What is time remapping in After Effects?

It replaces a layer's normal playback with a keyframed curve that says which frame of the source shows at each moment. Freezes, reverses and speed ramps are all shapes of that curve.

What is the shortcut for time remapping?

In After Effects, Ctrl+Alt+T on Windows and Cmd+Opt+T on macOS. In Premation, use Animation ▸ Time ▸ Enable Time Remapping, or the command palette.

How do I make a smooth speed ramp without editing the graph by hand?

In Premation, park the playhead and choose Speed Ramp to 25%, then ramp back to 100% where normal speed returns. It writes the exact time-remap curve for you, and slowing down turns on Pixel Motion frame blending.

Glossary

Time remapping

Name: Premation
Author: Premation

Keyframing a clip's internal time: which source frame plays at which composition frame. Freezes, reverses and ramps are all time-remap curves.

Also called Time remap, Time remapping, Enable Time Remapping.

In After Effects

In After Effects it is Layer ▸ Time ▸ Enable Time Remapping (Ctrl+Alt+T on Windows, Cmd+Opt+T on macOS). It adds a Time Remap property with a keyframe at each end of the layer, which you reshape in the Graph Editor.

In Premation

Animation ▸ Time ▸ Enable Time Remapping adds the property; Freeze Frame, Time-Reverse and the speed ramps write curves on it.

Step by step

Select a video, audio or pre-comp layer.
Choose Animation ▸ Time ▸ Enable Time Remapping to add a keyframeable time-remap property.
Keyframe it to choose which source time plays at each composition time, or use Freeze Frame, Freeze On Last Frame or Time-Reverse Layer from the same menu.
For slow motion, park the playhead and run Speed Ramp to 25%; type 'ramp' in the command palette for 50%, 200%, back to 100% or a ramp to a freeze.
Open the graph editor (Shift + F3) to reshape the curve; a ramp is two keyframes with one Bezier, not a run of baked keys.

Tips

A flat section of the curve is a freeze, a downward slope plays backwards, and a gentler slope is slow motion.
Slowed footage needs frame blending. Frame Mix or Pixel Motion avoids each frame simply being held several times.
Remapping a pre-comp retimes everything inside it, which is the usual way to retime an animation rather than footage.
Keyframes on the layer itself (position, scale, effects) keep their own timing when you remap its source.

Walkthrough: Speed ramp and slow motion

Read the docs: Speed ramps

Questions

What is time remapping in After Effects?: It replaces a layer's normal playback with a keyframed curve that says which frame of the source shows at each moment. Freezes, reverses and speed ramps are all shapes of that curve.
What is the shortcut for time remapping?: In After Effects, Ctrl+Alt+T on Windows and Cmd+Opt+T on macOS. In Premation, use Animation ▸ Time ▸ Enable Time Remapping, or the command palette.
How do I make a smooth speed ramp without editing the graph by hand?: In Premation, park the playhead and choose Speed Ramp to 25%, then ramp back to 100% where normal speed returns. It writes the exact time-remap curve for you, and slowing down turns on Pixel Motion frame blending.

Related terms

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