Using keyframe animations on macOS

The keyframe editor (see Figure 6.21) is a macOS-only tool that opens up a world of animation possibilities, but let’s define a keyframe first so that we know what we’re dealing with. A keyframe is like a save point for animations. If you set a keyframe for an object at the 00:03 timecode and you move the object again at 00:08, you can always go back to its position at 00:03 because you set a keyframe there. A keyframe holds a state of animation that won’t be lost:

Figure 6.21 – The keyframe editor in iMovie for macOS

When you set two keyframes, the thing that’s being animated (in iMovie, this can be a PiP clip or an audio level) moves from its position in the first keyframe to its position in the second, as smoothly as possible. Therefore, by setting multiple keyframes, you can create an animation path. We’re not talking hand-drawn animations here, though – think more...