How to Add Keyframes in Premiere [2024 Full Guide]

Adobe Premiere Pro has become almost synonymous with video editing. After all, keyframes in Premiere Pro are responsible for many smooth video transitions you see today. So, it’s no wonder editors want to figure out how to add a keyframe in Premiere and take their skill to another level.

Today’s guide is about keyframes, so stay with us to learn what Adobe Premiere keyframes are and what they’re for. We’ll first focus on adding keyframes in Premiere Pro and then show you how to edit and remove these elements. Finally, we’ll provide a powerful yet user-friendly alternative to this Adobe app.

Part 1: What Are Keyframes in Premiere Pro & Why Use Them?

Keyframes in Premiere Pro are markers that define the start and end points of animations or transitions. By adding keyframes, editors can control various video properties, enabling effects such as:

• Moving an object along a specific path
• Resizing objects by zooming, shrinking, or expanding
• Fading objects in and out with opacity adjustments
• Adjusting audio levels to create specific moods
• Creating color transitions and dynamic lighting effects

Learning how to add keyframes in Premiere Pro can significantly improve editing results. (You can also learn more about keyframes in our previous guide, What Is Keyframing)

Part 2: How to Add a Keyframe in Premiere Pro: Step-by-Step

Now that we know a bit about Adobe Premiere keyframes and what video editors primarily use them for, we can move on to setting keyframes in Premiere Pro. The following step-by-step guide with images will teach you how to add keyframes in Premiere Pro, so let’s dive right in:

Step 1: Launch Adobe Premiere Pro, create a new project, and import a video clip into the Project panel.

Step 2: Drag and drop the video clip from the Project panel to the Timeline, and then click it to select it.

Step 3: Head to the Effect Controls panel in the top left corner and click the Toggle animation button (the Stopwatch icon). We’ll use the Position animation as an example.

Step 4: Adjust the position of your video’s object by changing the values next to Position in the Effect Controls panel.

Step 5: Move the slider to another part of the clip.

Step 6: Tap the tiny Circle icon in the Position field to add a keyframe in Premiere.

Step 7: Change the values in the Position field to adjust the object’s position for the second keyframe.

You can then play your clip and see the video’s object moving from one position (the position set in the first keyframe) to another (the position set in the second keyframe). You can also move the keyframes from specific video parts by sliding them in the clip (like in step five).

Note: If you don’t see the Effect Controls panel, navigate to the Window menu at the top and toggle the Effect Controls option.

Part 3: How to Edit and Remove Keyframes in Premiere Pro

With Adobe’s editing software, users can do more than create Premiere keyframes. They can also insert keyframes in Premiere Pro at multiple spots throughout the video and add Premiere keyframes for numerous video effects. These include an object’s spatial positions, size, rotation, text and graphic animations, audio levels, etc.

Adding these small animations will add extra flavor to your clips. However, these steps require a bit of editing, so here’s a quick guide on inserting keyframes in Premiere Pro and adjusting them to your liking:

Step 1: Launch Adobe Premiere Pro, add your video, and move it to the Timeline.

Step 2: Select a video in the Timeline and go to the Effect Controls panel. The added Adobe Premiere keyframes are on the right side of the panel.

Step 3: Drag the keyframes left or right to change their Start, End, and Duration.

Step 4: Right-click the keyframes and change their Temporal or Spatial Interpolation.

Step 5: Move the beginning and end keyframes closer to each other to make the animations faster, or place them far apart to make your transitions slower.

And if you ever think a particular Adobe Premiere keyframe doesn’t look good in your video, you can quickly remove it by simply right-clicking the keyframe and selecting the Clear option. Just remember to remove both the beginning keyframe and the one at the end.

Part 4: How to Change Keyframe Values

Step 1: Change Values in the Effect Control Panel

• Click the triangle next to the effect to expand controls.
• To display the keyframe value and velocity graph, click the triangle next to the property name.
• Use the Pen or Selection tool to drag the keyframe up or down, adjusting the property’s value.

