How to Use the Option-8 Keyboard Shortcut in Final Cut Pro to Switch Multicam Angles

Keyboard shortcut: Option8

Multicam editing in Final Cut Pro is all about choosing the right camera at the right moment. Sometimes you don't need a new cut at all; you just want a section to use a different camera. That's what Option-8 is for.

What Does Option-8 Do?

Option-8 runs Switch to Viewer Angle 8. It switches the multicam clip to angle 8 of the current bank.

This changes which angle that section of your multicam clip uses in the edit. It doesn't add a cut. Compare that with pressing 8 on its own, which cuts at the playhead and switches to angle 8. Option-8 is the "swap the camera, keep the cut points" version.

Angles and Banks

The number refers to the eighth angle position in the bank you're viewing in the Angle Viewer. If you have more angles than your Angle Viewer displays, switch banks or choose a larger display setting to reach the angle you want.

How to Use It

  1. Open a project that contains a multicam clip and show the Angle Viewer.
  2. Select the section of the multicam clip you want to change, or place the playhead over it.
  3. Press Option-8. That section now uses angle 8, and the cut points stay where they were.
  4. Play it back to check the new camera choice.

Practical Tips

  • Do a fast first pass cutting live with the number keys, then go back and fix individual camera choices with Option and a number.
  • The other Option-number shortcuts work the same way for their angles, so you can try several cameras on one section quickly.
  • Because Option-8 changes the edit, use Undo (Command-Z) if you only wanted to look at angle 8.

Once you understand the difference between cutting and switching, multicam refinements go much faster.

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