Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In this lesson, you will learn how to animate the basic transform properties (position, scale, rotation, and opacity) in Adobe After Effects.
Exercise Files:
https://dub.sh/aeugfiles
1. Introduction to Transform Properties Animation
1. Select the layer, click the arrow to open the layer and Transform properties.
2. Keyboard shortcuts for properties:
1. Anchor Point (A)
2. Position (P)
3. Scale Property (S)
4. Rotation Property (R)
5. Opacity Property (T)
3. Press Shift + Keyboard Shortcut to show additional Transform properties.
2. Animating Position Property
1. Example: Animating a character to slide in from the right.
2. Steps:
1. Select the layer and tap P to reveal the position property.
2. Move the CTI (Current Time Indicator) to the desired end time, click the stopwatch to add a keyframe.
3. Drag the CTI back to the start and move the character to the starting position.
4. Holding Shift to constrain movement direction.
5. Preview the animation by tapping the Spacebar.
6. Adjusting animation speed by moving keyframes closer or further apart.
3. Animating Scale Property
1. Example: Animating a logo to scale up from zero to its final size.
2. Steps:
1. Select the layer, ensure the anchor point is centered.
2. Tap S to reveal the scale property.
3. Move the CTI to the desired end time, click the stopwatch to add a keyframe.
4. Move the CTI to the start and change the scale value to zero.
5. Preview the animation and adjust keyframe positions for speed control.
4. Animating Rotation Property
1. Example: Rotating a banner from a 90-degree angle to zero.
2. Steps:
1. Select the layer and tap R to reveal the rotation property.
2. Use the Pan Behind tool (Y) to adjust the anchor point position.
3. Move the CTI to the end time, click the stopwatch to add a keyframe with zero degrees.
4. Move the CTI to the start and change the rotation value (e.g., 90 degrees).
5. Preview and adjust keyframe positions for speed control.
5. Animating Opacity Property
1. Example: Fading text in from 0% to 100% opacity.
2. Steps:
1. Select the text layer and tap T to reveal the opacity property.
2. Move the CTI to the desired end time, click the stopwatch to add a keyframe with 100% opacity.
3. Move the CTI to the start and change the opacity value to 0%.
4. Preview and adjust keyframe positions for speed control.
6. Adjusting Timing and Offsetting Keyframes
1. Tips for synchronizing multiple animations:
1. Adjust the timing by moving keyframes around the timeline.
2. Offset keyframes to create a staggered animation effect.
7. Pro Tips for Enhanced Animations
1. Easy Ease:
1. Smooths out motion between keyframes.
2. Select keyframes, right-click, choose Keyframe Assistant ... Easy Ease, or use the shortcut F9.
2. Motion Blur:
1. Adds realistic blur to moving elements.
2. Enable motion blur for layers and ensure the motion blur icon is highlighted.
3. If not visible, right-click columns and check 'Switches'.
In this lesson, you will learn how to animate the basic transform properties (position, scale, rotation, and opacity) in Adobe After Effects.
Exercise Files:
https://dub.sh/aeugfiles
1. Introduction to Transform Properties Animation
1. Select the layer, click the arrow to open the layer and Transform properties.
2. Keyboard shortcuts for properties:
1. Anchor Point (A)
2. Position (P)
3. Scale Property (S)
4. Rotation Property (R)
5. Opacity Property (T)
3. Press Shift + Keyboard Shortcut to show additional Transform properties.
2. Animating Position Property
1. Example: Animating a character to slide in from the right.
2. Steps:
1. Select the layer and tap P to reveal the position property.
2. Move the CTI (Current Time Indicator) to the desired end time, click the stopwatch to add a keyframe.
3. Drag the CTI back to the start and move the character to the starting position.
4. Holding Shift to constrain movement direction.
5. Preview the animation by tapping the Spacebar.
6. Adjusting animation speed by moving keyframes closer or further apart.
3. Animating Scale Property
1. Example: Animating a logo to scale up from zero to its final size.
2. Steps:
1. Select the layer, ensure the anchor point is centered.
2. Tap S to reveal the scale property.
3. Move the CTI to the desired end time, click the stopwatch to add a keyframe.
4. Move the CTI to the start and change the scale value to zero.
5. Preview the animation and adjust keyframe positions for speed control.
4. Animating Rotation Property
1. Example: Rotating a banner from a 90-degree angle to zero.
2. Steps:
1. Select the layer and tap R to reveal the rotation property.
2. Use the Pan Behind tool (Y) to adjust the anchor point position.
3. Move the CTI to the end time, click the stopwatch to add a keyframe with zero degrees.
4. Move the CTI to the start and change the rotation value (e.g., 90 degrees).
5. Preview and adjust keyframe positions for speed control.
5. Animating Opacity Property
1. Example: Fading text in from 0% to 100% opacity.
2. Steps:
1. Select the text layer and tap T to reveal the opacity property.
2. Move the CTI to the desired end time, click the stopwatch to add a keyframe with 100% opacity.
3. Move the CTI to the start and change the opacity value to 0%.
4. Preview and adjust keyframe positions for speed control.
6. Adjusting Timing and Offsetting Keyframes
1. Tips for synchronizing multiple animations:
1. Adjust the timing by moving keyframes around the timeline.
2. Offset keyframes to create a staggered animation effect.
7. Pro Tips for Enhanced Animations
1. Easy Ease:
1. Smooths out motion between keyframes.
2. Select keyframes, right-click, choose Keyframe Assistant ... Easy Ease, or use the shortcut F9.
2. Motion Blur:
1. Adds realistic blur to moving elements.
2. Enable motion blur for layers and ensure the motion blur icon is highlighted.
3. If not visible, right-click columns and check 'Switches'.
