Keyboard shortcuts limitations or not?

RANT: The loss of the command-shift-F shortcut for a Spotlight Find-by-file-name search is the work of an idiot, in the original sense of the word: it involves a cognitive and a moral failure. The moral failing arises from the self-serving aspect that ignores the needs of a substantial group of users. This is a serious issue for me because my HD contains a decade's worth of files and when I do the standard content search, a file whose name matches the search term is often fiftieth on the list of Spotlight hits.
QUESTION 1: Having to use ML on my new MBA I was planning to use HoudahSpot, which is a Spotlight front end in which you can set a customized find-by-file-name search as default. The customized search is in the form of a template file. I therefore wanted to map a keyboard shortcut onto this file. Is there a way to do this? (This would also be useful for other purposes relating to the loss of the traditional Apple menu, which is too esoteric to go into here.)
Q2: Another route is to use the 'services' section of the keyboard shortcut panel in the system preferences to specify a 'new search' in HoudahSpot. I wanted assign command-F or command-shift-F. Although I can specify these in the appropriate dialog box they continue to display their default behavior, which is a Spotlight find-by-content search and a shortcut to 'all my files', respectively. Is there a way to override these default shortcuts, which seem to be 'claimed' by the finder? Why do we not have control of finder shortcuts?
Thanks in advance for any help on these difficult issues.

Hi -
In order to support keyboard shortcuts for the Tag Panel we needed to implement a bit of a unique method. The Tag Panel itself does indeed need to have focus in order for it's keyboard shortcuts to activate. The core reason for this is to remove the potential for keyboard shortcut conflicts between the rest of the app the those stored within a Tag template. Remember, you can share Tag Templates across system and with other users. and each template can contain it's own shortcut definitions. The only way to prevent conflicts is to enforce the focus rule.
the recommended workflow is to open a clip and set focus to the Tag Panel. From the Tag Panel all of the Transport Controls (JKL, SPACE BAR for play/pause, etc.) will still function when the Tag Panel has focus. So you should still be able to review your clips and apply Tags via shortcut.
Let me know how this works. We are always looking to improve workflows so if you come up with some improvement ideas please share.
Regards,
Michael

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BUG: KEYBOARD SHORTCUT KEYS DO NOT ALWAYS ACTIVATE A SERVICE (A WORKFLOW)

BUG: KEYBOARD SHORTCUT KEYS DO NOT ALWAYS ACTIVATE A SERVICE (A WORKFLOW)
When you assign a keyboard shortcut to a Service (such as a Service Workflow created in Automator) using the System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts, if that shortcut key combination includes the Command key, pressing that shortcut will always successfully activate the Service. No problem there.
However, shortcut key combinations that do not include the Command key (for example, the shortcut key combo Ctrl-Shift-D) WILL NOT activate the Service in any newly opened application, until you click on the Services Menu option in that application.
As soon as you click on the application's Services Menu, this seems to bind the shortcut key combo to the Service, and thereafter, that keyboard shortcut will activate the Service in that particular app. But if you then quit and reopen the app, you'll find the Service will once again lose its binding to the shortcut key combination and will thus fail to work again.
This means that shortcut key combinations such as Ctrl-D, Ctrl-Shift-D, F15, Alt-F15, etc are not really viable shortcuts for Services, because they will not work in any newly-opened application until you click on the Services Menu in that application.
This bug thus greatly limits the shortcuts that you can employ for Services, because you can only reliably use shortcut key combos that contain the Command key. This is a fault that Apple really needs to fix. This is a very old glitch: I notice it is present in Snow Leopard 10.6.8, as well as Yosemite 10.10.1.
This bug does not apply to application shortcuts, however, or to other shortcuts in the Shortcuts Preference Pane, just to Services shortcuts (including the Mac's default Services, or any Services you make yourself using Workflows on the Automator software).
To give some examples:
The following keyboard shortcuts for Services WILL NOT work until you click on the Services Menu in the application you are using (and they will cease working again when you quit and reopen the app):
Ctrl-X
Ctrl-Shift-X
Ctrl-Alt-X
Ctrl-Alt-Shift-X
Alt-X
Alt-Shift-X
F1, F2, F3, etc
So until Apple fixes this bug, the above type of key combinations, that do not contain the Command key, are best avoided as shortcuts for Services. It is particularly unfortunate that function keys F1 to F19 do not work reliably, as these would make great single-key shortcuts to Services.
However, the following sort of keyboard shortcuts for Services, all containing the Command key, once set up will always work without fail:
Command-Alt-X
Command-Ctrl-X
Command-Shift-X
Command-Ctrl-Shift-X
Command-Alt-Ctrl-Shift-X
Command-F1, Command-F2, Command-F3, etc
So all the above can be reliably used as shortcuts to Services.
Here X denotes keyboard keys such as A, B, C, 1, 2, 3, =, \, [, etc.
Note that even for keyboard shortcuts containing the Command key, you may very occasionally need to click the Services Menu to get them to work initially in an application (notably in the System Preferences application itself). But if this is necessary, it is just required once when they are first set up, and thereafter the shortcuts containing the Command key will always work without fail.
The above was tested on Yosemite 10.10.1, but most likely applies to other versions of OS X as well, as I believe this bug is an old one. This bug is definitely present in Snow Leopard 10.6.8, because I have observed this same fault in an old Mac I have that runs Snow Leopard.
I have reported this bug to Apple, so hopefully they will see my report and act upon it. However, it might be an idea if others also report this problem of Services shortcuts not working property, to ensure that Apple get the message. You can report a bug to Apple via their bug feedback page here.

