Automation is a great tool that can be used creatively in a range of ways. It essentially allows you to program automated tasks in your Serato Studio project, that result in changes over time. Automation is available in the Scene Player at a Deck and Pad level, and in the Song View, at Scene, Audio & Master track levels.
Turn on the Automation view by using the 'robot' icon in the top right of the Deck View, click the same icon to exit out of this view.
Or turn on the Automation view by clicking the same 'robot' icon in the top right of the Song View, and click it again to exit the Automation view in Song View:
NOTE: All of the following controls are applicable to both Song & Scene Player Views, unless otherwise specified.
Scene Player Automation View: Line automation is the default view in Serato Studio, but a Bar automation view is also available. Click on the automation view toggle to change between Line & Bar view automation:
NOTE: Only the Line automation view is available in the Song View, when automating Scene, Audio & Master tracks.
Adding/Removing Automation Points: Click on the automation line to create a point. Once a point is created, click and hold the point to drag it into the desired position. Remove a point by clicking on it.
Curving Automation: Hover your mouse over the line between two points. Once the line appears white, hold the alt key on your keyboard, then click and drag the mouse up or down to create a curve.
In Serato Studio, automation can be applied per deck or per pad within each deck. Use the Deck Automation Selector to switch between automating an individual pad or the entire deck.
Scene Player Automation Selector: Choose between automating individual pads or the entire Deck.
NOTE: The Deck Automation Selector will be hidden if 'Grid' is selected.
Once you have selected the deck or pad you wish to automate, use the Deck Automation Parameter Menu to chose the Parameter you wish to automate.
Scene Player Automation Parameter Menu: Choose a Deck Automation Parameter to view and edit automation.
Song View Automation Parameter Menu: Choose an Audio, Scene, or Master track in your Song View, then choose an Automation Parameter to view and edit automation.
If you wish to remove automation you have recorded or written in you can click 'Reset' to remove automation data.
NOTE: In the Line automation view, you can hold the 'alt/option' key on your keyboard while clicking on handles in your automation to remove them. This feature is not available in the Bar automation view.
Scene Player Automation Reset: Click 'Reset' to remove automation data for the currently selected parameter and reset it to the default idle value. 
Song View Automation Reset: Click 'Reset' in an Audio or Scene Track, or the Master track in the Song View, to remove automation data for the currently selected parameter and reset it to the default idle value.
Functions that have automation assigned to them will be highlighted in purple. These elements will move correspondingly as the play head moves through the sample or scene.
When automation is enabled, deck’s with automation are shown in purple
Right-Click Controls: Right-clicking on a control in the Mixer or FX section will bring up a drop-down menu. From here you can show the automation for this control, or reset any automation already applied.
Automating third-party plugins
The ability to automate a third-party plugin is dependent on whether parameters are exposed in this plugin. If a third-party plugin exposes any or all plugin parameters, these will show under the Deck Automation Parameter Menu labelled as FX + [slot #] + [parameter] e.g. "FX 1 Output Pan"