Mastering Final Cut Pro: How to Use the Option-Shift-X Shortcut to Cut Keyframes

Keyboard shortcut: OptionShiftX

Keyframes animate things like position, scale, opacity and effect settings over time. When an animation is in the wrong place, or belongs on a different clip, you don't have to rebuild it. Press Option-Shift-X to run Cut Keyframes.

What Option-Shift-X Does

Cut Keyframes works like Cut for text. It removes the selected keyframes from the clip and puts them on the clipboard, ready to paste somewhere else. It isn't just a delete: the keyframes come with you.

How to Use It

  1. Select the clip in the timeline and press Control-V to show its Video Animation editor.
  2. Select the keyframe or keyframes you want to move.
  3. Press Option-Shift-X. The keyframes disappear from this clip and are now on the clipboard.
  4. Select the clip where they should go (or stay on the same clip) and move the playhead to where the animation should start.
  5. Press Option-Shift-V to paste the keyframes.

When It Helps

  • Moving an animation: a zoom you built on the wrong clip can move to the right one.
  • Retiming: cut keyframes and paste them later in the same clip so the move happens at a better moment.
  • Cleaning up: pull keyframes off a clip while keeping them on the clipboard in case you want them back.

Tips

If you want to keep the original animation and make a duplicate, use Option-Shift-C (Copy Keyframes) instead. And if you only want to get rid of keyframes, a plain delete is simpler. Cut is for when you plan to paste.

Because it works on selected keyframes, check what's selected in the animation editor before you press the shortcut, so you don't move more than you meant to.

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