The app
Keyboard shortcuts
Every key JOS Compositor uses, panel by panel. Most keys work in the panel under the mouse: the node editor, viewer, timeline, curve editor and dope sheet take the keyboard as soon as the mouse enters them. While you type in a text or number field, keys go to the field.
Change a key: right-click any item in the menu bar's menus to give it another shortcut. Press the keys, then OK. None clears it, Default restores it, and keys already used by another item are asked about first.
The roto toolbar's tools are set the same way: right-click a tool's button in the viewer and pick its shortcut... item.
Everywhere
| Key |
Does |
| Ctrl+N |
New project |
| Ctrl+O |
Open a project |
| Ctrl+Shift+O |
Import File (any file JOS reads, added to the comp) |
| Ctrl+S |
Save |
| Ctrl+Shift+S |
Save as |
| Ctrl+Alt+S |
Save incremental (the next version number) |
| Ctrl+Z |
Undo |
| Ctrl+Y, Ctrl+Shift+Z |
Redo |
| F7 |
Render the selected Write |
| Ctrl+1 |
Viewer at actual pixels (1:1) |
| Space |
Over the timeline: play or stop. Over any other panel: that panel fills the window; Space again restores the layout. |
| Esc |
Stops a tracking run, keeping what was tracked so far |
Node editor
| Key |
Does |
| Tab |
Node picker at the mouse (sorted by use) |
| Right-click on empty space |
Node picker by category |
| Right-click on a node |
The node's menu (keys, reset) |
| G |
Grade |
| B |
Blur |
| M |
Merge; with two nodes selected, merges them (the first clicked is A) |
| T |
Transform |
| P |
Paint Roto |
| W |
Write |
| R |
Read; with a Read selected, reloads it |
| D |
Disable or enable the selected nodes |
| N or F2 |
Rename the selected node |
| A or Ctrl+A |
Select every node at this level (inside a Nest, its nodes), backdrops included |
| L |
Tidy the selected nodes (two or more), or the whole graph, so wires don't cross |
| F |
Fit the selected nodes in view, or all of them when none is selected |
| S |
Project settings |
| Shift+T |
Show or hide thumbnails |
| Shift+X |
Two selected nodes swap their connections (each stays where it is); one node swaps its first two inputs (a Merge's A and B) |
| 1 to 6 |
Connect the selected node to Viewer 1–6 (created if needed) and make it the active viewer. The number row's keys work by their place, whatever your keyboard layout types there (AZERTY, Czech...) |
| Left / Right |
Previous / next frame |
| Delete or Backspace |
Delete the selected nodes |
| Ctrl+C / Ctrl+X / Ctrl+V |
Copy / cut / paste nodes |
| Ctrl+F |
Find nodes: the cursor goes to the graph's search field (Enter selects the nodes found, or goes into the Nest holding them, again for the next Nest; Esc clears) |
| Ctrl+D or Alt+C |
Duplicate |
| Ctrl+G |
Nest the selection |
| Ctrl+Alt+V |
Paste knob values onto the selected nodes |
| Alt+K |
Clone |
| Ctrl+K |
Copy as clones |
| Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K |
Force clone |
| Alt+Shift+K |
Declone |
| Alt+L |
Link |
| Alt+Shift+L |
Unlink |
| Ctrl+Alt+L |
Copy as links |
| Esc |
Cancel a click-to-connect |
Mouse
| Gesture |
Does |
| Double-click a node |
Open or close its settings in the node; a Viewer becomes the active one; a Nest is entered; a Material opens the material editor |
| Click the circle right of a node's title |
Open or close its settings |
| Double-click an empty part of an open node's settings |
Close them |
| Drag an empty part of an open node's settings |
Move the node |
| Double-click an open node's title |
Rename it (Enter keeps, Esc cancels) |
| Double-click the background inside a Nest |
Leave the Nest |
| Shift+click |
Add a node to the selection |
| Ctrl+click |
Remove a node from the selection |
| Drag on empty space |
Box select; Shift adds, Ctrl removes |
| Alt+Shift+click on empty space |
Close every open node |
| Alt+click on a wire |
Insert a Dot |
| Click an output, then an input |
Connect them |
| Click an expanded node's data socket |
Pick a channel or layer: it gets its own socket; click an input to connect it |
| Drag to the edge of the graph |
The view scrolls that way (wires, nodes, box selection) |
| Middle drag |
Pan |
| Wheel |
Zoom; over a list inside an open node it scrolls the list (Ctrl+wheel zooms anyway) |
Viewer
These keys work with the mouse over the viewer.
