is definitely different & improved in many editing features over MC4.  If you are a Liquid upgrader, I really recommend moving to MC5 right away.  Don't miss these tutorials - NEW - Media Composer 5 - Getting Started  & Intro to Smart Tool  and Matt Feury's Webinar series on Videoguys.
 
  Zooming on Timeline      
  Inserting TRACKS      
         



 

#1 - The heart to fast editing - Keyboard SHORTCUTs
 
There are 2 categories of keyboard shortcuts in MC:

Standard keyboard shortcuts - pre-defined by MC  (regular keys +  ALT and/or CTRL).  Learn them from the CHARTS (available in HELP or links below). These shortcuts  are grouped by editing functions within MC.

User Defined SHORTCUTs  -  Certain editing commands can be assigned to standard keyboard keys (Top Level shortcuts) and to the combo of SHIFT + standard keys (Shift Level shortcuts).  In MC, there are only these two levels of user defined shortcut keys. 

Some user defined keyboard assignments I like

To expose a graphic image of the KEYBOARD and currently assigned keys, from the "project" window, choose "Settings" tab, then press a "K" to get you to Keyboard, then double-click KEYBOARD - and the keyboard graphic will show up as a window. Then drag to keyboard.                                              


to display keyboard Project/Settings/ K (for keyboard)
 

                        

 


to display command palate
use menu/TOOLS/Command Palette  (or CTRL + 3)

Both have to be displayed in order to assign commands to shortcut keys  

 

To add a shortcut to the keyboard, with the graphic image of the keyboard revealed, use menu/TOOLS/Command Palette  (or CTRL + 3) to expose the palette offering you choices of commands to add to the keyboard.  Search the palette and drag the command to the keyboard. 

There is no easier way to open the graphic window displaying the KEYBOARD - but you can choose menu/Edit/Preferences to get to the program settings tab.

You can have shortcut keys assigned to toolsets . Then when you open that toolset. it will load those keyboard settings.  Workspaces (different views of various toolsets) expand beyond toolsets.  There are several tutorials on Workspaces, and  Workspaces can also be mapped to the keyboard
 

 
Standard MC5 Keyboard shortcut CHARTS for various functions  (PC only)
   
 
 
   Keyboard Shortcut Tutorials
   
Link23     Very basic Keyboard-mapping
Link63     A few Keyboard Shortcuts
Link65     More Keyboard Shortcuts
Link 114  Keyboard Commands vs. Drag & Drop
Link 153  24 Keyboard Shortcuts to jog your Memory                 
Link 154  Shift 'n Map                                                            
Link 156  Keyboard Mapping Suggestions - Focus
Link 181  Basic Menu Tips
Link 195  Setting up Workspaces
Link 198  Lift & Extract and playing with the Keyboard Map 

 

Avid Tips & Tricks: Toolsets and Workspaces
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS – Keyboard Shortcuts for Avid Media Composer
KEYBOARD EXCHANGE – Get Ideas From Other Editors' Mapping

 
   
 TIMELINE - ZOOMING IN - called SHOW MORE (or LESS) DETAIL in MC
      
Tutorial - Timeline Tips and Techniques, Part 1
Scale Bar You can use the scale bar on the bottom, the Focus button to zoom in all the way where the playline is, or CTRL + M and CTRL + J
Show More Detail 
 (zoom in)
CTRL + [ (left bracket)
Show Less Detail
 (zoom out)
 
CTRL + ] (right bracket)
ZOOM ALL THE WAY OUT CTRL + /
zoom in Ctrl + M - cursor turns to range selection tool, use mouse to select area of timeline
zoom out Ctrl + J - returns each level of previous zoom in
     
focus oN   Clicking on ICON FULL zooms in to playline area, clicking again 
     
Inserting Tracks
  CTRL + Y  - adds video track on top

ALT + CTRL +Y  - gives you an option where to place the new track

Activating Tracks
  You can always lasso the tracks

A better way is to use Ctrl + A to turn on all and Ctrl + SHIFT + A to turn all off

To select certain tracks - hold down the SHIFT key and drag over the tracks you want
 

Activating Tracks
  Ctrl + click on the monitor box (in track header display)
 
Timeline Track Height adjustment
CTRL + K
CTRL + L
Another tip about audio waveform displays. You can resize your tracks vertically by using CTRL + L to enlarge and CTRL + K to reduce for better detail in waveforms. Alternately you can also hold down CTRL and float the cursor over the track indicator until it turns into a "doublemint double arrow" icon (for lack of a better term), then drag...

Another way - use mouse , hold down Ctrl key, and drag track height

NOW, if you use CTRL + ALT + L or K, you can enlarge and reduce only the size of the waveform without changing the size of the track itself.  - Larry Rubin

 
Tineline - Verticle shifting a clip to another track
  CTRL + ALT and left mouse drag
 
  More on WORKSPACES
 
I have a little tip that makes it faster for me to edit: in Mouse Settings you can assign some frequently used function to 3rd button (which is a mouse wheel). For me it's red arrow, so I can quickly switch to segment mode and move some clips around, then click again and I'm out of segment mode. Saves some time. And if you have a mouse with more keys, you can assign more functions.  PEBE


 
 
 
 
 
 
     
 
Source / Master
I & O set In and Out
D & F delete In and Out
  GOTO IN  or OUT
6 Loop play IN/OUT
CTR+SHIFT+F toggles FULL SCREEN PLAYBACK
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   
Toolesets
  You can have shortcut keys assigned to toolsets. Go to your toolset, select "link current to".  Then give it a descriptive name. Then enter that name in the field to the right of your keyboard setting. That effectively names the keyboard setting and when you open that toolset it will load any setting with the corresponding name. Also investigate Workspaces to expand beyond the toolsets, There are several tutorials on Workspaces. Workspaces can also be mapped to the keyboard
 
   
 
   
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
     
 
Link 157  Zooming In/Out and dragging the Monitor Picture 
     
 
 
     
 
 
     
 
Open Media Creation for choosing Resolution/import Format/ Title Creation etc.
Ctrl+5   Just when the project opens I hit that. Ctrl+5.   It brings up the media creation and this is essential.  You can choose the resolution that will be used for the imports exports and title creation.  You can also filter out the OS drives from storing Avid MediaFiles thus media. - sverkalo
 
Site Settings from Special Pulldown Menu
    sverkalo  Go to the "Special" pulldown menu and choose "site settings". This will open up a small site settings window. You can then drag any user setting, including media creation settings in your case, into the site settings window and manually save. From that point on, any new project you create SHOULD honor the settings you have saved in that window. And if you don't find site settings in the special menu, with user settings displayed in the project window, click on the fast (hamburger) menu and you should find it there.
 
Quick Transitions Bin Adds transition to drop down menu
/  (Backslash)   Larry Rubin   here's a good one. Create a bin and name it "Quick Transitions". Now, any transitional effect you save to that bin will be available in the drop down menu in the quick transition (dissolve) tool - activated by the backslash key just above enter on the QWERTY side.
     
     
 
     
     
editing title clips
CTRL double click the title clip in it's bin.   All right, here's another one that's not too widely known - editing title clips. Most people edit titles in the timeline, and while you can modify it and store it as a new title clip, the existing title in the timeline will get modified whether you want it to or not.

Solution: CTRL double click the title clip in it's bin. The title tool opens with that title clip ready for editing and re-saving. Never have to touch a timeline. Saves a lot of keystrokes and clicking

 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
     
 
 
     
 
     
   
 
     
 
shifting all video clips along the timeline
     
Can you split events on multiple tracks at once?
 
Tracks - Making them thicker/thinner