Shotcut from a game controller
The Shotcut layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
On a Mac: Shotcut reads keys from this layout like a keyboard. Its J, K, L and frame keys match. The two trigger rows send Final Cut's B and A, which do other things in Shotcut.
Yes, Shotcut works from a game controller on a Mac, and its transport keys match: play on the big button, J, K and L on the others, a frame step on the stick, in and out on the D-pad. The two trigger rows send Final Cut's B and A, which do other things in Shotcut, so change them first. A first edit of holiday footage from a sofa is what this is for.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Play. Play and pause (Space) on the bottom face button, L, J and K on the right, left and top.
- Find the frame. The left stick steps one frame.
- Mark. Mark in and out (I and O) on the D-pad.
- Keep your work. Undo and Save on the bumpers.
Fix the triggers
Step 1: Make the right trigger split
- You: Change the right trigger's output from B to S.
- InputConfig: Sends S, which splits at the playhead in Shotcut. B is Overwrite there.
- Check: Park the playhead over a clip and pull the trigger. The clip splits in two.
Step 2: Decide on the left trigger
- You: Change it to a key you want, or keep it if appending clips is how you work.
- InputConfig: Sends A, which is Append in Shotcut, until you change it.
- Check: Pull it with a clip selected in the source and watch where it lands.
Split is the press you will make most, so it gets the trigger.
Tune it
- Feel the split. Tick Vibrate under Feedback in the split row's Options.
- Long timelines. Turn on Repeat keys while held in the frame step rows, so a held stick keeps stepping.
- Scroll the timeline. Add two right-stick rows that scroll, as the Final Cut Pro layout has. The right stick is free here.
Free software and a pad you already own make a cheap editing desk.
Get it in two clicks
- Open InputConfig and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Shotcut and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
Every binding, as a table
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| A / Cross | Space | Play / Pause (Space) |
| B / Circle | L | Play forward (L) |
| X / Square | J | Play reverse (J) |
| Y / Triangle | K | Pause (K) |
| Left stick left | Left | Step back one frame |
| Left stick right | Right | Step forward one frame |
| Right trigger | B | Blade (B) |
| Left trigger | A | Selection (A) |
| D-pad left | I | Mark in (I) |
| D-pad right | O | Mark out (O) |
| LB / L1 | Command (Left), Z | Undo |
| RB / R1 | Command (Left), S | Save |
Names follow the editor's Xbox / PlayStation pair, and a Switch pad fires by position.
Questions
Does this match the Final Cut Pro layout?
Yes, it has the same buttons as the Final Cut Pro layout, without its two timeline scroll rows. Shotcut's split key, S, is the change.
Related
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