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
