All keyboard shortcuts for animation and effects

100 Keyboard Shortcuts for Animation and Effects: After Effects, Adobe Animate, and Toon Boom Harmony

With keyboard shortcuts for animation and effects, you can work faster with keyframes, layers, drawings, and motion curves. This reference guide contains 100 practical entries for Adobe After Effects, Adobe Animate, and Toon Boom Harmony at Windows, with explanations of how they work and when to use them.

Which keyboard shortcuts are important for animation and effects?

The most important keyboard shortcuts help you build and refine motion: show properties, set keyframes, keep drawings on screen longer, and navigate the timeline. Commands for symbols, compositions, and layer structures also save you a lot of repetitive work.

Below you’ll find 40 entries for After Effects, 30 for Adobe Animate, and 30 for Toon Boom Harmony. Some keys appear in multiple applications. Therefore, the overview lists 100 entries per program, not 100 distinct key combinations. It is a selection of important standard commands, not a complete list of every available function.

Program	Numbers	Key Topics	Usage Context
Adobe After Effects	1–40	Compositions, layer properties, keyframes, expressions, and output.	Windows, default assignments.
Adobe Animate	41–70	Drawing tools, frames, symbols, and animation control.	Windows, default assignments.
Toon Boom Harmony	71–100	Drawings, exposure, keyframes, navigation, and nodes.	Windows; Node view commands for Harmony Premium.

Here’s how to read the key combinations

A plus sign (+) means you press the keys simultaneously. For Ctrl + Shift + C, hold down Ctrl and Shift and press C. For combinations involving clicking or dragging, hold down the specified keys while performing the mouse action.

For double letters, such as UU in After Effects, press the keys quickly one after the other. So don’t hold down the letter. For function keys like F6 and F9, you may also need to use the Fn key on some laptops.

Active selection remains important. A shortcut key may behave differently when you’re typing text, working in a timeline cell, or using a specific tool mode. Custom keyboard profiles may also behave differently.

A frame isn’t automatically a brand new drawing. Displaying an existing drawing for longer, creating a brand new drawing, and calculating movement between two positions are different offers. You can see that difference reflected in the keyboard shortcuts.

Adobe After Effects: 40 keyboard shortcuts for animation and effects

In After Effects, you can animate layer properties within compositions. In particular, quickly accessing the right properties and navigating between keyframes makes your daily work more organized.

Compositions, files, and tools

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
1	Ctrl + N	Opens the window for a brand new composition. Here, you can set dimensions, frame rate, and duration, among other things, before adding layers and animations.
2	Ctrl + K	Opens the settings for the selected composition. This allows you to change the duration or resolution, for example, without creating a brand new composition.
3	Ctrl + I	Import a file or a series of images. Use this for illustrations, video footage, audio, and other resources you want to incorporate into a composition.
4	Ctrl + S	Saves the project. This allows you to save compositions, layer settings, and animation data; the source files used are also required separately.
5	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S	Increases the version number in the project name and saves a brand new project version. This is useful before you attempt major changes to an animation.
6	V	Activates the selection tool. Use it to select and move objects, and return to normal operation after using another tool.
7	Y	Activates "Pan Behind," also used for the anchor point. This allows you to adjust, for example, the pivot point around which a layer should rotate.
8	Q	Activates and cycles through shape and mask tools. The layer selection helps determine whether you’re creating a shape layer or drawing a mask on an existing layer.
9	G	Activates the pen tool and allows you to switch between related tools. Use this for precise shape paths, masks, and editing path points.
10	Ctrl + T	Activates the text tools. These allow you to create or edit text layers for animated titles, captions, and other moving typography, for example.

Quickly view product features

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
11	P	Shows the position of selected layers. This allows you to quickly access the values and keyframes that control an object’s movement through the composition.
12	S	Displays the scale of selected layers. Use this feature for zooming in, zooming out, and other animated size changes.
13	R	Displays Rotation and, where applicable, Orientation. This allows you to access the settings for rotating objects and the spatial orientation of 3D layers.
14	T	Shows the opacity of selected layers. With light layers, it’s all about intensity. You can use this, for example, to create a gradual fade-in or fade-out effect.
15	A	Displays the anchor point, or the relevant reference point for cameras and lights. The anchor point affects how a layer scales and rotates.
16	U	Displays properties using keyframes. This is useful for quickly locating the elements within a layer for which you’ve already set up animation.
17	UU	Displays modified properties. Press U twice in quick succession to check which settings differ from their default values.
18	EE	Displays properties using expressions. This helps you quickly identify which settings are controlled by an expression rather than just by regular keyframes.
19	LL	Displays the audio waveform of an audio track. This helps you synchronize animation timing with speech, musical accents, or other recognizable sounds.
20	M	Displays the “Mask Path” property. This allows you to define the path used to shape a mask and, if desired, have it change over time.

