Mark. Cut. Ripple.
Without the keyboard.
A game controller as your editing console
Put J/K/L playback, in and out points, blade and ripple delete under your thumbs. Start with a community profile for Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro, then make it your own.
Profiles on this page: Final Cut Pro · DaVinci Resolve · Premiere Pro.
Final Cut Pro bindings shown above
- Playback and trimJ/K/L, frame steps and nudges.
- A profile per editorSwitches automatically with the front app.
- The controller you ownXbox, PlayStation, 8BitDo and more.
Final Cut Pro.
Play, mark, blade.
Face buttons handle playback and range marks, the triggers cut and ripple, and the stick clicks step one frame at a time.
| Controller input | Action | Mac shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| A / cross | Play ForwardDouble-tap: Play Faster L | L |
| B / circle | Stop Playback | K |
| X / square | Mark InHold: Clear Range ⌥ X | I |
| Y / triangle | Mark Out | O |
| Left bumper (LB / L1) | Previous Clip | ↑ |
| Right bumper (RB / R1) | Next Clip | ↓ |
| Left trigger (LT / L2) | Add Blade | ⌘ B |
| Right trigger (RT / R2) | Ripple Delete | ⇧ Delete |
| D-pad up | Zoom In | ⌘ = |
| D-pad down | Zoom Out | ⌘ - |
| D-pad left | Nudge Left | , |
| D-pad right | Nudge Right | . |
| Menu / Options | Add MarkerHold: Add & Edit Marker ⌥ M | M |
| View / Create | Fit Timeline | ⇧ Z |
| Share | UndoHold: Redo ⇧⌘ Z | ⌘ Z |
| Left stick click | Step Back 1 Frame | ← |
| Right stick click | Step Forward 1 Frame | → |
9 button chords included
- LB + RB Clear Range (Opt+X)
- LT + X Trim Start to Playhead (Opt+[)
- LT + Y Trim End to Playhead (Opt+])
- LB + A Reverse Play (J)
- RT + B Delete (Backspace)
- ☰ + ← Nudge Left 10 Frames (Shift+,)
- ☰ + → Nudge Right 10 Frames (Shift+.)
- ⧉ + X Set Range Start (I) — in Viewer
Labels vary by controller; match the button shown in ControllerKeys. Download Final Cut Pro profile · Inspect it on GitHub.
DaVinci Resolve.
Same muscle memory.
The Resolve layout mirrors the Final Cut one, so switching editors doesn’t mean relearning the controller.
| Controller input | Action | Mac shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| A / cross | Play ForwardDouble-tap: Reverse Play J | L |
| B / circle | Stop | K |
| X / square | Mark InHold: Clear In/Out ⌥ X | I |
| Y / triangle | Mark Out | O |
| Left bumper (LB / L1) | Previous Edit Point | ↑ |
| Right bumper (RB / R1) | Next Edit Point | ↓ |
| Left trigger (LT / L2) | Blade at Playhead | ⌘ B |
| Right trigger (RT / R2) | Ripple Delete | ⇧ Delete |
| D-pad up | Zoom In | ⌘ = |
| D-pad down | Zoom Out | ⌘ - |
| D-pad left | Nudge Clip Left | , |
| D-pad right | Nudge Clip Right | . |
| Menu / Options | Add Marker | M |
| View / Create | Fit Timeline | ⇧ Z |
| Share | UndoHold: Redo ⇧⌘ Z | ⌘ Z |
| Left stick click | Step Back 1 Frame | ← |
| Right stick click | Step Forward 1 Frame | → |
7 button chords included
- LB + RB Clear In/Out (Opt+X)
- LT + X Trim Start to Playhead (Shift+I)
- LT + Y Trim End to Playhead (Shift+O)
- RT + B Delete Selected Clip (Cmd+Delete)
- LB + A Reverse Play (J)
- ☰ + ← Nudge Left 5 Frames (Shift+,)
- ☰ + → Nudge Right 5 Frames (Shift+.)
Labels vary by controller; match the button shown in ControllerKeys. Download DaVinci Resolve profile · Inspect it on GitHub.
Edit and Cut pages. These mappings follow Resolve’s default DaVinci keyboard preset. If you use a Premiere or Final Cut keyboard preset inside Resolve, remap the affected buttons.
Premiere Pro.
Cut and extract.
Space plays and pauses, the left trigger adds an edit, the right trigger extracts, and chords trim to the playhead.
| Controller input | Action | Mac shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| A / cross | Play / PauseDouble-tap: Reverse Play J | Space |
| B / circle | Stop | K |
| X / square | Mark InHold: Go to In Point ⇧ I | I |
| Y / triangle | Mark OutHold: Go to Out Point ⇧ O | O |
| Left bumper (LB / L1) | Previous Edit | ↑ |
| Right bumper (RB / R1) | Next Edit | ↓ |
| Left trigger (LT / L2) | Add Edit / Cut | ⌘ K |
| Right trigger (RT / R2) | Extract | ' |
| D-pad up | Zoom In | ⌘ = |
| D-pad down | Zoom Out | ⌘ - |
| D-pad left | Nudge Left | , |
| D-pad right | Nudge Right | . |
| Menu / Options | Add Marker | M |
| View / Create | Fit Timeline | \ |
| Share | UndoHold: Redo ⇧⌘ Z | ⌘ Z |
| Left stick click | Step Back 1 Frame | ← |
| Right stick click | Step Forward 1 Frame | → |
4 button chords included
- LT + X Trim Start to Playhead (Q)
- LT + Y Trim End to Playhead (W)
- ☰ + ← Nudge Left 5 Frames (Shift+,)
- ☰ + → Nudge Right 5 Frames (Shift+.)
Labels vary by controller; match the button shown in ControllerKeys. Download Premiere Pro profile · Inspect it on GitHub.
Import it.
Make it yours.
Open a scratch project with a couple of clips on the timeline. Test each action before using it on client work.
- Connect and complete onboarding.
Pair your controller with your Mac, open ControllerKeys and grant the requested Accessibility permission.
- Import a profile.
Download: Final Cut Pro
final-cut-pro.json· DaVinci Resolvedavinci-resolve.json· Premiere Propremiere-pro.json.In ControllerKeys, click + beside Profiles, choose Import Profile… and select the file. The same layouts are also available through Import Community Profile….
- Check the linked app.
Right-click the imported profile, choose Linked Apps… and confirm your installed app is selected. Bring that app forward and the profile switches automatically.
- Test, then remap.
Play with A/cross, mark in and out with X and Y, then try a blade and an undo. To change a binding, open it, choose Key and press the shortcut you want.
Using a different app?
Tell me.
ControllerKeys is made by Kevin Tang, an indie developer. Many of these profiles started as a single email from someone describing their setup. If your app or workflow isn’t here yet, email me what you’d like to control or use Send Feedback in the app’s settings.
Before you connect.
Do I need a special editing controller?
No. ControllerKeys sends the editor’s own keyboard shortcuts, so a standard Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo or 8BitDo controller works. If the shortcut works from your keyboard, it can work from a button.
Will it work with my custom keyboard layout?
The profiles use each editor’s default shortcuts. If you’ve changed them, open the mapping in ControllerKeys and press your own shortcut instead.
Can one controller handle several editors?
Yes. Each profile is linked to its app, and ControllerKeys switches profiles when you bring a different app to the front.
Can a button run a multi-step edit?
Yes. Macros chain key presses, delays and text into one button, and chords map two buttons pressed together. Hold and double-tap actions add more per button.
Try your next edit
with a controller.
Use the 14-day trial to try your controller with your own projects. Keep ControllerKeys for a one-time $19.99 purchase.