| Key |
Does |
| R / G / B / A / Y |
Show the red, green, blue or alpha channel, or the luminance (Y, as grey); the same key again goes back to RGB. With the wipe on, the key changes only the side under the mouse (A stays the alpha key with a roto tool active: Ctrl+A selects its points) |
| W |
Wipe compare on or off |
| Q |
Hide or show the overlays (handles, tools) |
| F |
Fit the image |
| I / O |
Set the in / out point at the current frame |
| 1 to 6 |
Switch to Viewer 1–6 (the number row's keys on any keyboard layout) |
| Left / Right |
Previous / next frame |
| Tab |
Switch between the 2D viewer and the 3D view |
| Esc |
Cancel an eyedropper pick |
Mouse
| Gesture |
Does |
| Wheel |
Zoom about the mouse |
| Middle drag or Alt+drag |
Pan |
| Ctrl+click |
Sample the colour under the mouse |
| Ctrl+Alt+click or drag |
Pick the selected keyer's screen colour (a drag averages the box) |
| Ctrl+drag a Transform's centre |
Move its pivot |
| Shift+drag a Transform's move handle |
Move along one axis |
| Shift+drag a Transform's rotate handle |
Rotate in 15° steps |
Timeline
| Key |
Does |
| Left / Right |
Previous / next frame |
| I / O |
Set the in / out point at the current frame |
| M |
Add a marker at the current frame |
| F |
Fit the in–out range (or the whole range) |
| Space |
Play or stop |
| Gesture |
Does |
| Drag on the ruler |
Scrub |
| Ctrl+drag on the ruler |
Scrub the sound only; the picture follows on release |
| Drag an in or out line |
Move the in or out point |
| Drag a marker's flag |
Move the marker |
| Right-click a marker |
Colour, note, delete |
| Middle drag / Wheel |
Pan / zoom the ruler |
Properties and node settings
| Gesture |
Does |
| Drag a number field |
Change the value |
| Shift while dragging |
10× finer; on whole-number fields, allows fractions |
| Ctrl+Shift while dragging |
10× coarser |
| Up / Down |
Step the value by a hundredth of its range (Shift: a thousandth) |
| Click or double-click a number field |
Type a value; start with = for an expression. Enter keeps, Esc cancels |
| Tab / Shift+Tab while typing |
Next / previous field |
| Ctrl+click a number field |
Reset to the default |
| Click the diamond at a field's right |
Set or remove a key at the current frame |
| Click a colour swatch |
Open or close the colour's wheel under the row (the picker window: right-click > Colour picker...) |
| Ctrl+click a file path |
Show the whole path, wrapped and editable; again to fold it |
| Right-click a setting |
Set key, delete key, no animation; Unlink on a linked setting (its "no animation" unlinks it and leaves the original's keys alone) |
| Ctrl+drag a setting onto another |
Link the second to the first (a Ctrl+click without dragging keeps its own meaning: reset a number, show a whole path) |
| Ctrl+V on a colour row |
Paste a colour |
| A or Ctrl+A in a Roto or Vector Graphics node's shape and stroke list |
Select every shape and stroke (Delete removes them) |
Roto and paint
These keys work while a Roto node's tool is active in the viewer, with the overlays shown (also SplineWarp, PlanarTracker, Vector Graphics and the trackers' occlusion shapes, for the tools they have). They win over the viewer's keys.
| Key |
Does |
| S |
Spline: the Bezier button's tool; again: the next of its tools (bezier, ellipse, rectangle, open spline), as V in Nuke |
| P |
Paint (brush) |
| X |
Clone. While a shape is being drawn, X types an X offset instead (see below). |
| N |
Inpaint: the remove brush |
| ` (or ~) |
Back to the tool used before (the key left of 1 on US keyboards; rebind it on other layouts) |
Select, Eraser, Blur, Dodge, Line and the autokey button have no key until you give them one (right-click the button).