Organizing layers and defining their time ranges

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
21	Ctrl + D	Duplicates the selection, such as layers, effects, or compositions. Which elements are copied depends on the active panel and the selected items.
22	Ctrl + Shift + D	Splits selected layers at the current time. Without a layer selection, all layers can be split; therefore, check in advance which layers are active.
23	Ctrl + Shift + C	Opens “Pre-compose” for selected layers. This allows you, for example, to combine different parts of a title into a nested composition.
24	Ctrl + Y	Creates a brand new solid layer. Use it, for example, as a background, as a base for certain effects, or as part of a compositing setup.
25	Ctrl + Alt + Y	Creates an adjustment layer. Effects applied to this layer can affect the underlying composition, depending on the layer order and the set boundaries.
26	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Y	Creates a null object. This can be used as an invisible controller to which you can link multiple layers so they move together.
27	Alt + [	Trims the start time of selected layers to the current time. This shortens the layer; you’re not simply moving the entire layer.
28	Alt + ]	Trims the end point of selected layers to the current time. Useful for making an effect layer or graphic element end at a precise moment.
29	B	Set the start of the work area to the current time. This defines the range to which certain preview and output operations apply.
30	N	Set the end of the work area to the current time. Use B and N together to define a specific movement or scene.

Keyframes, motion curves, and output

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
31	J	Jumps to the previous visible timeline element, such as a keyframe, layer marker, or work area boundary. The visible properties determine which points you can reach.
32	K	Jumps to the next visible timeline element. Use this to check consecutive animation frames without having to repeatedly position the time indicator with the mouse.
33	Page Up	Move the current time one frame backward. This allows you to precisely monitor how a movement or effect changes from frame to frame.
34	Page Down	Advances the current time by one frame. Useful for detecting minor timing issues, sudden changes, and the transition between animation frames.
35	F9	Apply Easy Ease to selected keyframes. This smooths out the speed curve around those keyframes; then assess whether the movement has the desired character.
36	Shift + F9	Apply Easy Ease. This allows you to adjust the speed curve on the incoming side of selected keyframes.
37	Ctrl + Shift + F9	Apply the Easy Ease Out. This affects the outgoing portion of selected keyframes, for example, when a movement needs to fade out gradually.
38	Shift + F3	Switch between the Graph Editor and the standard layer view. In the graph, you can analyze and refine changes in value or speed over time.
39	Alt + click on the stopwatch	Adds or removes an expression from a property. This allows you, for example, to automatically repeat properties or link them to other values.
40	Ctrl + Alt + M	Adds a composition to the Adobe Media Encoder queue. Review the output settings and range there before encoding the file.

Adobe Animate: 30 keyboard shortcuts for drawing animation

In Animate, you work with frames, keyframes, and symbols. A regular frame plays existing content. A brand new keyframe allows for a separate, editable condition; an empty keyframe starts without any imported drawing content.

Draw, select, and transform

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
41	V	Activates the selection tool. Use this to select and move objects on the workspace and to build an animation sequence.
42	A	Enables Subselect. This allows you to edit individual vector points and paths, for example, to precisely adjust a drawn shape between animation frames.
43	Q	Enables Free Transform. Use this to scale, rotate, or distort selected parts while creating different poses.
44	B	Activates the classic brush. With it, you can draw sketches and colored brush shapes, among other things, which you can use for frame-by-frame animation.
45	Shift + space + drag	Temporarily rotates the view of the workspace. This allows you to choose a comfortable drawing angle without rotating the actual objects.
46	P	Activates the Pen tool. Use this for precise vector paths, such as for clean character parts or shapes that will be animated later.
47	E	Activates the eraser tool. The selected eraser mode determines which parts of the drawing content are removed when cleaning up an animated drawing.
48	K	Activates the paint bucket tool. Use this to fill suitable, bounded areas with colour—for example, when adding base colors to line drawings.
49	I	Activates the pipette. This allows you to apply available colour and style properties, ensuring that recurring elements in your animation maintain a consistent look.
50	T	Activates the text tool. Use it to add text that you can then incorporate, for example, into a title animation or symbol composition.