Step 2: Change Values in the Timeline Panel

• Select the keyframe(s).
• Place the Pen or Selection tool over the keyframe or segment.
• Drag the keyframe or segment up or down to adjust the value. The tool tip will display the current value as you adjust.

Part 5: Tips for Effectively Using Keyframes in Adobe Premiere Pro

To help you get started and use keyframes more effectively in Premiere Pro, we’ve included some tips that will improve how you insert keyframes in Premiere Pro and edit transitions and animations:

• Ensure your footage fills the screen fully, with no black edges, before adding keyframes.
• Use Temporal Interpolation and Ease In/Ease Out for smoother keyframe transitions.
• Combine multiple keyframes in a video for a cohesive flow of animations and text.
• Copy and paste existing keyframes to save time instead of creating new ones each time.
• Name and organize keyframes to streamline your editing process.

Following these tips will help you quickly master keyframes in Premiere Pro and enhance your editing skills.

If You Can’t Master Premiere Pro: Wondershare Filmora

Despite being one of the most popular tools for video editing, Adobe Premiere Pro isn’t exactly known for its intuitive user interface or beginner-friendly features. After all, the tool was made with professional video editors in mind, and its sheer number of features can often feel overwhelming to beginners.

However, these drawbacks aren’t present in Wondershare Filmora, an alternative video editing solution to Adobe Premiere Pro. The app’s much more intuitive user interface, easy-to-learn and apply features, and AI-enhanced video editing workflow make Filmora a better option for keyframing, especially for video editors new to the game.

That’s not even mentioning the significant pricing differences. Unlike Adobe Premiere Pro, which is only available through a monthly subscription, Filmora is much more affordable, making it a far better choice for hobbyists and video editors on a tighter budget.

How to Add and Edit Keyframes in Wondershare Filmora

As it was created with beginners and accessibility in mind, Filmora’s editing workflow is a breeze to master, and that’s also the case with its keyframes. Users can follow these simple steps to add and edit keyframes in Wondershare Filmora:

1. Launch the app and tap the New Project button on the initial screen.

   

2. Click the Import button to add your video.

   

3. Drag and drop the video into the Timeline section and click on it to select it.

   

4. Add a video effect, textual element, animation, transition, audio, or another clip you want to edit.

   

5. Go to Video > Basic in the right sidebar and enable the Transform option.

   

6. To adjust the size of your textual element, animation, or video, tap the Rectangle icon in the Scale section to add a keyframe.

   

7. Drag the slider in the Timeline to place the keyframes where you want them to be.
8. Alternatively, do that for the Position or Rotate sections, depending on whether you want to adjust the object’s size, spatial position, rotation, color, or opacity.

   

9. Once you’re satisfied with Filmora’s keyframes and the animations you’ve made, hit the Export button in the top right corner to save the video.

   

10. Then, adjust the export settings by changing the location, quality, frame rate, resolution, etc. Finally, hit the Export button again to save the video.

    

By modifying the size, rotation, color, and opacity of objects in your clips, Filmora’s keyframes allow users to speed up their animation production, create engaging clips with animated split-screen videos, change the mood of their projects, customize textual elements in a few clicks, and save keyframes as custom presets for future use.

Conclusion

Keyframes have long been the optimal way to animate an object’s movement, change its size, create quick transitions, adjust audio levels throughout the clip, animate textual elements, fade objects in or out, and much more. With Adobe’s popularity in the video editing industry, most editors want to learn how to add a keyframe in Premiere Pro, and that’s what we’ve shown you today.

However, adding keyframes in Premiere Pro isn’t intuitive or user-friendly, and the editing software isn’t affordable. That’s why it’s worth mentioning that Adobe Premiere Pro is by no means the only video editing software capable of keyframes.

Wondershare Filmora can also handle keyframes easily. The app’s effortless and beginner-friendly user interface, easy-to-apply features, and AI-powered editing tools make Wondershare Filmora a better alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro’s keyframe capabilities.