Exactly where do you want to use a GO BACK "shortcut" in Bridge? Maybe I don't even understand what you mean by Go Back. Bridge is only a file browser, nothing more. It doesn't open, edit, manipulate or save files at all.
Are you simply referring to going back to view a folder that you viewed before?
Please don't take this a criticism. As someone who will gladly pay money not to have to learn any shortcuts at all, I'm just puzzled and curious, that's all.

Keyboard shortcut Command-~ DOES NOT WORK in/on some apps/machines

It seems that in Mac OS 10.6.2 the keyboard shortcut "Command-~" ( a.k.a.
"⌘-~" or "Command-tilde") is quite fickle. It is used in most apps to
switch between open windows within an application. It was available in OS
10.5 in Safari, Microsoft Office (including Entourage), and most other apps
with the capacity to open multiple windows simultaneously. But in OS 10.6.2
this shortcut is available in Safari on my 2.16 GHz Core2Duo 20" iMac but
NOT on my 2.4 GHz Core2Duo Unibody 13" MacBook; it's available in Entourage
on my MacBook but NOT on my iMac. So it's available on some apps and some
machines but not on others, there's no rhyme or reason to it, and it's not
consistent between like machines and apps, which makes me think that there's
a system-wide preference or command that could turn this on and off. I
thought perhaps it was controlled by a preference in certain apps, but I
have found no such prefs. Is there a way to control this - in other words,
to make it available where it currently is not? Or is there a command to
make it universally available on any 10.6 machine (my preferred solution)?
Thanks for any help offered.

Not a reply to this specific question, just a quasi-relevant comment that might help some folks.
In Leopard, and with (for example) English and Russian chosen in System Prefs under "Language" and the keyboard shortcut set to command+space, I would always see the flag change in the menu bar as soon as command+space were chosen. Now, under Snow Leopard, hitting command+space seems not to make the change. But it does make the change, you just need to take your fingers off the keys first, then the flag will change.

[BUG] Adobe Bridge does not support OSX 10.10's "Go Back" keyboard shortcut and does not have a custom one.

Adobe Bridge does not support OSX 10.10's "Go Back" keyboard shortcut which is `command + shift + [` and does not have a custom one.
I tried "delete" key which is backspace for Windows. It will do delete identical to "delete X" key (which is delete key for Windows).
Sidenote: `command + shift + \` is to go back in views (switch views), not folder structure.

