Option-Shift-1 in Final Cut Pro: Multicam Audio and Video Switching

Keyboard shortcut: OptionShift1

When you cut a multicam clip in Final Cut Pro, each cut or switch can change the video, the audio, or both. Option-Shift-1 turns on audio/video mode, so every multicam cut or switch changes both the picture and the sound to the angle you choose. It doesn't separate or sync tracks; it sets what your next multicam edits affect.

The Three Modes

  • Option-Shift-1: cut and switch audio and video together.
  • Option-Shift-2: video only. The picture changes, the audio stays.
  • Option-Shift-3: audio only. The sound changes, the picture stays.

You can see the current mode in the Angle Viewer, where the active angle is highlighted in a color that matches the mode.

How to Use It

  1. Put a multicam clip in your timeline and open the Angle Viewer (Shift-Command-7).
  2. Press Option-Shift-1 to switch to audio/video mode.
  3. Play the timeline and click an angle in the Angle Viewer, or press a number key, to cut to that angle. Both the picture and the sound now come from that camera.

When to Use Each Mode

  • Audio and video (Option-Shift-1): when each camera recorded its own good audio, such as a two-person interview with a mic on each camera.
  • Video only (Option-Shift-2): the most common choice when you have one clean audio source, like a separate recorder, and just want to change shots over it.
  • Audio only (Option-Shift-3): for fixing the sound on a section without touching your picture edit.

Tip

Check the mode before you start cutting. If you're in audio/video mode by accident, your carefully chosen audio can switch along with every shot change. Pressing Option-Shift-2 before you start is a good habit when you have a single clean audio source.

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