Keyframes and Animations

Keyframes let an effect parameter change over time - a clip that zooms in, a title that fades, a mask that follows a face. You set values at specific points and Lightworks fills in the frames between, so motion comes from just a handful of keyframes.

What keyframes are

A keyframe records a parameter's value at a specific frame. With two or more keyframes at different values, the parameter animates from one to the next; the path between them is the interpolation. Any active effect parameter can be keyframed, and you can keyframe parameters directly on a segment on the timeline as well as in the Keyframes panel.

Every keyframable parameter has a keyframe enable/disable toggle (stopwatch icon) - turn keyframing off for a parameter to return it to a single static value.

Adding and deleting keyframes

1. Park the playhead where you want a value to be set.
2. Click the 'enable' button next to a parameter name (stopwatch icon).
3. Adjust the parameter value - a keyframe is created at the playhead.
4. Move to another frame and set a new value to create the next keyframe.

Delete a keyframe by selecting its node and removing it. You can multi-select several keyframe nodes to move or delete them together, and Next keyframe / Previous keyframe jump the playhead between them.

Moving keyframes

Drag a keyframe node earlier or later to change when its value occurs, or up and down (on the graph) to change the value. The viewer updates live as you drag, so you can judge motion as you shape it.

The Keyframes panel and graph

The Keyframes panel shows your parameters as animation tracks with a value graph. The graph is a full editing surface:

• Click to add a node; click and drag a node to move it.
• Drag between nodes to move that whole section.
• Drag on empty graph area lassos several nodes.
• Cmd/Ctrl + scroll zooms the graph in time (like the timeline); Alt + drag pans left and right.
• Cmd/Ctrl + click the curve toggles that section between Linear and Smooth; Shift + click the curve toggles every node.
• Nodes and curves cannot be dragged beyond the extents of the graph.

The viewer updates live as you drag nodes, the graph height is adjustable from the panel menu, and you can drag the playhead within the panel.

Keyframing on the timeline

You can also work directly on segments. Each track header has a Keyframes button that turns keyframe editing on for that track, and a master button above the headers switches them all (Ctrl/Cmd+2). There is no separate keyframe tool. With it on:

• The segment shows the automation graph for the parameter you are working on, and you edit it in place.
• The segment's text label shows the effect and parameter being adjusted - click the label to switch parameters or change curves without right-clicking.
• The keyframe cursor turns green over an existing node to show it's selectable.
• Trimming, dragging, selecting clips and adjusting fades all still work. The graph owns only the band around its own line and nodes, so a keyframed track is still a normal track - you can leave keyframes on while you edit.

Which tracks have keyframes on is remembered per timeline. The Effects and Audio layouts are independent views of the same sequence, so each keeps its own set: audio tracks arrive switched on in the Audio layout, video and FX tracks in the Effects layout.

Effects on FX tracks

Right-click a clip and choose Expand Effects to move its effects onto an FX track, where each effect gets its own segment - the video segment's label shows which FX track holds them (for example "Effects on FX1"). You can adjust keyframes on FX track segments just like clip segments, and Collapse Effects folds them back into the clip. This is the tidiest way to work on a complex stack of animated effects.

Interpolation curves

The curve between keyframes controls how the change feels. Right-click a keyframe (or use the segment label menu) and set its Curve Shape - curves are set per node, so you can mix different curves within one graph:

Reach for ease curves whenever you want movement to feel smooth rather than robotic.

Resetting parameters

If an animation goes wrong, reset the parameter to clear its keyframes and return to a single static value, then start again. Disabling the effect (see Effects overview) lets you compare the animated and un-animated clip.

Keyframes when trimming and pasting

Two settings govern how keyframes behave when clips change length:

• Keyframe trimming mode - when you trim an effect longer or shorter, keyframe times are either preserved absolutely (a keyframe 3 frames in stays 3 frames in) or scaled proportionally (a keyframe a quarter of the way through stays a quarter of the way through). Toggle it with the keyframe trimming command; Lightworks reports which mode you've switched to.
• Pasting effects - when you copy an effect onto another clip you choose how keyframes transfer: Retime To Fit, Keep Original Timing, or Reset All Parameters. See Effects overview.
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Practical animation examples

• Slow zoom (Ken Burns) - keyframe scale and position from one framing to another across the clip, with ease-in/out for a gentle move.
• Fade a title up and down - keyframe opacity from 0 to 100 at the start and back to 0 at the end.
• Reveal with a moving mask - keyframe a mask's position to follow a subject (see Masks and selective effects).
• Animated picture-in-picture - keyframe position and scale so an inset slides in and settles.

Tip: Animate with as few keyframes as possible - usually a start and an end. Add more only where the motion genuinely needs to change. Fewer keyframes are easier to adjust and look cleaner.