What keyframes do and where to find them

Keyframes are markers you place on a timeline that tell Premiere Pro to change a property — like position, scale, opacity, or audio level — at a specific moment. Between keyframes, Premiere Pro automatically fills in the motion or transition. Without keyframes, every property stays constant. With them, you can make a title slide in from the left, fade an image to black, pan across a photo, or gradually raise volume.

Keyframes live in the Effect Controls panel, which sits above your timeline by default. If you do not see it, go to Window > Effect Controls. Every clip you select shows its properties there — Motion, Opacity, Audio Levels, and any effects you have added. Next to each property name is a stopwatch icon. Clicking that stopwatch creates your first keyframe and turns on keyframing for that property.

The most common properties to keyframe are Motion (which includes Position, Scale, and Rotation), Opacity (transparency), and Audio Levels. Once you turn on the stopwatch, Premiere Pro records the current value of that property at the current playhead position. Move the playhead forward, change the value, and Premiere Pro creates a second keyframe automatically.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the stopwatch icon next to any property in Effect Controls to create your first keyframe at the current playhead position.
  • Move the playhead forward in time, change the property value, and Premiere Pro automatically creates a second keyframe showing the change.
  • Keyframes appear as small diamonds on the timeline; you can click and drag them to adjust timing without re-recording the motion.
  • Right-click a keyframe to choose easing options like "Ease In" or "Ease Out" so motion accelerates or decelerates instead of moving at constant speed.
  • Delete a keyframe by clicking it and pressing Delete, or by Alt-clicking the stopwatch to turn off keyframing entirely for that property.

Creating motion keyframes for position, scale, and rotation

Motion keyframes are the most visible type. To make a title slide in from the left side of the screen, select the title clip, open Effect Controls, and find the Motion property. Click the stopwatch next to Motion to enable keyframing. The playhead should be at the start of the clip — if it is not, drag it there. Premiere Pro records the current position as your first keyframe.

Now move the playhead forward to where you want the motion to end — usually a second or two later. In the Program Monitor (the preview window), click and drag the title to its final position on screen. Premiere Pro automatically creates a second keyframe. Play the clip back and you will see the title move smoothly from start to finish. If the motion is too fast or too slow, drag the second keyframe left or right on the timeline to adjust timing without re-recording.

The same process works for Scale (making something grow or shrink) and Rotation (spinning). In Effect Controls, you can also type exact numbers instead of dragging in the preview. For example, if you want a logo to scale from 50% to 100%, type 50 in the Scale field at the first keyframe, move the playhead forward, type 100, and Premiere Pro creates the second keyframe. This method is more precise than dragging by hand.

Fading clips in and out with opacity keyframes

Opacity keyframes control transparency. To fade a clip in from black, place the playhead at the very start of the clip and click the stopwatch next to Opacity in Effect Controls. Premiere Pro records 100% (fully visible) as your first keyframe. Move the playhead forward one or two seconds, then change the Opacity value to 0% (fully transparent). Premiere Pro creates a second keyframe, and the clip now fades in smoothly.

To fade out at the end, move the playhead to where you want the fade to start, set Opacity to 100%, move forward to the last frame of the clip, and set Opacity to 0%. The fade happens between those two keyframes. You can also use Opacity to create a quick flash or blink effect by placing three keyframes close together: 100%, 0%, 100%.

Opacity keyframes are useful for layering clips too. If you have two clips on top of each other and want to transition between them, fade the top clip's opacity from 100% to 0% while the bottom clip plays underneath. This creates a crossfade without needing a separate transition effect.

Adjusting audio levels with keyframes

Audio keyframes work the same way as motion and opacity, but they control volume. Select an audio clip, open Effect Controls, and click the stopwatch next to Audio Levels. The current volume is recorded as your first keyframe. Move the playhead forward and change the level — you can type a number in decibels (dB) or drag the slider. Premiere Pro creates a second keyframe, and the volume transitions smoothly between them.

Common uses include fading music in at the start of a video, fading it out at the end, or ducking (lowering) the background music when someone speaks. To duck, place the playhead where speech begins, create a keyframe at the current level, move forward slightly, and lower the level. When the speech ends, raise the level back up. The audio volume dips during the dialogue and returns to normal after.

