All Shortcut Keys in Adobe After Effects | Speed Up Your Workflow!
Adobe After Effects is a powerful tool, but navigating through menus can slow down your workflow. Knowing shortcut keys can save you time and make your editing process much smoother. Here's a complete list of essential After Effects shortcuts to boost your speed and efficiency.
1. Basic Navigation & Workspace Shortcuts
📌 New Composition – Ctrl + N (Win) / Cmd + N (Mac)
📌 Open Project – Ctrl + O / Cmd + O
📌 Save Project – Ctrl + S / Cmd + S
📌 Save As – Ctrl + Shift + S / Cmd + Shift + S
📌 Undo – Ctrl + Z / Cmd + Z
📌 Redo – Ctrl + Shift + Z / Cmd + Shift + Z
📌 Duplicate Layer – Ctrl + D / Cmd + D
📌 Select All Layers – Ctrl + A / Cmd + A
📌 Deselect All – Ctrl + Shift + A / Cmd + Shift + A
📌 Close Panel/Window – Ctrl + W / Cmd + W
2. Timeline & Playback Shortcuts
📌 Play/Pause Preview – Spacebar
📌 Move to Next Frame – Page Down
📌 Move to Previous Frame – Page Up
📌 Go to Beginning of Timeline – Home
📌 Go to End of Timeline – End
📌 Trim Layer Start to Current Time – Alt + [ / Option + [
📌 Trim Layer End to Current Time – Alt + ] / Option + ]
📌 Set Work Area Start – B
📌 Set Work Area End – N
📌 Preview Work Area – 0 (on Numpad)
📌 Expand/Collapse Timeline Panel – ~ (Tilde key)
3. Layer & Composition Shortcuts
📌 New Solid Layer – Ctrl + Y / Cmd + Y
📌 New Adjustment Layer – Ctrl + Alt + Y / Cmd + Option + Y
📌 New Null Object – Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Y / Cmd + Option + Shift + Y
📌 New Text Layer – Ctrl + Alt + Shift + T / Cmd + Option + Shift + T
📌 Pre-compose – Ctrl + Shift + C / Cmd + Shift + C
📌 Show/Hide Layer Controls – Ctrl + Shift + H / Cmd + Shift + H
📌 Lock/Unlock Layer – Ctrl + L / Cmd + L
📌 Show/Hide All Other Layers – Alt + Solo / Option + Solo
4. Transform & Keyframe Shortcuts
📌 Position (P) – Move layer’s position
📌 Scale (S) – Adjust size
📌 Rotation (R) – Rotate layer
📌 Opacity (T) – Change transparency
📌 Anchor Point (A) – Adjust anchor point
📌 Add Keyframe – Alt + Property Shortcut / Option + Property Shortcut
📌 Delete Keyframe – Ctrl + Click Keyframe / Cmd + Click Keyframe
📌 Easy Ease Keyframe – F9
📌 Easy Ease In – Shift + F9
📌 Easy Ease Out – Ctrl + Shift + F9 / Cmd + Shift + F9
📌 Graph Editor – Shift + F3
5. Mask & Shape Shortcuts
📌 Create New Mask – Ctrl + Shift + N / Cmd + Shift + N
📌 Select Mask Path – M
📌 Show All Masks – MM
📌 Subtract Mask – Alt + Click Mask Mode / Option + Click Mask Mode
📌 Invert Mask – Ctrl + Shift + I / Cmd + Shift + I
6. Text & Typography Shortcuts
📌 Select Text Tool – Ctrl + T / Cmd + T
📌 Bold Text – Ctrl + Shift + B / Cmd + Shift + B
📌 Italic Text – Ctrl + Shift + I / Cmd + Shift + I
📌 Align Text Center – Ctrl + Shift + C / Cmd + Shift + C
📌 Increase Font Size – Ctrl + Shift + > / Cmd + Shift + >
📌 Decrease Font Size – Ctrl + Shift + < / Cmd + Shift + <
7. Effects & Expressions Shortcuts
📌 Apply Effect – Ctrl + Shift + E / Cmd + Shift + E
📌 Open Effects Panel – Ctrl + Shift + T / Cmd + Shift + T
📌 Show/Hide Expressions – Alt + Click Stopwatch / Option + Click Stopwatch
📌 Enable/Disable Effects – Ctrl + Shift + E / Cmd + Shift + E
8. Export & Render Shortcuts
📌 Add to Render Queue – Ctrl + M / Cmd + M
📌 Add to Adobe Media Encoder – Ctrl + Alt + M / Cmd + Option + M
📌 Render – Enter (when in Render Queue)
📌 Export Frame as Image – Ctrl + Alt + S / Cmd + Option + S
Final Tips for Faster Editing
✔ Use ~ (tilde key) to expand any panel for better visibility.
✔ Tab opens a quick panel switcher to access any tool fast.
✔ Learn the P, S, R, T, A shortcuts to speed up animation editing.
✔ Customize shortcuts in Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows) or After Effects > Keyboard Shortcuts (Mac).
By using these shortcuts, you can work faster, reduce clicks, and boost productivity in After Effects. Practice them daily to make them second nature! 🚀
