Cookin' with Keyframes

Simple editing is like warming up a can of soup: just drop a couple shots on a timeline and voila! But a master chef uses the tricks of the trade to embellish a video.

The keyframe is both extremely simple and extremely complicated at the same time. Perhaps it is a bit like cooking. You take something edible, apply heat and it's cooked - simple. But then, when you realize the myriad ingredients and the uncountable variations in which you can join, prepare and cook them, the very thought of making a meal can seem overwhelming. Or perhaps boundless choices excite you as a cook or editor, your imagination being your only limitation. Let's take a can opener to keyframes and see what we can cook up.

Mixing It Up

Although maybe not the most appetizing way to begin, let's start with an explanation. In its simplest form, a keyframe is a set of exact values at a specific point in time. If I were "keyframed" right now, at 2:24pm on Saturday, I would be typing on my computer, both hands on the keyboard, sitting in a chair. If at 2:26pm I am in the same position, the exact values at that different time would be the same. But say at 2:26pm, two minutes later, I was standing five feet from my computer turning on the stereo. The "keyframe" or set of values for 2:26 is different from those at 2:24. I am now standing, I am five feet from my last location, and my body is engaged in a different action.