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Keyframes and the Graph.

A key says what a value is at a moment. Two keys make a move, and the easing between them gives it its feel. Set keys in the Inspector or by dragging on the Stage, then shape their timing in the Graph until the move lands the way you want.

Set keys

  1. Select the layer and put the playhead where the move should start.
  2. In the Inspector, click the diamond beside the property. The property is now animated, with a key at the playhead.
  3. Move the playhead to where the move should end, and change the value in the Inspector or by dragging on the Stage. A new key is set there.

The diamond tells you where you are: plain when the property isn't animated, hollow between keys, and filled on a key. Click a hollow diamond to add a key at the playhead, and a filled one to remove that key. The arrows either side of it jump to the previous and next key. Add or remove keyframe is also in the row's More menu.

On an animated property, the row's More menu has Offset the complete animation. On, changing the value moves every key by the same amount. Off, it changes the key at the playhead.

Auto-key

The Auto-key switch sits in the Timeline's top bar. While it's on, changing a property that can hold keys writes a key at the playhead instead of changing its static value, whether you type in the Inspector or drag on the Stage.

Ease

Easing belongs to a key and says how the value leaves it. Select keys and:

F9, Easy ease
Slows into and out of the keys, so a move starts and lands softly.
Shift+F9, Ease in
Slows the arrival.
Ctrl+Shift+F9, Ease out
Slows the departure.
Linear
A constant speed.
Hold
Keeps the value until the next key, then jumps.

These are in a key's right-click menu on the Timeline and under Edit, Keyframes. The Graph's Keyframe easing menu adds Smooth through, which passes through a key without stopping, and Overshoot, which goes past the next value and settles back.

The Graph

Go to Animate (Alt+2). The Timeline opens on its Graph, with more of the window's height. The channel list on the left shows what's animated, and the curves on the right show it over time.

  • Channel scope chooses Animated, the animated properties of what's selected, or All, every animated property in the composition.
  • Search channels finds properties by name, group or layer.
  • Drag a box to select keys, and drag keys to move them in time and value.
  • Fit all, Fit selection and Fit graph values frame the curves.

A property set by an expression says "Set by an expression", and one moved by a driver says "Driven by" and its name. Their keys still show, because they're what the expression or driver works on.

Value, Speed and Dope Sheet

Value
The property's value over time. Use it to set levels, overshoots and the shape of a move. When channels with different units are shown together, they're normalised to fit.
Speed
How fast the value changes. A move that flows is a smooth hump; a dip in the middle means it hesitates.
Dope Sheet
Just the keys, as marks in rows, for timing many properties at once.

Bézier handles

For a curve of your own, select a key with a key after it and choose Custom Bézier from Keyframe easing. The key gets handles you can drag in the Graph. Edit Bézier handles… types them exactly: the Incoming and Outgoing offsets from the key, with time in frames, which may be fractional.

Copy, align, distribute, reverse, stagger

Select keys and open the Graph's Keyframe actions menu:

Copy keys, Cut keys
Then Paste keys at playhead, or Paste keys at original times.
Duplicate at playhead
Copies the keys with their timing to the playhead, refusing frames that already have keys.
Align to playhead
Moves one key per property to the playhead frame.
Distribute evenly
Spaces the selected key times evenly between the first and the last. Needs keys at three or more times.
Reverse
Plays the selected keys backwards between the first and the last.
Stagger keys…
Delays each later group of keys by an extra amount, keeping keys at the same time together. Select the keys of several layers and stagger them for a cascade.

Edit, Keyframes has the same moves: Paste Keyframes at Original Times, Distribute Keys Evenly, Align Keys to Playhead and Reverse Keys.

Anchor keys to a marker

  1. Add a marker where the move should land: press M with the playhead there.
  2. Select the keys, right-click, and choose Anchor to marker…, then the marker.

The earliest selected key lands on the marker and the others keep their timing. Drag the marker later and the anchored keys follow. Remove anchor leaves the keys where they are and stops them following. A clip's start can be anchored the same way.

Separate and join axes

Position, Scale and Anchor animate as a whole at first: each key holds x, y and z together. To give X and Y their own timing, right-click the property and choose Separate dimensions. Join dimensions puts them back together. Rotation always keys each axis on its own.

Motion paths on the Stage

In Animate, a selected layer's Position keys show on the Stage as a motion path. Drag a point of the path to move that key in space, and watch the move change in the Graph.