Drawing a shape (Bezier)
| Key |
Does |
| Enter |
Close the shape |
| Esc |
Cancel the shape |
| Backspace or Ctrl+Z |
Remove the last point. Right after closing a shape, Ctrl+Z opens it again with its points, to go on drawing |
| X or Y, a number, Enter |
Place a point that far from the last one, along X or Y (- flips the sign, Esc cancels the typing) |
| G |
Alignment guides: all shapes, this shape, off |
| Gesture |
Does |
| Click / click and drag |
Corner point / smooth point |
| Ctrl while placing |
5° steps from the last point |
| Click the first point or right-click |
Close the shape |
| Alt+click the first point or Alt+right-click |
Close with a straight last segment |
| Shift+Alt+right-click |
Close with a smooth join |
| Ctrl+click right after closing |
The next shape cuts a hole |
Ellipse, rectangle, open spline
| Key or gesture |
Does |
| Drag (ellipse, rectangle) |
A box: the shape fills it |
| Shift while dragging |
A circle or a square |
| Ctrl while dragging |
From the centre out |
| Enter or right-click (open spline) |
End the open spline |
| Drag a selected point's round handle (open spline) |
That point's width |
Editing points
| Key or gesture |
Does |
| Z / Shift+Z |
Make the selected point smooth / a cusp |
| Ctrl+A |
Select every point of the shapes shown (not the locked or hidden ones); with a paint tool, every stroke in the node's list; not while drawing a shape |
| Delete or Backspace |
Delete the selected point (on a feather point: reset the feather) |
| J |
SplineWarp: duplicate the shape as its joined destination |
| Ctrl+drag a point |
Pull out its feather point |
| Shift+drag a point |
Move it without its feather point |
| Shift+drag a handle |
Break the tangent |
| Ctrl+Alt+Shift+click on a curve |
Insert a point |
| Alt+Shift+click a point |
Delete it |
Painting
| Key or gesture |
Does |
| Shift+X |
Swap black and white |
| C |
Pick the RGB colour |
| Ctrl+drag |
Erase (Brush); set the clone source (Clone) |
| Shift+drag |
Brush size |
| Ctrl+Shift+drag |
Brush softness |
| Alt+click |
Straight line from the last point; Alt+Shift+click in 5° steps |
| Esc |
Forget the straight line's start |
In the shape list, Delete or Backspace deletes the selected shapes and strokes.
Tracking
| Key or gesture |
Does |
| Ctrl+Alt+click in the viewer |
Add a track |
| Alt+Shift+click a key on a track's path |
Delete that key |
| Shift+drag on empty space |
Select keys on the paths |
| Drag in the zoom window |
Place the track by hand; Shift for 5× finer |
| Esc |
Stop tracking, keeping what was tracked |
| C in the viewer, a CameraTracker's points shown |
Make a control point (Point A, B...) of the picked tracks |
| L in the viewer, a CameraTracker's points shown |
Link the Shift+clicked tracks to the control point selected in its list |
3D view
Pick the style in Edit > Preferences > Interface > 3D navigation and keys. It sets both the camera moves and how objects are moved.
|
Maya (default) |
Blender |
| Orbit |
Alt+drag |
Middle drag |
| Pan |
Alt+middle drag or middle drag |
Shift+middle drag |
| Zoom |
Alt+right drag, wheel |
Ctrl+middle drag, wheel |
| Frame everything |
Home |
Home |
| Move, rotate, scale |
W / E / R pick the tool (Q select) |
G / R / S follow the mouse |
| Select all / none |
A or Ctrl+A / Alt+A |
A or Ctrl+A / Alt+A |
While G, R or S runs (Blender keys): X, Y or Z constrains to that axis (again: the object's own axis; a third time: free), Shift+X, Y or Z to the other two, typed numbers set the amount, a click, Enter or Space confirms, Esc or a right click cancels.
| Key |
Does |
| Shift+A, or right-click |
The create menu: objects, lights, cameras, groups, files, materials, render |
| Alt+1 |
Look through the scene's camera (the selected one, else the last used); again: the free perspective view |
| Alt+2 … Alt+7 |
Top, front, side, bottom, back, other side (orthographic) |
| Numpad 1 / 3 / 7 |
Front / side / top; with Ctrl, the opposite side |
| Numpad 5 |
Orthographic on or off |
| F or Numpad . |
Frame the selection (everything if nothing is selected) |
| ` (or ~) |
The camera's Lock on or off, as the Lock button (locked, moving the view moves the camera); in the free view it looks through the scene's camera, locked. Works with the 3D view focused or just under the mouse (not while typing in a field), and on any keyboard layout: it's the key left of 1, whatever it types (AZERTY's square sign, QWERTZ's ^). In the 3D view only, so the 2D viewer's tool swap on the same key doesn't clash |
| Ctrl+D |
Duplicate the selected objects in place |
| Alt+D |
Instance them: copies that share their settings but keep their own placement |
| V (hold) |
Moves snap to the nearest vertex or point |
| Ctrl while moving or turning |
Snap to the grid / 15° steps |
| L |
World or local axes |
| Tab |
Back to the 2D viewer |
| Shift+click |
Add to or remove from the selection |
Outliner: + expands the whole hierarchy, - collapses it. F2 renames the selected row, Delete or Backspace removes it from the scene, Ctrl+G groups the selected rows, Ctrl+D / Alt+D duplicate or instance, A or Ctrl+A selects every row. Drag objects onto a group to move them into it, keeping their place.
