After Effects: The main shortcuts

Shortcuts let you work faster and more effectively in After Effects. In this practical tip you will find the most important steps for the graphics program.

The most important shortcuts for After Effects at a glance

To help you work faster in After Effects, here are the key shortcuts:

• Once you have started After Effects, you can open your existing project with [Ctrl] + [O].
• Alternatively you can open the last opened project with the command [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Shift] + [P].
• Use [Ctrl] + [F] to search the project window in After Effects.
• If you want to open or close the tool window, you can do this with [Ctrl] + [1].
• The window for the audio settings can be opened or closed with the combination [Ctrl] + [4].
• You can open and close effects and presets using [Ctrl] + [5].
• If you want to quickly switch to the work area, you can do this with [Shift] + [F10].
• To import files into After Effects, press [Ctrl] + [I].

In our next practical tip we have an After Effects tutorial with the most important functions for you.