Move something in Animation mode, and it becomes motion.
On the timeline, you set how an object looks at each point in time. Put the playhead at 0.5 seconds and move the circle, and keyframes appear at 0 and 0.5 seconds. When you play it, the circle glides between them.
Make an animation
All you need is one blank scene. If you don’t have a project, see Create your first project first.
-
Draw a circle
Click Ellipse in the toolbar, or press C. Drag at the top left of the scene to draw a circle. Hold ⇧ while you drag to make a perfect circle. You’ll move the circle to the right later, so leave the right side of the scene empty.
Pressing C and dragging with ⇧ held draws a perfect circle. Video: Pressing C, then dragging while holding Shift, draws a perfect circle. -
Switch to Animation mode
Click the mode button at the top left and choose Animation mode. You can also press Tab. The Objects list below widens and becomes the timeline. At the top is a button row, and right below it is the ruler, marked 0s, 0.1s, and so on. Below that is the “Ellipse 1” row.
Pressing Tab widens the Objects list into a timeline with a ruler and an “Ellipse 1” row. Video: Pressing Tab switches the mode button at the top left to Animation mode, and the Objects list below widens into a timeline with a ruler and an Ellipse 1 row. -
Move the playhead
On the ruler right below the button row, click 0.5s. The blue vertical line (the playhead) moves to 0.5 seconds, and the time field in the button row changes to about 500. It’s fine if it’s a little off, like 497 or 504. Click the ruler with the numbers on it, not the “Ellipse 1” row.
Clicking 0.5s on the ruler moves the playhead, and the time field reads 500. Video: Clicking 0.5s on the ruler right below the button row moves the blue playhead to 0.5 seconds, and the time field in the button row reads 500. -
Move the circle
On the canvas, drag the circle to the right. Dots appear at 0 and 0.5 seconds in the “Ellipse 1” row, with a bar joining them. These dots are keyframes. The dot at 0 seconds holds the circle’s starting spot and appears automatically. If no dots appear, check that the Auto-keyframe button in the button row is on.
Dragging the circle to the right adds keyframe dots at 0 and 0.5 seconds in the “Ellipse 1” row. Video: With the playhead at 0.5 seconds, dragging the circle to the right adds keyframe dots at 0 and 0.5 seconds in the Ellipse 1 row, joined by a bar. -
Play from the start
Click Jump to start in the timeline’s button row. It’s the first button just right of “Scene”. Then click the triangle-shaped Play button. The circle glides to the right over 0.5 seconds. The playhead goes on to 5 seconds and then stops. You can also press Home and then tap Space.
Clicking Jump to start and then Play makes the circle glide for 0.5 seconds while the playhead keeps going. Video: Clicking the Jump to start button returns the playhead and the circle to the beginning. Clicking Play then makes the circle glide to the right over 0.5 seconds while the playhead keeps moving.
Moving the circle after playback adds another key
When playback ends, the playhead is at 5 seconds, and in Animation mode any value you change becomes a keyframe at the playhead’s time. If you move the circle then, a key appears at 5 seconds, and the circle keeps moving slowly until 5 seconds. Undo an unwanted key with ⌘Z. To fix a position, first move the playhead to that key’s time.
What you can do now
- In Animation mode, move the playhead and change an object to make keyframes.
- Play the timeline from the start to check the motion.
- Know that when you make the first keyframe, the starting look is also kept at 0 seconds.
Refine the animation
To slow it down. Click Jump to start to take the timeline back to the beginning. Drag the 0.5-second dot in the “Ellipse 1” row to the 0.8s mark, and the circle moves over 0.8 seconds.
To change the feel of the motion. Click Jump to start, then double-click the 0-second dot in the “Ellipse 1” row to open the Motion - Keyframe panel. Choose a curve in Templates and click Apply, and the motion from that key to the next one changes. Work with keyframes explains more.
On the presentation screen, it moves when you click. If you play with the triangle-shaped Present from this scene button at the top right, the scene you start from waits in its starting look and moves when you click the screen. See Present for details.
Shortcuts on this page
| Next edit mode (Design → Animation) | Tab |
|---|---|
| Previous edit mode | ⇧Tab |
| Play or pause the timeline (short press) | Space |
| Move the playhead to the start | Home |
| Undo | ⌘Z |
Updated 10/13/2026 · The videos on this page were recorded in the current editor.