# Keyframe Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/keyframe Last updated: 2026-10-08 > Definition: In video editing and animation, a keyframe stores the value of a property, such as position, scale or opacity, at a specific moment. The software interpolates the frames between two keyframes to create motion. A keyframe is a pin in time. You say "at 2 seconds the title is off-screen left; at 2.5 seconds it's centred", and the editor works out every frame in between. Almost every animation in video editing, from a sliding title to a slow zoom, is two or more keyframes and the curve that connects them. ## Where does the term keyframe come from? The term comes from hand-drawn animation. Lead animators drew the key poses of a movement, and assistants drew the "in-between" frames that connected them. Software took over the in-betweening: you set the keys, the computer interpolates. The way it moves from one key to the next is controlled by [easing](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/easing). ## How are keyframes used in YouTube and short-form videos? Keyframes drive most of the motion you see in creator videos: - **Zooms.** A [punch-in](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/punch-in-zoom) is two keys on scale with a hold; a slow push is two keys a few seconds apart. - **Text and graphics.** Titles slide, pop or fade in through keys on position, scale and opacity. - **Picture-in-picture.** A screen recording shrinks into a corner as keys on its box size and position. - **Emphasis.** A logo scales up and settles with an overshoot ease. ## Editing keyframes vs compression keyframes: what's the difference? The same word means two different things. In an editor, a keyframe is a value you set on a property at a moment. In a video codec like H.264, a keyframe (or I-frame) is a full image stored at intervals so the frames between can be saved as differences. You set the first kind; your export settings control the second. ## What's an example of keyframing? Say you want a product screenshot to grow from a small card into full screen. Set a key at frame 0 with the card at 40 percent scale in the corner. Set another key 15 frames later at full size, centred. Choose an ease-out on the first key so it decelerates as it lands. Play it back and the screenshot glides into place. ## How do keyframes work in Vidiyo? In Vidiyo, every visual layer (video and image clips, text and shapes) has a Transform section in its inspector with X, Y, Scale, Rotation and Opacity. Each property has a diamond button that adds a key at the playhead or removes the one there, with arrows to jump between keys. Once a property is animated, changing it anywhere adds a key automatically. The selected layer shows a lane per animated property under its timeline row, where you can drag keys in time and set each key's easing. The Animate presets (fade, slide, pop, zoom) write ordinary keys you can edit, and the assistant works through the same model, so anything it animates stays editable by hand. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many keyframes do you need to animate something? Two. One keyframe holds the starting value and another holds the ending value; the editor calculates every frame in between. More keyframes let the motion change direction or speed along the way. ### Is a keyframe in editing the same as a keyframe in video compression? No. In compression, a keyframe (I-frame) is a complete image the codec stores so other frames can be described as changes from it. In editing and animation, a keyframe is a value you set for a property at a moment. ### Can I animate with keyframes in Vidiyo? Yes. Every visual layer has Transform properties (X, Y, Scale, Rotation, Opacity) with a diamond button that adds a key at the playhead, plus keyframe lanes on the timeline where you set each key's easing. ## Related terms - [Easing](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/easing) - [Motion graphics](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/motion-graphics) - [Punch-in zoom](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/punch-in-zoom) - [Timeline](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/timeline) ## Where Vidiyo does this - [Layers and keyframes, by hand or by chat](https://getvidiyo.app/features/layers-and-keyframes) - [Motion graphics without After Effects](https://getvidiyo.app/features/motion-graphics)