How to Use the Shift-2 Shortcut to Edit Video Only in Final Cut Pro

Keyboard shortcut: Shift2

Sometimes you want the picture from a clip but not its sound. Maybe the B-roll has wind noise, or the camera audio is useless because you recorded sound separately. That's what Shift-2 is for.

What Shift-2 Does

Shift-2 turns on Source Media: Video Only. In this mode, when you add a selection from the Browser to the Timeline, only the video portion is added. It doesn't change how clips look or play in the Browser, and it doesn't affect clips that are already in your Timeline. It only changes what the next edits bring in.

How to Use It

  1. Press Shift-2. The edit buttons in the toolbar change to show that you're in video-only mode.
  2. Select a clip or range in the Browser.
  3. Add it to your Timeline with your usual edit: Q to connect, W to insert, E to append, or D to overwrite.
  4. Only the video lands in the Timeline. No audio comes with it.

Switching Back

Video-only mode stays on until you change it, so remember to switch back when you're done. Press Shift-1 to return to All (video and audio). Its partner, Shift-3, does the opposite and brings in audio only.

Tips

  • Great for B-roll: Turn on video only, then connect a run of cutaways over your interview with Q. Your interview audio stays clean.
  • Glance at the toolbar: If an edit comes in without audio when you didn't expect it, check the edit buttons. You probably left video-only mode on.

Shift-2 is a small habit that saves you from detaching and deleting unwanted audio after every edit.

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