Operation Manual

Creating Animations 227
Working with Stopframe animation
In Stopframe animation mode you'll be working predominantly with the Frames
tab. It is ideally suited for animation because of its width and easy control of
individual frames (stopframes are spread along the tab for easier management).
Use the Frames tab exclusively to insert, delete, clone or reorder frames, and
access individual frame properties. The tab also lets you preview the animation
and enable onion skinning directly; exporting as a standalone animated GIF or
video is carried out via the File menu.
The Frames tab is designed for Stopframe animation only, and only shows while
in this mode. Don't get this tab confused with the Storyboard tab, used in
DrawPlus's Keyframe animation mode (see p. 230Error! Bookmark not
defined.). Each tab hosts distinctly different tools suited to the respective
animation type.
In most cases, your new Stopframe animation will have a single initial frame
(e.g., Frame 1). To create new frames, you can either clone the current frame or
insert a blank frame after the current frame. Choose to clone if you will be
reusing the current frame's contents with a transformation of some kind (the
most common way of simulating change or movement).
Once you've finished creating frames you can preview or export your animation,
just as you would play the frames of a movie.
To view the Frames tab:
• Unless the tab is already displayed, click the handle at the
bottom of your workspace to reveal the tab.
To clone the current frame to a new frame:
• Select a frame in the Frames tab, and choose Clone Frame.