Adobe After Effects CS4 User Manual
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USING AFTER EFFECTS CS4
Animation and keyframes
Last updated 12/21/2009
Two animated properties (Position and Scale) shown in the Graph Editor
Two types of graphs are available in the Graph Editor: value graphs, which show property values; and speed graphs,
which show rates of change of property values. For temporal properties, such as Opacity, the Graph Editor defaults to
the value graph. For spatial properties, such as Position, the Graph Editor defaults to the speed graph.
In the Graph Editor, each property is represented by its own curve. You can view and work on one property at a time,
or you can view multiple properties simultaneously. When more than one property is visible in the Graph Editor, each
property’s curve has the same color as the property’s value in the layer outline.
When you drag a keyframe in the Graph editor with the Snap button
selected, the keyframe snaps to keyframe
values, keyframe times, the current time, In and Out points, markers, the beginning and end of the work area, and the
beginning and end of the composition. When the keyframe snaps to one of these items, an orange line appears in the
Graph Editor to indicate the object you’re snapping to. Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) after you’ve
begun dragging to temporarily toggle snapping behavior.
Keyframes in Graph Editor mode may have direction handles attached to one or both sides. Direction handles are used
to control Bezier interpolation.
Keyframes in the Graph Editor with direction handles
You can use the Separate Dimensions
button at the bottom of the Graph Editor to separate the components of a
Position property into individual properties—X Position, Y Position, and (for 3D layers) Z Position—so that you can
modify or animate each independently. (See “
Separate dimensions of Position to animate components individually
Lee Brimelow provides a video overview of the Graph Editor on the
Antony Bolante provides information, tips, illustrations about using the Graph Editor in an article on the
.
More Help topics
Specify which properties are shown in the Graph Editor
❖
Click the Show Properties button
at the bottom of the Graph Editor, and select from the following options:
Show Selected Properties
Displays selected properties in the Graph Editor.