More Testimonials!

First official individual KeyGuide order: Julian Mulvey, Washington, DC. Thanks again, Julian!

First software vendor to bundle KeyGuides::
Philip Hodgetts and Intelligent Assistance, Inc. (www.intelligentassistance.com). Hearty G'day, Phil and crew!

First book author to bundle KeyGuides:
Tom Wolsky for CMP's Final Cut Pro 3 Editing Workshop- thank you, Tom and Beth, and special thanks to Paul Temme and the CMP Books crew!

First professional summer camp sporting Final Cut Pro KeyGuides at every student station: Rockport International Film and TV Workshops, Rockport, ME.

First Training Center and Store to use and carry KeyGuides: Larry Jordan.biz Big "PowerUp" to Larry and crew!

Finally! Someone is doing this the right way. Thanks so much.

- G, Los Angeles, CA

KeyGuides are my little secret to fast and effective editing and motion effects.
Whoops, I guess
the cat is out of the bag!

– E.T., Pixar Animation Studios
Emeryville, CA

Boy, am I glad I found your KeyGuides.
I can almost feel the headaches waning...

- DW, NYC

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you....
What a great idea! :-)

- C.S, Warren, Arizona

The Keys To Speed are the keys!

ays for itself in about ten minutes of pro use!

Power is wired into the program-
but where??

You've actually read the manual.
You understand the program, the important functions. You're working with them. Perhaps you're even getting into some default key commands. But you find you're still pokey in using them, locating them, working way below potential.

Or maybe your wrist is beginning to hurt from too much mousing around and a quick keyboard shortcut would be real relief.

Or perhaps you just want to impress clients or superiors with your skill, and earn more by working faster and easier- especially on high resolution displays with small mouse targets.

You're ready for a KeyGuide™.

Keyboard expertise is an advanced state, normally acquired over months of practice. When you're ramping up your program skills, there's nothing quite as disruptive and tedious as digging out your most-needed shortcuts from the docs, shifting from one brain to the other, is there? Almost forces you to use the mouse.

Your classes, your training manual and appendix lists are all valuable for understanding command context -- what area or mode a command works in and how -- but if you're beyond that, if you're on the job, under the gun, and you know what a key command does when you locate it, you are definitely ready for a content map-- the KeyGuide.

What about color-keycapped key covers?

They are just fine, but they can cost five times more and they cannot touch the completeness of a KeyGuide™-- even the best keyboard or cover available displays only surface key commands, which -- as you'll discover from the first look at your KeyGuide-- are not everything you need. And suppose you're suddenly assigned to work on a machine without any hinted key caps?

There are many gems beneath the surface. If you need mastery over shortcuts using modifier keys (Command, Option, Shift, etc), on any plain old keyboard, only a KeyGuide gives you an at-a-glance bird's eye view of the power wired into the program.

The missing link between
your manual and your fingers

You'll discover the program's full power much sooner because it's all spread out in front of you on a carefully designed, consistently color-coded, data-packed placemat which is your application.

Most all KeyGuides divide content between two sides, with a nod to context, an excellent bridge from your manual or training class. Side 1 often imparts basics, shortcuts for settings, navigation, display, environmentals or input. Side 2 usually lists advanced commands, keys for creative action, editing, and output. For convenience, many useful commands appear on both sides.

Each keybox in the QWERTY map displays available commands in the same way. Across all KeyGuides, top and bottom of a keybox list never varies. If available, the top shortcut is simply a key tap, listed in black. At bottom is a shortcut requiring the Command (or where applicable in Windows, the Control) key, listed in orange. Modifier shortcuts listed in between vary in style depending upon the program: but they are internally consistent on each sheet. More elaborate keyboard commands are listed below the board graphic, following the same color-codes.

The design encourages testing and play-- the best way to learn! What lies beneath the surface may surprise and delight. And for those of us diversifying our skillset to keep up with the economy-- why can't learning be a little more fun?

How will I really use it?

You'll slide the guide under your keyboard until you need it. You'll first locate the important shortcuts you need, imprint their locations by using them. Master new commands on your own time, build your skillset driven by your own job need or plain curiosity. The haptic-visual KeyGuide™ serves as your constant reminder of shortcut location. It won't distract you, won't get in your way, doesn't require a book holder. It's just there for you when you need it. Your productivity increase may amaze you and your clients.

And if your program allows key command remapping, there's no better reference to assure you map intelligently and quickly, and avoid stepping on your favorite default keys. Your guide is a learning tool, an efficiency tool, a power tool.

This is why KeyGuides™ are known as "professional placemats"-- and why they've been included in application textbooks from major publishers like CMP and Focal Press. Compared to a KeyGuide™, a typical "quick reference card" or manual listing is a puzzle-solving chore, costing large chunks of time and no fun at all.

Mastering complex software is work enough..
Do you have the time?
Do you have a life?

Free KeyGuide™ Download!

Final Cut Pro 1.2/2.x - our premiere KeyGuide-- is still available as laminated product (see Ordering section), but you might enjoy a FREE Acrobat PDF download for your own personal use (please!). Hundreds of new key commands have been added since the turn of the century when this was released, but the basic commands remain the same and it's an excellent preview.

Click!

As a trainer or user group leader you can also coordinate with your school or group to order the latest guides in volume at reduced cost-- with your actual organization logo imprinted! There's a Logo Program section on the Ordering page.

---

FREE ScanGuide™ "JR" download

Stamp out fuzzy photos!
ScanGuide™ Junior is a "sampler" table extracted from ScanGuide Pro (see Graphics section). Junior helps you plan the scanning of popular photo sizes for 100% display and/or zooms up to 5X while observing a 4000-pixel square graphic import limit, safe for import into most any older media application.

Click!

The Pro Guide is a compact booklet which includes professional tips and workflows for image scaling, and provides- among other formats- NTSC D1/DV zoom rates up to 20X, observing a 16,000-pixel limit easily accommodated by After Effects®. Includes tables for both popular HD formats. Great for MovingPicture™ users! Click "For Graphics" at top to see more.