Frames, keyframes, and symbols

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
51	F5	Adds a frame at the selected timeline position. This allows existing content to run longer without having to create a brand new drawing.
52	F6	Adds a keyframe and, where applicable, inherits existing content. You can then adjust the brand new setting without changing the previous one.
53	F7	Adds an empty keyframe. Use this when you want to start a brand new animation frame without the content of the previous keyframe.
54	Shift + F5	Removes selected frames. This changes the timing or duration of the layer in question; be sure to check how it aligns with other layers afterward.
55	Shift + F6	Clear the keyframe status. The frame becomes a regular frame that follows the preceding keyframe sequence, causing a separate animation condition to disappear.
56	F8	Convert the selection into a symbol. This enables reuse and serves as a foundation for various types of tweening and nested animation.
57	Ctrl + F8	Creates a brand new symbol. You start with your own symbol definition, which you can then populate and use as an instance in your document.
58	Ctrl + B	Performs "Break" on suitable selected content. The result depends on the object type; a symbol may therefore lose its instance behavior.
59	Ctrl + G	Groups selected objects. This allows you to keep parts together while editing a pose, without immediately turning them into a symbol.
60	Ctrl + Shift + G	Dissolve the selected group. You can then adjust the individual parts separately again, for example, to change a facial expression or hand position.

Reuse, timeline navigation, and verification

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
61	Ctrl + Shift + V	Pastes content in the same position as the copied genuine. Useful when elements on consecutive keyframes need to align exactly with one another.
62	Ctrl + D	Duplicates selected objects. Use this, for example, for repeated decorative elements or an additional instance that you want to position separately.
63	Ctrl + L	Shows or hides the library. There you’ll find symbols and other resources that you can reuse within the document.
64	Ctrl + Enter	Start Test Movie. The test environment depends on the document type and allows you to evaluate the output more thoroughly than simply playing it back on the workspace.
65	Enter	Plays the active timeline. Use this to quickly check timing and successive frames while building the animation.
66	,	Goes back one frame. This allows you to compare the current frame with the previous one and assess small differences in movement.
67	.	Moves forward one frame. This helps with checking in-between frames, the rhythm of movement, and continuity between successive drawings.
68	Ctrl + 2	The entire workspace fits within the window. This allows you to evaluate the composition without a zoomed-in view hiding parts of the image.
69	Ctrl + 3	Displays all available drawing content in the view. Useful for locating elements that are outside the visible workspace boundaries.
70	Alt + drag keyframe	Copies a keyframe to a different timeline position. This allows you to reuse an existing frame without moving the genuine keyframe.

Toon Boom Harmony: 30 keyboard shortcuts for animation and compositing

These entries use the Harmony standard assignments found at Windows. An animation can be visible across multiple frames; this duration of visibility is called exposure. Keyframes on animation layers or pegs also control properties such as position and rotation.

The last three commands apply to the Node view in Harmony Premium. They support structuring a rig and assembling visual elements and effects.

Drawing tools and drawing verification

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
71	Alt + S	Enables "Select by Drawing Content." This allows you to select and edit parts of a drawing in the appropriate drawing view.
72	Alt + B	Activates the brush tool. Use this for sketches, line art, and other drawn shapes that become part of an animation.
73	Alt + /	Activates the pencil tool. This allows you to draw pencil lines whose available properties depend on the layer type used and the tool settings.
74	Alt + E	Activates the eraser tool. Useful for cleaning up outlines and removing unwanted parts within an animation drawing.
75	Alt + I	Activates the fill tool. Use this to fill suitable drawing areas with the selected colour from your scene’s palette.
76	Alt + D	Activates the pipette. This allows you to select an existing colour from the drawing so you can continue working with that same colour.
77	Shift + L	Turns the Light Table on or off. This allows you to use other drawing layers as visual references while working on the active drawing.
78	Click and drag	Adjusts the maximum size of the active drawing tool. Hold down O and drag to change the diameter directly while you’re drawing.
79	K	Shows or hides strokes of visible and invisible drawing objects. This helps when checking vector information and the boundaries of drawing areas.

