Photoshop

Use keyframes to animate layer properties (Photoshop Extended)

You can animate different layer properties, such as position, opacity, and style. Each change can occur independently of, or simultaneously with, other changes. If you want to animate different objects independently, it’s best to create them on separate layers.

For a video on creating animations from images, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0124.

Here are some examples of how you can animate layer properties:

  • You can animate position by adding a keyframe to the Position property, then moving the current time indicator and dragging the layer in the document window.

  • You can animate a layer’s opacity by adding a keyframe to the Opacity property, then moving the current time indicator and changing the layer’s opacity in the Layers palette.

To animate a property using keyframes, you must set at least two keyframes for that property. Otherwise, changes that you make to the layer property remain in effect for the duration of the layer.

Each layer property has a Time‑Vary Stopwatch icon  that you click to begin animating. When the stopwatch is active for a specific property, Photoshop automatically sets new keyframes whenever you change the current time and the property value. When the stopwatch is inactive for a property, the property has no keyframes. If you type a value for a layer property while the stopwatch is inactive, the value remains in effect for the duration of the layer. If you deselect the stopwatch, you will permanently delete all of the keyframes for that property.

Keyframe icons (Photoshop Extended)

In the Animation palette, the appearance of a keyframe depends on the interpolation method you choose for the interval between keyframes. See also Choose interpolation method (Photoshop Extended).

Linear Keyframe 
Causes the animated property to change evenly over time from the previously defined state. The one exception is the Layer Mask Position property which switches between enabled and disabled states abruptly.

Hold Keyframe 
Causes the animated property to remain the same from the previous keyframe and change only when the current time indicator is on the Hold keyframe.

Move the current-time indicator to a keyframe (Photoshop Extended)

After you set the initial keyframe for a property, Photoshop displays the keyframe navigator, which you can use to move from keyframe to keyframe or to set or remove keyframes. When the keyframe navigator box is selected, the current-time indicator lies precisely at a keyframe for that layer property. When the keyframe navigator box is deselected, the current-time indicator lies between keyframes. When arrows appear on each side of the keyframe navigator box, other keyframes for that property exist on both sides of the current time.

 Click a keyframe navigator arrow. The arrow to the left moves the current-time indicator to the previous keyframe. The arrow to the right moves the current-time indicator to the next keyframe.

Select keyframes (Photoshop Extended)

 In the Animation palette, do any of the following:

  • To select a keyframe, click the keyframe icon.

  • To select multiple keyframes, Shift-click the keyframes or drag a marquee around the keyframes.

  • To select all keyframes for a layer property, click the layer property name next to the Stopwatch icon.

Move keyframes (Photoshop Extended)

  1. Select one or more keyframes.
  2. Drag any of the selected keyframe icons to the desired time. If you selected multiple keyframes, then all of the selected keyframes maintain their absolute distance to each other.
Option-drag moves the keyframes, maintaining their relative distance to each other.

Copy and paste keyframes (Photoshop Extended)

You can copy keyframes in the same layer or between layers for the same property (such as Position). Copied keyframes are pasted at the proportional distance from the current-time indicator.

You can copy keyframes from only one layer at a time. When you paste keyframes into another layer, they appear in the corresponding property in the destination layer. The earliest keyframe appears at the current time, and the other keyframes follow in relative order. The keyframes remain selected after pasting, so you can immediately move them in the timeline.

Note: You can copy and paste keyframes between more than one property at a time.
  1. In the Animation palette, display the layer property containing the keyframes you want to copy.
  2. Select one or more keyframes.
  3. Open the Animation palette menu and choose Copy Keyframes.
  4. In the Animation palette containing the destination layer, move the current-time indicator to the point in time where you want the keyframes to appear.
  5. Select the destination layer.
  6. Open the Animation palette menu and choose Paste Keyframes.

Delete keyframes (Photoshop Extended)

Deleting keyframes can be useful when (for example), you make a mistake while setting keyframes, or if you decide a keyframe is no longer needed.

 Select one or more keyframes and do one of the following:

  • Open the Animation palette menu and choose Delete Keyframes.

  • Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) and choose Delete from the Context menu.