CapCut from a game controller
The CapCut 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: The CapCut desktop app reads keys from this layout like a keyboard. The rows use the common editor keys; CapCut's settings list its own shortcuts to compare.
Yes, the CapCut desktop app on a Mac reads a game controller layout like a keyboard: play on the big button, J, K and L on the others, frame steps on the stick, a cutting tool on a trigger. The rows use the keys most desktop editors share. CapCut's own shortcut list decides which ones to keep, so check it once.
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 with the arrow keys.
- Cut and select. The right trigger sends B and the left trigger A, the blade and selection tools in many editors.
- Mark and keep. Mark in and out (I and O) on the D-pad, Undo and Save on the bumpers.
Check the rows against CapCut's list
- You: Open CapCut's keyboard shortcut list in its settings and compare it with the rows. Check split first: Command B is worth putting on the touchpad press.
- InputConfig: Sends the common editor keys until you change a row.
- Check: Press each row with a clip on the timeline. Where nothing happens, set the row to CapCut's key.
Split is the row you will press most, so get it right first.
Tune it
- Feel the cut. Tick Vibrate under Feedback in the split row's Options.
- Export. Put CapCut's export key behind a chord.
- Phone-sized edits. A small pad such as an 8BitDo Micro is enough for play, split and undo.
A short video is a lot of cuts, and a controller makes each one a single press.
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 CapCut 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 |
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 this match the Premiere layout?
It uses the same keys as the Premiere layout. CapCut follows many of them. Check its list for the rest.
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