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Is there a Premiere Pro adjustment layer shortcut?
Not by default. Premiere Pro has no preset keyboard shortcut for a new adjustment layer, but you can assign one yourself in a minute.
For the fastest route, the free Mako panel adds an adjustment layer in one click or one key. The layer lands over your selected clips, on the first free track, already cut to fit.
The native way: File > New > Adjustment Layer
In Premiere Pro, choose File > New > Adjustment Layer, or click the New Item button at the bottom of the Project panel and pick Adjustment Layer. Confirm the Video Settings dialog with OK.
The layer appears in the Project panel. Drag it onto a track above your clips and trim its ends so it covers the part you want.
How to assign an adjustment layer shortcut in Premiere Pro
Open Premiere Pro > Keyboard Shortcuts on a Mac, or Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts on Windows. Type Adjustment Layer in the search field to find the command.
Click in its Shortcut column and press the keys you want. If Premiere says the combination is already in use, pick another one. Click OK and your key now opens the adjustment layer dialog.
The one-click way with Mako
Mako is a free Premiere Pro panel with 13 one-click tools. Its Adjustment Layer button does the whole job at once: it makes the layer, places it over your clips and cuts it to fit.
Step 1: Install Mako
Add Mako to your cart and check out for $0, no card needed. On a Mac, open Mako.pkg. On Windows, run MakoSetup.exe from the zip, no administrator needed.
Restart Premiere Pro and open Window > Extensions > Mako. Dock it next to your Tools panel so it is always one click away.
Step 2: Click Adjustment Layer
Select your clips and click Adjustment Layer, the first button in the panel. One layer covers the whole selection, on the first free, unlocked track above. With nothing selected, it covers five seconds from the playhead.
If there is no free track, Mako adds one, and it never overwrites a clip. The layers go in a Mako bin, so your Project panel stays tidy.
Step 3: Shift-click for one per clip
Hold Shift as you click Adjustment Layer and every selected clip gets an adjustment layer of its own, cut to its length. That is handy when each shot needs its own look, like when you color grade a video shot by shot.
Step 4: Cmd-click to add a layer on every cut
Hold Cmd (Ctrl on Windows) as you click and Mako puts a short 0.4 second layer on every cut, all on one track. They are ready for a flash or a whip pan transition.
Step 5: Give it your own shortcut
Right-click the Adjustment Layer button and choose Keyboard Shortcut, or click the gear and open the Shortcuts tab in Settings. Click a field and press a modifier and a key, like Option + 1, or an F key on its own.
The Shift-click and Cmd-click versions get shortcuts of their own too. They work in the timeline or the monitor while the Mako panel is open, even docked behind another tab.
Now one key gives you a finished adjustment layer, placed and trimmed, wherever you are in the edit.
More one-click tools in the same panel
Adjustment layers are just the start. Color Matte drops a solid color over your selection with the same placement rules. Freeze Frame, Staircase, Nest, Unnest and a QC Check before export sit right next to it.
You can color the buttons, hide the ones you don't use and pick 1 to 4 columns, so the panel fits your workspace. Our Mako guide covers every button.
Why editors use Mako for adjustment layers
- One click, no dialog. The layer is made, placed and trimmed in one go.
- Three results from one button. Click for the selection, Shift-click for each clip, Cmd-click for every cut.
- Never overwrites a clip. New layers go on the first free track above, and Mako adds a track when it needs one.
- Free for good. No account, no license key, updates included, on Mac and Windows.
FAQ
What is the shortcut for a new adjustment layer in Premiere Pro?
There is none by default. Assign one to File > New > Adjustment Layer in the Keyboard Shortcuts window, or give Mako's Adjustment Layer button a key for one press straight onto the timeline.
How do I add an adjustment layer to every clip at once?
Select the clips and Shift-click Adjustment Layer in Mako. Each clip gets its own layer, cut to its length.
Does Mako work on Mac and Windows?
Yes. Mako works with Premiere Pro 2021 and later on macOS and Windows, and it is free.
Where does Mako put the adjustment layer?
Over the selected clips, on the first free, unlocked track above them. With nothing selected, it covers five seconds from the playhead.
Adjustment layers in one click, exactly where you need them. Get Mako for free.
