Skip to main content
Participating Frequently
November 1, 2017
Answered

Animating a Clock to a Certain Time

  • November 1, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 1679 views

I need to make an animation for Daylight Savings and I've designed a clock at 9:00 and I since we need to turn the clock on hour back, I wanted the animation to be of the clock started at 9:00 then going back to 8:00. I've seen other tutorials but it's only about the minute and hour hand spinning. The animation is only going to be 10 seconds long and I just wanted to know if anyone knows how to do this in After Effects. Please and thank you! (:

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Dave_LaRonde

I don't get what's so tough -- you put the anchor point at the base of the hands.  You position them.  You set them to their initial position.  You set rotation keyframes.  You go ten seconds towards the tail.  You rotate the hands until they're in their ending position.  You're done.

2 replies

P.M.B
Brainiac
November 2, 2017

ctmcbphotography  wrote

I've seen other tutorials but it's only about the minute and hour hand spinning.

I think Dave's point was that you said you've seen tutorials on how to spin the minute & hour hands.

Soo.........If you've seen a tutorial on how to do that, and that's really all that's involved in turning a clock's hands back, then what else do you need to know?

As Dave said:

Set keyframes on the hour hand and minute hand's rotations,  move the time indicator forward on the timeline and then adjust the hour hands rotation so points to the eight (the thing that looks like two circles stacked up).

Then rotate the second hand's rotation so that it points to the twelve (12).

Remember thought,  the "big" hand should go around as many times as there are seconds in a minute.

ctmcbphotography  wrote

Sorry, I'm a bit new to After Effects.

It honestly sounds like you are completely new to after effects, as in this is the first thing you've ever attempted to do.

I really hope I'm right about that.

Get to know After Effects |

~Gutterfish
Participating Frequently
November 2, 2017

I've used After Affects before for other animation projects, I'm not completely new to it, but I'm still a beginner. I figured it out though, with the help of Dave of course! Thank you! (:

P.M.B
Brainiac
November 2, 2017

That's great.  Another animation project in the books.

~Gutterfish
Dave_LaRonde
Inspiring
November 1, 2017

ctmcbphotography  wrote

I need to make an animation for Daylight Savings and I've designed a clock at 9:00 and I since we need to turn the clock on hour back, I wanted the animation to be of the clock started at 9:00 then going back to 8:00. I've seen other tutorials but it's only about the minute and hour hand spinning.

Well, what else moves on a clock face animation other than the minute and hour hands?  If you've got a tutorial for that, you're set, right?

Participating Frequently
November 1, 2017

If you're talking about the seconds hand, I chose not to put that in my design, haha. But all those tutorials I saw just made the hands spin in a circle fast. I just want it to spin to a certain time. The tutorials I've watched are a bit confusing, unless you know a tutorial I can watch that will help (: Sorry if I don't make sense haha.

Dave_LaRonde
Dave_LaRondeCorrect answer
Inspiring
November 1, 2017

I don't get what's so tough -- you put the anchor point at the base of the hands.  You position them.  You set them to their initial position.  You set rotation keyframes.  You go ten seconds towards the tail.  You rotate the hands until they're in their ending position.  You're done.