"PDSpeed" - provides extra keyboard shortcuts for faster PD9 editing

Peter Ozpeter

Contributor Joined: Aug 10, 2008 20:51 Messages: 336 Offline

Solved by

Dec 05, 2010 22:58

PDSpeed is a very small free program which adds extra keyboard shortcuts in PowerDirector 9, to speed up the playback and editing process.

It offers the following enhancements to PD9:-

- It does away with the need to choose between "Clip" and "Movie" playback on the timeline. Spacebar always plays in movie mode, Alt/spacebar always plays in clip mode.

- It provides single-key rollback for 5 seconds from current cursor position and play. Handy for reviewing edits you've just made, or rechecking what you've just seen without having to use separate actions to stop, go back, and play.

- Using the n and p keys, it goes to the next or previous edit and replays from 5 seconds before. Again, handy for reviewing each edit of a nearly-finished project.

- Single keystrokes allow you to trim from the cursor to the start of the clip, or from the cursor to the end of the clip, or to mark a start and end point in the middle of the clip and instantly delete the marked portion. Trimming is assigned to the i and o keys, and also to the [ and ] keys, so you can use whichever you are familiar with. The s and d keys are used to split and delete the middle part of a clip.

- j k l keys are assigned to frame rewind, movie play, and frame forward. These can be used when trimming clips using the adjacent i and o keys - you hardly have to move a finger!

- z x c keys are similarly assigned to rewind, play and forward for use with the adjacent s and d keys when cutting out the middle of a clip, for convenience of location.

- The shortcuts can be used on the fly during playback, and work in the timeline or the storyboard view.

The program is very small and doesn't need installation. You just run it from wherever you choose to keep it. It has no effect on the PD9 installation and you can use PD9 with it or without it. It does nothing if PD9 is not running. It simply intercepts keystrokes and passes commands to the program if it is running.

The attached zip file contains a pdf help fle - essential reading - and the small .exe file.

It is provided as is with no warranty, but the only forseeable risk in using it is that you might misuse it and delete part of a clip without intending to, or something like that. Undo is your friend if that happens! I recommend trying it out on a test project first, and the help file suggests how you might do that.

It has been tested only with PD9, not earlier versions, and only in XP and Windows 7.

Any comments should be made in this thread.

Please note that this has nothing to do with Cyberlink and the functions I have described above only work when PDSpeed is running - they are not part of PD9.

Cheers!

Filename	PDSpeed.zip	Download
Description	Utility to speed up timeline editing in PD9
Filesize	216 Kbytes
Downloaded:	1969 time(s)

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at May 30. 2011 13:28

Robert2 S

Senior Contributor Location: Australia Joined: Apr 22, 2009 05:57 Messages: 1461 Offline

Dec 05, 2010 23:19

Thanks very much Peter for your hard work. I have just played with it for a couple of minutes and it works great.

Why can't Cyberlink build something like this into the program? I think sometimes they have too many coders and not enough video editors on their payroll.

Cheers

Robert2 S My youtube channel====> http://www.youtube.com/user/relate2?feature=mhsn

FredB

Senior Contributor Joined: Sep 15, 2008 21:14 Messages: 1317 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 00:23

Well, there are MANY MANY shortcuts already in POWERDIRECTOR. There are at least a couple of ways to find shortcut keystrokes that are pre-defined in Powerdirector.

1. Click on the question-mark (?) on the top right of Powerdirector and choose "Hotkey List". Click the small plus-sign (+) next to HOTKEYS to expand the list. It is broken down by section and use!!

2. There is a PDF file containing all this floating around SOMEWHERE... I am sure a user will jump in soon and point to the location.

Also, for example, I am not sure that "pressing spacebar in PDSPEED is easier than just clicking a blank space in the timeline (or pressing page-up and page-down) to change to movie mode. Do I need another application to load to get already defined functions??..totally up to you.

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at Dec 06. 2010 00:33

Robert2 S

Senior Contributor Location: Australia Joined: Apr 22, 2009 05:57 Messages: 1461 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 00:33

I hear what you are saying and yes there are many hotkeys but nothing like the 'n' & 'p' key Peter has included taking you to the previous or next clip then playing the previous 5 seconds to check the transition or flow of the two clips.

As I said many many coders but not many actual video editors. My youtube channel====> http://www.youtube.com/user/relate2?feature=mhsn

FredB

Senior Contributor Joined: Sep 15, 2008 21:14 Messages: 1317 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 00:40

Well, as I said, Kudos to Peter for taking the time and more learning for you!! Maybe it will make it into PD10. Have fun!!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Dec 06. 2010 00:41

Peter Ozpeter

Contributor Joined: Aug 10, 2008 20:51 Messages: 336 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 00:43

Well, each to his own, and I'm fairly keyboard-oriented rather than mouse-oriented - but how many times in a typical editing session (ok, no such thing!) do you have to click to change to movie mode - then press the spacebar, or click on the play button? Using PDSpeed, you just press the spacebar and it plays the movie. Half the keystrokes/mouse clicks, every time you do it. Nothing to remember.

Likewise, to trim from the cursor position to the beginning of the clip, using the keyboard you have to do

page up
ctrl/t
ctrl/left arrow
delete
page down

for a predictable result. Using PDSpeed, you just type "d". Seems easier to me!

FredB

Senior Contributor Joined: Sep 15, 2008 21:14 Messages: 1317 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 00:50

Not faulting your efforts Peter..Great work...problem is, the user community is veryt diverse and probably the last thing they need is more options!!! Heck, my dad still uses AOL and thinks THAT is the Internet! Some groups absorb changes in small doses. Just my opinion.

