Smooth Animations: A Guide to Easing Keyframes in After Effects
While editing a social media highlight of Career Woman’s performance for The Sesh, I had the perfect opportunity to teach why it’s important to ease keyframes. TLDR: Select all your keyframes in after effects, right click and select “easy ease.” It will make it smooth. You can further adjust in the graph editor.
In the world of animation, the difference between a jarring, disjointed motion and a silky-smooth transition often comes down to one crucial technique: keyframe easing. If you're like me and you've ever edited a social media highlight reel or any other kind of animation in After Effects, you've probably encountered the term "easy ease" at some point. But what exactly is keyframe easing, and why does it matter? In this guide, we're going to dive into the world of easing keyframes in After Effects and explore how it can transform your animations from choppy to seamless.
What is Keyframe Easing and Why Does It Matter?
Keyframe easing, also known as "easy ease," is a fundamental concept in animation that can make or break the quality of your motion. At its core, easing alters the way your keyframes interpolate, changing them from linear to bezier. This seemingly subtle adjustment has a profound impact on your animation's fluidity.
Example of Linear Keyframes
Let's start by taking a look at linear keyframes. When you use linear interpolation, your animation moves at a constant speed between keyframes. It's like a rigid, robotic motion that lacks the grace and natural feel that we often want in animations.
As you can see, the animation doesn't smoothly transition between frames. It almost feels like it's bouncing from one position to another, which can be quite jarring to the viewer.
How to Ease Keyframes
Now, let's get to the good stuff: easing keyframes. The process is simple, but the results are remarkable. To apply easing to your keyframes in After Effects, follow these steps:
Select your keyframes: Click and drag to select all the keyframes you want to ease.
Right-click: After selecting your keyframes, right-click on one of them. A context menu will appear.
Choose "Easy Ease": In the context menu, hover over "Keyframe Assistant," and then select "Easy Ease." This action transforms the interpolation of your keyframes into bezier curves.
Congratulations! You've just eased your keyframes, which means your animation will now have smoother transitions between frames. But we're not done yet; we can take this a step further.
Get Precise in the Graph Editor
For more precise control over the easing of your keyframes, head over to the Graph Editor. Here, you can fine-tune the timing and speed of your animation by manipulating the bezier handles. This allows you to customize the motion to match your creative vision perfectly.
Example of Bezier Keyframes
With the easing applied and some adjustments in the Graph Editor, your animation will come to life in a whole new way. The transitions will be smoother, the motion more graceful, and your audience will appreciate the professional touch you've added to your work.
In summary, keyframe easing, or "easy ease," is a simple yet powerful technique that can transform your animations from stiff and robotic to smooth and cinematic. By changing the interpolation of your keyframes to bezier curves and fine-tuning them in the Graph Editor, you have the tools to create animations that captivate and engage your audience. So, the next time you're working on an animation project in After Effects, remember the magic of easing keyframes and unlock the full potential of your motion design. Your viewers will thank you for it.
Thank You
I write this blog to track my creative work and hope to teach + inspire others in the process. Thank you for reading and have a nice day!
