Animation and design · lesson 4 of 24 · free

Keyframes and in-betweens — Animation for kids

Animators do not draw a move from start to finish in one go. First they draw the keyframes — the main poses, such as the start of a jump, the top of the jump and the landing. Then they draw the in-betweens that fill the gaps. When an animation app works out the in-betweens for you, it is called tweening. Between keyframes on frame 1 and frame 9 there are 9 − 1 − 1 = 7 in-between frames. More in-betweens make a move slower and smoother; fewer make it faster.

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Creator's tip

Keys, then in-betweens — “draw the main poses first, then the drawings that join them”

  1. Keyframes = the main poses; in-betweens = the drawings between them; tweening = the app makes the in-betweens.
  2. In-betweens between two keyframes = second frame number − first frame number − 1.
  3. Equal steps: one step = distance ÷ number of steps. Drawings in all = keyframes + in-betweens.

Use it for: Animating a jump, a bounce or a wave, using tweening in an animation app and planning how many drawings a move needs.

Worked example: 🔑 An animator draws keyframes on frame 1 and frame 9. How many in-between frames are there between them? → 7

  1. The frames between them are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
  2. 9 − 1 − 1 = 7.

Check: Frames 2 to 8: count 8 − 2 + 1 = 7 ✓

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Work it out in your head or on paper, type the answer and press Check. Stuck? Press “Show me how”.

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🖨️ Animation Worksheet: Keyframes and In-Betweens

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