The Graph Editor is simply a representation
of keyframe property values of the timeline displayed in a two-dimensional graph
in which we can manipulate the speed and duration of keyframe anchor points. To access
the Graph Editor, click the Graph Editor button in the Timeline panel or press
Shift+F3 on the keyboard. Now to see the keyframes inside the Graph Editor,
I will first press the letter U on the keyboard to reveal the keyframed properties of the Circle
layer and then click on the Scale property value. So, what we have here is a simple linear animation
with three (3) keyframes, on the first one, the circle is at 70% scaled-down, on the second
keyframe the circle is at 140% scaled up, and then back at 70% on the third keyframe. To select a
keyframe just click on it with the Selection tool, we can move that keyframe around, we can also hold
down the Shift key to constrain the movement and snap it along the vertical axis. We can double
click, bring up the Scale window, and set a specific value, let us say, I am going to set both
Width and Height to 200%. We can also click on the chain icon to unconstraint each of these values
and by scrubbing the Width and Height separately we can create an oval shape. We can
create an oval shape, we can also select multiple keyframes by shift-select or
marquee select with the Selection tool which is indicated by a semi-opaque white
box with handles around the selected frames. We can drag them around; in this case, I am moving
the keyframe to frame 20 which is reflected when we switch to the Layer Bar mode by clicking on
the Graph Editor icon. We can move those keyframes down which means the Scale property has changed
from 140% to something like 120%, again this is reflected when we switch to the Layer Bar mode and
looking at the Scale property of that keyframe. With multiple keyframes selected we can
scale values around the center anchor point by holding the Ctrl/Cmd key and drag the corner
of the bounding box. We can also press and hold the Alt/Option key to move a handle of the
bounding box independently of the other handles. To tapper keyframe values proportionally, press
Ctrl + Alt/Cmd + Option and drag on the corner of the Transform Box, this allows us to reduce
or expand the amplitude of a repeated animation. So now let us go ahead and explore what
all these Option Buttons mean inside the Graph Editor. This first option button specifies
which properties are shown in the Graph Editor with the Show Selected Properties being the most
widely used. The next option is the Graph options in the Graph Editor. Usually, you will be working
with either the Value Graph or the Speed Graph. The rest are different options in
what you want to view within the graph whether these are Audio Waveforms, In/Out points,
or what have you. With the Show Transform Box when multiple keys are selected, I will marquee
select two keyframes and when I toggle that off, we can still see keyframes and move them around
just without a semi-opaque white Transform box. The next one is the Snap option button, when you
drag a keyframe inside the Graph editor with the Snap selected, the keyframe snaps to keyframe
values, In and Out points, markers, and so on. The Auto Zoom Height mode automatically
scales the height of the graph so that it fits the height of the Graph Editor. So, for
example, when I double-click on this keyframe and set it to 100%, with the Auto Zoom
Height on, AE scales the height of the graph to the new property value. If we toggled the
Off and move the keyframe nothing will change. The Fit Selection to View will scale the graph
to fit the selected keyframes inside the Graph Editor. So, when I marquee select those two
keyframes, only those will only be visible. To see all keyframes again, just click on
the next option, the Fit All Graphs to View. Alright, now I am going to switch to the second
(2nd) layer, the Separate Dimensions layer which has no keyframes set to it. In this case, I
will first convert the layer into a 3D layer by clicking on the Cube icon, then click on the
Position property to set the first (1st) keyframe by clicking on the Stopwatch. I will move
the Current Time Indicator to frame one (1) and set another keyframe by clicking on the Add
/ Remove keyframe icon. I will switch to the Graph Editor and click on the Separate Dimensions
button at the bottom of the options bar. In After Effects interpolation refers to how it calculates
the speed and time values between two keyframes. So, there are different types of keyframes inside
After Effects so we will start with the Linear Interpolation which creates a uniform rate of
change between keyframes. It begins instantly at the first keyframe and continues to the
next one at a constant speed and velocity. In the Graph Editor, the segment connecting two
keyframes with Linear interpolation appears as a straight line. For the next type of keyframe, I
will select the first (1st) one inside the Graph Editor and use the Hold keyframe which changes the
value of a layer property over time but without a gradual transition. So, in this case, the first
keyframe holds steady until the next one, when the value changes immediately. In the Graph Editor,
the graph segment following a Hold keyframe appears as a horizontal straight line. For the
next keyframe type, I will select all visible keyframes, in this case, I will use the keyboard
shortcut (CTRL + ALT + A / CMD + OPTION + A) and apply the Auto Bezier interpolation which
creates a smooth transition between keyframes. Notice the directional handles coming out of
each keyframe which means we can edit the curve by clicking, dragging, and perhaps holding the
Shift as we do and pulling the handle away from the keyframe which will influence the amount
of time it takes for the animation to take off. The same can be applied on this curve by
pulling and dragging the control handle away from this keyframe so the whole animation starts
slow, it speeds up and slows down at the end. So, I am going to select all keyframes (Ctrl+Alt+A
/ Cmd + Option + A) and set them back to Linear interpolation. The next keyframe type refers
to Easy Ease which is a combination of Ease In and Ease Out and is used when elements
need to be accelerated and decelerated. Now let us look at the difference between Auto
Bezier and Easy Ease. With the Auto Bezier interpolation, the curve is not as smooth,
and the directional handles are shorter. With Easy Ease interpolation, the directional
handles are quite stretched out from the keyframes making the acceleration or deceleration
much more noticeable. Alright, let us go and set all keyframes back to Linear interpolation
and talk about the next two types of keyframes. The first one refers to Ease In (Shift + F9) which
is used at any frame that needs to be decelerated or stopped. In this case, the first (1st)
keyframe speeds up and slows down at the end. The opposite happens with the next
keyframe type referring to Ease Out (Ctrl + Shift + F9 / Cmd + Shift + F9) which
is used at frames that need to be accelerated. So, in this case, the animation starts
slow and then speeds up towards the end. Another thing we can do inside the Graph Editor
we can select a keyframe, right-click on it and we are presented with a popup window. Here,
for example, we can change the interpolation to Hold Keyframes or use the keyframe assistant
to choose from a different type of keyframes. Thank you everyone for visiting my channel
and watching the inspiring lectures and tutorials do not forget to subscribe and
share the knowledge! Elias Sarantopoulos.
