40+ must-know Davinci Resolve shortcuts: 2023 cheat sheet

Are you looking to speed up your color correction workflow so you can get projects done faster or take on more clients? 

Then it’s time to dive into the world of shortcuts for Davinci Resolve. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a color correction novice, this list of shortcuts will help make color correction faster, easier and more efficient. 

Make sure you save this page for easy reference in your next editing session. 


What are Shortcuts?

Shortcuts are key combinations that are linked to certain tools or actions in Davinci Resolve that will help you switch between functions faster and more efficiently than having to navigate menus or on-screen buttons. Sometimes called “hotkeys,” shortcuts are an essential part of working efficiently while editing in Resolve. 


40 Handy DaVinci Resolve Keyboard Shortcuts

This is a non-exhaustive list of some of the handiest keyboard shortcuts in Davinci Resolve that will speed up your editing sessions and get you to a stunning final product faster than ever before.

Basics:

  • Cut: [Ctrl/Cmd + X]
  • Copy: [Ctrl /Cmd + C]
  • Undo: [Ctrl/Cmd + Z]
  • Redo: [Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z]
  • Paste: [Ctrl/Cmd + V]
  • Paste Attribute: [Alt/Option + V]
  • Select All: [Ctrl/Cmd +A]
  • Deselect All: [Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + A] 


File Handling:

  • Save: [Ctrl/Cmd + S]
  • Save As: [Ctrl /Cmd + Shift + S]
  • New Bin: [Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N]
  • New Timeline: [Ctrl/Cmd + N]
  • Import Project: [Ctrl/Cmd + I]
  • Export Project: [Ctrl/Cmd + E]
  • Deselect all tracks: [Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+A]


Editing:

  • Trim: [T]
  • Blade: [B]
  • Razor: [Ctrl/Cmd + B]
  • Pointer: [A]
  • Insert edit: [F9]
  • Overwrite edit: [F10]
  • Replace edit: [F11]
  • Place on top edit: [F12]
  • Delete: [Backspace]
  • Dynamic trim mode: [W]
  • Trim mode: [T]
  • Select clips forward: [Y]
  • Edit point type: [U]
  • Snapping on/off: [N]
  • Split clip: [Ctrl/Cmd + (+) ]
  • Join clip: [Alt/Option + (+) ]
  • Add transition: [Ctrl/Cmd + T]

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Playback/Navigation:

  • Play (forward): [L]
  • Play (reverse): [J]
  • Stop: [K]
  • Go to first frame: [;]
  • Go to last frame: [‘]
  • Go to previous keyframe: [
  • Go to next keyframe: ]
  • Next clip: Down arrow
  • Previous clip: Up arrow


Marking:

  • Set mark in: [I]
  • Set mark out: [O]
  • Mark clip: [X]
  • Add Marker: [M]


How to Add or Change Shortcuts in DaVinci Resolve

This list contains the shortcuts for DaVinci Resolve as they come “baked-in” to the program. However, many editors find some of these combinations confusing or awkward and want to alter them to make them more adaptive to their work style. Thankfully, DaVinci makes it easy to do that. 

Follow these steps to add or change your shortcuts and hotkeys in Davinci Resolve:

Step 1: Navigate to the “Davinci Resolve” menu in your menu bar and select “Keyboard Customization.” 

Step 2: Decide whether you want to create completely new hotkeys or use the option of replicating a shortcut keyboard layout from another program such as Premiere Pro or Avid Media Composer. The pre-built shortcut imports from other programs makes it really easy for editors who are used to working with a certain hotkey layout to replicate it directly in Resolve without having to manually enter each hotkey. 

To use a replica keyboard layout: 

Step 3: Select the dropdown menu at the top righthand side of the window. By default, it should say “DaVinci Resolve.” The dropdown should then reveal different options for programs such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Avid Media Composer. 

Step 4: Select the program you want to replicate in the dropdown and then hit “Save” at the bottom of the window to lock in your preferences.  

To add custom hotkeys and shortcuts: 

Step 3: Locate which command or tool you want to assign by scrolling through the list of commands or using the search bar to search for the specific command. 

Step 4: Delete the linked key or shortcut associated with this command and replace it with your own or add an additional shortcut on top of the original shortcut using the “+” sign next to the assigned key or key combination. 

Step 5: Once you have created all your assigned shortcuts, you can choose to save them to your default keyboard or create a new keyboard layout using the dropdown menu at the top right corner. Select “Save As New Preset” to save your new layout as its own preset.

Now, you can create your perfectly personalized keyboard shortcuts that will help you blaze through your DaVinci Resolve editing sessions at lightning-fast speeds. 


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