If your left mouse button is worn smooth while the right button still looks brand-new, take a few moments to explore the interface and right-click various items to display their shortcut menus. is full of shortcut menus to help you perform common tasks quickly.

• For example, did you know that you can right-click the Pan slider on an audio track to change its pan mode?

• You can right-click audio and video events to perform a number of useful editing tasks, such as opening media in the Trimmer window, cutting/copying/deleting, creating subclips, displaying event properties, and more.

• You can right-click the timeline or track list to add new audio or video tracks.

• You can right click the ruler above the timeline to change the time format.

• . . . and many, many more!

Drag-and-drop editing is probably second nature to you, but you can also use keyboard and right-mouse-button modifiers to give your mouse hand an extra boost. These modifiers are discussed throughout the help file, but here are a few to get you started:

• You can move a fader or slider in fine increments by holding the Ctrl key while dragging the fader handle.

• Hold Ctrl while dragging the end of an event to time-stretch it.

• Hold Alt while dragging the end of an event to slip-trim the event:  the media will remain anchored to the edge you drag, and the opposite edge of the event will remain fixed, trimming the media from that edge.

• Hold Ctrl+Alt while dragging the event edge between two events. The edges of the selected event and the adjacent event are trimmed simultaneously in the direction you drag.

• Hold Alt while dragging and event to slip an event; the size and position of the event do not change, but the event will play a different section of the source media file.

• Hold Ctrl+Alt while dragging an event to slide the event: the relative position of the media remains fixed on the track, and the event position changes. You can use this technique when you want to maintain an event’s length, but have the event play a different section of the source media file at a different point in your project.

• Hold Ctrl+Alt while dragging a the overlapping region between two events to slide a crossfade or transition. As you drag, the relative position of the media remains fixed on the track, and crossfade position changes, effectively trimming the edge of the event in the direction you drag. You can use this technique when you want to maintain the length of two combined events, but want the transition to occur earlier or later

• You can hold Shift while dragging the pan point to constrain motion to a line through the center of the surround panner.

• You can hold Alt while dragging the pan point to constrain motion to a constant radius from the center of the surround panner.

• You can hold Alt+Shift while dragging the pan point to constrain motion to the largest circle that will fit inside the surround panner.

• You can add takes to an event by right-dragging a media file from the Explorer and dropping it on an event.

Now that you’ve taken a moment to reacquaint yourself with your right mouse button, give your mouse hand a break and explore all the shortcut key combinations that are available in .

If you purchased a boxed copy of , take the handy Keyboard Commands card from the product box and tack it up next to your monitor, or click here to see a list of shortcut keys.

You don’t need to memorize all of them (only our lead developer knows them all by heart), but after you start using keyboard shortcuts for your most common editing tasks, you’ll be flying through the interface like a pro!

Can’t find a keyboard shortcut for your favorite command? You’re used to a different keyboard shortcut from your old editing software? No problem!

Use the Customize Keyboard dialog to create your own keyboard shortcuts.