Equal Position values at two keyframes do not always mean a layer stays still between them. In After Effects, Auto Bezier spatial interpolation can produce an unwanted departure and return. Inspect the path between the endpoints and test the selected keyframes on a copy before revising tracking or regenerating the underlying video.
Separate path shape from speed
Spatial interpolation controls the route through space. Temporal interpolation controls how values change over time. A layer can follow the wrong route with pleasing easing, so adjusting its speed alone may leave the geometric error intact.
Adobe's keyframe-interpolation guide, updated May 5, 2026, documents boomerang motion between equal Position keyframes. It suggests changing the earlier keyframe to Hold or both keyframes to Linear. Hold is a temporal interpolation method, not a spatial path type. Choose the method according to the intended stationary interval or movement, rather than applying one treatment throughout the project.
Inspect the values between the keys
Duplicate the composition and locate the layer's own Position property. Confirm which coordinate system you are observing. A parent, expression, camera or another transform can move the visible layer even when its local Position appears unchanged.
- Note the two endpoint times and their complete Position values.
- Step through the interval and look for intermediate displacement.
- Display the motion path and inspect neighboring points and direction handles.
- Test Linear spatial interpolation on the relevant existing Position keyframes.
- Check the interval before and after them as well as the unwanted return.
For an explicitly held interval, test an appropriate temporal Hold on the earlier keyframe instead. Keep arrival and departure behavior under review: an unintended sudden jump is not an improvement merely because the middle now stays still.
A hypothetical overlay that should wait
Imagine a product label moving into a corner, waiting for one second, then leaving. Two Position keys describe the same waiting location, but neighboring curved motion produces a small loop during that second. The tracked background remains steady, while the overlay's own path departs and returns.
This is a hypothetical external editing setup. Compare a simple diagnostic square using the same Position keys. If correcting those selected keys removes the loop, the evidence supports interpolation as the cause. If the square still moves with constant local values, examine the parent, expression or camera instead; the endpoint numbers alone do not identify the active transform.
Restore deliberate motion conservatively
Once the route is correct, review temporal easing separately. Keep intentional curves where they belong and adjust only the troublesome segment. Recheck occlusion, edge placement and the moments where the label begins and ends its wait.
Adobe also notes that changing the default spatial-interpolation preference does not alter existing keyframes. A global preference switch therefore is not evidence that an old composition was repaired. Inspect the actual selected keys and rendered result.
Accept the revision when the layer follows the approved path, remains stationary for the required interval and enters or leaves naturally. Reject a pass judged only at the keyframe timestamps. Save the original keyframes and the short comparison render so that the geometric correction remains reversible.
Sources
Prepared by Imagild Editorial with AI assistance and reviewed against the linked sources on October 13, 2026. Examples are hypothetical; external procedures do not establish Imagild features or guarantee results.