Quick Editing Tip

Here's a quick tip which is really useful if you're editing footage on the timeline. I've been doing this for so long that I've forgotten how useful it is until someone recently saw how I was editing and commented on it...

Get a mouse with a thumb button and set it to pause/play the timeline. In the case of Vegas this is "Enter". Personally I never use the thumb button for "back", as is the default, so I have it set to "Enter" in all programs. But if your mouse has program-specific settings like the Microsoft ones do then you can set it just for your NLE.

Even better get a mouse with a second thumb button such as the Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer 2.0 that I use and set the front button to be "delete" or "split", depending on your preference.

If you're used to play/pause with the spacebar then now you can do most of your ripple editing with just the right hand leaving your left hand to scratch your head or whatever. And clicking the thumb button is much quicker than moving back and forth to the play/pause commands on screen.

I wanted a mouse with yet one more button so I could have both "delete" and "split" but the button programming sofware was buggy.

Hey Nick

Thats a great idea about getting a mouse with extra buttons.= to assign the in/out or cut.

With mine this end if you hold the mouse wheel down on a clip in the bin and move the mouse left or right you can move the video displayed in the bin window to another spot.

You can scroll with it on the timeline or trim window and if you click down the wheel button once the scroll wheel then becomes like a jog shuttle vary speed thing.

If you hold the Ctrl key down then you can zoom the timeline in a out by scrolling the wheel on the mouse.

I use a trackball now (have for years)

Kensington makes some nice ones for PCs and MAcs with lots of buttons to assign

I love and have this one

Kensington Turbo

And did not realize it has been discontiued until just know when I looked for it, Bummer, though the replacement Four Button looks fine. I use the big buttons most of the time anyway, the other buttons were more "It goes to 11" type things in my workflow.

Yeah I quite fancy a trackball. Are they better than mice? Any disadvantages? Any other recommendations?

I have a Contour Shuttle Pro 2 on the left but I just never got into programming all the buttons. I literally just use it for jogging and shuttling, which is great and works just like a VCR jog and shuttle. Most stuff apart from play/pause, delete and split i just pick from the screen.

Wags in Vegas it's the other way round. The mouse wheel does the timeline zoom by default (was so wonderful to have that after all those + + + and - - - in Premiere 6 to go in and out) and then it does the timeline scroll if you hold down shift.

You can get a mouse (I think it's MS) now that has a thumbwheel as well. I wonder if it could be set to scroll the timeline while the finger-wheel zooms it. That would be cool.

Have you tried any of those colour-coded keyboard-shortcut keyboard covers? (say that ten times really quick!!)

They kinda look like the Avid keyboards....

Haven't got one but do all my work with right hand on mouse and left hand commanding shortcuts left right and centre?

Keyboard shortcuts are underused and are probably one of my most valued features of any computers modern functions..... make people gasp with astonishment at your dexterity and speed when wizzing through the most complicated looking of tasks

shame that when the programmers release new versions, they swap 'em all around again.... no rest for us most wicked of people, eh?

Nick, did you get back out into the Andaman yet?

seeya, for now....

Yeah I quite fancy a trackball. Are they better than mice? Any disadvantages? Any other recommendations?

They are supposssed to cause less hand strain than mice though it takes a little getting used to. Some people love them, others do not. Have been using them now for about a decade I guess and just moving my finger a bit can take me anywhere quickly across my three monitors/screens and my thumb does most of the clicking. I also use keyboard commands in conjuntion with the mouse, and a keyboard cover as mentioned can be helpful.

For the most part alot of ground (I use Final Cut) that I have to cover for the things I do is pretty quick between the two. There are probaby 1/2 dozen to a dozen commands with the keyboard I use often.

I know people who like the TouchPads, but never really got used to them other than on a laptop for some reason. I think some of it is I sort of expect a tower to work one way now due to my trackball. It is not small like a mouse, but if I am going somewhere for a period of time where I have room to pack things to work with I will pack the trackball.

! will definitely check out trackballs, as long as they have a roller somewhere for timeline zoom.

As for keyboard shortcuts I've always been a "heads up" computer user and just never got into them. The only one I use is S for split. Must try again. Learning to type with 10 fingers is one of the best things I ever did and I guess there is probably a parallel there.

Chris this season I think I'm going to wait until January and then just pick a few from Jan/Feb/Mar. Too much other stuff in production to do a full season! You?

Chris this season I think I'm going to wait until January and then just pick a few from Jan/Feb/Mar. Too much other stuff in production to do a full season! You?

Same-same...... it's great (haven't chased a tourist for 18 months now!!!!) nowadays I have no tan - and now and again when I blag my way onto the boat to head out for stock I end up burnt to a freakin' crisp.....

am gonna post something shortly, filling in the crowds with the last year's escapades......

did you see the Ocean Rover video, yet?

TaDa for noooo..

Chris

I received a Shuttle Pro 2 from the company a couple of years ago for a review. I have never used it since and it is just collecting dust. Free to anyone who would make use of it.

Steve B)

I received a Shuttle Pro 2 from the company a couple of years ago for a review. I have never used it since and it is just collecting dust. Free to anyone who would make use of it.

Steve B)

Steve.... is this on a first come first served basis or does it depend on how many times I click the beer emoticon???

I'll forever be yours if you'd like me to caress it lovingly in-front of a tropical sunset in my beach-front studio... the Shuttle Pro, I mean

I'll send you my postal address details by email, yeah?

Do I have to dust it off first? Its yours, just send your address. I have lost the little stickers that came with it but they never stuck for more than a day anyway.

Steve B)

Do I have to dust it off first? Its yours, just send your address. I have lost the little stickers that came with it but they never stuck for more than a day anyway.

Steve B)

Leave the dust - it's called character....

You're a gent - can't wait to get my hands on it!

will send you PM now....

Cheers again!