Avid Media Composer Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows

Keyboard shortcuts for Avid Media Composer on Windows. Covers audio, bins, capturing, editing, effects, playback, the timeline, trim mode, and tools.
Key label style

Audio

Snaps to Mid in Audio Mix tool
Alt+Clickthe Pan slider
Snaps to 0 dB in Audio EQ and Audio tools
Alt+Clickthe Volume slider
Selects track for audio scrub monitoring
Alt+Clickthe Audio Track Monitor button
Mutes selected track (1 to 8)
Alt+Clickthe Track Solo button (Automation Gain tool)
or
Alt+<1-8>
Moves selected audio keyframe horizontally in the Timeline
Alt+Draga keyframe
Opens the Audio Settings dialog box
Alt+Clickdigital scrub parameters in the Composer monitor

Bin

Creates a new bin
Ctrl+N
Selects all items in the active bin or the Project window
Ctrl+A
Closes open windows, bins, or dialog boxes
Ctrl+W
Prints the selected bin in whatever view you have selected (Text, Frame, or Script view)
Ctrl+P
Duplicates selected clip(s), sequence(s), or title(s)
Ctrl+D
Creates a Group Clip from selected Master Clips or Sub Clips
Ctrl+Shift+G
Opens the Console window to display information about selected clips or sequences
Ctrl+I
with clips or sequences selected in the bin
Makes a copy of a clip
Alt+Dragclips between bins
Opens a pop-up window of information about the selected clip or sequence icon
Ctrl+Alt+Clickthe clip or sequence icon
Increases the size of the Clip Frame images (Frame view or Script view)
Ctrl+L
Decreases the size of the Clip Frame images (Frame view or Script view)
Ctrl+K
Aligns the Clip Frame images to an invisible grid (Frame view)
Ctrl+T

Capturing

These shortcuts apply while the Recorder is in Capture mode, which remaps the keyboard's function keys.

Mark the In-Point of a subclipPressing F1 again before F2 updates the In-Point.
F1
not Batch Capturing
Mark the Out-Point of a subclip
F2
not Batch Capturing
Add a Red locator to the clip
F3
Begin the capture
F4
in Capture mode
Log a Master Clip to the bin
F4
in Log mode
Add a Red locator to the clip
F5
Add a Green locator to the clip
F6
Add a Blue locator to the clip
F7
Add a Cyan locator to the clip
F8
Add a Magenta locator to the clip
F9
Add a Yellow locator to the clip
F10
Add a Black locator to the clip
F11
Add a White locator to the clip
F12

Editing

Undo a previous editing operation such as Mark In or Splice
Ctrl+Z
Redo a previous editing operation such as Mark In or Splice
Ctrl+R
Copy the material between a Mark In and Mark Out on the selected tracks
Ctrl+C
Paste copied material onto the same tracks it was copied from, at the Mark In point
Ctrl+V
Copy the material between a Mark In and Mark Out on the selected tracks into the Source Window
Alt+Clickthe Extract/Splice-in button
Lift the material between a Mark In and Mark Out on the selected tracks into the Source Window
Alt+Clickthe Lift button
Extract the material between a Mark In and Mark Out on the selected tracks into the Source Window
Alt+Clickthe Extract button
Open the selected item(s) in a pop-up monitor
Alt+Double-clicka Clip, Sequence, or Title icon in a bin
Change the pointer to a hand icon to drag a subclip or subsequence to a bin
Alt+Clickthe Source Monitor or Record Monitor
Splice a clip (or multiple clips) into the sequence at the Mark In position
Alt+Draga clip into the Record monitor
Overwrite a clip (or multiple clips) into the sequence at the Mark In position
Shift+Draga clip into the Record monitor
Enlarge the image in the Source or Record monitor, or the track width in the Timeline
Ctrl+L
Reduce the image in the Source or Record monitor, or the track width in the Timeline
Ctrl+K
Ignore the Track Selectors and place an In and Out Mark at the two nearest transitions to the position indicator
Alt+Clickthe Mark Clip button
Toggle between making the Source and Record monitors active
Esc
Send the selected window back to its default location
Ctrl+'
Create an Add Edit only in tracks with filler
Alt+Clickthe Add Edit button

Effect Mode

Move from one active slider to the next (Effect Editor)
Tab
Move 10 units on a slider instead of 1 unit
Shift+LeftRight
Display the image as you move it, rather than just a wire frame outline
Alt+Draga corner, side, or center of the wire frame
Grab an active keyframe in the Keyframe Position Bar and move it earlier or later in timeWait for the hand icon to appear before you attempt to move a keyframe.
Alt+Draga keyframe
Select all keyframes
Ctrl+A
with the Keyframe Position Bar active
Remove an effect
Del
with a segment selected
Add an effect to a segment that already has one, or to multiple selected segments ("Auto Nesting")
Alt+Double-clickan Effect in the Effect Palette or an Effect Template in a bin
with a segment selected
Change the pointer to a hand icon for moving an enlarged, zoomed-in video image around in the Record Monitor
Ctrl+Alt+Clickand drag the video image
Render to the last drive selected, without opening the render dialog box
Alt+Clickthe Render Effect button
Display the percentage of the render that is complete
P
while rendering
Display render time completed and an estimated total render time
T
while rendering
Stop the render process and choose whether to keep the rendered portion
Ctrl+.
Quickly exit Effect Mode and return to Source/Record Mode
Clickanywhere in the Timecode track

