Top 10 Adobe Premiere Pro Keyboard Shortcuts
There are over 100 Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts that will make you a faster video editor. From video transitions and zoom tools to custom keyboard shortcuts.
But that's a lot to take in for a beginner.
So we've put together the top 10 Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts you need to become a faster video editor today.
(Or maybe it's just a list of our favorites? Hard to tell).
Either way, let's get started.
Introduction to Adobe Premiere Pro
Every full-stack content marketer needs to master Adobe Creative Cloud.
And no, we don't mean every single creative app (there's over 20). We mean the top ones most relevant to your career. And ranking easily in the top 3 is Premiere Pro.
Premiere Pro is a video editing software app.
It's intuitive enough to learn that even the newest beginners can learn to use it quickly, and powerful enough to be used by Hollywood blockbuster video editors. It's truly that dynamic.
But that's not all.
Full-stack content marketers must learn other Adobe Creative programs like Photoshop, InDesign, and After Effects. And the coolest part about Adobe programs is that they're all connected to each other. And Premiere Pro is no exception.
Again, we're trying to get you to think long-term here.
There are other video editing apps out there—even free ones!
But if you're committed to learning full-stack content marketing, Premiere Pro is your go-to for video editing.
Plus, if you're already an in-house marketer, you should have access to Adobe Creative Cloud. If you don't, that's an easy, justifiable ask.
And if you're simply trying to level up their content marketing skills as a freelancer or business owner, the overall cost for Adobe Creative Cloud is manageable—about $55/month, or around $20/month as a student or teacher.
Why you should learn basic keyboard and Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts
This is fully your preference.
You don't need to learn keyboard shortcuts. But they sure help.
Nothing interrupts a creative, efficient workflow than trying to find a tool or input a command by finding the exact button to click. That's why keyboard shortcuts are so powerful.
Once you master a few keyboard shortcuts, you'll more easily fall into a state of flow where it's just you, your monitor, and your caffeination of choice (we prefer black coffee or a nice cappuccino) editing freely and swiftly.
And in your path to becoming a post production video editing whiz, learning a few keyboard shortcuts will come a long way.
Basic keyboard shortcuts you must know
There are 7 basic keyboard shortcuts you must know prior to learning Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts because they're universal times savers:
Command | Windows | Mac |
Save | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
Save As | Crtl + Shift + S | Shift + Cmd + S |
Undo | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z |
Redo | Ctrl + Shift + Z | Shift + Cmd + Z |
Cut | Crtl + X | Cmd + X |
Copy | Ctrl + C | Cmd + C |
Paste | Ctrl + V | Cmd + V |
Don't scoff at this list.
You'd be surprised at how few people either know or leverage these keyboard shortcuts.
That's why we felt it was important to at least offer you a refresher—no shame if these are new to you. Start practicing these shortcuts in any software, not just Premiere Pro, and watch your workflow become much more efficient.
The top 10 Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts you must know
Like we said before, there's over 100 Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts.
And while many are relevant to know, we think that's just too much for a beginner full-stack content marketer to synthesize.
Rather than listing them all, we've sifted through them and collected the top 10 Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts you must know:
Command | Windows | Mac |
Import | Crtl + I | Cmd + I |
Export Media | Ctrl + M | Cmd + M |
Paste Attributes | Ctrl + Alt + V | Opt + Cmd + V |
Duplicate | Ctrl + Shift + / | Shift + Cmd + / |
Audio Gain | G | G |
Speed/Duration | Ctrl + R | Cmd + R |
Render Effects in Work Area | Enter | Enter |
Mark In | I | I |
Mark Out | O | O |
Razor Tool | C | C |
Here's why these Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts made our top 10 list
This list consists of the most important inputs you'll need while editing video at a beginner level. Learning these alone will improve your video editing efficiency ten fold—source, us.
Here's why:
Import - There's always going to be more multimedia assets to import, why not make it faster?
Export Media - Whether you're exporting your finished product or a snippet, use this keyboard shortcut to immediately pop-up the export media window.
Paste Attributes - When you start adding effects or color correcting, you will want to mirror those changes in other similar clips. This keyboard shortcut it faster to do.
Duplicate - You may need to duplicate clips, soundbites, or motion graphics at any moment, might as well learn how to do it quickly.
Audio Gain - Mixing and mastering audio is such an important part of video production, and you will inevitably need to mess around with audio gain levels.
Speed/Duration - Now we're getting fancy. You want to speed up or slow down a clip? Use this shortcut to do it in no time.
Render Effects in Work Area - Once you're messing around with effects, you will need to render those effects so you can play back your video without load delay.
Mark In - When rendering effects or exporting snippets, you'll need to mark in and mark out your timeline.
Mark Out - When rendering effects or exporting snippets, you'll need to mark in and mark out your timeline.
Razor Tool - Video editing would be dang near impossible without the razor tool's sweet magic. You will use this all the time.
Hopefully that gives you a little more context as to why we chose these 10 Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts.
Remember our goal is to transform you into a full-stack content marketer. And if we're to be successful at that, we need to give your hyper-specific information that empowers you.
In closing
We've been in video production for over a decade.
We've shot and produced everything from combat documentaries in Afghanistan, corporate videos in the United States, and viral short form video productions. We've won videographer of the year awards and been nominated for an Emmy.
All while exclusively using Premiere Pro—and these 10 Adobe Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts.
At the end of the day, you need to use the keyboard shortcuts that work best for you.
But if you don't know where to get started, we certainly recommend using these as a starting point.
Good luck out there, Captain!
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