It’s important to always be learning new things. I’ve edited in Adobe Premiere Pro for well over ten years, and I’m embarrassed by how many tools and keyboard shortcuts I don’t know. With each project I work on, I try to learn at least one new thing. The simplest “new thing” is a keyboard shortcut. Stacked over dozens of projects and several years, these minor additions compound greatly and can dramatically increase editing speed.

I strongly believe that the tools we use should not slow us down, and I’m constantly in search of the ability to create at the speed of thought.

Anyway. I’ve decided to start documenting some of these things I’m learning here on my blog, mostly for myself, and possibly for anyone who happens to stumble across it.

Today’s keyboard shortcut is called “SELECT AT PLAYHEAD.” The default key assignment is D.

What this does is selects all clips on targeted tracks that are vertically intersected by the playhead. Previously, I would click, drag, and highlight these clips. But hitting D is much simpler.

But remember — it only works on targeted tracks. So if you don’t have a track targeted, it will not select any clips on that track. Obviously this may be useful. There are times where I don’t want it to select a music or ambience bed, so I un-target that track. But just keep it in mind.

Give it a shot!