I understand the value of keyboard shortcuts (I use them all the time) and yours are a good set...as I said...maybe some will make it into PD10.

Peter Ozpeter

Contributor Joined: Aug 10, 2008 20:51 Messages: 336 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 01:11

problem is, the user community is veryt diverse and probably the last thing they need is more options!!!

My view is that the category of user who might be described as coming from other programs, might find some aspects of PowerDirector to be not quite what they are used to - in particular the clip/movie thing - and providing the means to work around that and to provide some "standard" NLE features like i and o and jkl (admittedly jkl doesn't work quite the way it does elsewhere but it's a start) is arguably more of a help than a hindrance.

But in any event, it's very easy to try, and very easy to delete if not suitable to the individual!

Down the track it would be good if Cyberlink were able to expose more of the program's functions to keyboard shortcut operation, and provide the means to customise them and string together macros, as in some other programs.

FredB

Senior Contributor Joined: Sep 15, 2008 21:14 Messages: 1317 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 01:16

We have all lamented on the CLIP feature in Beta Testing....it is better than it used to be, but certainly not what we hope it ends up being. Why make MORE when we have talent like you floating around, willing to enhance??

THANKS for the adds!!!

Hasi64

Newbie Joined: May 25, 2010 05:04 Messages: 8 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 04:56

Hello Peter, Thanks a lot for this useful tool! I have a small suggestion: Could you provide a version for the "quertz" keyboard? You only need to exchange the "y" and "z" keys in the defined shortcuts. This would be very useful for the german community! Thanks again Hasi64

Peter Ozpeter

Contributor Joined: Aug 10, 2008 20:51 Messages: 336 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 05:01

That should be very easy - I'll try and get that done in the next 24 hours and add it to this thread.

gbainbridge

Newbie Location: United Kingdom Joined: Dec 03, 2010 13:46 Messages: 42 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 20:50

Just a minor problem. I've tried PC speed, and although it works, AVG insists that it is malware and keeps trying to put it in the virus vault.

Gary.

twincitybulldog

Senior Member Location: Winter Haven, Florida "Home of Legoland" Joined: Aug 03, 2009 14:59 Messages: 159 Offline

Dec 06, 2010 21:25

Thanks Peter for the excellent tool. It works great.
Happy Holidays from Florida!! Windows 8 Pro 64bit
Cameras. Panasonic AG-HMC40, GoPro Hero 3 Black
Edition.

Peter Ozpeter

Contributor Joined: Aug 10, 2008 20:51 Messages: 336 Offline

Dec 07, 2010 03:32

Just a minor problem. I've tried PC speed, and although it works, AVG insists that it is malware and keeps trying to put it in the virus vault.

The PCs here all have AVG up to date and running (paid version) and just to be sure, I specifically ran an individual AVG check on the zip file before posting it. Why AVG doesn't like it at your end is a mystery!

Peter Ozpeter

Contributor Joined: Aug 10, 2008 20:51 Messages: 336 Offline

Dec 07, 2010 03:50

PDSpeed for German keyboard layout is attached.

Please use the download in the first post, unless you want the version suitable for German keyboards.

I'm sorry but the help file is still in English!

Filename	PDSpeed German.zip	Download
Description	German keyboard version of PDSpeed
Filesize	216 Kbytes
Downloaded:	1022 time(s)

NicolasNY

Senior Contributor Location: Caracas Joined: Sep 28, 2008 17:49 Messages: 805 Offline

Dec 07, 2010 12:09

Hi Peter,

Great work and effort. It is true that PD and has its own shortcuts and as you go using, learning and remembering the will (of course, there is always the option to press [Shift + F12] to remember. But your work will add greater value added to management PD and some are reused in learning them.

Would be excellent if the program can be customized by adding a window or configuration options and function keys, for everyone to customize it as you wish.

I think you did with visual studio (don’t know if was in C + +, visual basic, etc..), but since you took the personal trouble to share it with us (no commercial interests), you could do it Open Source to play with him , don’t you think?

FredB

Senior Contributor Joined: Sep 15, 2008 21:14 Messages: 1317 Offline

Dec 07, 2010 13:07

you could do it Open Source to play with him , don’t you think?

What!??

"Too many cooks, spoils the broth"...just my 2 cents worth...Thanks Peter!

NicolasNY

Senior Contributor Location: Caracas Joined: Sep 28, 2008 17:49 Messages: 805 Offline

Dec 07, 2010 13:24

Quote: What!??.."Too many cooks, spoils the broth"...just my 2 cents worth...Thanks Peter!

Really, you're the old veneer. Open source works great in small application like Peter, and Peter always be the chef. The others are cooks helpers. perhaps you've never had a restaurant or cooking group. There is always a boss and the boss is Peter now.

Cheers,

FredB

Senior Contributor Joined: Sep 15, 2008 21:14 Messages: 1317 Offline

Dec 07, 2010 13:52

Well thanks boss! Can I please have your recipe so I can change one ingredient and call it my creation!! Or maybe just change your name on the code to mine. WHAT..Chef's don't give out their recipes you say!! Harrumph!! I guess I am old school.

NicolasNY

Senior Contributor Location: Caracas Joined: Sep 28, 2008 17:49 Messages: 805 Offline

Dec 07, 2010 13:59

Have a Merry Christmas Fred.