As you edit over time, the more tracks you stack, the more mixed audio and video materials become, resembling acircuit diagram splashed with coffee. V1, V2, V3, A1, A2, A3, all jumbled together, and after staring for too long, even the intro and outro have to be guessed. The problem isn’t that there are too many tracks; it’s that you haven’t switched to thesimplified view mode.
In PR, there is a specific operation designed to tackle the “overwhelming number of tracks” issue, which is hidden deep within the interface. However, once activated, the entire timeline feels like it has been groomed,retaining the essentials while hiding the clutter, allowing you to see what you need clearly without accidentally touching what you shouldn’t.
Switching in One Second, Thanks to the “Zoom Track Height” Shortcut
Stop dragging the track height with your mouse bit by bit; PR has a hidden combination that can switch the timelinefrom a full-screen expansion to a simplified view in one second, without dragging each track individually.
The shortcuts are:
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Shift + = (increase track height)
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Shift + – (decrease track height)
By pressing these a few times, you can toggle between “maximum display for all tracks” and “minimum display for all tracks”. This operation may seem trivial, but in multi-track editing, it can instantly draw yourfocus back.
For example:
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When audio is not important, minimize it to avoid distractions;
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When adjusting subtitles, only enlarge the subtitle track for clarity without interference;
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When composing music, enlarge A1~A3 to easily locate the beats in the waveform;
Tip: Keep your hand near the Shift key during editing. If you feel overwhelmed by the material, immediately use “-” to minimize and maintain focus, preventing your eyes from “sweeping away the rhythm.”
Partial Zoom: Adjusting Individual Tracks Without Affecting the Whole Timeline
If you only want to enlargea specific track rather than adjusting the entire timeline, you don’t have to drag the borders continuously.
The method is:
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Hover your mouse over the left track name area of a specific track (e.g., V2)
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Scroll the mouse wheel to control the display height of that track individually
For instance, when adjusting keyframes, you can enlarge just that track while keeping others minimized. Is the audio track waveform too dense? Just enlarge A3. Are the subtitle layers too crowded? Raise V4.
This technique is particularly suitable for editing “mixed media” or “dialogue with transition materials” types of videos, allowing you to maintain order amidst chaos.
Group Tracks to Make the Timeline More Organized
Sometimes, there are not just too many tracks, but some tracks you are not currently working on at all. In this case, you can directly use “track grouping” for logical organization.
Although PR does not have a dedicated “track group” feature, you can simulate the operation:
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For example, if V4~V6 are graphic layers, useuniform colors to mark them;
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A2~A4 are sound effect tracks, use “lock track” + “unified fold” operation to minimize them;
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You can also use empty tracks to mark the start and end of segments, such as “V9 with a blank marker,” serving as a “timeline folder” function.
This is similar to using colors and indentation for logical divisions in note-taking; editing is the same, allowing you to see the structure at a glance and maintain efficiency.
Use Colors and Icons, Plus Simplified View, to Triple the Cleanliness of Your Timeline
Don’t let all materials use the default gray color. When there are too many materials on the timeline, the most effective management method is tocolor-code different types of materials.
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Use green for subtitles;
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Purple for illustrations;
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Orange for sound effects;
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Blue for background music;
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Keep the main materials in gray.
Combine this withtrack icon hiding settings:
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Right-click to hide tracks where you don’t need to display “video keyframe lines”;
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Turn off the “display waveform” for empty tracks and empty audio tracks;
You will find that the entire timeline suddenly has asense of breathing. Everything that needs to be in front of you is there, and distractions have disappeared, so you don’t have to strain to find your focus.
A highly efficient editor is not just fast in operation but alsoclear in vision, precise in thought, and accurate in execution. A cluttered timeline is not scary; what’s most dangerous is a cluttered timeline without order. Premiere itself provides us with the ability to clarify the visuals; it’s just that you haven’t turned to that page.
Switching track views in one second may seem like a minor operation, but it actually helps you clear the editing structure in your mind. The more chaotic it is, the more it needs to be organized; the more there is, the more it needs to be simplified. Editing is not about filling things up but about cutting the rhythm clearly. What is minimized is not the tracks, but the distractions in editing; what is enlarged is the control over the rhythm. If the timeline is not clean, the rhythm will not be clear. If you want to be fast, first make sure yousee clearly.