Step 2: Add Keyframes and Set their Values

In the first Color Transform effect, the drawing should fade out from frame 16 to frame 20.

To achieve this, you must add a keyframe at frame 16. Then, at the keyframe on frame 20, you must make the attached elements completely transparent.

With color transforms, you can chose to do an additive or a multiplicative color transform.

• In additive color transformations, you select a color value that is added to all of the color values in an element.
• In multiplicative color transformations, you select a value (usually between 0 and 1) and multiply this value with all of the color values in an element to arrive at a final value.

Because the effect you want to create in this lesson is an even transformation of the alpha value (transparency) of element colors, you will create multiplicative color transformations.

To make an element change from transparent to opaque to transparent, you must multiply the alpha values by 0, 1, and 0. When you multiply an opaque color (255 alpha) by 0, the result is 0 which makes the color transparent.

To add a keyframe and set its value:

1. Advance the red frame at the top of the Timeline window to frame 16.

2. From the element list on the left-side of the Timeline window, select the Transform-skateColor element. Notice in the Properties window (Window > Show Properties) that the Color Transform tab opens.

3. In the Color Transform tab, click the Add button to add a keyframe to the selected frame on the Transform-skateColor element.

4. Advance the red frame slider at the top of the Timeline window to frame 20.

5. On the Color Transform tab, drag the Alpha slider in the Multiplicative section of the tab all the way to the left. The value should appear as 0 in the Alpha field.

6. Drag the red frame slider at the top of the window from frame 11 to 20 and watch as the element fades-out.

7. Select File > Save to save your animation set.