Workflow Hacks: Essential Shortcuts for AI Dubbing Projects
The dubbing editor has significantly more controls than the subtitle editor. Knowing the shortcuts cuts down the time you spend reaching for buttons and lets you stay focused on the performance and translation quality. This is the complete reference for every keyboard shortcut in the Stra.ai dubbing editor.
The full shortcut list
Playback
Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
Play and pause | Space |
Generate TTS for selected segment | Cmd Enter (Mac) / Ctrl Enter (Windows) |
Editing
Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
Save | Cmd S (Mac) / Ctrl S (Windows) |
Undo | Cmd Z (Mac) / Ctrl Z (Windows) |
Redo | Cmd Shift Z (Mac) / Ctrl Shift Z (Windows) |
Find and replace | Cmd F (Mac) / Ctrl F (Windows) |
Navigation and timeline
Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
Add segment | A |
Split segment | Cmd K (Mac) / Ctrl K (Windows) |
Merge segment | J |
Toggle track mute | M |
Solo track | S |
Waveform zoom in | Cmd + (Mac) / Ctrl + (Windows) |
Waveform zoom out | Cmd - (Mac) / Ctrl - (Windows) |
Waveform reset | Cmd 0 (Mac) / Ctrl 0 (Windows) |
Zoom in and out | Cmd and scroll wheel (Mac) / Ctrl and scroll wheel (Windows) |
When to use each one
Space is your most used shortcut. Play to check a segment, pause to edit, play again to confirm.
Cmd Enter or Ctrl Enter generates the TTS audio for the currently selected segment. This is faster than clicking Generate dub every time. Select a segment, adjust the voice direction, hit the shortcut.
Cmd S or Ctrl S saves your project. Use this constantly. There is no autosave indicator in the dubbing editor.
Cmd Z or Ctrl Z undoes your last action. Cmd Shift Z or Ctrl Shift Z redoes it.
Cmd F or Ctrl F opens the Find and Replace panel. Same as in the subtitle editor, type the incorrect term in Before, the correct version in After, and hit Replace All.
A adds a new blank segment at the current playhead position in the selected speaker channel. Navigate to the spot, select the right speaker, hit A.
Cmd K or Ctrl K splits the segment overlapping the playhead into two. Position the playhead exactly where you want the split before hitting the shortcut.
J merges the selected segment with the next one. Remember that merging only combines the text. You will need to regenerate the audio after merging.
M mutes the currently selected track. Hit it again to unmute.
S solos the currently selected track, muting everything else. Useful for checking one speaker's performance in isolation without distraction.
Cmd plus or Ctrl plus zooms in on the waveform for precise timing work. Cmd minus or Ctrl minus zooms out. Cmd 0 or Ctrl 0 resets the zoom to the default view.
Cmd scroll or Ctrl scroll zooms the timeline in and out with your mouse wheel, which is often faster than the keyboard zoom when you are already using the mouse.
What to do next
Now that you know the shortcuts the rest of the dubbing workflow is covered here.
To review the full dubbing editor layout, go to AI Dubbing Overview: How AI Voiceover Technology Works
To learn how to manage the timeline and speaker tracks, go to The Dubbing Timeline: Managing Multiple Speakers and Audio Tracks
To learn how to direct AI voice performance, go to The Dubbing Work Area: Fine-tuning AI Voice Tones and Emotions
To export your finished project, go to High-Fidelity Export: Downloading Dubbed MP4s and Clean Audio Tracks