Zoom and fade video
with keyframes.

1. Prepare one timeline clip

These instructions use the Mac Effects Studio in NetVista Studio 1.4 Beta 6. Windows and Linux have a different interface. If you have not made a sequence yet, follow the first-project editing guide, then select one video clip on the timeline and open Effects.

Begin with a shot several seconds long. Turn off Auto Keyframe for this manual exercise: when it is enabled, changing an animatable control writes a point at the playhead. Selecting only one video clip avoids changing other selected shots.

2. Add two scale keyframes for a zoom

Choose Motion in the effect controls. Move the playhead to the start of the selected clip and set Scale / Zoom to 100%. In the keyframe editor, choose Scale under PROPERTY and Ease In / Out under CURVE, then press ◆ Add / Update.

Move the playhead about two seconds into the clip. Set Scale / Zoom to 120% and press ◆ Add / Update again. Play the sequence using the editor's transport controls to see the image gradually enlarge. A modest zoom helps you check the timing before using a stronger crop.

Scale changes the clip's image; the program monitor's −, Fit and + controls only change your inspection view. Use Position X and Position Y if you also want to animate where the subject sits in the frame.

3. Use opacity keyframes for a fade

Choose Opacity & Blend and select Opacity under PROPERTY. At the clip's start, set Opacity to 0% and add a keyframe. Move roughly one second later, set it to 100% and add another. For a fade out, reverse the values near the end.

Opacity reveals what is underneath the layer. With footage below it, the upper shot fades over that footage; without another visible layer, it fades against the sequence background. This changes picture opacity, not the linked audio volume.

4. Retiming, easing and removing points

Use Previous and Next to reach existing points, or drag a diamond horizontally in the keyframe grid to retime it. Effects time is measured from the selected clip's timeline start, not from the beginning of the original source file.

Ease In / Out softens the change at both ends; Linear changes at a constant rate; Hold keeps the earlier value until the next point. Choose the curve before adding or updating the earlier keyframe: it controls the transition leaving that point. Remove Here deletes the current point; Clear Property removes that property's animation.

5. Save and check your animation

Adding a keyframe writes that property to the selected clip. Apply to Clip commits other previewed effect settings. Save the editable .netvistastudio project and make a short test using the MP4 and 4K export guide. Check motion, layer order and sound in the exported movie.

To shape the shot's colour as well, continue with the colour grading and .cube LUT guide. Keep backups while working in the beta.