The King of Shortcuts

Although it’s an incredibly basic keyboard shortcut that I think probably 95% of FCPers utilize, this blog’s mission is to present and discuss every keyboard shortcut there is and even though the N key, which toggles snapping on and off is widely known, it bears mention here as, for many people, this shortcut is the first they learn and the gateway to appreciating the power that shortcutting can bring to your workflow. Note also that this is a weekend post and this blog likes to present the more rudimentary shortcuts on weekends.

To learn more, read on after the jump…

For newcomers to FCP who may not yet be familiar with it, he N key duplicates the function of the “snapping” button found in the upper right corner of the Timeline.

When snapping is turned on you’ll notice that when you drag things around on the Timeline, they tend to magnetically “stick” to the ends of other clips, the Playhead, etc. This is very useful when you are trying to make sure you don’t accidentally overwrite another clip or leave a gap. It is also useful when you’re using some tools like the razor blade (although I have a much better solution for many of your Razor Blade operations). Snapping makes basic timeline positioning much easier and error-free in many cases.

On the other hand, snapping can be very annoying when you are trying to precisely position an overlay on Track 2 or manipulate opacity or audio levels keyframes you have created on the Timeline. In the end, it’s about a 50/50 proposition as to whether or not you want it on, so having a conveniently placed, single key shortcut is perfect here.

If you are not already using the N shortcut, start now and your editing will be much smoother. If you are an old hand at the Snapping toggle, then take a moment to honor the N key as… The King of Keyboard Shortcuts.