Adobe After Effects is one of the most popular visual effects software used by movie producers, advertisement agencies, media companies, and personal videographers for post-production visual and motion effects. Key features include motion graphics creation, text animation, visual effects, compositing, animation, 3D creation, and integration with other Adobe services and products. Adobe After Effects is commonly used to complete post-production videos for social media content, advertisements, title sequences, broadcast graphics, film, and other general video post-production.

Adobe After Effects, due to its extensive features and capabilities, tends to be more difficult to learn compared to other creative software. Still, with the listed previews and views keyboard shortcuts shown below, you will be up and running with Adobe After Effects in no time.

Previews Keyboard Shortcut

Start or stop the preview  Spacebar, 0 on numeric keypad, Shift + 0 on numeric keypad

Reset preview settings to replicate RAM Preview and Standard Preview behaviours  Option-click Reset in the Preview panel

Preview only audio from the current time  . (decimal point) on numeric keypad* or Control + . (period) on the main keyboard

Preview only audio in the work area  Option + . (decimal point) on numeric keypad* or Control + Command + . (period) on the main keyboard

Manually preview (scrub) video  Drag or Option-drag current-time indicator, depending on the Live Update setting.

Manually preview (scrub) audio  Command-drag current-time indicator

Preview number of frames specified by Alternate Preview preference (defaults to 5)   Option + 0 on numeric keypad* or Control + Option + 0 (zero) on the main keyboard

Toggle Mercury Transmit video preview  / (on numeric keypad), Control + / on the main keyboard 

Take snapshot  Shift + F5, Shift + F6, Shift + F7, or Shift + F8

Display snapshot in the active viewer  F5, F6, F7, or F8

Purge snapshot  Command + Shift + F5, Command + Shift + F6, Command + Shift + F7, or Command + Shift + F8

Fast Previews >  Off  Command + Option + 1

Fast Previews >  Adaptive Resolution Command + Option + 2

Fast Previews >  Draft  Command + Option + 3

Fast Previews >  Fast Draft  Command + Option + 4

Fast Previews >  Wireframe  Command + Option + 5

Note: Some shortcuts are marked with an asterisk (*) to remind you to ensure that Num Lock is on when using the numeric keypad.

Views Keyboard Shortcuts

• Turn display color management on or off for an active view     Shift + / (on numeric keypad)
• Show red, green, blue, or alpha channel as grayscale  Option + 1, Option + 2, Option + 3, Option + 4
• Show colourized red, green, or blue channel  Option + Shift + 1, Option + Shift + 2, Option + Shift + 3
• Toggle showing straight RGB colour  Option + Shift + 4
• Show the alpha boundary (outline between transparent and opaque regions) in the Layer panel  Option + 5
• Show alpha overlay (colored overlay on transparent regions) in the Layer panel  Option + 6
• Show Refine Edge X-ray  Option + X
• Center composition in the panel  Double-click the Hand tool
• Zoom-in in Composition, Layer, or Footage panel  . (period) on the main keyboard
• Zoom-out in Composition, Layer, or Footage panel , (comma)
• Zoom to 100% in the Composition, Layer, or Footage panel  / (on main keyboard)
• Zoom to fit in Composition, Layer, or Footage panel  Shift + / (on main keyboard)
• Zoom up to 100% to fit in the Composition, Layer, or Footage panel  Option + / (on main keyboard)
• Set resolution to Full, Half, or Custom in the Composition panel  Command + J, Command + Shift + J, Command + Option + J
• Open the View Options dialog box for the active Composition panel  Command + Option + U
• Zoom in time = (equal sign) on the main keyboard
• Zoom out time - (hyphen) on the main keyboard
• Zoom in the Timeline panel to single-frame units (Press again to zoom out to show the entire composition duration.)  ; (semicolon)
• Zoom out in the Timeline panel to show the entire composition duration (Press again to zoom back into the duration specified by the Time Navigator.)  Shift + ; (semicolon)
• Prevent images from being rendered for previews in viewer panels  Caps Lock
• Show or hide safe zones  ' (apostrophe)
• Show or hide the grid  Command + '  (apostrophe)
• Show or hide the proportional grid  Command + '  (apostrophe)
• Show or hide rulers  Command + R
• Show or hide guides  Command + ;  (semicolon)
• Turn snapping to grid on or off  Command + Shift + ' (apostrophe)
• Turn snapping to guides on or off   Command + Shift + ; (semicolon)
• Lock or unlock guides  Command + Option + Shift + ; (semicolon)
• Show or hide layer controls (masks, motion paths, light and camera wireframes, effect control points, and layer handles)  Command + Shift + H