Why doesn't the playhead snap to an edit point in the Timeline?

[PixelshotWDC2]

As a recent user of Premiere coming from Final Cut, there is one behavior in Premiere that I can't get used to. When I drag the playhead around while in the Timeline, I expect the playhead to snap to the ends of clips, the edit points, but it doesn't. The reason this is important behavior is because it's often that I want to do something in between two edit points (or at the end of a clip which may not be the last clip on the timeline) such as insert a clip or some other asset. In FCP, as you drag around the playhead, it will snap to various edit points, making it easy to park the playhead at a given location where I will insert a clip. With Premiere, I can get the playhead close, but it won't snap, so I never know if I'm on the exact frame I want. That means I could easily miss the end of a clip by one or two frames and never know it.

Is there a way to force a snap? or change a setting to enable playhead snapping? Of course, I would also like to temporarily disable this behavior by a keystroke, which I assume would be easy to do using the current "snap" toggle keystroke (S).

[joe_bloe_premiere]

You can use these hot keys:

Go to Previous Edit Point (enabled track) - Up

Go to Next Edit Point (enabled track) - Down

Go to Previous Edit Point on Any Track - Shift+Up

Go to Next Edit Point on Any Track - Shift+Down

Of course, you can re-map these keys to suit your preferences.

Default keyboard shortcuts in CS6

[PixelshotWDC2]

Thank you. These keystrokes require moving my hand from the mouse to the keyboard (a step not necessary in FCP).Often, I am trying to locate a specific edit point far from where the playhead currently is so I use the mouse to get there more quickly than hitting a key several times.  Is there also a way to do it while dragging with the mouse? (Or, to put it more simply, can I set Premiere to mimic the FCP behavior of snapping while scrubbing through the timeline?)

[joe_bloe_premiere]

These keystrokes require moving my hand from the mouse to the keyboard

I have mapped them to left hand proximity for the same reason...

keeping my right hand on the mouse.

There is also a UI button in the program monitor for 'Go to Previous/Next Edit Point'.

Is there also a way to do it while dragging with the mouse?

Not that I am aware of.

[PixelshotWDC2]

Thanks. Feature request time.

Good idea to map for lefty.

[Kevin-Monahan]

PixelshotWDC2 wrote:

Thanks. Feature request time.

Good idea to map for lefty.

You want to be able to turn on snapping for every edit point? Yes, make a feature request: http://www.adobe.com/go/wish

[Biggles Lamb]

Pressing the page up or page down key snaps to the edit point

[Ann Bens · Accepted solution]

When using the mouse and in the proximity of an edit point hold SHIFT, it will snap to that edit point.

[joe_bloe_premiere]

Nice pick up... I wasn't aware of the feature.

Thanks, Ann.

[shooternz]

I never knew that either.  Nice.

[brettbrownell]

This is fantastic. Holding Shift! Thank for the help solving such a simple problem!

[shooternz]

I think we are getting some new functionality in these areas soon.  eg Clip selection under Playhead.

Did I read that or imagine that?  

[jbellomo]

Check your preferences, on the general tab check Snap playhead in timeline

[jzaindustries]

I knew you had to be able to make it automatic without using another keystroke... thanks!

[drcinematic]

You've got it!

[Keith Pheasant]

A better point pointed out below by jbellomo‌ is to open Premiere Preferences, General, and check the tap "Snap playhead in timeline". Now it will ALWAYS do it!!

[Kyrophaios]

Thanks for this, Keith! I just reinstalled Premiere and wondered what happened to my playhead snapping.

[MandyDroid_]

You can try the keyboard shortcut "S". This enables and disables the snap to feature in Adobe products.

[Ann Bens]