This Tip allows you to create from DEBUT・Pro・EX editions.

◆This explanation uses Clip Studio Paint EX PC version.

【STEP 1】Let's Try Creating a Dance Animation First

◆Dance Animation That Can Be Created by Drawing Just 3 Illustrations

From New Document, select Animation.

◆Standard Size Width 1080 x Height 1920 px (1080p)

◆Resolution 144dpi

◆Animation Drawing Settings

●Production Frames "Check" enabled

●Drawing Size "Check" enabled, Scale x1

◆Margin (Optional) Set to 400 in the example explanation

◆Timeline

●Frame Rate "8"

●Playback Time "3" + "0" seconds + frames

Other settings (optional)

 

【Point】The animation feature in the DEBUT/Pro version has a maximum of 8 frames per second for 3 seconds, with a total of 24 frames.

A vertical document of 1920px height x 1080px width is the recommended size commonly used for vertical SNS screens and short videos.

---

《1-1》Let's Draw 3 Dance Illustrations

Draw three illustrations like the pose samples: ①, ②, ③.

It's good to have the character looking at the camera with a pulsating pose.

When drawing, pay attention to the unique emphasis of rhythm, such as raising the heels (body goes up) and lowering them (body goes down), which will make the movement smooth.

Drawing the waist with enough force to swing it to either the left or right can create interesting dance scenes.

Depending on the pose, if you try not to change the position of both feet from the ground (the axis line between the ground and the toes) as much as possible, you will get a stable dance animation.

 

Duplicate illustrations ② and ③, then use "Transform" from the "File Menu" to "Flip Horizontal" and save them as "2R" and "3R" respectively. Create the animation with a total of 5 illustrations.

《1-2》Assemble the Animation on the Timeline

Call up the Timeline palette screen to edit the animation.

《How to Display the Timeline Palette》

Window Menu > Timeline > Timeline Palette Screen

It's easier to work with the timeline if it's wider, so it's convenient to place it near the bottom of the screen. I work with it placed at the very bottom of the screen.

◆Create a New Timeline

From the Timeline palette or Animation menu,

create a new timeline.

《Creating a New Timeline》

Timeline Palette Icon > Create New Timeline

Animation Menu > Timeline > Manage Timelines > New Timeline

OR

Timeline Palette Menu > Timeline > New Timeline

OR

~Timeline > Manage Timelines (Management Screen) > New Timeline

《Timeline Settings》

◆Frame Rate 8

◆Playback Time 3 seconds (seconds + frames)

---

When you create a new animation document,

an Animation Folder will be in the Layer palette. While the Animation Folder is selected (chosen with the cursor),

File Menu > Import > Image

Import the 5 images created in 《1-1》.

It's fine if the 5 illustrations created in 《1-1》 are in the Animation Folder of the Layer palette.

【Point】

To create an Animation Folder, you can do so from the Timeline palette icon or the Animation menu.

 

《Creating an Animation Folder》

Animation Menu > New Animation Layer > Animation Folder

【Point】

If the layer names are too long and difficult to read, select Track Edit from the Animation menu and perform Normalize by layer order to reorder them numerically, making editing easier.

You can also Normalize by timeline order.

【How to Normalize Layer Order】

Animation Menu > Track Edit > Normalize by Layer Order

 

This makes it cleaner, easier to see, and arranges them in numerical order.

Specify cell names and paste them onto the timeline.

【Tips for Creating Rhythm】

Insert frames by skipping every two frames within 8 frames per second, meaning you divide 1 second into four parts and insert frames. Always build the insertion order by folding back to the previous number, such as (1) → (2) → (1) ..., which will create a proper rhythm. You can also arrange them freely as you like.

【Cell Number (Illustration) Order in Example】

(1) → (5) → (1) → (3) → (1) → (4) → (1) → (2) → (1) → (5) → (4) → (3) → Repeat

When the 5 dance model illustrations from the example are animated sequentially using frame animation, it looks like this. This completes the dance animation created from 3 illustrations.

What an energy-saving animation, truly only 3 illustrations drawn!

It's also interesting to vary the cell number order.

Once you get used to this, increasing the number of drawings from 3 to 5 will expand the animation's dynamics even further.

 

---

《1-3》Let's Try Assembling Various Dance Poses

Number of drawing cuts / created by increasing from 3 to 5 images.

Duplicate and copy the 4 images from the upper row, second, third, fourth, and fifth from the left.

Flip each of them horizontally (the 4 images in the lower row).

Create a looping dance animation using a total of 9 images (5 + 4).

