How Can I Make Smooth Moves of Still Images?

Question

I'm doing a lot of moving stills in a current project, but I can't figure out how to add acceleration curves to the moves. I know the pen tool has a "smooth point" to add curves to keyframes, but I don't know where to apply them. I can apply them in the "scale" setting in the viewer, but not "center."
I'm sure there's an easy way, but I can't figure it out. Id prefer to do it in the canvas if possible. I want to reposition, slide, and zoom my photos so they don't "clunk" on the keyframes.

Answer 1

In the Canvas, make sure you're in Image + Wireframe mode.
Set up the basic move:
- position the layer at one end of the motion
- set one keyframe on Center
- move the playhead to the other end of the intended motion and move the layer again.
Right-click on the closing keyframe and choose Linear. Look really closely at the motion path (a series of small purple squares) in the Canvas. Connected to the currently selected keyframe (green square) are two circles, one dark purple and one light purple.
The lighter circle controls the curve of the motion. Adjusting this will change the path the object moves along.
The darker circle controls the acceleration. You'll see the smaller purple squares bunch up or spread out as you drag the darker purple circle; the further away the squares are from one another, the faster the motion.
Since you want to keep the path the same but change the acceleration, just move the darker circles. Ease In/Ease Out will start the process for you but with less control.
If all that doesn't give you the results you're looking for, consider using Motion or iPhoto instead. Some third-party plug-ins can also help if you're doing this a lot.