In After Effects, you can animate a variety of properties of layers, such as position, scale, rotation, and more, using keyframes, expressions and animation presets
Keyframes are points in time where you specify a property’s value.
When you create a keyframe, you are essentially setting a starting point for the property’s animation. You can then create additional keyframes at different points in time to specify different values for the property, and After Effects will automatically interpolate the values between keyframes.
This allows you to create smooth, seamless animations.
You can also use expressions to animate layers in After Effects.
Expressions are scripts that allow you to specify complex relationships between different properties and layers, and can be used to automate tasks or create complex animations that would be difficult or impossible to achieve using keyframes alone.
You can work with keyframes and expressions in the Timeline panel or in the Graph Editor. These modes are two different ways of viewing and working with keyframes and expressions in After Effects.
Layer bar mode (Timeline panel) shows keyframes and expressions aligned with their properties in the Timeline, while Graph Editor mode shows keyframes and expression results in value graphs or speed graphs.
You can switch between these modes by using the Graph Editor mode button at the Timeline panel.
In addition to using keyframes and expressions, you can also apply animation presets to layers to achieve a desired effect.
Animation presets are pre-made animations that you can apply to layers with a single click, saving you time and effort.
You can find a wide variety of animation presets in the Effects & Presets panel, and you can also create your own custom presets by saving your own animation settings as a preset.
Overall, animation in After Effects allows you to create dynamic, engaging visuals for your projects, whether you’re working on motion graphics, compositing, or visual effects.
