Once you’ve mastered basic motion in Jitter, level up with custom presets and power user techniques to created polished and professional motion.
Custom animations
When basic animation presets aren’t enough, go custom.
Select the layer
Open Animate → New animation → Custom
Choose the animation type
Adjust parameters in the Property panel
Custom animation types
Effect | What It Does | How It Looks | When to Use |
Move | Shifts the layer position along X and Y axes | The layer slides, glides, or drifts from one place to another | To guide attention, create entrances/exits, or simulate motion like scrolling |
Scale | Increases or decreases the size of the layer | Layer appears to zoom in or out | To emphasise key content or create pop/bounce effects |
Rotate | Rotates the layer around its centre point | Layer spins or tilts during motion | To introduce playful motion |
Opacity | Animates an adjustment of how visible the layer is (0%–100%) | Layer fades in or out smoothly | For soft transitions or bringing elements in/out gently |
Color | Changes the layer from one color to another | Layer gradually shifts from one color to another | For highlights, mood shifts, and hover effects |
Shadow | Animates a drop shadow | Shadow appears, grows, softens, or disappears | To add depth, simulate lifting, or enhance hover states |
Blur Radius | Animates the application or removal of a blur effect | The layer comes into or out of focus | For cinematic reveals, dreamy effects, or transitions |
Hide / Show | Animates the layer appearing or disappearing | Layer pops in or disappears completely | To manage visibility across complex sequences |
Resize | Animates width and/or height changes | Layer stretches or expands during animation | To reveal hidden content, emphasise interaction, or animate layout shifts |
Corner Radius | Animates rounding of layer corners | Corners transition between sharp and rounded edges | To soften UI elements or transition between visual styles |
Stroke | Animates layer outline color or thickness | Borders or outlines draw in, pulse, or change color | For highlight effects |
Easing
Use easing to make animations feel natural and life-like. Easing makes elements accelerate and slow down throughout their motion, instead of being one constant speed.
Reusing animations
Speed up repetitive workflows by reusing animations.
Select the animation in the timeline
Press ⌘ C / Ctrl C to copy
Select the target layer
Press ⌘ V / Ctrl V to paste
This enables you to maintain consistent motion across multiple layers and quickly build systems instead of one-off animations.