View and timeline navigation

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
80	Space + drag	Temporarily activates the hand tool. You can pan the view without changing the drawing or the position of an animated component.
81	Ctrl + Alt + drag	Temporarily displays a suitable drawing or camera view. This allows you to choose a more comfortable drawing angle without rotating the scene’s content.
82	Shift + X	Restores the view rotation. Use this after rotating your drawing view to view the scene from the normal angle again.
83	Shift + M	Herstelt de weergave, inclusief rotatie en zoom. Handig wanneer je tijdens detailwerk het overzicht op de scène bent kwijtgeraakt.
84	Shift + Enter	Starts or stops playback of the scene. Use this regularly to assess the timing and movement rhythm of your animation.
85	Ctrl + R	Opens a window for a brand new drawing layer. This allows you to add, for example, a separate layer for additional line art, a character part, or an effect drawing.
86	F	Goes to the previous revealed drawing on the timeline. This allows you to jump between drawing changes instead of going back just one frame.
87	G	Goes to the next exposed frame. This helps when comparing consecutive animation frames with different exposure times.
88	;	Moves to the previous keyframe on the selected layer. Useful for comparing different positions of a peg or drawing layer.
89	‘	Goes to the next keyframe. This allows you to reach the next animation condition without having to manually search for the exact frame position.

Exposure and movement between keyframes

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
90	Alt + O	Shows or hides Onion Skin for appropriate selection. You can see surrounding drawings as a reference to assess movement and adjacent shapes.
91	+	Adds exposure to the selected drawing frames. This keeps the existing drawing visible longer without requiring you to create a brand new animation frame.
92	–	Removes exposure from the selected keyframes. This shortens the duration a drawing is visible and changes the rhythm of the animation.
93	F5	Extends the display of a drawing until the current frame. Use this, for example, to hold a pose before the next drawing appears.
94	F6	Create a keyframe on a suitable drawing or peg layer. This allows you to lock in the properties at that moment for further animation.
95	F7	Removes a keyframe at the specified position. Be sure to check the motion path afterward, as surrounding keyframes may otherwise affect the animation between them.
96	Ctrl + K	Creates a motion keyframe setting with interpolation between suitable keyframes. As a result, Harmony calculates intermediate values instead of simply holding the position.
97	Ctrl + L	Removes motion interpolation and converts the relevant keyframes to stop-motion behavior. The pose is then maintained until the next change.

Nodes and Rig Structure in Harmony Premium

No.	Shortcut	What does this keyboard shortcut do?
98	Ctrl + P	Adds one peg to the selection in the Node view. A peg serves as a controller to transform linked components collectively.
99	Ctrl + H	Creates a Composite node in the Node view. This allows you to combine connected image elements within the scene’s compositing structure.
100	Ctrl + G	Groups the selected nodes. This allows you, for example, to keep the components of a character rig or an effects setup neatly organized together.

Which keyboard shortcuts should you learn first?

Start with timeline navigation and the commands that directly support your animation method. In After Effects, these include P, S, R, T, U, and keyframe navigation. For hand-drawn animation, adding brand new keyframes, exposure adjustments, and switching between drawings yield results more quickly.

Only then should you learn more advanced features such as expressions, interpolation, and node groups. A shortcut key executes a command faster, but the right choice still depends on the action you want to perform.

Frequently Asked Questions About Shortcut Keys for Animation and Effects

Does F6 mean the same thing in Animate and Harmony?

Both programs use F6 to set a keyframe, but the content differs. In Animate, a keyframe can contain brand new drawing content. In Harmony, it can capture the condition of a drawing layer or peg, independent of a brand new drawing.

What’s the difference between Onion Skin and a Light Table?

Onion Skin helps you compare surrounding animation drawings over time. A Light Table helps you use other drawing layers as a reference. Which view is useful depends on what you want to check.

Why isn’t a function key working?

Your keyboard may use that key for brightness, volume, or another platform function. Try pressing Fn with the function key, and also check the active hotkey layout and the selected panel.

Key Insights

• Frames, drawings, and keyframes are different: first, determine which animation action you need.
• Use property panels in After Effects to display only relevant settings and keyframes.
• Be mindful of exposure when an existing drawing needs to remain visible for a longer or shorter period of time.
• Check your selection and working mode: timeline, drawing, and node commands, in particular, are context-sensitive.
• Learn several exercises at once and practice them during a real scene or composition.