Shortcuts

Build personal controls for transitions, cues, titles, audio, and framing with SwitchEffect actions in Apple Shortcuts.

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Create your first shortcut

Open SwitchEffect and prepare the switcher you want to use.
In Apple’s Shortcuts app, create a shortcut and search for SwitchEffect actions.
Add Perform Transition, then choose Auto or Cut in its Type parameter.
Start your switcher, select the next shot on Preview, and run the shortcut. The action takes that shot to Program.

Use the action’s parameter pickers for sources, shows, cues, or macros. When an action offers an optional Switcher restriction, choosing one prevents it from operating on a different active switcher.

Advance a Run of Show

Create a shortcut containing Next Cue. Leave Show blank to use the current show on the selected switcher, or choose a particular show.

Next Cue follows the rundown’s displayed sort order and direction, skipping disabled or completed run-once cues. It stops at the end rather than wrapping. Previous Cue reruns an earlier available cue; it does not undo the current cue.

Use Set Next Cue to choose exactly what the next invocation will run. Use Set Current Cue to move the current position without executing it. Reset Rundown in the app when you want to clear progress and rearm the show.

Rehearse first.

Next Cue and supported show/graphics actions can work with the switcher stopped, using the app’s rehearsal behavior. A transition or live output still needs a running switcher.

Create a presenter title

Add Create Title Cue to a shortcut.
Choose Lower Third or Full-Screen Message, then supply Headline and optional Detail text.
Choose a Show, or leave it blank to use the current show. The title uses that show’s saved defaults.
Leave Run Immediately off to prepare the title for later, or enable it when you want the new cue to run as part of the shortcut.

Headline and Detail can come from earlier Shortcuts actions, so a shortcut can ask for a presenter’s name before creating their title. Update Title Cue changes saved text without replacing the cue’s styling and other actions; an already-live graphic is not automatically refreshed.

Use the iPhone Action Button

On an iPhone with an Action Button, assign your saved shortcut using the device’s Action Button settings. A shortcut with Perform Transition → Cut gives you a dedicated cut; one with Next Cue advances your show.

Alternatively, add SwitchEffect’s Action Button action and choose its behavior in SwitchEffect Settings → Action Button. Available assignments include transitions, cue navigation, program or microphone mute, SuperScene preset navigation, graphics clearing, and Punch-In controls.

An optional second action responds to two shortcut invocations within the selected window. Enabling it delays the primary action while SwitchEffect waits. iPhone activates an Action Button shortcut with a press-and-hold, so test the timing on your device.

Control Punch-In framing

Add Set Punch In Source and choose an eligible input.
Add Punch In or Toggle Punch In / Out. Leave Duration and Punch Zoom blank to use the current app settings.
Run the shortcut while the selected switcher is running. Add Punch Out or Reset Punch In to a separate shortcut to restore the framing.

The source selection is shared with the Punch-In panel and Action Button. Selecting it does not change Program. Changing switchers clears that selection; Reset Punch In preserves the configured crop. Automatic Framing follows the app’s saved setting.

Action reference

Area	Actions to search for	What they do
Switcher	Set Active Switcher; Start Switcher; Stop Switcher	Open a saved switcher, start it, or stop the active production. Opening a different switcher can stop the running one; selecting a switcher does not start it.
Switching	Set Program Source; Set Preview Source; Perform Transition; Cut; Auto	Assign a bus directly or transition from Preview to Program. Perform Transition offers Auto or Cut.
Shows and cues	Create Show; Find Shows; Get Current Show; Set Active Show; Run Cue	Prepare or find a show, select it, and run a particular cue. Create Show can use an existing show as its template.
Rundown position	Next Cue; Previous Cue; Set Current Cue; Set Next Cue	Advance the rundown or choose where it continues. Setting the current or next position does not itself run the cue.
Titles and graphics	Create Title Cue; Update Title Cue; Clear Cue Graphics; Clear All Graphics	Create or edit a saved title, remove the current cue’s graphics, or clear all active show graphics.
SuperScene	Apply SuperScene Preset; Next SuperScene Preset; Previous SuperScene Preset	Recall a layout or navigate the presets for the SuperScene currently on Program.
Punch-In	Set Punch In Source; Punch In; Punch Out; Toggle Punch In / Out; Reset Punch In	Select an input once, then operate its framing. Optional Duration and Punch Zoom values override the app setting for that invocation.
Audio	Set Program Mute; Set Microphone Mute	Choose Mute, Unmute, or Toggle. Program mute retains the master fader level; microphone mute restores the previous mix modes when unmuted.
Layers and drawing	Control USK On Air; Control DSK On Air; Set Telestrator; Control Telestrator	Control keyer visibility, turn drawing on or off, and use supported drawing commands.
Macros and routing	Run Macro; Route AUX	Run a prepared macro or route a source to an auxiliary output.
Outputs	Start Recording; Stop Recording; Start Streaming; Stop Streaming	Operate outputs configured in SwitchEffect. Select destinations and recording settings in the app before starting them.
Action Button	Action Button	Perform the command chosen in SwitchEffect’s Settings → Action Button. This is separate from adding a specific production action directly to a shortcut.

Selection, permissions, and availability

Some actions prepare saved content while the switcher is stopped; production switching, live framing, and output actions need a running switcher. Starting one with Start Switcher is an explicit step.

Set Active Switcher opens a switcher for editing without starting it. Switching away from a running switcher stops it after confirmation. Selecting the current switcher preserves its running or stopped state.

If an action is blocked in View Only Mode, check Settings → Automation → Allowed in View Only → Shortcuts. Use the source and show pickers again if a saved target has been removed or changed. Keep SwitchEffect available during production; iOS background suspension can interrupt live operation.

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