The Basics of Keyframe Animation

 

What Are Keyframes in Animation?

Keyframe animation is one of the most important techniques in bringing drawings to life. The term "keyframe" comes from traditional hand-drawn animation, where animators would draw the most important (or "key") poses in a sequence, and assistants would fill in the frames between them to create smooth motion.

Today, keyframe animation is used in nearly every animation software, allowing artists to set key poses on a timeline and let the computer create the in-between frames. This method makes animation faster, smoother, and more efficient compared to drawing every single frame by hand.

Keyframe Animation in Different Software

Different animation programs handle keyframes in unique ways. Let's take a look at how keyframing works in Krita, Wick Editor, and Moho.

Krita: Frame-by-Frame Keyframing

Krita is a powerful digital painting tool that also has an animation timeline. However, Krita uses traditional frame-by-frame animation, meaning each frame must be drawn manually. While this method gives artists full control, it requires a lot of time and effort.

  • To create animation in Krita, go to Window > Animation to open the timeline.

  • Use the timeline to add frames, making small changes in each frame to create motion.

  • Krita does not support automatic tweening (where the software fills in the in-betweens), so every movement needs to be drawn manually.

  • Krita cannot export directly as MP4, so you will need to transfer frames to another program to complete your animation.

Wick Editor: Simple Tweening and Frame-by-Frame

Wick Editor is a free, web-based tool that supports both frame-by-frame animation and tweening (automatic in-between frames).

  • To create a keyframe, click on the timeline and press "Insert Frame" or "Insert Keyframe."

  • Use the "Tween" option to let Wick Editor smoothly transition between two poses.

  • Wick Editor can export animations as MP4, making it useful for finishing projects that started in Krita.

Moho: Advanced Rigging and Keyframing

Moho is a professional animation tool that uses bones and rigging to animate characters efficiently.

  • Moho allows users to set keyframes on a timeline and lets the software calculate smooth movement between them.

  • Instead of drawing every frame, users can rig a character with bones, then move the bones between keyframes.

  • Moho can export directly as an MP4, making it a great tool for completing and polishing animations.

Simple 2-Frame Animation Exercise

Before diving into full keyframe animation, let's start with a simple two-frame looping animation:

  1. Open Krita and Create a New Project.

  2. Draw a circle on Frame 1.

  3. Duplicate the frame and move the circle slightly to the right.

  4. Save these two frames as images.

  5. Import them into Wick Editor or Moho and set them as keyframes.

  6. Export the animation as an MP4 to see the simple motion loop.

4-6 Keyframe Action Loop: Bouncing Ball

Now, let's create a 4-6 keyframe action loop to understand how keyframes work in different software.

  1. Keyframe 1: Draw a ball at the highest point (Start Position).

  2. Keyframe 2: Move the ball slightly downward (Acceleration Begins).

  3. Keyframe 3: Ball touches the ground (Squash Effect).

  4. Keyframe 4: Ball rebounds, moving back up (Stretch Effect).

  5. Keyframe 5: Ball reaches the next highest point, slightly lower than before.

  6. Keyframe 6: Repeat the motion for a looping effect.

Exporting Your Final Animation

Since Krita does not support MP4 exports, follow these steps to complete your project:

  • Export the frames from Krita as PNG images.

  • Import them into Wick Editor or Moho.

  • Set the frames as keyframes on the timeline.

  • Export the final animation as an MP4 file.

Final Thoughts

Keyframe animation is a powerful tool that makes animating easier and faster. By practicing keyframe techniques in Krita, Wick Editor, and Moho, you will gain a better understanding of movement and timing. Start small with simple loops, then build up to more complex animations. Happy animating!

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