Essential After Effects Keyboard Shortcuts

As someone who spends about a quarter of their life working in Adobe After Effects, these are the shortcuts I use regularly. Whether you're editing animations, navigating the interface, or controlling layers, knowing the right shortcuts can significantly speed up your workflow. In this guide, we’ll cover the most useful shortcuts, categorized for convenience. We’ll also explain how you can customize your shortcuts to suit your needs.

1. Universal Shortcuts

These might be obvious to most users, but I use them more than any other shortcuts, so they deserve a spot on the list. These are not unique to After Effects and are commonly used across many software programs. They help with basic tasks like copying, pasting, and saving your work.

Ctrl/Cmd + C: Copy selected item(s) to clipboard.
Ctrl/Cmd + V: Paste copied item(s) into the current comp.
Ctrl/Cmd + D: Duplicate the selected layer or item.
Ctrl/Cmd + S: Save your current project file.
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + S: Save As to create a new project file.
Ctrl/Cmd + W: Close the active panel.
Ctrl/Cmd + Z: Undo the last action.
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z: Redo the last undone action.
Ctrl/Cmd + N: Create a new composition.

2. Interface Navigation Shortcuts

Quickly navigating the After Effects interface is essential for keeping your workflow fast and efficient. These shortcuts help you maximize panels, switch between them, and adjust your workspace view.

~ (Tilde): Maximize or restore the active panel. Great for focusing on one area.
Shift + / (Forward Slash): Fit the current composition to the viewport, making it easier to see the whole canvas.
Ctrl + M/Cmd + K: Open the Composition Settings panel.
Ctrl + M (Windows) /Cmd + Shift + / (Mac) : Add to Render Queue.
Ctrl + Alt + M (Windows) /Cmd + Option + M (Mac): Send to Adobe Media Encoder.

3. Tool Shortcuts

Accessing the right tool quickly is crucial when working with elements and creating animations. These shortcuts let you swap tools without losing your flow.

V: Selection Tool - The most commonly used tool for moving and selecting elements.
H: Hand Tool - Move your composition around within the viewport.
Z: Zoom Tool - Zoom in or out of your composition.
C: Camera Tools - Cycle through the Orbit, Pan, and Dolly camera tools
W: Rotation Tool - Quickly rotate selected layers.
Y: Pan Behind (Anchor Point) Tool - Reposition the anchor point of a layer.
Q: Shape Tool - Cycle through rectangle, ellipse, and other shape tools.
G: Pen Tool - Create masks and shapes with precision.
Ctrl/Cmd + T: Text Tool - Add text layers to your comp.
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Y: Open Solid Settings to change layer attributes.

4. Timeline and Layer Editing Shortcuts

Editing your timeline efficiently means faster adjustments and cleaner animations. These shortcuts help you move, trim, and navigate your layers.

- or +: Zoom out or in on the timeline.
Spacebar: Play/Stop the timeline from the playhead's current location.
0 (on the numpad): Play/Stop the timeline from beginning of render area.
Home/End: Jump to the beginning or end of your timeline.
Page Up/Down: Move the playhead forward or backward by one frame.
Shift + Page Up/Down: Move the playhead forward or backward by 10 frames.
Alt/Option + [ or ]: Trim the layer’s in or out point to the current time.
[ or ]: Move the selected layer to the playhead position.
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + D: Split the selected layer at the playhead position.
Shift + a number key (0-9): Add a composition marker
* (Asterisk): Add a layer marker

5. Property Shortcuts

These shortcuts reveal important properties for layers, making it easy to adjust transformations or effects.

P: Reveal Position - Adjust where the layer is located.
S: Reveal Scale - Change the size of the layer.
R: Reveal Rotation - Adjust the angle or orientation.
T: Reveal Opacity - Control the layer's transparency.
A: Reveal Anchor Point - Change the point around which transformations occur.
U: Show animated properties - See all properties with keyframes.
UU (Double U): Show all modified properties - Reveal everything that has been changed.
E: Show effects - Display any applied effects on the layer.
EE (Double E): Show all properties with expressions
MM (Double M): Mask Path - Reveal mask settings and adjustments.
F: Show Mask Feather property
L: Show layer's audio levels
LL: Show layer's audio waveform

6. Keyframe Shortcuts

Keyframes are the backbone of animation in After Effects. Managing them efficiently can save you significant time.

K/J: Move to the next/previous keyframe on the selected layer.
Alt/Option + Click on Stopwatch: Add or edit an expression for the selected property.
Alt/Option + Property Shortcut: Add a keyframe to any of the Tranfrom properties.
Ctrl/Cmd + Click on Keyframe: Toggle between Linear and Hold keyframe types.
Shift + F9: Apply Easy Ease In/Out for smooth transitions.
F9: Apply Easy Ease to selected keyframes, making the motion more natural.

Customizing Shortcuts

To personalize your workflow, After Effects lets you customize shortcuts. Go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows) or After Effects > Keyboard Shortcuts (Mac). You’ll see a visual map of the keyboard, where you can click on a key to assign a new function or modify an existing one. Use the search bar to quickly find commands. Once satisfied, click OKto save your custom settings.

By mastering these essential keyboard shortcuts and customizing them as needed, you can work more efficiently and focus more on creativity. Give them a try and see how they streamline your process!