---
title: "Motion paths and onion skin"
description: "Lesson 3.4 of Creator Terminal's lesson films (Animating): See the path a move travels, bend it into a curve, and use onion skin."
canonical: "https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/motion-paths/"
last_updated: 2026-10-27
---

# Motion paths and onion skin

> Lesson 3.4 of Creator Terminal's lesson films (Animating): See the path a move travels, bend it into a curve, and use onion skin.

- The film (1:32): https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/3.4-motion-paths/82c98db57a44/3.4-motion-paths.mp4
- Vertical cut: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/3.4-motion-paths/e7f6b9ec4b37/3.4-motion-paths-vertical.mp4
- Captions: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/3.4-motion-paths/313fa273bfff/3.4-motion-paths.vtt
- The page: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/motion-paths/

## In this lesson

### See its path (0:10)

To see where the circle travels, click it to select it. Its motion path appears on the stage, with a dot for every frame.

### Read its speed (0:20)

The dots spread out where it moves fast, and bunch up where it's slow. This move eases out, so they crowd together at the end.

### Bend it (0:30)

Let's give the move a curve. The dark dot along the path is a handle of the selected key. Drag it, and the path bends.

### Move a key (0:39)

Let's change where the circle ends up. You can drag its last key on the path to move that finishing position.

### Play it (0:47)

Let's see our new route. Press zero, then space to play it. The circle swoops up, and settles into its new place.

### Onion skin (0:57)

To compare nearby frames, let's turn on onion skin. Press colon for the command palette, type onion, and press return.

### Before and after (1:06)

Let's inspect the movement a frame at a time. Press zero for the start, then L a few times to step forward. Two earlier outlines show in red, and two later ones in green. They show where the circle came from and where it's going.