Note: This is an archived version of the Blender Developer Wiki. The current and active wiki is available on wiki.blender.org.

UI - Keyframe Animation

Here are some common ways to animate objects by adding keyframes.
These methods can be used on different objects, like armature bones in pose mode.

Insert Keyframe

Add keyframe to Cube.

Keyframes in the Timeline.

In the Timeline Editor, move the green frame cursor to 0, by pressing or holding LMB .

With a Mesh Object selected in Object Mode, and the frame set in the Timeline. In the 3D View Tools press the 'Insert Keyframe' button, or press I in the 3D View to bring up the 'Insert Keyframe Menu'.

Select 'Location', this will record the location of the Mesh Object on the frame the Timeline cursor is set.

Set the Timeline cursor to a different frame, move the Mesh Object, then insert another keyframe.

The keyframes are displayed in yellow on the Timeline. Move the Timeline cursor to test the animation.

Timeline Keying Sets.

Keying Sets are a set of keyframes in one. They are made to record multiple properties at the same time. There are some built in keying sets, and also custom keying sets.

Use the keying set menu in the Timeline editor, to select a keying set. Now when you insert a keyframe, blender will add keyframes for the selected keying set.

Timeline Auto Keyframe.

Auto Keyframe is the red record button.
Auto Keyframe adds keyframes automatically to the set frame after setting the location, rotation, scale, etcetra, of the selected object in the 3D View.

Timeline Keying Sets.

Keyframes can be used to animate lots of properties in blender.
To add keyframes to a property on the UI, RMB the property, then select Insert Single Keyframe, or Insert Keyframes.
Insert Keyframes will add a keyframes to the set of properties.

I: Insert keyframe to the set frame.

Alt+i: Remove keyframe from the set frame.

Alt+shift+i: Remove all keyframes from the UI property.

Most of the low level settings for the keyframes are found in the Graph Editor.