---
title: "Graphs, paths and spacing"
description: "Read the same move as values over time, a route through space, and poses at equal time intervals."
canonical: "https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/concepts/graphs-paths-and-spacing/"
last_updated: 2026-10-29
---

# Graphs, paths and spacing

Read the same move as values over time, a route through space, and poses at equal time intervals.

The score (the timeline) tells you when keys happen. A motion path tells you where a layer
travels on the stage. The graph editor tells you how a value changes with time. Each view
answers a different question about the same move.

Suppose a circle travels right at a constant height. Its motion path is horizontal.
Its **Position x** graph rises because the horizontal position increases. Its **y** graph
stays flat because the height stays the same. A rising graph does not mean a rising circle:
screen Y increases downwards.

Moving an ending key later gives the move more time. The route stays the same but the
average speed falls. Shaping an ease changes how that time is spent: a flat start in the
value graph means little change per frame, so a slow start.

![Position's x curve in the enlarged graph editor, with its start handle flattened](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/assets/shots/animate-graph.png)

The motion path's dots show one pose per frame. Close dots mean slow travel; wide gaps mean
fast travel. Onion skin outlines nearby poses so you can compare their spacing and overlap.
Path handles bend the route; ease handles shape progress along a move. A curved route shares
one ease across its position dimensions.

Use the [graph editor](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/animating.md#the-graph-editor) for values and timing, and
[motion paths](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/animating.md#motion-paths) for the route. Watch:
[The graph editor](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/graph-editor/).