Keyboard Shortcut for placing a clip at playhead

Strong agree that this would be really useful. Ctrl+/ will currently place the selected asset(s) from the project panel into the timeline, but as the top layer and aligned to the start of the comp.

What I believe ​@curtcain1 is suggesting is to add a modified version of the Ctrl+/ shortcut that would place the selected assets from the project panel onto the timeline, but instead of placing them at the top of the layer stack and at the beginning of the comp, place their inpoints at the playhead position.

So the equivalent of pressing Crtl+/, then pressing [ to place the layer’s start point at the playhead, but in a single operation.

I’d like to add that it would be even more useful if the above placed the assets above the highest currently selected layer, as well as at the playhead position. If no layers were selected then it would default to the top of the stack. This would mean that users could choose which to do simply by having layer(s) selected or not.

Being able to choose where assets are placed in the layer stack and what their start point is in a single operation would be a big timesaver when needed.

It’s not a huge feature but for actual production work it would be a valuable quality of life upgrade, the type that adds up to a decent chunk of time over a project.

"ctrl + alt + v" does exactly this if you move things from comp to comp.

It's sort of available now but not as a Shortcut - it's in Prefs > General >  Create Layers at Comp Start Time

Also, if you were to drag from the Project Panel to the Timeline and you move into the timeline's layer stems area, you can select which layer index in the timeline you want the new layer to be placed AND if you at the timeline ruler, you can see another timeline indicator that tells you exactly where in time the in point of your layer will be when you release the mouse/drag process.

HTH

That is not what I'm asking for. Maybe I didn't explain properly. The bracket key will move an existing clip on a layer to the play head, but I would love to see a shortcut that takes an asset in the project pane and place it on a new layer at the location of the playhead. Command (control in windows) / will place it at the very beginning of the timeline, but I can find no modifier key that will put that clip at the playhead - unless I'm missing something. Most video editing apps have this shortcut, why not AE?

It already exists. Select the layer and tap "[" to place start of clip at playhead...