Cheatsheet - Adobe Premiere

1. Project & Interface Navigation

Action Shortcut Key(s) Notes
Import Files Ctrl+I / Cmd+I
New Sequence Ctrl+N / Cmd+N
Save Project Ctrl+S / Cmd+S
Export Media Ctrl+M / Cmd+M Opens the Export Settings dialog.
Toggle Full Screen (Panel) ~ (Tilde key) Full-screens the panel your mouse is hovering over (Source, Program, Timeline, etc.).
Undo / Redo Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z and Ctrl+Shift+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z

2. Timeline Navigation & Playback

Action Shortcut Key(s) Notes
Play / Stop Spacebar or K K is the stop key in the J-K-L system.
Play Forward L Press multiple times to increase playback speed.
Play Backward J Press multiple times to increase playback speed (Reverse).
Frame Forward \rightarrow (Right Arrow) Moves one frame at a time.
Frame Backward \leftarrow (Left Arrow) Moves one frame at a time.
Go to Next Edit Point \uparrow (Up Arrow) Jumps the playhead to the next cut in the sequence.
Go to Previous Edit Point \downarrow (Down Arrow) Jumps the playhead to the previous cut in the sequence.
Zoom In Timeline + (Plus key) Magnifies the visible duration of the timeline.
Zoom Out Timeline - (Minus key) Shrinks the visible duration of the timeline.
Zoom All Clips to Fit \ (Backslash) Resets the zoom to show the entire sequence.
Mark In Point I Sets the start point of a selection.
Mark Out Point O Sets the end point of a selection.

3. Core Editing Tools (Single Key)

Tool Shortcut Key(s) Function
Selection Tool V The default pointer for selecting, moving, and trimming clips.
Razor Tool C Used for cutting clips on the timeline.
Ripple Edit Tool B Adjusts an edit and moves all trailing clips to maintain sync.
Roll Edit Tool N Moves an edit point without affecting the sequence duration.
Rate Stretch Tool R Changes a clip's playback speed by dragging its edge.
Slip Tool Y Changes a clip's content without changing its duration or position in the sequence.
Slide Tool U Changes a clip's position without changing its content, shortening adjacent clips.
Track Select Forward A Selects all clips on a track after the mouse position. (Double A selects all tracks).
Hand Tool H Used to pan the view within the Program monitor or Timeline.

4. Fast Editing Actions

Action Shortcut Key(s) Notes
Add Edit (Cut Clip) Ctrl+K / Cmd+K Cuts all selected/targeted tracks at the playhead position (Razor equivalent).
Delete Selected Clip Delete / Backspace Deletes the clip, leaving a gap.
Ripple Delete (Delete Gap) Shift+Delete / Shift+Backspace Deletes the clip and closes the gap by moving all subsequent clips. Highly used.
Link/Unlink Clips Ctrl+L / Cmd+L Links or unlinks audio and video clips.
Lift (Extract from Sequence) ; (Semicolon) Deletes marked In/Out points and leaves a gap.
Extract (Ripple Extract) ' (Apostrophe) Deletes marked In/Out points and ripples the timeline to close the gap.

5. Advanced Panel/Module Switching

These shortcuts help you jump to the specialized workspaces.

Action Shortcut Key(s) Module
Go to Assembly Workspace Shift+1 For quickly rough-cutting and organizing.
Go to Editing Workspace Shift+2 Standard multi-panel editing layout.
Go to Color Workspace Shift+3 Opens the Lumetri Color panel for grading.
Go to Effects Workspace Shift+4 Opens the Effect Controls and Effects panels.
Go to Audio Workspace Shift+5 Opens the Essential Sound panel for mixing.
Go to Graphics Workspace Shift+6 Opens the Essential Graphics panel for titles/captions.