Moving keyframes is a fundamental part of the animation process in After Effects. Keyframes act like a map for your animations, allowing you to create smooth changes and gradual movements over time. Learning how to adjust and move keyframes within After Effects can greatly enhance your creativity when creating animations.
In this guide, we'll break down the basics of moving keyframes in After Effects step-by-step and look at creative ways to make the most of this powerful tool.
Step 1: Setup
The first step in preparation is to select the layer in your After Effects project which contains the keyframes you'd like to move. The objects you'd like to animate should be selected in your Layer window, ensuring they are highlighted in blue.
Try switching to the Layer view as opposed to the Composition view to better select your layers. Typically, keyframe markers will appear as small diamond shapes across the top of the Layer window when you’re in the Layer view.
Step 2: Move a Single Keyframe
Once you’ve located the keyframes you’d like to move, you can simply click and drag a single keyframe. It’s that easy!
Moving a single keyframe will move both its position and its timing within your animation. For example, if you were to move a keyframe of a bouncing ball one second to the left in time, the ball would appear one second earlier on your timeline.
Step 3: Move Multiple Keyframes
Moving multiple keyframes is useful when you need to make larger or multiple adjustments to your animations. To move multiple keyframes at once, simply click and drag a selection box around all of the keyframes you'd like to move. Once selected, the keyframes will move together in sync as if they are one. You can even move a keyframe's position without changing its timing by first clicking and dragging it until you see a blue line appear, then you can leave click and drag the blue line to move the keyframe's position.
Step 4: Move All Keyframes
If you need to move all of your keyframes, simply press Command+A (on a Mac) or Control+A (for Windows) to choose all layers at once. Then, click and drag the selection box to move all of your keyframes in unison.
######## FAQ
What is the purpose of keyframes in After Effects?
Keyframes are the fundamental building blocks of animation in After Effects. They act as a map to your animations, letting you adjust and adjust movements over time and create smooth changes. Keyframes are also helpful when you need to make quick adjustments to your animation such as speeding up or slowing down a movement.
Can I move a single keyframe?
Yes, you can move a single keyframe. To move a single keyframe, simply click and drag the keyframe from its current position to the position you would like to move it to. This will move both the keyframe's position and timing within your animation.
What is the difference between moving a single keyframe and multiple keyframes?
Moving a single keyframe will move both its position and timing, whereas moving multiple keyframes will only move the position of the keyframes relative to each other. This means that when you move multiple keyframes, the timing of the keyframes relative to each other will stay the same.
How can I move all the keyframes at once?
To move all the keyframes at once, simply press Command+A (on a Mac) or Control+A (for Windows) to choose all layers at once, then click and drag the selection box to move all of your keyframes in unison.
How can I move a keyframe's position without changing its timing?
To move a keyframe's position without changing its timing, first click and drag the keyframe until you see a blue line appear. Then, you can leave click and drag the blue line to move the keyframe's position.