> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tessact.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Accessibility and input methods
> Use the editor with keyboard, zoom, assistive technology, and reduced-motion preferences.
The video editor combines dense controls, a spatial canvas, a frame-accurate timeline, and media playback. Use the workflow below to reduce pointer dependence and keep state changes understandable.
Accessibility behavior also depends on your browser, operating system, keyboard layout, display settings, and assistive technology. This guide describes the editor's available interaction patterns; it does not assert certification against a particular conformance level.
## Keyboard-first workflow
After the editor loads, use `Tab` to move through controls. Browser focus indication shows which button, field, tab, or menu item will receive the next command.
Use `Option/Alt+Up` and `Option/Alt+Down` to move through layers in track order. Use `D` to cycle visible layers intersecting the playhead.
Use `Cmd/Ctrl+7` for the Inspector or `Cmd/Ctrl+8` for Canvas settings. Continue with `Tab` and `Shift+Tab` inside the panel.
Numeric fields, timeline shortcuts, and one-frame nudges avoid precision pointer work. Commit a field with `Enter` or move away with `Tab`.
Use `J`, `K`, and `L` for shuttle review, `K+J` or `K+L` for single-frame steps, and `Home` / `End` for draft boundaries.
See the complete [Keyboard shortcut reference](/editor/reference/shortcuts).
## Focus and shortcut safety
Global commands are intentionally blocked while focus is inside text-entry and editable controls. This prevents typing `T`, `V`, `J`, or `L` into a field from changing tools or playback.
* `Enter` commonly commits the current value.
* `Escape` cancels or leaves the current editing gesture where supported.
* `Tab` commits or leaves many fields and advances focus.
* Caption-token edits also commit after a short idle period, so wait for the field to settle before immediately testing undo.
If a command does nothing, first check whether a caret is still visible in a field.
## Screen magnification and browser zoom
Browser zoom enlarges editor chrome; the canvas's own fit/zoom behavior determines how the composition fits inside the remaining workspace. At high browser zoom:
* side panels and the timeline may have less room;
* controls can wrap or require panel scrolling;
* the preview can become smaller while authored composition dimensions stay unchanged;
* timeline zoom may need separate adjustment to keep edit points readable.
Use the timeline's explicit fit and zoom controls if the browser reserves common `Cmd/Ctrl +`, `-`, or `0` combinations. Use `\\` to fit the full timeline or `Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+2` to fit selected layers.
## Pointer alternatives
| Pointer action | Keyboard or field alternative |
| --------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Click a covered layer | Cycle at playhead with `D` / `Shift+D` or navigate track order with `Option/Alt+Arrow` |
| Drag a layer by a small amount | `Cmd+Option+Arrow` on macOS or `Ctrl+Alt+Arrow` elsewhere |
| Drag a clip by one frame | `Cmd/Ctrl+Left` or `Cmd/Ctrl+Right` |
| Drag a trim edge to playhead | `[` or `]` |
| Split with a context menu | `Cmd/Ctrl+B` |
| Resize or position visually | Enter exact transform values in the Inspector |
| Select an obscured timeline layer | Navigate layers or temporarily hide an upper track with visible track controls |
Some spatial operations—such as drawing a new frame rectangle, adjusting a crop handle, or editing a motion path directly—remain pointer-oriented. Use numeric properties for equivalent final geometry where available.
## Color, contrast, and non-color cues
Selection is communicated through outlines, handles, timeline highlighting, and Inspector state rather than color alone. Track mute, visibility, and solo states use labeled buttons and state styling. For better contrast:
* use your operating system's contrast and display accommodations;
* avoid evaluating subtle footage contrast under a semi-transparent selection overlay;
* deselect layers before final visual review;
* preview captions over both bright and dark frames and use stroke or shadow when needed.
When designing the video itself, do not depend on color alone to communicate essential information. Add text, icons, shape changes, or motion cues as appropriate.
## Motion and flashing content
The editor may preview authored animation, rapid cuts, glitch-like effects, and animated media. To reduce exposure:
* pause with `K` or `Space` and inspect one frame at a time;
* disable or remove intense effects while editing;
* use slow shuttle review before normal-speed playback;
* honor the intended audience's reduced-motion needs in the video design itself;
* avoid repeated high-contrast flashes.
The operating system's reduced-motion preference can reduce some interface motion, but it does not automatically rewrite the authored video animation.
## Captions and audio review
Caption layers provide an on-canvas text alternative for spoken content. Check:
* transcript wording and punctuation;
* token boundaries against speech;
* page duration and maximum lines;
* readable font size, line height, and safe margins;
* sufficient contrast over every underlying shot;
* no collision with titles or lower thirds.
Waveforms help locate speech but are not a textual alternative. Use the caption token editor for wording and frame-step review for timing. See [Caption editing](/editor/captions/edit-text) and [Caption timing](/editor/captions/timing).
## Screen readers
Buttons and interactive controls should be encountered by their accessible labels, and menus expose their item names and disabled state. The timeline and canvas are highly visual; a practical screen-reader workflow relies more heavily on:
* layer names and deliberate `F2` renaming;
* predictable track order;
* Inspector field labels and exact numeric values;
* keyboard selection navigation;
* descriptive draft and asset names;
* caption token text instead of visual waveform inference.
Rename generic filenames such as `IMG_0042` into meaningful layer names such as `Tea plantation aerial — opening` before a complex pass.
## Voice control and switch access
Labeled buttons, tabs, menu commands, and fields are better targets than unlabeled spatial gestures. Use the Inspector and context menus for deterministic named actions. If a voice command conflicts with a single-letter editor shortcut, focus the intended control or pause voice input while entering text.
## Fullscreen considerations
`Shift+F` requests browser fullscreen for the preview. Browsers can require an eligible user gesture and may display a security transition. Escape behavior may be owned by the browser before the editor sees it. If fullscreen is disorienting, enlarge the application window and use the canvas fit controls instead.
## Accessible editorial checklist
Use this checklist before rendering:
* Every important layer has a descriptive name.
* Captions are proofread and timed against frame-stepped speech.
* Text remains legible against the brightest and darkest footage.
* Essential meaning is not conveyed by color, sound, or motion alone.
* Rapid motion and flashing effects have been reviewed deliberately.
* The final H.264 is checked outside the editor with the target playback software.
Create, edit, time, style, and review accessible on-screen speech.
Reduce lag that can make keyboard and assistive input harder to predict.