Frame vs. Keyframe — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 20, 2024
Frame refers to a single image in a sequence within a video or animation, capturing one specific moment; keyframe denotes significant frames where major changes occur, guiding animations or effects.
Difference Between Frame and Keyframe
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A frame is one of the many still images that make up a video or an animation. Each frame captures a moment in time and when played in sequence, they create the illusion of motion. Keyframes, on the other hand, are specific frames that are crucial in defining the starting and ending points of any smooth transition or animation.
Frames occur consistently throughout a video at a fixed interval, determined by the frame rate, such as 24, 30, or 60 frames per second. Whereas keyframes are placed at significant moments where animations begin, change, or end, and are used as reference points to interpolate the values in between.
In traditional animation, every single frame might be drawn by hand. In contrast, in computer animation, keyframes are used to set parameters at certain times, and the software computes the in-between frames automatically.
For video editing and animation, frames provide the basic structure of the video, representing continuity. Keyframes are tools for editors and animators to control and manipulate the animation’s dynamics and pacing without altering every single frame.
While a frame is static and represents only a single point in time without implying change, a keyframe implies change and is essential for creating dynamic movements and effects within the sequence.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A single still image in a sequence of video or animation.
A frame selected to define and control the start or end of an animation sequence.
Role in Video
Represents a single moment in time.
Marks significant changes and transitions in animation.
Frequency
Occurs at every increment in a video based on the frame rate.
Placed at intervals crucial for effect transitions.
Impact on Animation
None independently; requires sequence to depict motion.
Directly influences animation behavior by setting parameters.
Use in Editing
Fundamental unit, edited for color, brightness, etc.
Used to set and modify animation paths, effects, or other dynamic changes.
Compare with Definitions
Frame
The basic unit in video editing and animation.
Editing software allows manipulation of individual frames.
Keyframe
Essential for controlling motion and effects in animation.
Keyframes help in automating movement between positions.
Frame
A single image in a sequence of images in a video.
Each frame in a movie is like a still photograph.
Keyframe
Makes editing more efficient by reducing the number of frames that need manual adjustments.
Adjusting a keyframe automatically updates all subsequent interpolated frames.
Frame
Integral to understanding video as a continuous sequence.
A video at 30 frames per second uses 30 images to make one second of video.
Keyframe
Sparsely placed compared to regular frames.
Only key moments in an animation have keyframes.
Frame
Represents a specific moment in time.
Freeze a frame to analyze a specific action in sports.
Keyframe
A frame used to mark the beginning or end of a transition in animation.
Animators set keyframes to define when a character starts and stops moving.
Frame
Does not imply motion by itself.
A frame must be combined with others to create movement.
Keyframe
Allows interpolation between frames.
Software calculates the in-between frames from keyframe to keyframe.
Frame
A structure that gives shape or support
The frame of a house.
Keyframe
A single frame in an animation sequence drawn by an artist, between which others are tweened.
Frame
The structure or physique of a human or animal body
A worker's sturdy frame.
Keyframe
(computer graphics) A complete video frame, used as a reference for subsequent interframes in video compression.
Frame
An open structure or rim for encasing, holding, or bordering
A window frame.
The frame of a mirror.
Keyframe
To animate by interpolation between successive keyframes.
Frame
A closed, often rectangular border of drawn or printed lines.
Frame
The edge, usually rectangular, delimiting the boundaries of an image.
Frame
The bounded area of a visual image, as in photography or film
Filled the frame with a cast of thousands.
Frame
One of the set of still images that constitute a film or video.
Frame
A single image, as in a comic strip or graphic novel, usually bounded by a rectangular line.
Frame
(Computers) A rectangular area in which text or graphics can be shown, especially one of several rectangular areas on a web page displaying different documents simultaneously.
Frame
A general structure or system
The frame of government.
Frame
A general state or condition
The news put me into a better frame of mind.
Frame
A frame of reference.
Frame
The presentation of events in a narrative work, especially a work of literature or film, such that characters in the narrative exist in isolation, uninfluenced by, unaware of, and unable to interact with the narrator or audience.
Frame
The context in which discourse occurs.
Frame
A pattern for a syntactic construction in which one of a group of words can vary.
Frame
A round or period of play in some games, such as bowling and billiards.
Frame
(Baseball) An inning.
Frame
Often frames A pair of eyeglasses, excluding the lenses
Had new lenses fitted into an old pair of frames.
Frame
See cold frame.
Frame
(Informal) A frame-up.
Frame
(Obsolete) Shape; form.
Frame
To enclose in a frame
Frame a painting.
