Tuesday Tips: Quickly Edit Keyframes

If you frequently use the Pen Tool to add and delete keyframes then you’ll like this tip. With the default Selection Tool active, you can quickly change to the Pen Tool by holding down the Option key and clicking on a keyframe graph. A new keyframe will be added at the point clicked. This works in the Controls, Filters and Motion tabs as well as the opacity and audio level graphs on clips in the Timeline.

It doesn’t end there though. FCP is smart, so if you hold down the Option key and move the mouse over an existing keyframe, then the Delete Point Tool is shown. This allows for very fast addition and deletion of keyframes without having to touch the tool palette.

Martin Baker is the founder of Avid2FCP/Digital Heaven and an Apple Certified Trainer for FCP. During his 13 year editing career, as a freelance and at the BBC, he worked on a wide variety of edit systems including linear, Lightworks, Avid DS and Avid Symphony before switching to FCP in 2003.