frames/docs/guides/keyframes.mdx

---
title: Keyframes & Arc Motion
description: "Edit GSAP keyframes visually in Studio — timeline diamonds, arc motion paths, and gesture recording."
---

Studio gives you visual tools to create and edit GSAP keyframes without writing code. You can adjust animation properties in the Design Panel, convert straight-line motion into curved arcs, and record gesture-based motion by dragging elements in the preview.

## Timeline Keyframe Diamonds

When you open a composition in Studio, the timeline shows **diamond markers** on clips that have GSAP animations. Each diamond represents a keyframe — a point in time where a property value is set.

- **Start diamond** — where the tween begins (e.g., `x: 0`)
- **End diamond** — where the tween ends (e.g., `x: 1000`)
- Elements with multiple tweens show multiple diamond pairs

<Note>
  Keyframe diamonds are synthesized from your GSAP tweens automatically. Every `.to()`, `.from()`, and `.fromTo()` call produces start and end markers on the timeline.
</Note>

## Editing Animation Properties

Select any animated element in the preview or timeline to open the Design Panel. The **Animation** section shows:

- **Method badge** — `Animate`, `Animate In`, or `From → To` (maps to `.to()`, `.from()`, `.fromTo()`)
- **Timing** — Length (duration) and Starts at (position on timeline)
- **Speed** — The GSAP ease (e.g., `power2.inOut`, `back.out(3)`)
- **Speed curve** — Visual preview of the easing function
- **Properties** — Each animated property (Move X, Move Y, Scale, Opacity, etc.) with its target value

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select an element">
    Click an animated element in the preview or its clip in the timeline. The Design Panel opens on the right.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Edit property values">
    Change any property value directly — for example, set Move X to `500` to make the element travel 500px. Changes apply immediately via soft reload.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Change the ease">
    Click the ease dropdown (e.g., "Smooth ease") to pick a different easing function. The speed curve preview updates live.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Verify in Code tab">
    Switch to the Code tab to see the generated GSAP code. Every Design Panel edit writes valid GSAP that renders identically in preview and headless export.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Arc Motion

Arc Motion converts a straight-line x/y animation into a curved path using GSAP's MotionPathPlugin. Instead of moving in a straight diagonal, the element follows a smooth arc — like tossing an object into a basket.

### When to Use It

Use Arc Motion when an element has both `x` and `y` properties in a single tween. Common examples:
- Add-to-cart animations (item arcs from product to cart icon)
- Throw/toss effects
- Any motion that should feel physical rather than robotic

### Step-by-Step

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select an element with x/y motion">
    The element must have a `.to()` tween with both Move X and Move Y properties. Select it in the preview or timeline.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Toggle Arc Motion ON">
    In the Animation section of the Design Panel, find the **Arc Motion** toggle below the property list. Switch it ON.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Adjust Curviness">
    The **Curviness** slider controls how exaggerated the arc is:
    - `0` — straight line (no curve)
    - `1` — gentle natural arc
    - `1.5–2.0` — smooth throw feel (recommended)
    - `3.0` — extreme loop

    Scrub the timeline to preview the arc in real time.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Toggle Auto-Rotate (optional)">
    Enable **Auto-Rotate** to make the element rotate to face the direction of travel along the arc. This adds a "thrown" feel vs. a "floating" feel.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Verify the generated code">
    Switch to the Code tab. You'll see:

    ```javascript
    tl.to("#element", {
      scale: 0.4,
      opacity: 0,
      duration: 1.0,
      ease: "power2.inOut",
      motionPath: {
        path: [{x: 0, y: 0}, {x: 1400, y: -280}],
        curviness: 1.5,
        autoRotate: true
      }
    }, 1.0);
    ```

    The MotionPathPlugin CDN script is added automatically.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Disable to restore straight motion">
    Toggle Arc Motion OFF to restore the original `x` and `y` properties as flat tween values.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Arc Motion works for flat `.to()` tweens with x/y properties. It synthesizes waypoints from `{x: 0, y: 0}` (start) to `{x: targetX, y: targetY}` (end). For more complex paths with intermediate waypoints, edit the `motionPath.path` array directly in the Code tab.
</Note>

## Gesture Recording

Record motion by physically dragging an element in the preview while the timeline plays. The pointer path is simplified and converted into GSAP keyframes automatically.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select an element">
    Click the element you want to animate in the preview.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Click Record or press R">
    In the Animation section of the Design Panel, click **Record gesture (R)** or press the R key. The timeline starts playing.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Drag the element">
    Move the element in the preview by dragging it. Your pointer motion is sampled at ~60fps. A trail overlay shows the path you're drawing.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Stop recording">
    Press R again or wait for the timeline to reach the end. Recording stops, the motion is simplified (reducing ~180 raw samples to 5–15 clean keyframes), and the keyframes are written to the GSAP script immediately.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Review or undo">
    The timeline seeks back to the recording start so you can scrub through the result. If you don't like it, press **Cmd+Z** to undo and try again.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Computed Timelines (Helpers, Loops, Dynamic Data)

Studio reads your timeline statically, so a composition that builds its tweens with a **helper function called several times**, a **bounded loop**, or **data-driven values** still shows every keyframe at its true time on the timeline — and the Arc Motion panel still activates for `motionPath` tweens, even when the path comes from a variable.

How those keyframes are **edited** depends on how they were authored:

- **Literal tweens** (`tl.to("#x", { x: 100 }, 1.3)`) — edit directly in the Design Panel. One source call, one tween.
- **Helper / loop tweens** — a single source line (e.g. `addCycle(1.0, ...)`) expands into many runtime tweens, so editing one keyframe is ambiguous. The Animation card shows a **"Generated by `addCycle()` — not directly editable"** notice with an **Unroll to edit** action: it rewrites the helper or loop into explicit literal tweens (a visual no-op — the render is identical), after which each keyframe edits directly. Undo restores the helper.
- **Computed-value tweens** (the rare case of a value derived at runtime that can't be resolved or unrolled) — stay display-only; edit them in the **Code tab**. Frames compositions are deterministic, so this case is uncommon.

The notice on each computed tween tells you which path applies.

## Clipboard Context

The **clipboard icon** next to the element name in the Design Panel copies structured element context to your clipboard:

```
Element: Title (#title)
File: index.html:15
Position: x=100, y=40
Size: 264×43
Tag: <div>
Animation: from() 0.5s at 0s, ease: power2.out
Properties: x: -40, opacity: 0
```

Paste this into any AI agent prompt to give it spatial context about the element — its position, size, animation, and source location.