Video editing is not only about gluing frames together and cutting off everything unnecessary. It’s also about overlays and effects. Working with effects can be difficult, but no less interesting than editing. Effects can be applied to both video and audio. In addition to creating an effect, you can work with it frame by frame to animate or adjust to a specific occasion in the frame. For example, to make the effect gradually appear or decrease. Or for the effect to work more or less for a certain time. In a word, the effect should be made dynamic and variable. In such cases, you need to deal with keyframes.

You can work with keyframes on the timeline or in the effects control panel on a specific frame.

What are keyframes

Keyframes are points on a frame’s timeline that indicate specific settings at a specific moment in time. They are intended for animating effects on frames. That is, to change the value of the effect within a certain time.

For example, you need to make a smooth blur of the frame. To do this, we set two key points on the frame, where one will have a value of zero, and the second will have a value greater than one. And in the interval between these points, the effect of gradual blurring will occur.

How to add keyframes in Premiere Pro

As mentioned earlier, there are two ways you can work with key points.

The first method. Keyframes on the timeline

A quick way to work with keyframes. More convenient for working with audio than with video.

To see the field for keyframes, you need to open the field for them on the timeline. To do this, open the field on the track where the frame is located. This can be done by double-clicking the left mouse button on the panel on the left.

How to open keyframes panel on the timeline

The timeline track should expand and a keyframe box will appear. To insert a keyframe, hold down control (Windows)/command (Mac) and left-click where you want to insert the keyframe.

To change the effect overlay parameters, you need to set at least two keyframes and move their position on the timeline up or down (where up is an increase in value, and down is a decrease).

Keyframe in timeline

To remove a keyframe, simply select it and press delete on the keyboard.

Method two. Keyframes in the Effect Controls panel

This method, in my opinion, is simpler and more convenient to use both for working with audio and for working with video. I recommend using this method.

Creating keyframes in effects panel

To start working with keyframes, you need to apply an effect whose parameters you want to change. When the selected effect appears in the panel, you can start changing the parameters.

To set keyframes, click on the clock next to the parameter to be edited. You can pre-position the time cursor where you want to place the first keyframe or drag it after.

Keyframes in effects panel

The following keyframes are set by clicking on the dot to the left of the effect parameter, or simply by changing the number of the parameter. Then the point is set automatically.

To remove a point, you need to select it and delete it using the keyboard.

Transitions between keyframes

After setting the keyframes, a transition is automatically set between them. It can be changed as needed. To make it smoother or on the contrary sharp.

Transition keyframes settings

To change the smoothness of the transition between keyframes, you need to select one and click on it with the right mouse button. A window for interacting with it will appear. At the bottom, there will be options for smooth transition parameters. We choose the one that suits us and then move on to the next one.

If the transition parameters are the same for all keyframes, then you can select them all at once and apply them at once.

FAQ

Is it possible to copy the keyframes of one effect and paste it into another effect?

Yes, you can copy and paste keyframes between effects. During copying, the time interval between keyframes is preserved. Therefore, when you copy keyframes on different frames that have different durations, it may not show the endpoints (in case the first frame is longer than the second).

How to quickly remove keyframes from the effect?

To quickly remove the keyframes from the effect, you need to click on the clock next to the parameter where the keyframes were set. WARNING! When you click on the clock and confirm the deletion of keyframes, the parameter will save the values where the time indicator is currently on the timeline. Therefore, if you want to save the initial, intermediate, or final parameters of the effect, just put a time indicator there.

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