Which retiming process can result in smoother playback speed changes of 100%?

• A. Frame Blending
• B. Speed Warp
• C. Retime with Curve
• D. Optical Flow

Answer: (D)

Smooth playback during speed changes comes from creating in-between frames that match the actual motion in the shot. Optical Flow does this by analyzing the movement between consecutive frames and generating new frames that interpolate those movements. When you ramp speed, these interpolated frames fill the gaps so the motion remains continuous rather than jumpy or duplicated, which is why the result looks smoother at a 100% speed change (double the normal speed).

Frame Blending blends adjacent frames, which can blur or ghost fast motion and still look choppy at speed ramps. Retime with Curve adjusts timing with velocity curves but doesn’t generate new in-between frames, so it can feel less smooth for jumps in speed. Speed Warp also uses motion data for interpolation, but optical flow specifically focuses on creating consistent in-between frames to preserve smooth motion, making it the most reliable option for smoother speed changes.