Multicam Camera Switch Keyboard Shortcut
Sean McCabe
Switching between two cameras in a multicam sequence is really cumbersome in Descript at the moment:
• ⌥ + B to split timeline
• Click video clip to select
• Click Multicam dropdown menu in "Clip Properties" right sidebar
• Select camera from dropdown
Repeat the above steps for EVERY single time you want to switch camera from Person 1 to Person 2 in an hour-long interview (dozens and dozens of times).
Premiere and Finalcut make this as easy as pressing "1" or "2" on your keyboard, in a multicam sequence, to switch cameras.
Two things:
- It would be great if we could assign a single keyboard shortcut to switching cameras in a multicam sequence.
- Given that Descript knows which person is talking (because of the Speaker Labels), I would if you could implement an automatic camera switching feature (like Zoom does in its recordings). Basically, show the camera of the person currently talking.
In the mean time, I've created a Keyboard Maestro macro to achieve camera switching in a multicam sequence by pressing a single key.
The above-linked 2-minute video clip explains the feature request as outlined, demonstrates the current user experience for switching cameras, and then shows how we are currently having to automate this in Keyboard Maestro.
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Support Team
Merged in a post:
Switch between screen and camera with keyboard shortcut while screen recording
Propane
I've come from Ecamm Live, where you can easily press ⌘S or ⌘L to live switch between camera and screen while doing a screencast. Huge time saver in post-production - would love to see this in descript.
Canny AI
Merged in a post:
Quick Recordings: Need to switch from screen recording focus to webcam view
Glen McNiel
In ScreenFlow, it was very intuitive to make my webcam the primary focus for a scene instead of the screen. UPDATE: Phoenix from live chat support kindly explained that this is not a feature for Quick Recordings. I can only choose to record screen OR webcam.
Canny AI
Merged in a post:
Better Multi-Cam Workflows
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Nolan Keegan
Although scenes do work for Multi-Cam - its very tedious. I've also encountered issues where layers and graphics stack, so by the end I've got hundreds of layers causing the app to constantly crash. I was told this is a feature not a bug. So here's some things I'd love to see in order of complexity:
- Shortcuts for MultiCam, make switching scenes easier
- A MultiCam Viewer, with the ability to view optional cameras and easily switch between them
- Auto cut depending on speaker - much like Autopod.fm which is nearly as expensive as Descript.
Propane
I have done this now too in bettertouchtool (partial solution). Hopefully descript implements a native solution to this soon.
Propane
YES Love your workaround as well. Great use of keyboard maestro
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Scott Mark
Sean McCabe are you able to share that keyboard maestro snippet? Having the same issue, and would love a quick and easy workaround.
Sean McCabe
Scott Mark: Here you go: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ac38ewk6bvgkugv/Descript%20Multicam%20Switcher.kmmacros.zip?dl=0
Instructions: While playback is active, press Keypad 1 or Keypad 2 at the moment you want to switch cameras. The macro will pause playback, insert a blade at the current moment on the timeline, select the clip to the right of the blade, set the appropriate multicam, and resume playing.
(If this link breaks in the future, and anyone else wants the macro, DM me on Twitter @seanwes.)