The curve editor
Shape the feel of your animation — not just where a value goes, but how it gets there.
When you keyframe a parameter, DNA draws the in-between values as a curve. The curve editor is where you sculpt that curve: how fast things start, where they slow down, whether motion glides or snaps. Same keyframes, totally different feel.
What you're looking at
Each animated value is a line through your keyframes, plotted as value (up) over time (across). The dots are your keyframes; the line between them is every frame in between.
Every keyframe has two little handles — one reaching back toward the previous keyframe, one reaching forward to the next. Drag a handle and you bend the curve near that point. A flat, level handle means the value eases to a gentle stop; a steep handle means it's still moving fast as it arrives.
A Vec2, Vec3 or Colour value gets one curve per channel (x, y, z, or r, g, b, a). You can edit each one independently, so the X of a position can ease differently from its Y. Numbers and toggles have a single curve.
Outside your keyframe range, the value is held — it stays parked at the first keyframe before the animation starts, and at the last keyframe after it ends. There's no runaway extrapolation past the ends.
Handle types
The fastest way to change a curve's feel is to switch a keyframe's handle type. Select a keyframe and pick one:
Auto — DNA computes smooth handles for you based on the neighbouring keyframes. This is the default for new keyframes and is the right choice most of the time.
Auto Clamped — like Auto, but it won't overshoot. If a value sits between its neighbours, the curve won't bulge past them. Reach for this when Auto adds an unwanted little dip or spike (an "S" wobble) around a keyframe.
Aligned — the two handles stay in a straight line through the keyframe, so motion flows smoothly through it, but you control each side's length independently. Good for a smooth pass-through where the lead-in and lead-out have different speeds.
Free — the two handles move completely independently. Use this when you want a deliberate kink or a fully hand-shaped curve.
Vector — handles point straight at the neighbouring keyframes, giving sharp corners and straight-line segments. Use it for mechanical, linear, or snappy moves with no easing.
There's a keyboard shortcut that cycles a selected keyframe through these types. Tap it a few times while watching the curve to feel the difference instantly.
Easing in and out
"Easing" is just the shape of acceleration:
Ease in — start slow, speed up. Things feel like they're picking up momentum.
Ease out — start fast, settle slowly. Great for arrivals — a panel sliding into place, a value landing.
Ease in/out — slow at both ends, quick through the middle. The classic, natural-feeling move.
Linear — constant speed, no easing. Mechanical and even (this is what Vector handles give you).
You can dial easing in two ways: switch handle types and drag handles for fully custom shapes, or apply a preset ease where a curve just needs a quick, consistent feel. For hand-authored motion, the handles give you the most control.
Shaping motion in practice
A few moves that come up constantly:
A confident arrival. Set the final keyframe to Ease out (or flatten its incoming handle). The value rushes in and settles — far nicer than stopping dead.
A snappy cut. Set both keyframes to Vector. Straight line, no softening — perfect for stepped, mechanical, or beat-locked motion.
Tame a wobble. If a value dips below or spikes above your keyframes between them, switch the offending keyframes to Auto Clamped.
Asymmetric swing. Use Aligned and make one handle longer than the other — slow build, quick release (or the reverse).
After you move a keyframe in time or value, its Auto handles recompute to keep the curve smooth. If you'd hand-shaped the handles with Free, those stay exactly as you left them.
Curves vs. expressions
Keyframes and the curve editor are for hand-authored motion you can see and feel. If you instead want motion that's driven by a formula — a constant wobble, something tied to the clock — an expression is usually the better tool. You can mix both across a project, choosing per parameter.
And if you're performing live, the recorder captures a knob, fader, or other live input straight into keyframes on a curve — which you can then clean up right here in the editor.