How to Move and Copy Key Frames in Premiere

Keyframes are used in Premiere Pro to create both animation and effects that change over time, such as opacity and sound. A “keyframe” is a mark you make on your Timeline where you can save the specified values for these various elements. You create keyframes in multiple numbers on your Timeline (at least two) as you will be creating changes over the time of your video project. You can apply multiple keyframes to one clip, all with different options and effects. Once you create keyframes, they can be moved and changed as well as copied and pasted. This is a very handy option that can save you time and stress, particularly if you are working with very complicated projects.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Digitized video footage

Instructions

1. Move a keyframe to a different point in time using your selection tool. Click on the keyframe, and drag it directly to the new location. Your moved keyframe will retain the properties, values and setting you have applied to it. Moving keyframes, rather than attempting to recreate them, is easier when you simply want to change the speed of an effect or animation.

2. Select multiple keyframes by holding down your shift key and clicking on those you want to move. When you move multiple clips they will retain their spacing. Note that you can move keyframes around and past others without disrupting them.

3. Copy keyframes to cut and paste into another location by first selecting the keyframe, and then go to your Edit menu, and then Copy.

4. Move your current-time indicator to the location where you want the pasted keyframe to be, and then go to the Edit Menu, and then select Paste. All of the properties associated with that keyframe will be pasted as well. If you paste multiple keyframes into a different clip, the first keyframe will appear at the point of your current-time indicator. Each keyframe that follows will be pasted in relative distance to the first keyframe.

5. To adjust the properties of pasted keyframes, go to the Effects Controls panel and expand the options on the effect to show the available controls. Note that any changes made to either the original keyframes or the pasted keyframes will not affect the others.

Tips & Warnings

• The first keyframe applied to a clip uses the icon for “Start Keyframe” and the last keyframe uses the icon for “End Keyframe.”