Keyboard Shortcuts
Every keyboard shortcut in Solar Sailer, grouped by what you're doing.
Shortcuts work anywhere in the editor window while a project is open. You don't need to click the timeline first. They are ignored while you're typing in a text field, while a menu is open, and while a dialog is open, so a stray keypress can't edit the timeline behind a popup. A few groups only work in one specific place, and those sections say so.
Control playback
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Play / pause. Ignored while you're dragging or trimming a clip |
| J | When stopped, step back one frame. While playing, halve the speed (down to 0.25×) |
| K | Stop playback |
| L | Play forward. Press again while playing to double the speed (up to 8×) |
| ← / → | Step back / forward one frame |
| Home / End | Jump the playhead to the start / end of the timeline |
| F | Toggle fullscreen for the Preview panel |
Edit the timeline
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Delete / Backspace | Delete the selected clips, leaving a gap |
| Shift+Delete / Shift+Backspace | Ripple delete. Deletes the selected clips and closes the gap |
| Ctrl+B | Split the selected clips at the playhead. Only clips the playhead crosses are split. Clips on locked tracks are skipped, and a message tells you how many were skipped |
| Ctrl+X | Cut the selected clips |
| Ctrl+C | Copy the selected clips |
| Ctrl+V | Paste at the playhead. If the pasted clips can't fit, a message tells you |
| Ctrl+A | Select all clips. While the Media panel has focus, it selects media items instead |
| Esc | Deselect everything. Also cancels a clip drag in progress |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+Shift+Z | Redo |
| Shift+Z | Zoom the timeline to fit the whole sequence |
Resize panels
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ` (backtick) | Maximize the panel under the mouse pointer. Press it again to restore the layout |
Point at the Media panel, Preview, Properties, AI Assistant, or the timeline and press `. The key works with or without Shift held, so ~ does the same thing. Pointing at anything else, such as a divider or the status bar, does nothing. Once a panel is maximized you can press the key from anywhere to restore.
Switch tools
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| V | Selection tool |
| C | Razor tool |
| Y | Slip tool |
| S | Toggle snapping on or off |
The Linked Selection toggle in the tool strip has no keyboard shortcut. Click it in the tool strip.
Work with markers and In/Out points
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| M | Add a marker at the playhead. Pressing it again on a frame that already has a marker updates that marker instead of adding another |
| Shift+M | Jump to the next marker |
| Ctrl+Shift+M | Jump to the previous marker |
| I | Set the In point at the playhead |
| O | Set the Out point at the playhead |
| Alt+I | Clear the In point. The Out point stays |
| Alt+O | Clear the Out point. The In point stays |
Save and open projects
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+S | Save the project |
| Ctrl+Shift+S | Save As… |
| Ctrl+O | Open a project. Works in the editor and on the welcome screen |
| Ctrl+N | New project. Same as File → New Project…. Works in the editor and on the welcome screen |
Review retakes in the Retake Review panel
These keys work only while the Retake Review panel has focus and a retake group is open. Anywhere else, they behave as usual.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ | Move between retake groups |
| ← / → | Hear the previous / next take in the group |
| 1–9 | Hear that numbered take |
| Space | Play / stop the current take |
| Enter | Keep this take and open the next group |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo the last pick. This is panel-only, not the editor's undo |
| Esc | Close the panel |
A few edge cases: when a button inside the panel has focus, Enter and Space press that button instead. Ctrl+Z with no picks left to undo acts as the normal editor undo. Esc first closes any dropdown or dialog open over the panel, then closes the panel itself.
Select media in the Media panel
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+A | Select all visible media items. Respects the search filter and skips items inside collapsed folders |
Works only while the Media panel has focus.
Use the mouse with modifier keys
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shift+click a clip | Add or remove that clip from the selection |
| Shift+drag a clip | Move the clip between tracks only. It keeps its time position, and snapping is bypassed. You can press or release Shift in the middle of a drag |
| Alt+drag a clip | Slip the clip. Changes which part of the source plays without moving the clip, same as the Slip tool |
| Shift+click with the Razor tool | Cut every clip at that point across all unlocked tracks |
| Shift+click a transcript word | Add that word to the existing transcript selection |
| Esc during a drag | Cancel the move and snap the clip back. Nothing is committed |
| Alt+mouse wheel | Zoom the timeline in or out around the pointer |
| Ctrl+mouse wheel | Scroll the timeline horizontally |
| Shift+mouse wheel | Scroll the timeline horizontally |
| Mouse wheel | Scroll the track stack under the cursor up or down. Over the ruler, it scrolls horizontally instead |
Close panels, menus, and dialogs
Esc closes the topmost open dialog, dropdown, or menu. In a text or number field, the first Esc leaves the field, and the next one closes the dialog.
The panels in the View menu have no keyboard shortcuts. Open them from the menu strip.