{"id":52330,"date":"2015-03-04T15:14:24","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T21:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=52330"},"modified":"2015-03-18T14:27:10","modified_gmt":"2015-03-18T19:27:10","slug":"understanding-spatial-and-temporal-interpolation-in-after-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/understanding-spatial-and-temporal-interpolation-in-after-effects\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Spatial and Temporal Interpolation in After Effects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Temporal and Spatial Interpolation\u00a0are two distinctly different terms. What do they mean and\u00a0what purpose do they serve in After Effects?<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a lot of lingo to learn in After Effects. There is a lot of foreign verbiage – from Frame Blending to Rasterizing – that can be quite confusing to both AE rookies and experts alike. Two terms commonly misunderstood in After Effects are Temporal and Spatial Interpolation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The terms Temporal and Spatial are used almost exclusively to talk about interpolation\u00a0in After Effects (or the way in which After Effects will process data in-between keyframes). However, the two are very different in the way they work. We decided to shed some light on this confusion and explain the differences<\/strong> between these two commonly confused terms.<\/p>\n

Temporal Interpolation<\/h3>\n

Temporal Interpolation refers to the way After Effects processes keyframe changes in time. For example, When you’re converting your position keyframes from linear to Bezier or Easy Ease, you are changing the time at which the layer will be at a certain point<\/strong>, not necessarily changing the shape of an object’s path.<\/p>\n

In the following example, both of the paths\u00a0feature the same shape – however one of the movements seems smoother than the other.<\/p>\n

\"Linear<\/a><\/p>\n

This is an example of keyframes with Linear Interpolation. Notice how the movement is inconsistent.<\/p>\n

\"Linear<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are\u00a0the same keyframes with Temporal Smoothing.<\/p>\n

\"Temporal<\/a><\/p>\n

Notice how the example with Temporal Smoothing is much more natural in the way it moves across the composition. When creating lifelike movements, adjusting the temporal properties are a must. If you are viewing the speed graph in the graph editor, you are viewing a temporal graph because it only deals with changes between keyframes in time<\/strong>, not in 2D or 3D space.<\/p>\n

Spatial Interpolation<\/h3>\n

\"Linear<\/a><\/p>\n

Whereas Temporal Interpolation has to deal with changes in an objects time, Spatial Interpolation deals with changes in a\u00a0layer’s\u00a0path shape.<\/strong> When you\u2019re talking about smoothing an object’s keyframes using Spatial Interpolation, you aren\u2019t talking about smoothing in such a way that harsh path points\u00a0become rounded. The following example shows us what adding Spatial Interpolation Smoothing to a layers path can do.<\/p>\n

This is a simple three keyframe example of a square creating a “V” shape using the position parameter:<\/p>\n

\"Linear<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the same example with Spatial Smoothing Interpolation.<\/p>\n

\"Spatial<\/a><\/p>\n

When to Modify Interpolation in After Effects<\/h3>\n

\"Smoother<\/a><\/p>\n

Both Temporal and Spatial normally refer to the type of smoothing that you are going to be adding to your keyframes. By using the ‘Smoothing Window’ in After Effects you can select your desired keyframes, and it will give you the option to smooth using a Spatial or Temporal path. If nothing else, using technique will help you learn the difference between these two types of interpolation.<\/p>\n

Wait! I\u2019m Still Confused<\/h3>\n

In the end, it\u2019s best to think of Temporal as Time and Spatial as Space.<\/strong> Practically speaking, you probably won\u2019t need to know the difference between Spatial or Temporal Interpolation to be successful in After Effects. But understanding the difference between the terms will help your mind become better in-tune with the way After Effects processes data, which might help if you want to dive into scripting in the future.<\/p>\n

If you want to learn more about the difference between Spatial and Temporal Interpolation in After Effects, check out a few of these resources:<\/p>\n