Skip to main content
navysisomphou
Participant
September 28, 2022
Open for Voting

ESC to leave text editor, like in Ai, Ps, and iD

In Photoshop, Illustrator, and inDesign, you can leave the text editor with the ESC key. In some instances, it even switches to the move tool simultaneously. Typography is such a huge part of motion graphics so having the ability to edit and move text around quickly is incredibly valuable.

Right now, in AE, hitting ESC after editing a line of text undoes any changes. This is especially frustrating when I've spent time meticulously formatting and kerning characters and then all that work is gone in an instant. Command+Z doesn't bring it back!

I'm aware that Command+Enter will keep changes made to a text layer, but Adobe has already built this muscle memory of pressing ESC in the other apps. And getting my left hand to hit Command+Enter is such an awkward motion (and I'm a lefty!!!).

This probably falls under the request to have ESC as a custom hotkey, but I think it should be addressed regardless.

22 replies

Participant
December 11, 2024

Not anymore, now AE is the only one.

Translate
Participating Frequently
March 4, 2024

This is beyond frustrating and totally inconsistent with how any other software in the world behaves when it comes to text.

Translate
Known Participant
February 21, 2024

awsome! so why didn't the pro in the thread know this?

Translate
Participating Frequently
January 19, 2024

A preference would definitely be best.

Translate
Participating Frequently
January 19, 2024

Yellowdogparty makes the strongest point that should decide the argument imo. Though it would be even nicer to just include a toggle option for people who would prefer the current behavior.

Translate
Participating Frequently
January 19, 2024

It's escape, not cancel. It should exit text input keeping whatever is currently there. You can always undo to revert, but you can't redo to get what you typed back.

Translate
Frank_B
Inspiring
January 19, 2024

Downvoting this idea. Please leave it as is.
Argument for muscle memory works both ways. I'm used to Esc working as cancel text edits.

Translate
Participating Frequently
January 18, 2024

Totally agreed with Michael! I would guess losing the text is far more a detriment than the behavior is a benefit. And again, adjusting ESC to not lose text would place its behavior in line with every other Adobe app at this point, so AE's ESC behavior definitely seems like an oversight versus a feature

Translate
Participant
January 18, 2024

If someone wanted to undo all changes, then they'd just press the dedicated undo button specifically made for undoing things. And guess what? It also allows you to redo them, unlike this 'feature'. I'm willing to bet more people on earth have suffered from accidentally removing their text edits than people who intentionally use it. This shouldn't exist.

Translate
hellopaul4
Inspiring
August 29, 2023

@oh-deer In the current (perfectly good) setup, press Return for a new line, and Enter (on the numpad) to exit and confirm the text entry. If you don't have a numpad, then use whatever system keyboard shortcut (ctrl-return? cmd-return?) you have set up to replicate the numpad-Enter key.

Translate