Krita 3.0 turns into a 2D animation tool

Animation Docks

The timeline allows the user to administer key frames and animation layers. Animation filmmakers spend a lot of time on these actions. The dialog lets the user add key frames and delete or duplicate existing frames (Figure 3). Animation layers can be pinned on the timeline or removed. A left click on the narrow strip directly above the timeline selects the corresponding frame. By holding the mouse button down and moving the cursor to the right or left, the user can play the animation as indicated by the movements of the mouse.

Figure 3: The Timeline dock lets the user administer the animated layers and also each individual frame.

The user will find the universal settings for the film in the Animation dock. This is where the user specifies the start and end frames, the playback speed, and the frame rate (Figure 4). Krita uses these options for playback inside of the application as well as for exports to a video file (currently only in the form of a picture sequence). Krita offers classic media player buttons in the lower area. These include buttons for playback, navigation to the next frame or key frame, or fast forwarding to the end. However, the quicker way to access these functions is to set up key combinations for shortcuts under Krita | Animation , which in turn is found under Settings | Install Krita … | Keyboard Shortcuts .

Figure 4: The user specifies the length of the animation, the frame rate, and the playback speed in the Animation dock.

The purpose of the Onion Skins dock (Figure 5) is to give the user control over the schematic representation of the images lying in front of and behind the frame currently in the work area. The transparent images, which have been placed underneath the current frame, help the user develop a feeling for the correct animation path, as well as how to cleanly draw intermediate animation images. In order to control visibility of the key frames, the user should tap on the numbers -10 to 10 in the top part of the dock. The height of the bar corresponds to the transparency of the relevant frame. The lower the bar, the less visible the frame. Underneath the bar, the user can also specify the color of the frame on the screen.

Figure 5: With the Onion Skins dock, the user can transparently show the images occurring before and after the current frame in the drawing area.

Designing Animation

If the docks that have been newly created for the animation have been loaded, then the user can specify the frame rate and the animation speed in Animation for the relevant dock. The user should enter the frames that are to be animated in the Start and End fields (for playback and export). The large counter to the right indicates the frame currently activated for drawing.

The tempo for the animation is controlled via the two fields Play Speed and Frame Rate that sit underneath. The frame rate lets the user know how many frames per second (FPS) Krita packs into the video. As a rule, a fluid animation requires at least 24 (FPS). The Play Speed setting only influences Krita's internal processes. The playback speed can be decreased by using a value less than one. Reducing the speed makes it easier to find any errors that might exist in the animation. Krita ignores this setting when exporting the video.

When working on animation, users frequently utilize the six buttons sitting next to these settings. These handy buttons are arranged in a grid that is two buttons by three buttons in size. The first row of buttons lets the user set up a new key frame and duplicate or delete the current frame. Underneath are buttons for telling Krita to either show or hide the Onion Skin dock, as well as whether the program should set up a new key frame for each use of the drawing tool. The last button causes Krita to only display key frames. This feature is advantageous for large projects and makes fluid playback possible.