After Effects Tutorial: How to Animate from Scratch with Keyframes

Are you ready to bring your static designs to life? Whether you’re a content creator, designer, or aspiring motion graphics artist, learning how to animate using keyframes in Adobe After Effects is a game-changer.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create smooth, professional-looking animations from scratch using keyframes — the building blocks of any motion design project in After Effects.

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🔑 What Are Keyframes?

Keyframes are the foundation of animation in After Effects. They mark the beginning and end of a change in a specific property (like position, scale, rotation, or opacity) over time. When you place two or more keyframes on a timeline, After Effects automatically generates the in-between frames (a process called “tweening”) to create motion.

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🧰 Step 1: Create a New Composition

1. Launch Adobe After Effects.
2. Go to Composition > New Composition.
3. Name your composition, choose a resolution (like 1920×1080), set a frame rate (like 30 fps), and choose a duration (e.g., 10 seconds).
4. Click OK to create the composition.

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📂 Step 2: Import and Add Your Asset

1. Navigate to File > Import > File and select your image, logo, or shape.
2. Drag the imported asset into your composition timeline.

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🎯 Step 3: Add Your First Keyframe

Let’s animate the Position of your object:

1. Select your layer in the timeline.
2. Press P to reveal the Position property.
3. Move the timeline playhead to 0 seconds.
4. Click the stopwatch icon next to Position — this sets your first keyframe.

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🚀 Step 4: Set the Second Keyframe

1. Move the playhead to the 2-second mark.
2. Click and drag your object to a new position on the screen.
3. A new keyframe will automatically be created at this point.

✅ Now, when you press spacebar to preview, you’ll see your object smoothly move from one point to another.

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🎨 Step 5: Animate Other Properties

You can animate multiple properties using the same keyframe technique:

Property	Shortcut	Animation Example
Position	P	Move across the screen
Scale	S	Zoom in or out
Rotation	R	Spin the object
Opacity	T	Fade in or fade out

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⏱ Step 6: Refine Your Animation

Make your animation smoother and more professional using these tools:

• Easy Ease: Right-click on any keyframe > Keyframe Assistant > Easy Ease. This adds natural acceleration and deceleration to your motion.
• Graph Editor: Fine-tune the speed curve for custom easing.
• Motion Blur: Enable the motion blur switch on your layer and in the timeline to make movement look more realistic.

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💡 Pro Tips

• Pre-compose: Group layers together to keep your timeline clean.
• Null Objects: Use them to control multiple layers simultaneously.
• Use Guides and Grids: Keep your animation aligned and balanced.
• Practice Timing: Good animation is not just about movement, but timing.

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🔄 Practice Animation Ideas

Try these beginner animation exercises to sharpen your skills:

• Animate a logo flying in from the left.
• Create a bouncing ball effect.
• Fade in a text title while scaling it up.
• Rotate an icon as it slides into view.

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🧠 Final Thoughts

Mastering keyframes is the first step to becoming a pro in Adobe After Effects. With just a few simple clicks, you can create dynamic, engaging animations that will make your videos stand out.

Keep experimenting, explore different properties, and play with timing. The more you practice, the more intuitive and powerful your animations will become.