Show motion path controls, Move motion path keyframes – Adobe After Effects CS4 User Manual
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USING AFTER EFFECTS CS4
Animation and keyframes
Last updated 12/21/2009
The density of dots between the boxes in a motion path indicates the relative speed of the layer or effect control point.
Dots close together indicate a lower speed; dots farther apart indicate a greater speed.
Note: Right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) a keyframe to open its context menu.
Using the Pen tool or Selection tool to edit keyframes for a spatial property in the Composition or Layer panel is like
modifying a Bezier path for a mask or for a shape on a shape layer. (See “
A motion path is less complex and generally easier to modify when you use fewer keyframes to describe the path. You
can use the Smoother to remove extraneous keyframes from a motion path.
Jonas Hummelstrand and Dan Ebberts provide an animation preset and instructions on the
for scaling and rotating a motion path.
More Help topics
Layer properties in the Timeline panel
About animation, keyframes, and expressions
Modify a Bezier mask path or shape path
Show motion path controls
Position motion paths appear in the Composition panel. Anchor Point and effect control point motion paths appear
in the Layer panel.
•
To show motion path controls in the Composition panel, choose View > View Options, and select Effect Controls,
Keyframes, Motion Paths, and Motion Handles. To see a Position motion path in the Composition panel, the
Position property must be selected.
•
To show motion path controls in the Layer panel, choose the property or effect from the View menu at the bottom
of the Layer panel.
•
To specify how many keyframes to show for a motion path, choose Edit > Preferences > Display (Windows) or
After Effects > Preferences > Display (Mac OS), and select an option in the Motion Path section.
Move motion path keyframes
1
In the Timeline panel, select the layer for which to modify the motion path.
2
If you cannot see the keyframe you want to modify in the Composition panel or Layer panel, move the current-time
indicator to the keyframe.
3
In the Composition panel or Layer panel, use the Selection tool to drag a keyframe or its handles.
Note: The current-time indicator does not need to be located on a keyframe before you drag it.