Welcome to Tool Tip Tuesday for Adobe Premiere Pro on ProVideo Coalition

Recently, Scott mentioned mapping a keyboard choice to the Productions panel (By the way, I think the answer there should be Shift-0). In the article, he gave some great keyboard commands, but I wanted to add some why and help you think in keyboard commands rather than memorize.

I realized a long time ago that, when I’m using a computer, I’m telling myself the story of what I’m doing. My hands know where to go because the keyboard choices are part of that story. I call this a natural language mnemonic, and I’m going to teach it to you here to navigate around Premiere.

Here’s the path I’ve been showing people since version 5 of Premiere Pro (2010?), and it begins with a simple question: “What’s the order of the panels you use in the project?”

Premiere’s well-designed layout

The layout of the panels in Premiere Pro provides the clues. We’re viewing this using the original workspace – Editing Workspace

First, you add media in the Project panel. Second, you double-click a clip and load it into the Source Monitor. Third, you bring it to the Timeline. Fourth, you watch it back in the Program Monitor.

Which panel are you going to shift to?

• Shift+1 gets you to the Project panel, no matter where you are. Hopefully, you’re already thinking ahead..
• Shift+2 loads the Source.
• Shift+3 focuses on the Timeline. Hit Shift+3 multiple times if you have multiple sequences open.
• Shift+4 takes you to the Program Monitor, though I don’t use that one.
• Shift+5 is your new favorite shortcut, which brings up Effect Controls. (Skip Shift+6)
• Shift+7 opens your Effects panel.

No memorization necessary

Because we’ve hung these shortcuts on the story of how you actually edit, you’ll never forget them. Project, Source, Timeline, Program, Effect Controls, Effects.

The numbers follow your natural workflow. You just need to Shift your attention to where you’re working. 

That’s what great Tips should be – not just memorization, but understanding that sticks.

This series is courtesy of Adobe.