Here we can see, “75+ Keyboard Shortcuts for Adobe After Effects to Make Your Life Easier”
Learn how to use these Adobe After Effects keyboard shortcuts to save time and effort to access numerous tools quickly.
The industry-standard tool for visual effects and motion graphics is Adobe After Effects. After Post-production, professionals, and artists frequently use effects to create aesthetically spectacular television, film, the web, and video.
However, for newcomers, the software might be quite difficult. Finding your way around the application can be challenging due to the numerous toolbars and options. That being said, there are numerous keyboard shortcuts for Adobe After Effects that will make your life easier.
The most useful keyboard shortcuts for beginners in Adobe After Effects are shown here.
Keyboard shortcuts for Adobe After Effects
| SHORTCUT | ACTION |
|---|---|
| General Shortcuts | |
| Ctrl + Alt + N | New Project |
| Ctrl + N | New Composition |
| Ctrl + O | Open Project |
| Ctrl + Alt + Shift + P | Open a most recent Project |
| Ctrl + Alt + Shift + K | Open Project Settings dialog box |
| Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N | New folder in Project panel |
| Ctrl + F | Find in Project panel |
| Ctrl + I | Import File |
| Ctrl + Alt + ; | Open After Effects Preferences |
| Ctrl + A | Select all |
| F2 or Ctrl + Shift + A | Deselect all |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo |
| 0 (Numpad) or Space | Preview your composition |
| Hover your mouse over the panel you want to expand and press ~ | Expand any panel to fit your entire screen |
| Ctrl + Alt + E | Interrupt running a script |
| Hold down the Spacebar, then click and drag what you want to move | Access the Hand Tool |
| Select what you want to duplicate, then press Ctrl + D | Duplicate selected layers, effects, masks… |
| Ctrl + S | Save your project |
| Ctrl + Shift + S | Save As |
| Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S | Increment and save your project |
| Transform Properties Shortcuts | |
| A | Anchor Point |
| P | Position |
| S | Scale |
| R | Rotation and Orientation |
| TT | Opacity |
| T | Opacity property (for lights, Intensity) |
| L | Audio Levels |
| F | Mask Feather |
| M | Mask Path |
| Hold Shift + any of the above hotkeys | Call out multiple transform properties simultaneously |
| U + U (double-press U) | View all adjusted properties |
| A + A (double-press A) | Show only Material Options property group |
| E + E (double-press E) | Show only expressions |
| S + S (double-press S) | Show only selected properties and groups |
| U | Show properties with keyframes |
| Keyframe Shortcuts | |
| Click property name | Select all property keyframes |
| Ctrl + Alt + A | Select all visible properties and keyframes |
| Shift + F2 or Ctrl + Alt + Shift + A | Deselect all keyframes, property groups, and properties |
| Alt + Shift + property shortcut | Add or remove keyframe at the current time |
| Select the keyframes + F9 | Convert linear keyframes to Easy Ease keyframes |
| Shift + F9 | Convert linear keyframes to Ease In keyframes |
| Ctrl + Shift + F9 | Convert linear keyframes to Ease Out keyframes |
| U | Pull out all your keyframes |
| J or K | Jump between keyframes |
| Page Up or Page Down | Move a single frame |
| I | Jump to the beginning of the layer |
| O | Jump to the end of the layer |
| Composition Panel Shortcuts | |
| , or . (You can also use the scroll wheel) | Zoom in or out |
| Shift + / | Fit the comp window to the entire screen |
| \ | Toggle between Composition panel and Timeline panel |
| Ctrl + J | Full resolution |
| Ctrl + Shift + J | Half resolution |
| Ctrl + Alt + J | Custom resolution |
| Layer Shortcuts | |
| Ctrl + Y | New Solid Layer |
| Ctrl + Alt + Y | New Adjustment Layer |
| Ctrl + Alt + Y | New Null Layer |
| Select layers + Ctrl + L | Lock certain layers |
| Ctrl + Shift + L | Unlock all layers |
| F4 | Show/hide Modes columns and Layer Switches |
| Ctrl + Alt + Shift + V | Turn Video switch on/off for a selected layer/s |
| Ctrl + Shift + V | Turn Video switch off for all video layers excluding the selected ones |
| Ctrl + Alt + V | Paste layers at the current time |
| Ctrl + Shift + D | Split selected layers (if you do not select layers, all layers are split) |
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Open Effect Controls for a selected layer |
| Double-click a layer | Open layer in a Layer panel |
| Double-click effect selection in Effects & Presets panel | Add an effect/s to selected layers |
| Select layers + Alt + Home | Move layers so that their In point is at the beginning of a composition |
| Select layers + Alt + End | Move layers so that their Out point is at the end of a composition |
| Other Shortcuts | |
| Ctrl + Shift + C | Open the Pre-compose box |
| Ctrl + R | Activate Rulers |
| Ctrl + ; | Toggle Guides |
| Ctrl + Shift + ; | Turn on Guide Snapping |
| Ctrl + Alt + Shift + ; | Lock Guides |
| Ctrl + ‘ | Activate grid |
| V | Activate Selection Tool |
| H | Activate Hand Tool |
| C | Activate Camera Tool |
| G | Activate Pen Tool |
Professional Footage Can Be Produced Using After Effects
It takes some time to get used to Adobe After Effects, so don’t get frustrated if things don’t turn out exactly how you planned. You’ll be able to establish the most efficient workflow possible by using these keyboard shortcuts.
Conclusion
I hope you found this guide useful. If you’ve any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to use the form below.
User Questions
1. In After Effects, what does F9 do?
F9 provides a smoothness to your keyframes that immediately improves the look of your motion, and if you master the secrets of the graph editor, it will be one of the first places you go to fine-tune your animation to perfection.
2. In After Effects, what is the shortcut for simple ease?
By pressing F9, you can activate Easy Ease (which reduces the speed of entering and exiting specified keyframes). Hit Shift + F9 to slow down when entering a keyframe (i.e., Easy Ease In). Similarly, press Command + Shift + F9 to activate Easy Ease Out.
3. Is 8GB of RAM sufficient for After Effects?
In After Effects, how much RAM should I use? After Effects need a minimum of 8GB of RAM to work properly. Adobe, on the other hand, advises utilizing 16GB of RAM. If you have 8GB or 16GB of RAM, After Effects may give you an error message stating that it needs additional memory to perform a task.
4. My Personal After Effects Shortcut List. : r/VideoEditing – Reddit
5. Keyboard shortcut for Ram Preview in After Effects CC – Reddit
Keyboard shortcut for Ram Preview in After Effects CC from AfterEffects
