Enhance your Synthesia videos by animating visual elements like images, videos, and shapes. With animation triggers and effects, you can control when elements enter and exit the scene, as well as how they behave during the video. This guide walks you through using animation triggers, effect animations, and the different options available depending on the type of element.
🎯 Quick tip:
Triggers = When an element appears or disappears
Effects = How an element behaves while it's visible
Adding Enter and Exit Animations:
Animation triggers control when an element appears or disappears in sync with your script.
To add an enter or exit animation:
Click on the element you want to animate on the canvas.
Locate the triggers in the script box at the start and end of the scene.
Click the trigger and drag it to the word in the script where the element should enter or exit.
Choose an animation style:
Instant: Element appears immediately.
Fade: Softly fades in.
Slide: Slides in from any direction.
Move: Moves into place from a direction.
Zoom: Zooms in while fading in.
Scale: Grows to full size.
Customize the animation:
Direction – Set where the animation comes from.
Velocity – Adjust the speed.
Duration – Choose how long it lasts.
Delay – Set when it should begin.
To remove an animation:
Click on the trigger and then the trash icon.
The Enter/Exit trigger will reset to its default position.
💡 Note: All elements use an Instant animation by default. You can also control animations from the Animation panel in the inspector on the right.
⚠️ Important:
An Enter trigger cannot come after an Effect trigger for the same element.
An Exit trigger cannot come before an Effect trigger for the same element.
If multiple triggers are on the same word, a trigger cluster will appear. Click it to apply animations individually or to all grouped elements.
Adding Effect Animations Between Triggers:
Effect animations let you control how an element behaves between its entry and exit. These are tied to specific words in your script.
To add an effect animation:
Select the element on the canvas.
Hover over the word where you want the effect.
Click the + button to add an effect.
Select the desired effect type.
Adjust any available settings (zoom, position, speed, etc.).
To delete an effect:
Click the trigger in the script and then the trash icon, or
Use the Inspector Panel and click the “-” icon next to the effect.
You can also use the Timeline View to apply effects.
💡 Tip: You can manage all entrance, exit, and effect animations from the Inspector Panel by selecting the element.
Available Effect Animations:
Emphasis Effects (All Elements)
Emphasis Effects (All Elements)
Blink – Makes the element flash briefly.
Shake – Adds a shaking motion.
Pop – Adds a bouncing effect to draw attention.
These work on all element types.
Camera Zoom (Image Elements Only)
Camera Zoom (Image Elements Only)
Zoom in or out on a specific part of an image tied to a word.
Adjust zoom level and position.
Zoom/Pan (Video Elements Only)
Zoom/Pan (Video Elements Only)
Zoom into a part of a video at a specific point.
Works only for videos in Stretch or Loop/Cut modes.
Play/Pause (Video Elements Only)
Play/Pause (Video Elements Only)
Control which video frame is visible when a word is spoken.
Choose if the video plays or freezes.
Useful for stop-motion or timed visuals.
⚠️ Video limitations:
Video effects are not supported for videos set to Play Once.
Cannot apply effects to videos used as backgrounds.
Related resources:
For more details on elements, visit the Elements Documentation Page.
To learn more about Triggers, check out the Synthesia Academy Feature Fridays: Triggers recording.
To see animations in action, check these Synthesia Academy videos: