Open Paraplex

Animation basics

Every animation in Paraplex is made of keyframes. A keyframe is a setting's value saved at a moment in time. Set two keyframes with different values and Paraplex moves smoothly from one to the other.

Making a first animation: clicking the Position X diamond, dragging the playhead to 2 seconds, typing a new value, then playing as the shape slides across

Make your first animation

  1. Add a shape: click Rectangle in the dock, then click on the canvas.
  2. In the Transform section, click the small diamond beside Position X. That sets a keyframe at the playhead, at 0 seconds, and a Position X lane appears in the timeline.
  3. Drag the playhead (the white handle on the timeline's ruler) to 2 seconds.
  4. Change Position X: type a new value, or drag the shape's red gizmo arrow. Paraplex adds a second keyframe at 2 seconds.
  5. Press Space to play.
Left: the Position X diamond filled in. Right: the Position X lane with keyframes at 0 and 2 seconds

The shape glides between the two positions:

The rectangle sliding from left to right over two seconds

How keyframes work

  • Once a setting has a keyframe, it's animated. Its diamond turns filled blue, and it gets its own lane in the timeline.
  • Changing an animated setting adds a keyframe at the playhead, or updates the one already there. Changing a setting that isn't animated just changes it, for the whole piece.
  • Paraplex fills in the frames between keyframes. How the value speeds up and slows down on the way is called easing. New keyframes ease in and out smoothly. See Easing and springs.
  • Before the first keyframe and after the last, the setting holds still at that keyframe's value.
  • The number in a field is the value you last set, not the animated value at the playhead. To check a keyframe's value, hover its diamond on the timeline.

Important

Keep the timeline expanded while you animate. The diamonds beside sliders and colors only show while it's open, and with it collapsed, changing a slider that's already animated isn't recorded.

What you can animate

If a setting has a diamond beside it, you can animate it. That covers almost every number and color in the properties panel: position, rotation, scale and size, opacity, colors, material dials, effects, lights, the camera, filters and more. Lists, switches and text can't be keyframed.

Ways to set keyframes

  • The diamond beside a setting, as above.
  • Change an animated setting at a new moment.
  • Drag the gizmo on a layer whose position, rotation or scale is already animated.
  • Right-click a layer and choose Add keyframe here ›, then Position, Rotation, Scale or Opacity. Each keys the layer's current value at the playhead.
  • Let a preset do it. Animate in and out, text animations and camera moves write the keyframes for you, and you can still edit them.

Remove animation

  • One keyframe: click it on the timeline and press ⌫.
  • A whole lane: click the trash button at the right end of the lane.
  • All of a setting's keyframes: click its filled diamond in the properties panel.

Warning

Clicking a filled diamond deletes every keyframe on that setting, not just the one at the playhead. Undo (⌘ Z) brings them back.

Play your animation

  • Press Space, or click the play button at the left of the timeline, to play and pause.
  • The loop button beside it repeats the piece.
  • To make the piece longer or shorter, click the number after Duration: in the timeline's header.

Clicks on the canvas are ignored while the animation plays, so pause before you select or move things.