Using Keyframes to Customize Effects

Wouldn't it be nice to have full control over customizing your effects every step of the way? Well, you can. You can actually control the amount of each effect setting to every single frame individually with the use of keyframes. Keyframes are markers that contain a specific set of values or instructions (such as the opacity or position) at a specific point in time. You can change these values as you add different keyframes at different points in your timeline. In other words, when the playback head comes across a keyframe, it knows exactly how the effect is to be displayed during playback. Keyframes hold information such as size, position, opacity, and rotation, among other characteristics. This allows an effect to change over time, based on your control. This is the ultimate in customization.

note

A keyframe allows you to force a specific set of directions, values, or parameters at a specific moment in time. This means that when you add a keyframe, every time your clip plays, it looks the same, displaying the same effect values at those particular moments.

When you apply an effect to a clip and adjust the parameters, you are changing that clip's appearance globally. This means that you are applying the same amount of that effect equally to every frame for the duration of that clip. But what if you need to modify the settings during the clip so that what was applied at one point of the clip is a different amount of the effect applied elsewhere in that particular instance of the clip? You can apply keyframes to an effect wherever you need to within the clip's duration. Remember that the first frame and the last frame of any clip (with an effect) automatically have keyframes. You can adjust their settings, but you cannot shift them in your timeline or delete them individually.

Do the following to set keyframes:

1. Drag the desired video effect from the Effects Palette directly onto a clip in your timeline.

2. Click the triangle scroll button next to the track name to expand the track's display.

3. Position the playback head in your timeline at the frame where you want to add a keyframe. You can always shift keyframes around in your timeline to fine-tune them, but it is always better to place them in the correct position from the start.

4. Click the Add/Delete Keyframe button to add a new keyframe. A check mark appears, indicating that you are parked on a frame with a keyframe. You also see a diamond in the timeline in the lower portion of the clip, as shown in Figure 6.7.

   Figure 6.7. Use the Add/Delete Keyframe button to add or delete keyframes to or from the frame you are currently parked on. A check mark on the Add/Delete Keyframe button and diamonds in the timeline appear to indicate that a keyframe has been added to that particular frame.

   

5. Adjust the parameters accordingly.

6. Repeat Steps 3 through 5 as many times as necessary.

7. Drag the keyframe left or right to adjust the degree of change (the amount of transparency and the rate of change) between the keyframes on either side of the one you are adjusting.

To delete a keyframe, do the following:

1. Park the playback head on a frame containing a keyframe (indicated by a check mark on the Add/Delete Keyframe button).

2. Click the Add/Delete Keyframe button to remove the keyframe.

Whichever keyframe you are parked on holds any of the parameters you adjust in the Effect Controls window. To adjust the settings on another keyframe, park the playback head on the desired keyframe and make the appropriate adjustments. You know you are on a frame with a keyframe because a check mark appears in the Add/Delete Keyframe button. You can use the previous and next arrows next to the Add/Delete Keyframe button to jump to the next available keyframe in either direction. This is helpful when you want to make sure you are parked exactly on the keyframe.

tip

With most effects, changing the values when you are not on one of the existing keyframes automatically creates a new keyframe. Double-check to see if Premiere has created a new keyframe or has altered one of your existing ones.