You can also use audio keyframes to pan between left and right speakers, though this is less common in basic editing. The same stopwatch-and-move method applies to any audio property in Effect Controls.

Adding easing to make motion look natural

By default, keyframes create linear motion — the property changes at the same speed from start to finish. A title that slides in at constant speed looks robotic. To make it feel more natural, use easing, which makes motion accelerate or decelerate. Right-click any keyframe on the timeline and you will see options like Ease In, Ease Out, and Ease In/Out.

Ease In makes the motion start slow and speed up as it approaches the keyframe. Ease Out makes it start fast and slow down as it leaves. Ease In/Out does both — slow start, fast middle, slow end. For a title sliding in, Ease Out usually looks best: it starts moving quickly and settles into place. For a title sliding out, Ease In works well.

You can also adjust easing manually by clicking the small curve icon next to a keyframe in Effect Controls. This opens the Bezier curve editor, where you can drag handles to fine-tune exactly how fast the motion happens at each point. This is advanced, but it gives you complete control over the feel of the motion.

Editing and deleting keyframes

Keyframes appear as small diamonds on the timeline, one for each property you have keyframed. Click a diamond to select it, and you can drag it left or right to change when the keyframe happens. The property value stays the same — only the timing changes. This is much faster than deleting and recreating keyframes.

To change the value of an existing keyframe, click it to select it, then change the value in Effect Controls. The selected keyframe updates when ready. If you want to delete a single keyframe, click it and press Delete. If you want to turn off keyframing entirely for a property, Alt-click the stopwatch icon in Effect Controls. This removes all keyframes for that property and returns it to a constant value.

If you have many keyframes and want to see them more clearly, right-click the timeline ruler and choose a smaller zoom level. You can also collapse properties in Effect Controls by clicking the arrow next to Motion or Opacity to hide them and reduce clutter.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

The most common mistake is forgetting to move the playhead before creating the second keyframe. If you change a property value without moving the playhead, Premiere Pro updates the first keyframe instead of creating a new one. Always check the playhead position before changing any value. A quick way to verify: the playhead should be at a different spot on the timeline than where your first keyframe sits.

Another mistake is keyframing the wrong property. If you want motion but you keyframe Opacity by accident, nothing will move. Check Effect Controls to confirm you are clicking the right stopwatch. Motion is separate from Opacity, which is separate from Audio Levels — each has its own stopwatch and its own set of keyframes.

A third issue is creating too many keyframes. If you place a keyframe every frame, the motion becomes choppy and hard to edit. Keyframe only at moments where the property should change — the start, the end, and any points in between where the direction or speed changes. Usually two or three keyframes per property is enough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I copy keyframes from one clip to another?

Yes. Select the clip with the keyframes you want to copy, right-click it in the timeline, and choose Copy. Select the destination clip, right-click it, and choose Paste Attributes. A dialog appears letting you choose which properties to paste — Motion, Opacity, Audio Levels, or effects. This is faster than recreating keyframes by hand.

What is the difference between a keyframe and a marker?

Keyframes record changes to a property at a specific time. Markers are just labels or notes you place on the timeline to remember something — they do not change any values. Markers are useful for marking where dialogue starts or where you want a cut, but they do not create motion or fades.

Why does my motion look jerky instead of smooth?

This usually means you have too many keyframes placed too close together, or the playback frame rate does not match your project settings. Try deleting unnecessary keyframes and keeping only the start and end points. Also check that your sequence settings match your source footage — mismatched frame rates cause stuttering.

Can I keyframe effects like blur or color correction?

Yes. Any effect you add to a clip can be keyframed the same way. Add the effect, click the stopwatch next to the property you want to change (like Blur Amount or Saturation), move the playhead, and change the value. Premiere Pro creates keyframes just like it does for Motion and Opacity.

How do I make a keyframe happen at an exact time code?

Click the keyframe diamond on the timeline to select it, then look at the timecode display at the top of the Effect Controls panel. You can type a new timecode directly into that field and press Enter. The keyframe jumps to that exact time. This is more precise than dragging by hand.