Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 5.5 Help Manual page 144

Adobe After Effects Help
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Velocity: Time Remap The top value indicates the layer's fastest speed. The bottom value
is always a negative of the top value. The middle value indicates how fast the video is
playing at the current time. Normal speed is 100%, slow-motion is less than 100%, and
fast-motion is greater than 100%.
When you turn on Enable Time Remapping, After Effects adds a Time Remap keyframe at
the start and end points of the layer in the Timeline window. By setting additional remap
keyframes, you can create complex motion effects. Every time you add a Time Remap
keyframe, a Value graph marker appears on the graph directly below the keyframe. As you
move this marker up or down, the Time Remap value changes to the frame of the video set
to play at the current time. After Effects then interpolates intermediate frames and plays
the footage forward or backward from that point.
The speed at which remapped video plays depends on the number of frames you are
remapping and the amount of time allocated in the timeline for the changes. For example,
if you freeze a frame for one second and do not increase the duration of the layer by one
second, the footage following the freeze frame must play faster than normal to play all
frames in the limited time remaining.
The original duration of the source footage may no longer be valid when remapping time,
because parts of the layer no longer play at the original rate. If necessary, set the new
duration of the layer before you remap time. See "Understanding trimming" on page 81.
If you remap time and the resulting frame rate is significantly different from the original,
the quality of motion within the layer may suffer. Apply frame blending to improve slow-
or fast-motion effects; see "Using frame blending" on page 89.
Time-remapping parts of a motion footage or audio layer
There are limitless options for time-remapping in After Effects. For example, you can time-
remap an entire layer, making it play backwards. You can time-remap a few frames at the
beginning or end of the layer, creating a freeze-frame effect. Or you can time-remap
frames in the middle of the layer, creating a slow-motion effect.
You can remap time for video footage only; still images cannot be remapped. For best
results, do not remap video footage that has been time-stretched.
To freeze the first frame without changing the speed:
1 In a Composition window or Timeline window, select the layer you want to remap.
2 Choose Layer > Enable Time Remapping.
3 Click the triangle to the left of the layer name to expand the layer outline.
4 Click the triangle to the left of the Time Remap heading to display the time graph for
time remapping.
5 Move the current-time marker to where you want the movie to begin.
6 Shift-click the keyframes at the layer's start and end, or click "Time Remap" to select the
start and end keyframes.
7 Drag the first keyframe to the current-time marker, which moves the start and end
keyframes.
To freeze the last frame without changing the speed:
1 In a Composition window or Timeline window, select the layer you want to remap.
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