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

[navysisomphou]

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.

[navysisomphou]

Oh, and I don't always have a keyboard with a Num pad... in case someone brings that up.

[jstrawn]

In PrPro graphics, we use escape to deactivate the caret to get you out of input mode so your keys will work as hot keys again. That way you can at least press esc then press v to switch right to the selection (arrow) tool. I like the idea of switching to that automatically, but you may just as likely want the razor or some other tool in Pr so I think it's best as is. At any rate, I agree with you about hitting ESC and undoing changes in Ae = frustrating. It seems like there is an opportunity for improvement (and parity here, so you have my +1.

[Nick_HE]

To be fair, AI is the weird one here (though can't remember ID's approach). AE matches PS in that ESC discards the changes to a text object.

[oh-deer]

+1 here. This would make texting so much easier!!

[yellowdogparty]

Have been hit by this one before....

[ryane67968512]

I think out of all the Adobe software AI does this best by allowing the escape key to leave the text editor. However I would be willing to compromise on what key it is, but the important thing would be unifying the control between PS, AI, PP, AE. The most frustrating thing is working in between all this software and constantly having to shift your brain into different key commands for the same task. This could extend into unifying the way color functions work between all these programs.

[hawkstre]

Bump.

This is the most mindnumbingly frustrating thing in the entire creative cloud suite. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?

[ssanagustin]

Yes! Please! Why is this not already a thing?

I'm getting into AE after years of using all 3 of the above programs constantly. The inconsistency and years of muscle memory make it so frustrating when working with text in AE. It's minor in theory, but when working with so much text, the extra effort adds up and really slows down the workflow.

And for those who want to mention the numpad, some of us work on laptops that don't have it or we don't always have access to a keyboard with one. It's a simple accessibility fix that can make such a world of difference and I'm confused why it's not even an option when editing shortcuts.

[markh16894458]

+1. Photoshop even asks me what I want the escape key to do. This would be a nice change in After Effects.

[dylanbperry]

Please, please either change the default behavior in After Effects so Esc keeps text changes (like in other Adobe apps), or give us an option to set this behavior ourselves.

I have lost so much time because of this issue, and my frustration grows each time I do it, which is still frequently.

[hellopaul4]

Absolutely not. I find other Adobe apps, who use the Esc key to "confirm" the text input (and "cancel" every other process) very silly indeed. AE is the only app that does it logically - Enter "enters" the text on the screen, Esc cancels it...just like the escape key always does, in every situation in every app ever made...except when entering text in Ai, Ps and Id. I feel those other erroneous apps (Ai, Ps, Id) should be reconfigured to behave exactly like AE, and to be more in line with what every user since the 1980s has come to expect in any interaction with a computer:
Escape = cancel
Enter = confirm

[oh-deer]

So how, do you jump to next line inside the text you are writing?

[hellopaul4]

@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.

[Michael22455313ujvp]

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.

[dylanbperry]

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

[Frank_B]

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.

[yellowdogparty]

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.

[dylanbperry]

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.

[yellowdogparty]

A preference would definitely be best.

[stijill2]

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

[azumbrunnen]

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

[Kaneel Media]

Not anymore, now AE is the only one.