Exactly where do you want to use a GO BACK "shortcut" in Bridge? Maybe I don't even understand what you mean by Go Back. Bridge is only a file browser, nothing more. It doesn't open, edit, manipulate or save files at all.
Are you simply referring to going back to view a folder that you viewed before?
Please don't take this a criticism. As someone who will gladly pay money not to have to learn any shortcuts at all, I'm just puzzled and curious, that's all.

Ctrl+M Curves Keyboard Shortcut Photoshop CS5 not working

For some reason, the keyboard shortcut for Curves (ctl+M) is no longer working. It worked fine for a while and then just stopped. All other shortcuts are working. When I go into Preferences, I cannot assign a different shortcut. So, it seems that there is a problem with assigning ANY keyboard shortcut to Curves rather than some issue with just the Ctrl+M keystrokes. I still can access curves from the menu, but I use curves very often and it is a real inconvenience.
Has anybody else encountered this problem? What is the cause and/or how can it be rectified?

This may help very little, but it's a data point: I can do Ctrl M no problem, it brings the Curves dialog right up. That says it's not a systemic problem with 12.0.3.
Do you have the latest Photoshop update?
What operating system are you running?
Do you have an image layer active when you're trying this? I assume so, since you said you could do Curves from the menu, but I thought I'd ask.
Have you installed any 3rd party plug-ins between the time it worked and didn't?
-Noel

Keyboard shortcuts for cropping not working

iPhoto '11 (9.3.1) cropping shortcuts not working.
Pressing shift while dragging does not disable the "Contrain" setting when using preset sizes. Nothing happens.
What are we supposed to "drag vertically" or "horizontally" in a preset crop size that makes iPhoto switch between portrait or landscape constrain setting?
Having to go to the "Crop" drop-down menu to click-switch contraints between portrait and landscape is very tiring - these shortcuts don't work unless someone can please tell me what I'm doing wrong.
Disable constrain setting in crop tool when selecting an area
Press the Shift key while dragging
Switch between portrait and landscape constrain settings in crop tool when selecting an area
Drag vertically for portrait crop or drag horizontally for landscape crop

Hi -
In order to support keyboard shortcuts for the Tag Panel we needed to implement a bit of a unique method. The Tag Panel itself does indeed need to have focus in order for it's keyboard shortcuts to activate. The core reason for this is to remove the potential for keyboard shortcut conflicts between the rest of the app the those stored within a Tag template. Remember, you can share Tag Templates across system and with other users. and each template can contain it's own shortcut definitions. The only way to prevent conflicts is to enforce the focus rule.
the recommended workflow is to open a clip and set focus to the Tag Panel. From the Tag Panel all of the Transport Controls (JKL, SPACE BAR for play/pause, etc.) will still function when the Tag Panel has focus. So you should still be able to review your clips and apply Tags via shortcut.
Let me know how this works. We are always looking to improve workflows so if you come up with some improvement ideas please share.
Regards,
Michael

Keyboard shortcuts for tags not working

I'm working on a WWII documentary and using Prelude to assign lots of markers, including tags for historical figures who appear very frequently in the WWII newsreels such as "Rommel" and "Hitler"
Not sure why, but when I assign any keyboard shortcut for a custom tag, the shortcut doesn't work, please see here:
I decided to assign "3" for the Hitler tag, but any shortcut I assign for any tag, just doesn't work. Yet it seems that you can assign keyboard shortcuts even for tags, and the Prelude help manual says you can:

Hi -
In order to support keyboard shortcuts for the Tag Panel we needed to implement a bit of a unique method. The Tag Panel itself does indeed need to have focus in order for it's keyboard shortcuts to activate. The core reason for this is to remove the potential for keyboard shortcut conflicts between the rest of the app the those stored within a Tag template. Remember, you can share Tag Templates across system and with other users. and each template can contain it's own shortcut definitions. The only way to prevent conflicts is to enforce the focus rule.
the recommended workflow is to open a clip and set focus to the Tag Panel. From the Tag Panel all of the Transport Controls (JKL, SPACE BAR for play/pause, etc.) will still function when the Tag Panel has focus. So you should still be able to review your clips and apply Tags via shortcut.
Let me know how this works. We are always looking to improve workflows so if you come up with some improvement ideas please share.
Regards,
Michael

