About Animation

About Animation

About Animation

It All Starts with Keyframes

They shift your animations into gear

Be Flexible with Squash and Stretch

Make your animations feel alive and energetic

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What Are Keyframes?

Keyframes mark the critical points in time where an object or character’s position, pose, or state changes in an animation. They take static art and turn it into animation.

Keyframes mark the critical points in time where an object or character’s position, pose, or state changes in an animation. They take static art and turn it into animation.

Within your artwork, virtually anything can be set in motion and changed with keyframes.

Think of animations sections of keyframes, overlapped and combined to form a bigger idea. They dictate visual progress and changes over time. Tap the lock sequence to see the previous animation play out in stages dictated by keyframes.

Think of animations sections of keyframes, overlapped and combined to form a bigger idea. They dictate visual progress and changes over time. Tap the lock sequence to see the previous animation play out in stages dictated by keyframes.

Most commonly, your artwork's position, scale, and rotation are properties that are used to create animation.

Position

Any object that moves from one place on the screen to another, that is a change in its position.

Any object that moves from one place on the screen to another, that is a change in its position.

Scale

Scale is keyframed for changes in size. This creates a change in how big or small something appears in motion.

Scale is keyframed for changes in size. This creates a change in how big or small something appears in motion.

Rotation

Keyframes can also change a object's rotation, which can create the visual look of something spinning, pivoting, or twirling.

Keyframes can also change a object's rotation, which can create the visual look of something spinning, pivoting, or twirling.

Two main factors to think about when setting up your keyframes is their timing and their spacing.

Timing

By adjusting the timing that occurs between keyframes, we control how quickly or how slowly motion happens. Click to change the timing between the keyframes and notice the change in our dog's movements and how it looks.

By adjusting the timing that occurs between keyframes, we control how quickly or how slowly motion happens. Click to change the timing between the keyframes and notice the change in our dog's movements and how it looks.

Spacing

You control how much change occurs is between your keyframes by increasing or decreasing their values keyframes. A larger amount of space between their values will look different than smaller spacing. Note visually how fast the rocket goes between planets as their distance changes.

You control how much change occurs is between your keyframes by increasing or decreasing their values keyframes. A larger amount of space between their values will look different than smaller spacing. Note visually how fast the rocket goes between planets as their distance changes.

As animations become more complex, they contain more keyframes.

What About "Straight Ahead" Animation?

"Straight ahead" animation is where frames are individually drawn in succession from start to finish. It's a different style and can fit depending on the animation you choose to do.

"Straight ahead" animation is where frames are individually drawn in succession from start to finish. It's a different style and can fit depending on the animation you choose to do.

Move the slider and watch how each frame of animation leads into the next one, creating the motion as you progress through. Smaller changes from frame to frame represent subtle and short movements, while bigger jumps represent faster, drastic ones.

Move the slider and watch how each frame of animation leads into the next one, creating the motion as you progress through. Smaller changes from frame to frame represent subtle and short movements, while bigger jumps represent faster, drastic ones.

How Many Keyframes Needed:

A Whole Bunch

Just a few

As you add more detail and nuance to your animations, you end up setting more and more keyframes. Sophisticated animations require more attention and effort in how many and where keyframes are set. These are similar in their idea but way different in their execution.

Keyframes are going to be instrumental within every topic in this guide.


You are ready to explore the other topics like arcs, and you'll be able to spot keyframes in action.

ⓒ 2025 Michael Szabo. All Rights Reserved