Mastering keyboard shortcuts is the fastest way to dramatically improve your editing speed in DaVinci Resolve 20. These 10 essential shortcuts will save you hours of mouse-clicking and menu-diving, whether you're working in the Cut Page or Edit Page.
1. Navigation Shortcuts
J/K/L Transport Controls (The Holy Trinity)
J = Rewind (press multiple times for faster rewind)
K = Stop
L = Play forward (press multiple times for faster play)
Spacebar = Play/Stop (toggle)
Pro Tip: Combine with Shift for finer control (Shift+J/L for frame-by-frame)
2. Essential Editing Shortcuts
Blade Tool (B)
Instantly cut clips at the playhead position. Much faster than:
Selecting the blade tool
Making your cut
Switching back to the selection tool
Bonus: Press B twice for the "Edit Point" blade mode
Ripple Delete (Shift+Delete)
Deletes a clip AND automatically closes the gap - no more manual timeline tightening.
3. Timeline Navigation
Zoom to Fit (Shift+Z)
Instantly zooms your timeline to show your entire project. Essential when you get lost in a complex sequence.
Go to In/Out Points (Shift+I / Shift+O)
Jump directly to your marked In or Out points without scrolling.
4. Clip Manipulation
Slip Clip (S)
Adjust a clip's content without changing its position in the timeline. Hold S and drag the clip left/right.
Slide Clip (D)
Move a clip between two others while automatically adjusting adjacent clips. Hold D and drag.
5. Playhead Control
Mark Clip (F)
Set In/Out points matching the selected clip's duration. Perfect for quickly marking interview bites.
Match Frame (F)
In the Edit page, find the source clip of whatever is at your playhead. Essential for documentary editing.
6. Timeline Editing
Ripple Trim Start/End (Q/W)
Q = Ripple trim clip start to playhead
W = Ripple trim clip end to playhead
No more dragging edges - just park and press.
7. Audio Adjustments
Audio Keyframes (Option/Alt+A)
Toggle audio keyframe visibility. Essential for quick audio level adjustments.
Normalize Audio (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+N)
Automatically adjust clip volume to optimal levels.
8. Color Page Essentials
Grab Still (Ctrl/Cmd+C)
Capture a still from your current frame to the gallery for color matching.
Next/Previous Frame (Up/Down Arrow)
Navigate frame-by-frame when doing precise color adjustments.
9. Multicam Editing
Angle Selection (1-9)
Instantly switch camera angles in multicam clips. Number keys correspond to angles.
Toggle Multicam (Shift+Ctrl/Cmd+)
Enable/disable multicam view during playback.
10. Customizable Power Shortcuts
User Customizable Keys (Shift+Alt/Option+[Key])
Create your own shortcuts for:
Frequently used effects
Transitions
Compound clips
Any menu command
Pro Tip: Assign shortcuts to Fusion templates for rapid effects application
Bonus: Shortcut Cheat Sheet
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Timeline | Ctrl/Cmd+N |
| Split Clip | Ctrl/Cmd+B |
| Toggle Full Screen | Ctrl/Cmd+F |
| Show/Hide Inspector | Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+I |
| Render Cache Selection | Ctrl/Cmd+R |
| Create Fusion Clip | Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Y |
How to Practice These Shortcuts
Start with 3-5 shortcuts and use them exclusively for a day
Gradually add more as they become muscle memory
Print a cheat sheet and keep it visible
Use the Interactive Keyboard Mapping (Help > Keyboard Customization)
Advanced Tip: Keyboard Presets
Save different shortcut sets for:
Editing
Color grading
Audio mixing
Switch between them as you move through post-production stages.
Final Thoughts
These 10 shortcuts alone can cut your editing time by 30% or more. The key is consistency - force yourself to use them even when it feels slower at first. Within a week, you'll wonder how you ever edited without them. Download Davinci Resolve 20 now and edit video like a pro.