Keyboard shortcut for services not working

I'm using a service called Quickfiles (it lets me create a new file in the selected folder without having to open the corresponding app first). The service works great when accessed through the services menu, and I have gone into my keyboard preferences (keyboard shortcuts) and assigned a keyboard shortcut to the service (command-control-N) but nothing happens when I use the shortcut. I have tried making a couple alternative shortcuts for that service but nothing ever happens when I hit the key combo, even though the service always works perfectly when accessed from the services menu. Any ideas?

Yes, testing with a "test" account is always a good idea.
(First look shows that it's related to problems associating Documents with Applications, which this isn't).
I wouldn't be too certain on that stance, Menu items associate with something to do their work!

Keyboard Shortcuts for Applications Not Working in S 10-2

I have set a keyboard shortcut : ctrl + Alt + I for Internet Explorer browser by right clicking on its quick launch icon and going into its properties. I have set similar shotcuts to some more applications. But none of them work. i.e., They don't launch the respective apps when clicked. They work perfectly well on my desktop PC. Has anybody else observed this?

I made similar experience.
When I added short cuts to the IE-Symbol on Quickstart or on Startmenu I got no reaction.
But
When I added the short cut to IE-Symbol on Menu "Programs" it worked.
Try it.

CS4 Reset View Keyboard Shortcut (ESC key) Not Working

Thanks in advance to anyone who can solve this:
Every keyboard shortcut in Photoshop CS4 works fine for me except one: the keyboard shortcut to reset view after using view rotation (the ESC key). Oddly, the keyboard shortcut does work in CS5 (I installed the demo). I've checked to ensure my keyboard is set to US English, which it is. I've tried resetting the Photoshop settings, and even reinstalling. Nothing. This particular keyboard shortcut doesn't seem to be one that can be changed through the keyboard shortcuts menu, and I have never customized the keyboard shortcuts anyway.
Some more information about my setup -- I'm using an Intuos 4 tablet, and do use the wheel to rotate the view. However, the keyboard shortcut doesn't work when I use the tool with my mouse or the wheel on my tablet, so it seems unlikely this is the issue. Regarding my hardware acceleration, I have a current gen nVidia card with plenty of horsepower, and all other OpenGL enhancements work fine.
Thanks,
Adam

Hi there
Have you ensured that Captivate has been updated with all service releases?
I could be wrong but I seem to recall a service release fixed this issue.
Cheers... Rick
Helpful and Handy Links
Captivate Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form
Adobe Certified Captivate Training
SorcerStone Blog
Captivate eBooks

Assigning keyboard shortcuts to actions not working

I have two actions that I use quite often. I assigned keyboard shortcuts to them in the actions dropdown menu. However whenever I press the shortcut keys, nothing ever happens. I have tried changing the modifier key combinations......nada. If some has any suggestions, I sure would appreciate them.
Thanks

Most F keybaord shortcuts are assigned to something already in Illustrator or by your OS, so you may have a conflict.
System preferences >> keyboard >> (CHECK) Use all F1, F2 ...

Why does Lightroom not have custom keyboard shortcuts?

Lightroom is a workflow app. It's not just about raw conversion, which could be done in ACR, but about speeding up the whole process of selecting, editing and cataloging photos.
It seems to me that out of all Adobe apps, Lightroom is the one which should have customisable keyboard shortcuts.
I've been using lightroom since shortly after it came put and I've been using the open-source plug-in keyboard customizer Paddy for several years which works okay at the moment. Each lightroom release breaks Paddy in some way and it's not as smooth as it could be if it was built in. Even so, I estimate I'm 2-10 time faster editing many photos with paddy than I would be without.
I know that even adobe's resources are limited, but adding keyboard shortcuts should be easy, certainly compared to re-verse engineering RAW file formats or fixing complex lens distortions!
At this point it seems clear that Adobe are choosing not to let us customise keyboard shortcuts. I'm not trying to change their mind, but I really want to know w
It perplexes me, why don't Adobe add what seems liek a simple feature which could speed up Lightroom use by an order of magnitude???