Material editor graph: Tab adds a node, F frames all, Ctrl+G groups, Ctrl+Shift+G ungroups, Delete removes. Middle drag or Alt+drag pans; double-click a group to enter it, the background to leave.
Curve editor and dope sheet
| Key |
Does |
| F |
Fit |
| A or Ctrl+A |
Select every key shown |
| Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V |
Copy keys / paste them at the current frame |
| Delete or Backspace |
Delete the selected keys |
| Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y |
Undo / redo, also when the panel floats |
| + / - |
Expand / collapse every node in the list |
| W, a number, Enter |
Move the selected keys: w 2, w x 2 (time only), w y -3 (values only; curve editor) |
| R, a number, Enter |
Scale the selected keys: r 2, r x 2, r y 2. Esc cancels |
| G / S (curve editor, Blender keys) |
Move / scale the selected keys, as W / R |
In the curve editor, W, R (and G, S with Blender keys) follow the mouse until you confirm: X or Y limits to time or values, typed numbers set the amount, Enter, Space or a click confirms, Esc or a right click cancels. Scales go around the pivot when Pivot mode is on, else around the middle of the selection. See Curve editor extras.
Curve editor mouse
| Gesture |
Does |
| Alt+click on a curve |
Add a key |
| Ctrl+click / Ctrl+drag |
Place / move the pivot, turning Pivot mode on (snaps to keys and frames; Ctrl+Shift: free) |
| Drag the pivot (Pivot mode on) |
Move it |
| Shift+click a key |
Add to or remove from the selection |
| Shift while moving keys |
Only along one axis |
| Ctrl while moving keys |
Don't snap to whole frames |
| Ctrl while dragging a tangent |
Break it |
| Shift while dragging a tangent |
5° steps |
| Wheel |
Zoom; Ctrl+wheel time only, Shift+wheel values only |
| Middle drag |
Pan |
Dope sheet mouse
| Gesture |
Does |
| Click / drag a key on the All row (under the ruler) |
Select / move every key at that time, of every node in the dope sheet |
| Ctrl+click / Ctrl+drag |
Place / move the time cursor |
| Drag a Read's strip |
Slide it; drag an end to trim it |
| Alt+drag a Read's strip |
Slide it and the keys of the nodes below it |
| Drag a stroke's or shape's life bar |
Slide its lifetime and keys (every selected bar); drag an end to move that end |
| Click / Shift+click a life bar |
Select it / add or remove it |
| Shift+click a key |
Add to or remove from the selection |
| Wheel / Middle drag |
Zoom / pan |
Lookup curves inside nodes (ColorLookup and others): Alt+click adds a key, A selects all, Delete deletes, Ctrl+drag a tangent breaks it, double-click the background to enlarge the graph.
File browser
| Key |
Does |
| Alt+Left / Alt+Right |
Back / forward |
| Alt+Up or Backspace |
Parent folder |
| F5 |
Refresh |
| F2 |
Rename (every frame of a sequence) |
| Delete |
Move to the trash |
| Ctrl+L |
Type or paste a path (Enter goes, Esc returns) |
| Ctrl+V |
Go to the path on the clipboard |
| Ctrl+A |
Select every file and sequence (not the folders; when choosing a folder, every folder). A alone jumps to the first name starting with a |
Start screen
| Key |
Does |
| Enter |
Open the selected recent project |
| Esc |
Close the start screen (an empty project) |
Script Editor
| Key |
Does |
| Ctrl+Enter |
Run the script, or only the selected text |
| Tab or Ctrl+Space |
Complete the name before the cursor (jos.Node.ad...) |
Hover a jos name to read its documentation.
