Full Guide on How to Add Freeze Frames in After Effects

Freeze frames are exactly what they sound like – paused independent frames from your shots that you can use for emphasis. They can be used in any creative way you see fit. Using freeze frames is a great way to make your videos more dynamic and exciting. It lets you emphasize your shots and highlight specific actions, even going so far as to add a bit of suspense to your content.

In this guide, we'll take you through the top methods to freeze frame in After Effects and create stunning visuals even if you're a complete beginner.

Getting Started with Freeze Frame in After Effects

Use Freeze frames to highlight the moment before or after the goal in a sporting event, for instance, to highlight an emotional facial expression, build suspense for the next frame, create an artistic intermission, or mark the end of your story. Regardless of your creative goals and objectives, you can freeze a frame in After Effects and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Now, you aren't just limited to freezing your frames with AE. You can use the tool to create stunning effects, animate the frozen frame, play around with opacity levels, add motion blur, and more.

However, remember that it's not all as simple as it may seem. If you're a beginner, it might take you some trial and error to achieve the results you're after.

Creative Ways to Add Freeze Frames in After Effects

There are a couple of different creative methods you could use to freeze frames in Adobe After Effects. Here's the step-by-step guide on how to use them to get the best results.

Way 1: The Basic Method

Step 1: Launch Adobe After Effects and select New Composition From Footage;

Step 2: Drag your video to the timeline;

Step 3: Use the Current Time Indicator (CTI) to find the frame you want to freeze;

Step 4: Go to Composition - Save Frame As - File;

Step 5: Import the image file and create a new layer for the freeze frame effect;

Step 6: Edit the freeze frame, add effects, set duration, and more.

Way 2: With Time Remapping

Step 1: Create New Composition From Footage and drag your video to the timeline;

Step 2: Use the playhead above the timeline to find the frame you want to use and pause the video;

Step 3: Press the Ctrl + Shift + D keys on Windows or Command + Shift + D on Mac to cut the frame;

Step 4: Right-click on the layer created and go to Time - Freeze Frame;

Step 5: Drag the freeze frame layer in the timeline to adjust its duration;

Step 6: Add the necessary effects, then go to File - Export and save your video.

Way 3: Using Masks and Effects

Step 1: Create a freeze frame from your footage by isolating the frame you want to use, right-clicking on the layer, and selecting Time - Freeze Frame;

Step 2: From the Tools panel, select the Pen tool;

Step 3: Outline the element you want to mask;

Step 4: Adjust the duration of the masked element to create a seamless transition;

Step 5: Add additional effects as needed;

Step 6: Go to File - Export and save your video.

Way 4: Add Motion Blur

Step 1: Import your video, isolate the frame, and create a freeze frame by right-clicking it and selecting Time - Freeze Frame;

Step 2: Select the Pen tool and outline the element you want to mask (you can invert the mask if needed);

Step 3: Adjust the keyframe and mask effect as needed;

Step 4: Toggle the Motion Blur on;

Step 5: Adjust layer opacity and add any other necessary effects;

Step 6: Go to File - Export and save your video.

An Alternative to Consider: Wondershare Filmora

While the steps in After Effect to freeze frame are relatively straightforward, the tool requires a lot of playing around. You'll often need to duplicate layers, make minute adjustments, invest time and effort into creating smoother transitions, and more. If you're a newcomer to After Effects and don't have a powerful enough machine to run this program, you'll need to look for a better, more user-friendly alternative. Wondershare Filmora will be just what you're after.

Filmora is a comprehensive video editor with hundreds of unique features that can help you create professional-looking content with the utmost ease. Lightweight, easy to use, and powerful, it allows you to create freeze frames without batting an eye.

Once you've created a freeze frame with this tool, you can easily enrich it with hundreds of different effects and millions more creative assets. Use smart cutouts, add motion blur, track objects, add stickers and animations, and so much more. Creating freeze frames in Wondershare Filmora is a seamless process, even for newcomers:

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How to Use Add Freeze Frames in Filmora

Step 1: Launch Filmora, login to your Wondershare account, and click New Project;

Step 2: Use the Import box to upload your video, then drag it to the timeline;

Step 3: Move the Playhead to the position where you want to create a freeze frame;

Step 4: Once you've found the perfect frame, right-click on the video in the timeline and go to Speed - Add Freeze Frame;

Step 5: Filmora will add a snapshot of the freeze frame into the timeline where the playhead is positioned;

Step 6: Adjust the duration of the freeze frame by dragging its edges in the timeline;

Step 7: Use the Tabs on the left to add titles, stickers, animations, effects, filters and more to the freeze frame by dragging the elements you like to the timeline above it;

Step 8: Select the freeze frame in the timeline, then go to Video - AI Tools - AI Portrait Cutout and remove the background, then go to Video - Basic - Background to adjust background appearance;

Step 9: As needed, use additional features to enhance the freeze frame and the rest of the video – stabilize footage, enhance it, add Motion Tracking, and more. All these options and more are available through the Panel on the right side;

Step 10: When you're satisfied, click Export to save your video.

You can save your video locally with Filmora or upload it directly to a platform like YouTube, TikTok, or Vimeo.

Conclusion

Freeze frames can have a tremendous visual impact on your audience when used right. Add them to create more seamless transitions, highlight action shots, emphasize frames, and more.

With After Effects, you can create freeze frames using a few different methods. However, if this tool is too advanced or resource-intensive for your device, rely on Wondershare Filmora to achieve fantastic freeze frame results.