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Open Screen provides a comprehensive set of keyboard shortcuts to speed up your video editing workflow. Shortcuts are customizable and adapt to your platform (Cmd on macOS, Ctrl on Windows/Linux).

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Configurable Shortcuts

These shortcuts can be customized in the settings to match your preferred workflow.
On macOS, Ctrl is automatically mapped to Cmd (⌘). On Windows and Linux, Ctrl is used.

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Editor Actions

ActionDefault ShortcutDescription
Add ZoomZAdd a zoom effect at the current playhead position
Add TrimTAdd a trim region to cut out unwanted sections
Add SpeedSAdd a speed adjustment region (slow motion or fast forward)
Add AnnotationAAdd an annotation (text, arrow, or image) to the video
Add KeyframeFAdd a keyframe for precise animation control
Delete SelectedCtrl + DDelete the currently selected element
Play / PauseSpaceToggle video playback

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Customizing Shortcuts

You can customize any of the above shortcuts in the application settings:
  1. Navigate to Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts
  2. Click on the shortcut you want to change
  3. Press your desired key combination
  4. The app will warn you if there’s a conflict with existing shortcuts
Shortcuts cannot conflict with fixed system shortcuts (listed below). The app will prevent you from creating conflicting bindings.

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Fixed Shortcuts

These shortcuts are built into the application and cannot be customized.

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Timeline Navigation

ActionShortcutDescription
Cycle Annotations ForwardTabMove focus to the next annotation in the timeline
Cycle Annotations BackwardShift + TabMove focus to the previous annotation
Pan TimelineShift + Ctrl + ScrollPan the timeline horizontally while zoomed in
Zoom TimelineCtrl + ScrollZoom in or out of the timeline view

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Alternative Shortcuts

ActionShortcutDescription
Delete Selected (alt)Del or ⌫Alternative shortcut to delete the selected element
The Delete key (Del) and Backspace (⌫) provide an alternative way to delete selected elements without using the configurable Ctrl + D shortcut.

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Shortcut Conflicts

When customizing shortcuts, Open Screen prevents you from creating conflicting bindings:
The app checks for conflicts in two ways:
  1. Fixed shortcuts: Your custom shortcut cannot match any of the fixed system shortcuts
  2. Configurable shortcuts: Your custom shortcut cannot match another configurable shortcut
If a conflict is detected, you’ll see a warning message and the shortcut will not be saved.

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Platform Differences

  • Ctrl in shortcuts is automatically mapped to Cmd (⌘)
  • Shift is displayed as ⇧
  • Alt is displayed as ⌥ (Option)
  • Backspace key is displayed as ⌫

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Tips for Efficient Editing

  • Use Space frequently to preview your edits while scrubbing through the timeline
  • Combine Tab / Shift + Tab to quickly navigate between annotations
  • Use single-key shortcuts (Z, T, S, A, F) for quick access to frequently used tools
  • The Ctrl + Scroll zoom is essential for precise timeline editing
All keyboard shortcuts work regardless of whether the video is playing or paused, making it easy to edit on the fly.