After Effects Frame-by-Frame Shortcuts

Navigating the timeline frame by frame is essential in Adobe After Effects for precise animation, visual effects alignment, and audio syncing. This guide provides the exact keyboard shortcuts used to step forward and backward by a single frame—as well as multi-frame increments—across both Windows and macOS operating systems.

Single-Frame Navigation Shortcuts

To move the Current Time Indicator (CTI) forward or backward by exactly one frame, use the following default shortcuts:

• Step Forward 1 Frame:
  • Windows: Press Ctrl + Right Arrow or Page Down
  • macOS: Press Command + Right Arrow or Page Down (Fn + Down Arrow on compact keyboards)
• Step Backward 1 Frame:
  • Windows: Press Ctrl + Left Arrow or Page Up
  • macOS: Press Command + Left Arrow or Page Up (Fn + Up Arrow on compact keyboards)

Moving by 10 Frames (Large Step)

If you need to move through the composition more quickly, you can navigate in increments of 10 frames by adding the Shift key:

• Step Forward 10 Frames:
  • Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow or Shift + Page Down
  • macOS: Press Command + Shift + Right Arrow or Shift + Page Down
• Step Backward 10 Frames:
  • Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow or Shift + Page Up
  • macOS: Press Command + Shift + Left Arrow or Shift + Page Up

Customizing Navigation Shortcuts

If you prefer different key bindings, you can modify these shortcuts:

1. Open the visual keyboard shortcut editor via Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows) or After Effects > Keyboard Shortcuts (macOS).
2. Type "Step Forward One Frame" or "Step Backward One Frame" into the search bar.
3. Click the shortcut column next to the command to assign your preferred key combination.