Edit FASTER

Adobe Premiere is used by the biggest creators on the planet.

It’s exceptionally powerful, but that can also make it cumbersome to use.

There is always a better, faster, cleaner way to edit.

Today, I want to share one trick that instantly made my process about 30% more efficient.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the copy and paste functions on your keyboard (if you’re not…I’m about to blow your mind). These functions are called keyboard shortcuts.

You can program specific key sequences on your keyboard to execute pretty much any action imaginable on-screen, not just in word docs.

These are especially useful in an editing suite.

Adobe Premiere has highly customizable keyboard shortcuts. You can program specific letters to select different tools, mark in-and-out points on your timeline, and delete or add clips.

Now, it’s easy to take this information and think, “great, I’ll never have to use my mouse again.”

That’s a little extreme, but you can make edits with your keyboard the majority of the time.

My major unlock with keyboard shortcuts came back in 2017 from YouTuber and editing wiz, Sara Dietschy.

Years ago, Sara made a series on How to Vlog and one of the videos was centered around her editing process.

Sara shared that she customized her shortcuts to be largely populated on the left side of her keyboard, so her right hand could remain on the trackpad of her computer.

She even included a free download of her own Premiere shortcuts for her audience to use for themselves.

I began to use Sara’s shortcuts and immediately noticed the improvement. After a few months I tweaked them slightly to better fit my process and adhere to the natural ways my fingers move within the editing suite.

This is a huge point. Don’t start at zero when building a new process. Steal the best ideas from those that have come before you, then customize once you’ve got more experience under your belt.

Change is hard and there will be a learning curve, but after a few editing sessions with the new shortcuts you will feel like a seasoned pro.

Let me know if you try out these shortcuts for yourself!

Have an ELITE week,

Hannah