Frame
To put together the structural parts of; construct the frame of
Frame a house.
Frame
To conceive or design
Framed an alternate proposal.
Frame
To establish the context for and terminology regarding (a subject of discussion or debate), especially so as to exclude an unwanted point of view
The question was framed to draw only one answer.
Frame
To put into words; formulate
Frame a reply.
Frame
To form (words) silently with the lips.
Frame
To make up evidence or contrive events so as to incriminate (a person) falsely.
Frame
To prearrange (a contest) so as to ensure a desired fraudulent outcome; fix
Frame a prizefight.
Frame
(Baseball) To catch (a pitch) in such a way as to make it appear to have passed through the strike zone.
Frame
(Archaic) To go; proceed
"Frame upstairs, and make little din" (Emily Brontë).
Frame
(transitive) To fit, as for a specific end or purpose; make suitable or comfortable; adapt; adjust.
Frame
(transitive) To construct by fitting together or uniting various parts; fabricate by union of constituent parts.
Frame
(transitive) To bring or put into form or order; adjust the parts or elements of; compose; contrive; plan; devise.
Frame
(transitive) Of a constructed object such as a building, to put together the structural elements.
Once we finish framing the house, we'll hang tin on the roof.
Frame
(transitive) Of a picture such as a painting or photograph, to place inside a decorative border.
Frame
(transitive) To position visually within a fixed boundary.
The director frames the fishing scene very well.
Frame
(transitive) To construct in words so as to establish a context for understanding or interpretation.
How would you frame your accomplishments?
The way the opposition has framed the argument makes it hard for us to win.
They have framed this sentencing bill as not caring about victims; we have to frame it as preventing government overreach.
Frame
Conspire to falsely incriminate a presumably innocent person. See frameup.
The gun had obviously been placed in her car in an effort to frame her.
Frame
To wash ore with the aid of a frame.
Frame
To move.
Frame
To proceed; to go.
Frame
(tennis) To hit (the ball) with the frame of the racquet rather than the strings (normally a mishit).
Frame
To strengthen; refresh; support.
Frame
To execute; perform.
All have sworn him an oath that they should frame his will on earth.
Frame
To cause; to bring about; to produce.
Frame
To profit; avail.
Frame
To fit; accord.
Frame
To succeed in doing or trying to do something; manage.
Frame
The structural elements of a building or other constructed object.
Now that the frame is complete, we can start on the walls.
Frame
Anything composed of parts fitted and united together; a fabric; a structure.
Frame
The structure of a person's body; the human body.
His starved flesh hung loosely on his once imposing frame.
Frame
A rigid, generally rectangular mounting for paper, canvas or other flexible material.
The painting was housed in a beautifully carved frame.
Frame
A piece of photographic film containing an image.
A film projector shows many frames in a single second.
Frame
A context for understanding or interpretation.
In this frame, it's easy to ask the question that the investigators missed.
Frame
(snooker) A complete game of snooker, from break-off until all the balls (or as many as necessary to win) have been potted.
Frame
(networking) An independent chunk of data sent over a network.
Frame
(bowling) A set of balls whose results are added together for scoring purposes. Usually two balls, but only one ball in the case of a strike, and three balls in the case of a strike or a spare in the last frame of a game.
Frame
(bowling) The complete set of pins to be knocked down in their starting configuration.
Frame
(horticulture) A movable structure used for the cultivation or the sheltering of plants.
A forcing-frame; a cucumber frame
Frame
(philately) The outer decorated portion of a stamp's image, often repeated on several issues although the inner picture may change.
Frame
(philately) The outer circle of a cancellation mark.
Frame
A division of time on a multimedia timeline, such as 1/30th or 1/60th of a second.
Frame
(Internet) An individually scrollable region of a webpage.
Frame
An inning.
Frame
Any of certain machines built upon or within framework.
A stocking frame; a lace frame; a spinning frame
Frame
(dated) Frame of mind; disposition.
To be always in a happy frame
Frame
(obsolete) Contrivance; the act of devising or scheming.
Frame
A stage or location in a video game.
Frame
A way of dividing nucleotide sequences into a set of consecutive triplets.
Frame
(computing) A form of knowledge representation in artificial intelligence.
Frame
(mathematics) A complete lattice in which meets distribute over arbitrary joins.
Frame
To originate; to plan; to devise; to contrive; to compose; in a bad sense, to invent or fabricate, as something false.
How many excellent reasonings are framed in the mind of a man of wisdom and study in a length of years.
Frame
To fit to something else, or for some specific end; to adjust; to regulate; to shape; to conform.
And frame my face to all occasions.
We may in some measure frame our minds for the reception of happiness.
