How to Animate in Procreate: Are you interested in creating an animation in Procreate? This popular digital drawing app, available on iPhone and iPad, is not only perfect for illustrations but also allows you to craft simple animations. With some practice, you might even turn it into a career in professional animation. This guide will teach you how to make a quick and simple animation in Procreate, showing you the steps to bring your artistic ideas to life. Whether you’re new to animation or already have some experience, Procreate makes it easy to animate your creations.
Essential Tips for Animating in Procreate:
- To begin, activate the Animation Assist tool by tapping the wrench icon, selecting “Canvas,” and then toggling “Animation Assist” on.
- Use the frames displayed in the Timeline at the bottom to create your animation frames. Simply tap “Add Frame” to insert a new frame.
- Adjust the animation speed and loop settings through the Settings menu in the timeline to customize how your animation plays.
Part1Creating an Animation
1. Open a New Canvas in Procreate
To start, launch the Procreate app on your iPhone or iPad. From the Gallery, either tap on an existing canvas or tap the plus (+) icon located in the upper-right corner to create a new one. Then, choose the canvas size you wish to use for your project.
2. Tap the Wrench Icon
Locate the wrench icon in the upper-left corner, next to the “Gallery” label. Tapping it will open the Actions menu.
3. Tap Canvas
In the Actions menu, tap “Canvas.” This icon looks like a screen with a curvy line on it and is the second tab at the top of the menu.
4. Toggle On “Animation Assist”
Enable “Animation Assist” by toggling the first switch at the top of the Actions menu, under the “Canvas” section. This will display the timeline at the bottom of your screen.
5. Draw Your First Frame
Use the drawing tools in Procreate to create the first frame of your animation, just as you would for any other artwork. Start sketching your design to set the foundation for your animation.
6. Tap Add Frame
To add a new frame to your animation, tap “Add Frame” located at the far right side of the timeline at the bottom of the screen.
You can also create new frames by adding additional layers. If your animation contains multiple objects, grouped layers will act as a single frame.
7. Draw Your Next Frame
To create your next frame, tap the second white square in the timeline at the bottom of the screen. This will select the second frame. Now, begin drawing your second frame using the available drawing tools.
When you select a new frame, you’ll notice a faint outline of the previous frame. This is known as an “onion skin,” which serves as a helpful reference for drawing the next frame.
8. Add More Frames
Continue to tap “Add Frame” and draw the next frame. Repeat this process until all frames in your animation are complete. This will gradually build the full sequence of your animation.
9. Open the Frame Options Menu
To access the Frame Options menu, tap a frame in the timeline at the bottom of the screen. Then, tap the frame again to reveal the menu with additional options for editing the frame.
10. Tap Play
To preview your animation, simply tap the Play button located on the left side of the timeline at the bottom of the screen. This will allow you to watch your animation in action.
Part2Adjusting the Settings and Options
1. Adjust the Frame Options
The Frame Options menu offers several settings for customizing your frames:
- Hold Duration: Use the slider under “Hold duration” to determine how many frames the current frame will remain visible, creating a pause in the animation.
- Duplicate: Tap this option to duplicate the current frame.
- Delete: Tap this option to remove the current frame from your animation.
2. Tap Settings
To open the settings menu, tap “Settings” located on the right side of the timeline at the bottom of the screen, next to “Add Frame.” This will allow you to adjust various animation settings.
3. Edit Your Animation Settings
In the Settings menu, you can adjust various options to fine-tune your animation:
- Loop: Tap this option to make your animation repeat once it reaches the last frame.
- Ping-Pong: Tap this option to have your animation reverse after reaching the last frame and then repeat.
- One Shot: Tap this option to stop the animation at the last frame without repeating.
- Frames Per Second: Use the slider under “Frames Per Second” to adjust the speed of your animation.
- Onion Skin Frames: Adjust the slider under “Onion skin frames” to control how many previous frames show as onion skins when selecting a new frame.
- Onion Skin Opacity: Use the slider under “Onion skin opacity” to adjust the transparency of the onion skin frames.
- Blend Primary Frame: Tap this option to reduce the opacity of the current frame so it blends with the rest of the frames.
- Onion Skin Colors: Tap this option to change the onion skin colors. Use the color wheel to select the color you want for the onion skins.
Part3Exporting the Animation
1. Tap the Wrench Icon
Locate the wrench icon in the upper-left corner, next to the “Gallery” label. Tapping it will open the Actions menu.
2. Tap Share
In the Settings menu, tap the “Share” tab, which is the third option at the top. It features an icon resembling a square with an arrow pointing upwards.
3. Choose Your Export Format
Scroll down and select either Animated GIF, Animated PNG, or Animated MP4 based on your preferred file format:
- Animated GIF: A widely supported format for short animations, but it may have lower image quality.
- Animated PNG: Offers better image quality than GIFs but is less widely supported.
- Animated MP4: The most common video file format, ideal for uploading your animation to platforms like YouTube.
4. Adjust the Speed of Your Animation
To change the speed of your animation, use the slider bar below “Frames Per Second.” By default, the speed will match the setting you selected in the Settings menu.
5. Toggle Dithering On or Off
If you’re using a GIF format with a limited color palette, you can enable dithering. This helps blend pixels to simulate a wider range of colors. Simply toggle the dithering option on or off based on your preference.
6. Use Per-Frame Color Palettes
If you want each frame in your GIF to have its own color palette, toggle the “Per frame color palette” option on. This allows for more dynamic color variation across frames.
7. Activate Transparent Backgrounds
For GIF and PNG files, you can remove the white background and use a transparent one. Toggle the option on if you want your animation to have a transparent background.
8. Tap Export
To save your animation, tap the yellow Export button in the upper-right corner. This will export your animation in the file format you selected earlier.
9. Tap Save Image
To save your animation to your device, tap Save Image. Your animation will be stored on your iPhone or iPad, and you can find it in the Files app.
