In Premiere Pro, you don't technically "scale a keyframe." Instead, you use keyframes to animate the Scale property of a video clip over time. This allows you to create effects like zooming in or out, or changing the size of your video element smoothly or abruptly.
Using keyframes on the Scale property tells Premiere Pro to change the size of your clip from one value at a specific point in time to another value at a different point in time. Premiere Pro then automatically calculates the intermediate values needed to make this change happen over the duration between the keyframes.
Steps to Animate Scale Using Keyframes
Based on standard workflows and information often shared in community resources, here are the steps to use keyframes for changing the scale of your video clip:
- Place Your Clip: Begin by placing your video track on a timeline track, typically V1.
- Open Effect Controls: Select the clip in the timeline. Go to the Effect Controls panel. If you don't see it, go to Window > Effect Controls.
- Find Scale Property: In the Effect Controls panel, locate the Scale property under Motion.
- Set Your Starting Point: Move the playhead in the timeline to the exact frame where you want the scale animation to begin.
- Place the First Keyframe: Click the stopwatch icon next to the Scale property. This activates keyframing for Scale and automatically places an initial keyframe at the playhead's current position, capturing the current scale value.
- Move to Your Ending Point: Move the playhead forward in the timeline to the frame where you want the scale animation to end. The distance you move the playhead determines the duration of the scale change.
- Place the Second Keyframe & Adjust Scale: Adjust the Scale value to your desired size (e.g., increase for zoom-in, decrease for zoom-out). Adjusting the value after moving the playhead automatically places a second keyframe at this new position.
- Review and Refine: Play back your sequence to see the scale change animation. You can drag the keyframes in the Effect Controls panel or the timeline (by expanding the clip's properties) to adjust their timing.
Note: As described in some community discussions, moving the playhead forward by just one frame after setting the first keyframe and then setting the second keyframe creates a very rapid, almost instant change in scale, rather than a smooth animation. This is useful for specific effects but for most zoom animations, you'll move the playhead further.
Understanding Keyframes and Animation
Each keyframe you set on the Scale property represents a specific value (percentage of scale) at a specific moment in time.
| Keyframe Position | Scale Value | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Keyframe 1 | e.g., 100% (original) | Marks the start value and time of animation. |
| Keyframe 2 | e.g., 150% (zoomed in) | Marks the end value and time of animation. |
Premiere Pro interpolates the values between Keyframe 1 and Keyframe 2. If they are far apart, the scale changes gradually. If they are close together (like one frame apart), the change is very fast.
You can continue adding more keyframes along the timeline to create complex scale animations, zooming in and out multiple times within a single clip.
Fine-Tuning Your Scale Animation
- Ease In/Ease Out: Right-click on a keyframe and select "Temporal Interpolation" to choose options like Ease In or Ease Out. This makes the animation speed up or slow down as it approaches or leaves that keyframe, creating smoother motion.
- Hold: Choosing "Hold" interpolation maintains the scale value until the next keyframe, creating a sudden jump rather than a gradual transition.
- Adjusting Values: You can always click on a keyframe in the Effect Controls panel and adjust its numerical Scale value to fine-tune the size at that specific point.
By using keyframes on the Scale property, you gain precise control over how and when your video clips change size throughout your edit.
