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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Select your icon and set the first keyframe
Place your icon on a video track above your background and click it in the timeline to select it. The icon in the video is a PNG with a transparent background sitting above a color matte. Then open Effect Controls, make sure the playhead is at the very start of the clip (00:00:00:00), and click the stopwatch next to Position to create the first keyframe.
Faster with QuickPaste: copy the image and paste it straight into your timeline with one shortcut, without saving and importing a file first. See QuickPaste
Step 2: Move forward 20 frames and nudge the position
Hold Shift and press the Right Arrow key four times. Each press jumps five frames, so you land 20 frames further along. Now make a very small change to the Position values. Hold Ctrl (Cmd on a Mac) while you drag the numbers to change them in tiny steps. The goal is a subtle shift, not a big move, so the icon appears to drift rather than jump.
Step 3: Repeat with small random movements
Jump another 20 frames with Shift + Right Arrow four times, and nudge the Position again. Keep the changes small and random: a bit up, a bit left, a bit down. Don't move in a pattern, because randomness is what makes the movement feel natural. Keep repeating until you have around 8 keyframes.
Step 4: Copy and paste the keyframes along the clip
You do not need to keep doing this by hand. Select all the keyframes you just made, press Ctrl + C to copy them, then move the playhead to the last keyframe and press Ctrl + V. Premiere pastes the whole set straight after it. Keep pasting at the end of each set until the keyframes run through the entire clip. This gives you a long, continuous floating motion.
Step 5: Smooth the motion with Bezier
Out of the box the movement between keyframes is linear, which can feel stiff. To make it smoother, select all the Position keyframes, right-click one of them, choose Temporal Interpolation and pick Bezier. The icon now eases around its keyframes instead of changing direction sharply. For more on this, see our guide to easing keyframes in Premiere Pro.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click instead of dragging Bezier handles. See EaseFlow
Tips
- Keep the nudges small. Floating is a slow, gentle drift. Large position changes make the icon look like it is jumping around.
- Use different values for each icon. If you float several icons, give each its own random keyframes so they do not move in sync.
- Space keyframes further apart for a slower float. More frames between keyframes means slower, lazier motion.
FAQ
How do I make an icon float in Premiere Pro?
Keyframe the icon's Position with small, random changes every 20 frames or so, copy and paste those keyframes along the clip, then set the interpolation to Bezier for smooth motion.
Why does my floating icon look jerky?
The default interpolation between keyframes is linear, and big position changes make it worse. Use smaller nudges and switch the keyframes to Bezier.
How do I move the playhead exactly 20 frames?
Hold Shift and press the Right Arrow key. Each press jumps five frames, so four presses move you 20 frames forward.
Want the effect ready to go? Grab the free floating icons preset and drop it on your icons.
