Adobe Premiere Pro from a game controller
The Adobe Premiere Pro 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: Premiere Pro reads its default shortcuts from this layout. Its Control Surface settings for supported hardware are separate and unaffected.
Yes, a PS5, Xbox or Switch controller can be a Premiere Pro editing controller on a Mac: J, K and L shuttle, mark in and out, frame steps. Premiere reads its default shortcuts from this layout, and its Control Surface settings for supported hardware are separate and unaffected. It is a jog shuttle made out of the thing in your drawer.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Shuttle. Shuttle left (J) on the left bumper, shuttle right (L) on the right. Press again for double speed, as with the keys.
- Play and stop. Play and pause (Space) on the bottom face button, stop (K) on the right.
- Mark. Mark in (I) on the left face button, mark out (O) on the top.
- Find the frame. D-pad left and right step one frame.
- Point and save. The left stick is the pointer, the right trigger clicks, Start saves.
Tune it for cutting
- Add edit. Command K cuts at the playhead. Put it on the touchpad press.
- Razor and select. Put C and V on the stick clicks.
- Ripple delete. Put Shift Delete behind a chord.
- Five-frame steps. Put Shift plus an arrow behind a chord on the D-pad.
- Markers. Put M on a spare button.
- Feel the marks. Tick Vibrate under Feedback in the in and out rows' Options.
Command K on the touchpad press is the row that turns a review layout into a cutting one.
Use a MIDI pad or knob box
Premiere has a Control Surface page for the hardware protocols Adobe supports. For an ordinary MIDI pad or knob box, InputConfig reads the pads and knobs and sends Premiere's keyboard shortcuts: pads for J, K, L, in and out, a knob in Turn mode on the arrow keys for frame steps. The MIDI controller for Final Cut page has a table that carries over, with Command K in place of Command B. Any pad or knob that sends MIDI can drive Premiere this way.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Adobe Premiere Pro 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Cursor left |
| Left stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Cursor right |
| Left stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Cursor up |
| Left stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Cursor down |
| Right trigger | Left click | Click |
| A / Cross | Space | Play / pause (Space) |
| LB / L1 | J | Shuttle left (J) |
| RB / R1 | L | Shuttle right (L) |
| B / Circle | K | Stop (K) |
| X / Square | I | Mark in (I) |
| Y / Triangle | O | Mark out (O) |
| D-pad left | Left | Previous frame |
| D-pad right | Right | Next frame |
| Start / Options | Command (Left), S | Save |
Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.
Questions
Does it work in DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut?
Both have their own pages. J, K and L are shared across all three.
Is a controller a Speed Editor alternative for Premiere?
For transport and marks, yes. The Speed Editor alternatives page compares the options.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
Updated