# photoshop timeline animation Random notes for using the Timeline to build animations in Photoshop. ## panel overview Open the Timeline Panel by using the pull-down menus for **Window > Timeline**. Press the **Create Video Timeline** button in the middle of the panel. ![[photoshopVideoTimelinePanel.png]] ## panel menu The Panel Menu hides plenty of settings and options. Here are a few important ones… ### set frame rate Frame Rate is how many images are shown per second of animation. Classic animation is 24 frames per second. **Set Timeline Frame Rate…** to change frame rate to something other than default 30fps. ### turn on onion-skinning Onion Skinning allows you to see multiple frames at the same time to help see how elements will move from frame to frame. **Enable Onion Skins** to toggle on/off. **Onion Skin Settings** to adjust preferences. ![[29062784dbb215a5dad5ededed1daea5_MD5.jpeg]] --- ## keyframes Animation is all about moving from point A to point B in a given amount of time. You can keyframe Point A and Point B in the timeline and Photoshop will automatically fill in the missing frames for you. By default, Photoshop can animate **Position** on the screen, **Opacity** (transparency), and **Style** (Drop Shadow, Color Fill, etc.). To add more options, right-click on the layer name in the Layers Panel (not Timeline) and choose **Convert to Smart Object**. Now, you can keyframe **Transform** instead of Position. This allows for Move, Scale, Rotate, Skew, etc. Additionally, you can add a Layer Mask and animate that separately from the layer content. This is good for creating slide-in/slide-out effects. ### how to keyframe Move the playhead to where you want your animation to begin. Press the little **Stopwatch icon** for whatever property you want to animate (Transform, Opacity, etc.). A little yellow diamond will appear in that frame of the Timeline. Move playhead to where you want the next keyframe to be. This time, press the **Yellow Diamond button** to the left of the Layer Name. **Warning: pressing the Stopwatch now will turn off animation and remove all keyframes.** Now you can adjust the layer as needed (Move the object, adjust the Opacity, etc.). Alternatively, you can simply Move or adjust Opacity or whatever action you want to make and Photoshop will automatically create a keyframe for you. ### keyframes are adjustable **Move**/rearrange keyframes in the Timeline by simply grabbing and dragging. CMD-Click the keyframes to select multiple to move as a group. Right-click on keyframe to **Delete** or **Copy** keyframes. Pasting keyframes is a bit odd, move Playhead to where you want to paste a copy. Then right-click on any other keyframe and choose **Paste**. --- ## change duration By default, each layer is active for the entire duration of the animation. The solid purple blocks show when a layer is visible and active. ![[571ec1770797dddc2313a482bc1e4dff_MD5.jpeg]] Hover over the end of a purple box and you can click/drag to adjust when the sequence is on or off. Grab/drag the middle of the box to move the sequence to the left or right to change when it appears in the timeline. The keyframes will move with the box as you adjust it’s location. --- ## export animation When your animation is finished, you will want to save it as an actual video file. In the bottom-left corner of the Timeline panel is a **Black Arrow icon**. Press that to get the **Render Video** menu dialog. The default settings are good for creating a standard mp4 video, however you can adjust settings as needed. ![[6ac9aac884d2c544c91ac195a4f5d4e2_MD5.jpeg]] ### save a gif The process is a little different if you want to turn your sequence into an animated gif file. Using the pull-down menus, choose **File > Export > Save For Web (Legacy)**. On the right side of the pop-up dialog menu, choose the GIF file format. ![[79b62967ca31c4bb1cb60ece951a4676_MD5.jpeg]] --- Learn more… - [Photoshop Animation: How To Create Timeline Animations YouTube video from Isaiah Cardona](https://youtu.be/SP0MSI_PW4U?si=-MtBw7zEt6_oXJR8) - [Create Timeline Animations from Adobe Help](https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/creating-timeline-animations.html) - [Video and animation overview from Adobe Help](https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/video-animation-overview.html) --- tags: #animation #resources home: [[! animation]]