Quick Keyboard Controls

When it comes to editing efficiently, another way to do this is making good use of the keyboard. The suggested keyboard (shown before) is a great start, it allows you to work faster and easier without needing to use the mouse. I do use a lot of shortcuts on my own Mac at home which allows me to use it more efficiently, but it would be helpful to bring these shortcuts (or ones more related) into my editing. 

For Final Cut, you are able to set up your personalised keyboard, so if you have a specific style of using the keyboard in general, you can use this within your editing. By doing this, you can know what each key does which allows you to work more quickly - instead of wasting time looking things up and spending time scrolling down menus and other features.

Some keyboard shortcuts I currently use/know are:


J/K/L = Timeline Movement
This shortcut allows you to move through your footage without using your mouse. The mouse can make looking through your work time consuming and therefore these keys are helpful, especially when fine cutting, sorting shots and logging your footage. 


Apple + Shift + 3 = Full Screen Screenshot
This shortcut allows you to create an image of your entire screen, which is helpful because I need to do this for my research, so I can show images of my work as I explain how and why certain styles have been used. 

Apple + Shift + 4 = Specific Screenshot
This shortcut allows you to pick an area of your screen to screenshot, so you can specific certain sections of work. For example, wanting to focus on files on your Final Cut, or show your timeline settings more clearly.  

I + O = Creates In & Out Points
Instead of using the mouse to click the buttons which allow you to create the two points, these buttons are useful to create sub clips because it makes finding the right section of a clip more precise. 

Apple + U = Creates a Sub-Clip
I use this mostly when logging footage, it allows you to pick specific shots and label them easily, making them easier to find them later in the process of editing.