Animating a Clip > Animating a clip's motion
 		><

Animating a clip's motion


Animate a clip by creating a motion path in the Motion Settings dialog box. You can specify the path completely within the visible area, or extend it beyond so that the clip enters and exits at the boundaries. Note that you can add motion only to the clip itself, as a whole; you cannot add motion to elements within the clip. In addition, you can specify rotation, zooming, delays, and distortion to create more complex motion. See Rotating, zooming, delaying, and distorting.
Note: You can also animate a clip using the Transform effect.
A. Preview window  B. Motion path  C. Motion timeline

To define a motion path for a clip:

1 Select a clip in the Timeline window.

2 Do one of the following to open the Motion Settings dialog box:
  • Click the box to the left of the word Motion in the Effect Controls palette.

  • Choose Clip > Video Options > Motion.

    • In the top left corner of the dialog box, a sample of the selected clip moves along the default motion path. To the right of the sample is the motion path. The default path locates the Start and Finish keyframes outside the viewable area of the video program so that the clip enters the viewable area from the left, moves across, and exits on the right.

    3 Set and adjust keyframes on the motion path using one of the following methods:
  • For simple horizontal, vertical, or diagonal motion, drag the Start and Finish keyframes to any location within or outside the visible area.
  • Position the pointer anywhere on the motion path. The pointer turns into a pointing finger. Click to add a keyframe to the path, and drag to adjust its position, creating a new segment of the path.

    •
    Click to make a motion keyframe (left), and then drag the keyframe to a new location (right).
  • Click above the motion path timeline (located directly below the motion path) to add a keyframe to the path; the pointer turns into a downward-pointing triangle (). Then drag the new keyframe to adjust its position.

    • 4 To preview the animation, use the Play () and Pause () buttons. For other preview options, see Previewing motion.

    To fine-tune the position of a keyframe on the motion path:

    1 Select the keyframe using either method below:
  • Click the keyframe in the motion path or in the motion path timeline. The pointer turns into a gray pointing-finger icon when it is directly over a keyframe.
  • Press the Tab key to select successive keyframes from the Start to Finish positions along the motion path. Hold down the Shift key and press Tab to move from keyframe to keyframe in the opposite direction.

    • Note: If a text entry box is active in the Motion Settings dialog box, pressing Tab highlights successive boxes rather than selecting successive motion keyframes.

    2 Use one of the following methods to adjust the keyframe's position:
  • Press an arrow key to move the selected keyframe 1 pixel at a time in the direction of the arrow.
  • Hold down the Shift key and press an arrow key to move the keyframe in 5-pixel increments.
  • Type coordinates for the keyframe's position in the Info boxes below the timeline.

    • Note: In the Motion Settings dialog box, the coordinates in the Info boxes are specified at the resolution of the sample image (80 x 60 pixels), but are scaled at output time to the project output size. A 1-pixel shift at the sample size scales up to a 4-pixel shift if the project output size is 320 x 240 or to an 8-pixel shift if the output size is 640 x 480. You can type fractional decimal values to reposition keyframes with finer precision than 4- or 8-point increments. For example, typing 1.75 in the first box results in a horizontal shift of 14 pixels at 640 x 480 resolution. To derive the correct value to type for the direction you want to move, first divide the appropriate output dimension (for example, 640) by the corresponding sample image dimension (80), and then divide the distance you want to move (for example, 14 pixels) by the result.

    To center the clip in the viewable area at a keyframe on the motion path:

    1 Select the keyframe.

    2 Type the coordinates (0, 0) for the keyframe's position in the Info boxes below the timeline, or click the Center button to let Adobe Premiere enter these coordinates.

    To delete a keyframe on the motion path:

    Select the keyframe and press Delete.

    To edit motion settings for a clip:

    1 In the Timeline window, select the clip with the motion settings you want to edit.

    2 Do one of the following:
  • In the Effect Controls palette, click Setup next to Motion.

  • Choose Clip > Video Options > Motion.

    • 3 Edit the settings, and then click OK.

    Animating a Clip > Animating a clip's motion

    Related subtopics:

    Changing the speed of motion
    Previewing motion