The human mind is framed to be influenced.
Frame
To cause; to bring about; to produce.
Fear frames disorder, and disorder wounds.
Frame
To support.
That on a staff his feeble steps did frame.
Frame
To provide with a frame, as a picture.
Frame
To manufacture false evidence against (an innocent person), so as to make the person appear guilty of a crime. The act of framing a person is often referred to as a frame-up.
Frame
To shape; to arrange, as the organs of speech.
Frame
To proceed; to go.
The bauty of this sinful dameMade many princes thither frame.
Frame
Anything composed of parts fitted and united together; a fabric; a structure; esp., the constructional system, whether of timber or metal, that gives to a building, vessel, etc., its model and strength; the skeleton of a structure.
These are thy glorious works, Parent of good,Almighty! thine this universal frame.
Frame
The bodily structure; physical constitution; make or build of a person.
Some bloody passion shakes your very frame.
No frames could be strong enough to endure it.
Frame
A kind of open case or structure made for admitting, inclosing, or supporting things, as that which incloses or contains a window, door, picture, etc.; that on which anything is held or stretched
Frame
A term applied, especially in England, to certain machines built upon or within framework; as, a stocking frame; lace frame; spinning frame, etc.
Frame
Form; shape; proportion; scheme; structure; constitution; system; as, a frameof government.
She that hath a heart of that fine frameTo pay this debt of love but to a brother.
Put your discourse into some frame.
Frame
Particular state or disposition, as of the mind; humor; temper; mood; as, to be always in a happy frame. Same as frame of mind
Frame
Contrivance; the act of devising or scheming.
John the bastardWhose spirits toil in frame of villainies.
Frame
In games: (a) In pool, the triangular form used in setting up the balls; also, the balls as set up, or the round of playing required to pocket them all; as, to play six frames in a game of 50 points. (b) In bowling, as in tenpins, one of the several innings forming a game.
Frame
A structure supporting or containing something
Frame
One of a series of still transparent photographs on a strip of film used in making movies
Frame
Alternative names for the body of a human being;
Leonardo studied the human body
He has a strong physique
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
Frame
A period of play in baseball during which each team has a turn at bat
Frame
The hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a frame for the body of an animal
Frame
The internal supporting structure that gives an artifact its shape;
The building has a steel skeleton
Frame
Enclose in or as if in a frame;
Frame a picture
Frame
Enclose in a frame, as of a picture
Frame
Take or catch as if in a snare or trap;
I was set up!
The innocent man was framed by the police
Frame
Formulate in a particular style or language;
I wouldn't put it that way
She cast her request in very polite language
Frame
Draw up the plans or basic details for;
Frame a policy
Frame
Construct by fitting or uniting parts together
Common Curiosities
What is a keyframe?
A keyframe is a specific frame in an animation used to define the start, end, or change point in an animation path.
How often do keyframes appear compared to frames?
Keyframes are less frequent, placed only at crucial transition points, unlike frames which appear continuously at a consistent rate.
How do frames and keyframes work together in video editing?
Frames provide the continuous sequence of images, while keyframes define changes in that sequence to guide animations or effects.
What is the main purpose of using keyframes in animation?
Keyframes allow animators to set parameters for motion and effects, facilitating automatic interpolation by animation software.
What does "interpolation" mean in the context of keyframes?
Interpolation is the process of calculating intermediate frames between two keyframes to create smooth transitions.
What is a frame?
A frame is a single still image in a sequence of images that make up a video or animation.
Are keyframes visible differently than frames in editing software?
Yes, keyframes are typically highlighted or marked in timelines within video editing or animation software.
Is it possible to edit individual frames in a video?
Yes, individual frames can be edited for details such as color correction, cropping, or other visual adjustments.
Do all videos use keyframes?
While all videos consist of frames, keyframes are specifically used in contexts involving animations or effects.
What role do keyframes play in animation software?
Keyframes in animation software define the timing and parameters of animations, like motion paths.
Can a frame become a keyframe?
Yes, any frame can be designated as a keyframe in the context of animation and video editing.
How do frames affect the quality of a video?
The number of frames per second (fps) can greatly affect the smoothness and quality of video playback.
Can keyframes be adjusted after being set?
Yes, keyframes can be moved, added, or removed to refine animations during the editing process.
What is the difference between a frame and a keyframe in terms of editing workload?
Keyframes reduce the workload by allowing broader control over multiple frames simultaneously, whereas editing individual frames can be more labor-intensive.
Why are keyframes important in digital animation?
They allow animators to efficiently create complex animations by automating the generation of in-between frames.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
