# Utility Functions

Copy, Paste, Focus, and Unfocus Functions

## Easing Gate

This is a quick utility allowing you to maximize screen space on the Easing Page. Clicking the *Gate* will hide the header and footer navigation, allowing you to see more of the easing page graph and panels on smaller screens. Simply click the *Gate* again to de-activate it. ## Options

* **Keyframe Polling** - The menu option in the top-right corner allows you to specify whether live polling of keyframe data is turned on or off. If *on*, **Keyframe Polling** will constantly poll the selected layers, properties, and keyframes in your timeline, and display the corresponding ease curve. If **Keyframe Polling** is **off,** a polling icon will appear overlayed in the graph, which will allow you to one-time poll your selected layer. * **Tips and Tricks** - Opens up an overlay showing some keyboard/mouse shortcuts for interacting with the graphs and categories. * **Submit Feedback** - Opens the 'Requests' page with a pre-filled subject, allowing you to submit feedback on our new Easing Page. ## Keyframe Display On the left is a display of the number of selected keyframes, and an icon indicating the type of keyframes that are selected (linear, hold, auto-bezier, etc.). Clicking on the box will bring you to an overlay in which you can change the color of the selected keyframes, as well as change their type:

## Property Display On the right is a display of the property that is being reflected in the graph. In the case of Position, this display becomes a button menu, in which you can use the **Separate Position** tool. This tool will separate your position property into X Position and Y Position (and Z, if 3D). Unlike AE, it will also *preserve the easing of the original Position property*.

## Previous / Next Keyframe Surrounding the keyframe and property displays are left and right arrows. These are convenience functions that will select the previous or next set of keyframes in your timeline for you. E.g., if you have a single keyframe selected, you can iterate across all of the keyframes of your property in this manner. If you have two keyframes selected, you can easily select the next or previous 2 keyframes on your property. Same for 3, 4, etc. ## Copy and Paste

Across the bottom of the screen are the Copy and Paste functions. The leftmost button is Copy. Clicking this will copy the **easing data that is currently displayed on the easing page.** If **Keyframe Polling** is turned **on**, this will also be the selected easing data in your timeline. If **Keyframe Polling** is **off**, the data that is copied may be different than what is selected in your timeline. The copied data will be the Influence In/Out, Speed In/Out, and Cubic Bezier data shown on the easing page. Once copied, you can apply this data to any number of keys by selecting them, and clicking the Paste button.

The Paste button shows a number of options: 1. Influence - This will paste the copied influence data, while preserving the keyframes current speed values. 2. Speed - This will paste the copied speed data, while preserving the keyframes current influence values. If you want a bunch of layers to all start off at a speed of 600px/sec, regardless of where they end up, it may be beneficial to use this option. 3. Influence & Speed - This will paste and overwrite the selected keys' influence and speed values. 4. Cubic Bezier - This option pastes the actual cubic bezier curve, rather than the raw influence and speed values. In many cases this is preferred as opposed to using raw values. For instance, a "Speed In" value of 500px/sec can look much different when applied to a layer moving 5000px over 3 frames, as opposed to a layer moving 200px over 120 frames. When standardizing easing curves across layers that have different timing and distances, it is best to use cubic bezier. {% hint style="info" %} Note that since Cubic-Bezier describes a curve rather than discrete values, this option can only be applied to 2+ selected keyframes {% endhint %} When pasting data, note the following: * For a single keyframe, the data will be pasted to that keyframe only. As in, the influence and speed will be applied to the influence in and out, and the speed in and out, of that keyframe * With 2+ selected keyframes, the data will be applied *in between* the selected keys. * **Influence Out** and **Speed Out** will be applied to the **first keyframe** * **Influence In** and **Speed In** will be applied to the **last keyframe** * If more than 2 keys selected, Influence In/Out and Speed In/Out will be applied to all of the intermediate keys. ## Focus and Refocus Clicking **Focus** will give you two options: **Layers** and **Keyframes.** **Focus Layers** is the same as a normal Focus - soloing your selected layers in the timeline. **Focus Keyframes** takes this a step further to assist in easing keyframes. This will first focus to your selected layers, and then set your workarea to span your selected keyframes. From here, you can loop-preview your easing in the timeline, or use the previous/next keyframe buttons to go to the previous or next set of keyframes. When in this focused mode, your workarea will also move with you. **Refocus** resets the focus state, as normal.