Playing and Marking

Start or stop playback
Space
or
Tab
or
5
or
`
Step backward 10 frames (8 frames for progressive formats)
1
Step forward 10 frames (8 frames for progressive formats)
2
Step backward 1 frame
3
or
Left
Step forward 1 frame
4
or
Right
Go to the beginning of a clip or sequence
Home
Go to the end of a clip or sequence
End
Mark In
I
Mark Out
O
Play forwardPress repeatedly to increase playback speed.
L
Play in reversePress repeatedly to increase playback speed.
J
Pause
K

Timeline

Snap the position indicator to the head frame of a segment, or to a Mark In point or audio keyframe
Ctrl+Clicknear a transition in the Timeline
Snap the position indicator to the tail frame of a segment, or to a Mark In point or audio keyframe
Ctrl+Alt+Clicknear a transition in the Timeline
Increase the height of selected track(s)
Ctrl+L
Decrease the height of selected track(s)
Ctrl+K
Make a track wider or narrower
Ctrl+Dragbetween two tracks
Show more or less detail in the Timeline
Ctrl+[
or
Ctrl+]
Open the Find dialog box to search the timeline for clip names, source names, or locator text
Ctrl+F
Add a new video track
Ctrl+Y
Add a new audio track
Ctrl+U
Open a dialog box to add a specifically numbered audio or video track
Ctrl+Alt+Y
Open a dialog box to add a specifically numbered audio or video track
Ctrl+Alt+U
Solo a trackYou may solo up to 16 audio tracks at once, but only 1 video track at a time.
Ctrl+Clickthe video or audio monitor icon in the track selector panel
Select multiple segments
Shift+Click
in Segment Mode or Effect Mode
Snap the head of selected segment(s) to a transition, Mark In, Mark Out, or the position indicator
Ctrl+Draga segment
in Segment Mode
Snap the tail of selected segment(s) to a transition, Mark In, Mark Out, or the position indicator
Ctrl+Alt+Draga segment
in Segment Mode
Move segments to a higher or lower track without moving them left or right, staying in sync
Ctrl+Shift+Dragup or down
Lasso one or more segments (left to right) to enter Segment Mode
Lasso one or more segments
Lasso one or more segments inside the timeline tracks to enter Segment Mode
Alt+Lasso one or more segments
Lasso a transition to enter Trim Mode
Lasso a transition
Lasso a transition inside the timeline tracks to enter Trim Mode
Alt+Lasso a transition
Lasso one segment per track (right to left) to enter Trim Mode's Slip function
Lasso one or more segments
Lasso one segment per track inside the timeline tracks to enter Trim Mode's Slip function
Alt+Lasso one or more segments
Select all tracks
Ctrl+A
Deselect all tracks
Ctrl+Shift+A
Perform a match-frame without removing previously placed Mark In or Mark Out points
Alt+Clickthe Match Frame button
Open the bin containing the clip on the top-most selected track
Alt+Clickthe Find Bin button
Display the entire sequence in the Timeline window
Ctrl+/
Select an area of the timeline to zoom into
Ctrl+M
Return to the previously used timeline magnification after zooming
Ctrl+J

Trim Mode

Go to the previous transition, ignoring the track selector panel
Alt+Clickthe Go to Previous Event button
Go to the next transition, ignoring the track selector panel
Alt+Clickthe Go to Next Event button
Shorten segments without going out of sync by replacing trimmed footage with fillerSync Locks must be disabled for this to work.
Alt+Drag
in a Single Roller Trim configuration
Return to Trim Mode using the last-used Trim Roller configuration
Alt+Clickthe Trim Mode button

Tools

Open or select the Timeline window
Ctrl+0
Open the Audio tool
Ctrl+1
Open the Avid Calculator
Ctrl+2
Open the Command Palette
Ctrl+3
Open the Composer window
Ctrl+4
Open Media Creation
Ctrl+5
Open the Console
Ctrl+6
Open the Capture Tool
Ctrl+7
Open the Effects Palette
Ctrl+8
Open the Project window
Ctrl+9

Other

Delete a Project (the Project folder and everything within it); does not delete the associated media
Alt+Del
with a project selected

Intro

Avid Media Composer on Windows uses Ctrl as its primary modifier, with Alt standing in for the button-click modifiers used in several editing functions like Lift, Extract, and Add Edit.

Windows-specific shortcut notes

J-K-L playback. L plays forward, J plays in reverse, and K pauses. Repeated presses of J or L increase the shuttle speed; holding K while tapping J or L steps one frame at a time.

Alt+click editing functions. Lift, Extract, Add Edit, Match Frame, and Find Bin are triggered by holding Alt and clicking their toolbar button, not by a plain key combination.

Tool windows. Ctrl+0 through Ctrl+9 open the Timeline, Audio tool, Calculator, Command Palette, Composer window, and other core tool windows directly.

Printable PDF

The Avid Media Composer Windows shortcut list is available as a printable PDF. The J-K-L playback keys and the Mark In/Mark Out keys are the most useful for everyday editing.

FAQ

Need more than shortcuts?
Visit the Avid Media Composer app page for an overview and helpful links.

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