Thread: Video Editing without a Mouse

I would like to find a video-editing software that allows me to do most of editing tasks with the keyboard (without a mouse). The reason I would like to just use the keyboard is because it's a lot faster and if I'm doing a repetitive tasks such as cutting out highlights from a long video clip using a mouse just slows me down in a major way.

I have Premiere Pro CS4 and Pinnacle Studio 12. I really like Premiere, and though it has many keyboard shortcuts, it really doesn't let you do MOST things with the keyboard. For example, it doesn't let you to move from clip to clip in the timeline. Also, it doesn't let you export to media, etc.

Do you guys have any software recommendations of either video editing software or extensions that allow me to define macros / keyboard shortcuts. Or maybe a fancy video editing keyboard?

Oh for crying out loud. This is becoming a regular spam. I assume that you haven't read the numerous previous threads on this subject.

Premiere does what you suggest, as do all of the up-market applications. RTFM

As for the keyboard... I recommend the boards from www.logickeyboard.com but have a sneaking feeling that some new poster is about to come along and post a link to some cheap, tacky, chinese keyboards.
Whatever you do, DON'T get stick-on symbols to use on your keyboard. They are awful, peel off after a few uses, get dirty and fade quickly.

I shall now sit back and wait for the spam-link

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLs !

Originally Posted by The Guru

Premiere does what you suggest, as do all of the up-market applications. RTFM

Thanks for the quick reply and bit of the well-deserved condescending comedy.

I'm an "advanced" photoshop user and programmer in general (hence the aversion to the mouse), but am just dipping into video editing. So I completely understand the RTFM, but really, there are many things Premiere does not have assignable shortcuts for, unless I fundamentally am missing something. I read forum posts, for example, on the subject of selecting a clip on the timeline at the current position of the play tic. This is something you can do with the mouse (obviously) but cannot with the keyboard.

The keyboard you suggest is just a regular keyboard, though cool looking, for people that are too lazy to memorize the shortcuts or set their own. I do wonder if the ShuttlePro is something that's as customizable as it seems, because perhaps that could be give a nice productivity improvement.

Anyway, thanks for you expertise. If you have any comments on anything above, I would greatly appreciate it.

I think video editors tend to be quite mouse centric - I am unable to help specifically as I do all by mouse.

Some people like trackballs but I dont see the advantage - but never used one.

Please forgive our collective spam phobia - it has been a bit like a snowstorm recently...

goto edit -> Keyboard Customization. have a look around. i recommend using the mous to move the video about though

Have a look at Final Cut, as that is very keyboard oriented (if you want it to be) but as a long term Premiere user, before changeing to FCP, I can assure you that there are keyboard shortcuts for just about eveything in Prem pro.

Smifi's post shows you where to go.

I still think that it's a bit of a coincidence that your first paragraph is almost verbatum to a regular spam we get which follows up with a post recommending really tacky keyboard stickers. If you stay around and become a regular maybe we'll laugh about it at some point.

Lol. Come to think of it, the first paragraph I wrote does sound like a good setup for an infomercial.

Thanks for the advice. I'm afraid to use the dirty word here, but I actually use a PC

I think that Premiere drags behind Photoshop in keyboard customization and also automation such as batch processing.

I look forward to reading more forum posts. Thanks guys.

Originally Posted by lexfridman

Thanks for the advice. I'm afraid to use the dirty word here, but I actually use a PC

Not a dirty word around here. In fact this is the only forum I know of where the Mac users don't get all evangelical.

Originally Posted by lexfridman

I think that Premiere drags behind Photoshop in keyboard customization and also automation such as batch processing.

I'd really love to suggest you take a look at Sony Vegas. Not only is it very customisable, but it includes scripting which means it's VERY automatable (and there are a number of free and pay-for bundles of scripts available. As a programmer, I'm sure that would appeal.

The only reason I won't recommend it is that if you're a hardened Adobe user, you've probably come to like (or at least get used to) the Adobe style "windows and tabs all over the place" interface. Sure you can stick windows and tabs all over the place in Vegas, but it isn't really at its best like that.

Nevertheless, if I've whetted your appitite to look at something different, you can download a fully functional 30 day trial from Sony Creative Software - Vegas video - ACID & Sound Forge audio editing.

The school I go to (Drexel University) actually has Sony Vegas Pro 9 on some digi media machines, so I'll try it out today. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm excited. I'm big into scripting.