Editing Animated Sequences

After you've previewed an animated sequence, you may decide to go back and modify it. You may want to modify some keyframes, reorder the sequence, add more action or take some actions away, as well as make parts of it longer or shorter. You can also add text and image overlays to illustrate sequences with text, graphs, screen captures, and other information (see Image and Text Overlays). For example, you can display a corporate or institutional logo as an overlay and annotate key frames with titles and captions that describe important transitions.

You might find it necessary to modify a keyframe that is already part of your movie. For example, you may decide to change window leveling or adjust the position of a visual after you preview your movie.

You may prefer to work in Advanced mode, which provides access to all of the key values of a keyframe and the interpolation options for key values (see Working in Advanced Mode).
  1. Double-click the keyframe you plan to modify on the timeline.

    The 3D view is updated with the state of the selected keyframe and the keyframe is highlighted with a translucent border.

  2. Make the necessary adjustments in the 3D view.
  3. Do one of the following:
    • Right-click the keyframe and then choose Update Keyframe in the pop-up menu.
    • Click the Update Key button in the Animation Settings box.

Sometimes you might find it necessary to reorder the keyframes that are already part of your movie.

You cannot reorder keyframes that are part of a controlled sequence, such as rotation.
  • Drag the required keyframe on the timeline to a new position.

You can add text and image overlays to illustrate animated sequences with text, graphs, screen captures, and other information (see Image and Text Overlays). For example, you can display a corporate or institutional logo as an overlay and annotate key frames with titles and captions that describe important transitions.

When you work with overlays, you might find it necessary to work in Advanced mode (see Working in Advanced Mode). In the Advanced Animation Options dialog you can use the Copy button to copy the position and extent of an overlay to all keyframes. This will avoid having to adjust the overlay for each keyframe.
  1. Select the required keyframe.
  2. Add the required image or text overlay (see Adding Image Overlays and Adding Text Overlays).
  3. Update the selected keyframe.

The placement of the keyframes on the timeline controls the timing of animation sequences. You can increase or decrease the length of animation effects by simply dragging a keyframe. You can also increase or decrease the total time of an animated sequence.

  • Drag a keyframe on the timeline to increase or decrease the length of an animated property.
  • Click the Animation Settings button and then select a new duration for the animated sequence in the Animation Settings dialog.

Sometimes you might find it necessary to remove keyframes that are already part of your movie.

You cannot remove a keyframe that is part of a controlled sequence, such as rotation.
  • Right-click the keyframe you need to remove and then choose Remove keyframe in the pop-up menu.