On Victoria Bampton's website she has a downloadable PDF file named "Adobe Lightroom 5 Windows Keyboard Shortcuts." (Windows, not sure about Mac). Its about 12 pages long. I assume that this is what you are looking for. www.lightroomqueen.com.

Keyboard shortcuts: 80% customizable. 20% not ??

Hi there. Does anyone of you know why edit >> keyboard shortcuts let's you customize a long list of shortcuts ... but not all ? I can't find ALT+[ and ALT+] for example.
Or is there a secret way of modifying the remaining 20% of shortcuts (for example by editing a settings file, etc.) ?

The point is not wether or not they are working, but why they are NOT in the list (edit>>keyboard shortcuts), and thus not customizable (probably).
Because Adobe thinks that Americanization has reached a level, where we all work with US keyboards, obviously. I guess it's the same reasons like proposing to use the circumflex key ( ^ ) in the German versions Premiere or Illustrator (and, to Adobe's eternal shame, they list this even in their help files!), when a chimp knows that can never work on a German system. So much for that. Well, whatever, at least Adobe is being consistent in being inconsistent about shortcuts.
Mylenium

Keyboard Shortcuts Window not opening ?

Hi,
I am wondering if anyone else is facing this weird bug? The keyboard shortcut window is not opening in my Premiere Pro...any suggestions/ advice ?
Thanks !

Have you used the "Sync Now" option?
The reason I asked is that I tried that option but typed in the wrong email address and that resulted in the keyboard shortcut window not opening on my laptop.
I got a "Sync failed" error message but after I typed in the right address on my main computer, syncing was successful and the keyboard shortcut window reappeared
on the laptop.
HTH

Custom keyboard shortcuts and editing multiple layers in Flash CS4

Hi, all -
CS3 -> CS4 transition newb here who's getting increasingly frustrated with the new motion tweens; however, for this project, I'm working in a 3D space and require using them, so I'm dealing with this bit by painful bit. I found the tip about Split Motion, but first question: how do you apply Split Motion across several layers at the same time? I have six different tweens, and in CS3, I used to be able to shift-click or click-drag across frames and apply a command to all of them (for example, hit F5 to add frames), but Split Motion is requiring me to right-click on each and every layer. This is really laborious, and I worry about future animations that might be more complex.
Similarly, I tend to add custom keyboard shortcuts to each of my Flash versions for commands I use frequently and don't want to right-click a menu for (such as "add motion tween") - however, I can't seem to find where to create a custom shortcut for either that, or Split Motion.
Any and all help would be appreciated as I muddle through this. Honestly, guys, I WANT to like the new version and there's so many added features, but it's hampering my workflow so bad I want to pummel it with sticks.

Hey there,
I definitely hear you about Split Motion. There is an enhancement request for supporting multiple layers, and adding it as a keyboard shortcut. The first one is tricky, but the second one is not. I think there was hope that splitting motions wouldn't be necessary much (especially since you have to be careful when doing so when eases are involved), which is why the eventual need for more functionality related to split motion was realized a bit late in the schedule.
Now regarding other operations, such as you mentioned F5 to insert frames - that and other operations (inserting certain types of property keyframes, F6, and so on) work just fine.
You can apply a shortcut to Create Motion Tween in the custom keyboard shortcut dialog. Not all operations in the program are available though (most context menu items aren't), which is why unfortunately why we don't see Split Motion yet.
It might be possible to avoid Split Motion though with another workflow. What are you using the feature for? Just curious in case I can help.
Jen.

Keyboard shortcuts limitations or not?

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