※Please refer to the frame number order in the Timeline palette for the cell order.

It will be completed like this.

---

《Official》Basic Knowledge of Animation Features

If you're creating animation for the first time, referring to the official Tips will be a shortcut to creation.

【STEP 2】Let's Try Compositing a Background

Using favorite scenes such as landscapes and structures shot with a camera, your own room, or landscape paintings as animation backgrounds will result in unique and interesting visuals.

《2-1》Draw 3 Characters in Dance Poses

Based on the animation document settings explained in STEP 1, create a looping animation using 3 of the 5 dance poses created in 《1-3》.

This is a total of 6 images: 3 created + 3 duplicated and horizontally flipped.

---

《2-2》Assemble the Animation

As explained in STEP 1《1-2》, create a 3-second, 8-frame animation timeline.

【Cell Number (Illustration) Order in Example】

(9) → (2) → (5) → (6) → (5) → (9) → (8) → (7) → (6) → (7) → (8) → (9) → (2) → (5) → (6) → (5) → (9) → (8) → (7) → (6) → (7) → (8) → Repeat

The character dance part is now complete.

---

《2-3》Import Background Image

Similar to importing images as introduced in STEP 1《1-2》,

import the background image into the document.

You can use any background you like, such as a landscape photo taken with your smartphone.

The trick is to make sure the background doesn't feel out of place when shooting, by matching the perspective (angle) of the character as much as possible.

【Image Import】

File Menu > Import > Image

Background imported.

---

《2-4》Composite Character Shadow Animation

Duplicate the dance animation folder created in 《2-2》 to make it a shadow.

In the duplicated animation folder, select all 6 images from the Layer palette, "Lock transparent pixels," and "Fill" the images with black.

Then, unlock "Lock transparent pixels" for the 6 image layers.

From the Filter menu, select "Blur" > "Gaussian Blur" and apply Gaussian Blur with a value of 140 to all 6 images.

Gaussian Blur editing screen (Blur range / 140)

Add effects to the 6 shadow illustrations.

From the Layer palette,

◆Blend mode to "Darken"

◆Opacity 75%.

【Point】

It's convenient for work to color-code the duplicated animation folders with palette colors or to add a clear name like "shadow" at the end of the folder name.

---

Select "Transform" from the Edit menu,

and with the animation folder selected, transform the folder to match the perspective of the background. Determine the final shadow position.

 

《Transform》

Use Edit > Transform > Scale/Rotate, Free Transform, Perspective Distort

and so on to transform the shadow part.

【Point】

Once a shadow folder created by duplicating an animation folder is transformed, it cannot be undone. So, if you want to use a different background or create something else, keep the original shadow folder before transforming and work with the duplicated one; this allows for retries.

If you follow the steps, the shadow animation retains the pre-processing animation information, so simply playing it will make the shadow move simultaneously.

---

《2-5》How to Composite a Back-Facing Animation in the Background

First, create a reflective animation where the character faces backward.

Draw new back-facing illustrations using the 3 dance pose illustrations from 《2-1》 as a base. The procedure is exactly the same: duplicate 3 images and flip them horizontally to create a total of 6 illustrations.

 

---

Create animation using the back-facing character in the Timeline palette, following the same procedure as in 《2-2》.

Select "Transform" > "Free Transform" from the Edit menu for the back-facing animation folder, transform it to match the background perspective, and finalize its position.

Adjust the Blend mode of the Animation Folder to

Dodge (Glow) and Opacity 50.

---

Once the position is determined, create a new layer, and using the straight line tool, draw lines and create a fill while matching the perspective of the background reflection area.

Create a selection area using "Auto Select" on the filled part.

The created fill layer is no longer needed, so make it "Invisible".

Select the back-facing animation folder,

while maintaining the selection state,

choose Layer Palette > Layer Mask > Mask Outside Selection.

Everything outside the selection is masked, leaving only the reflection area.

When played, all folders animate in conjunction.

This completes the dance animation created by drawing just 3 illustrations.

 

---

The method of combining audio with animation is introduced in our Master Tips. Please take a look.

STEP 3 Exporting Animation

◆To Export the Created Animation

By selecting File Menu > Export animation > Movie,

you can create video files in AVI format or MP4 format.

When you select a format, the Movie Export Settings will appear; if the settings are satisfactory, click "OK" to start the export.

【Point】

The animation export menu allows you to export various video formats, including GIF, APNG (PNG format), and others.

Postscript

Explaining dance animation in practice is like trying to describe a bullet train as it speeds by (laughs); even if there are points I want to elaborate on, they pass by so quickly, which made it quite challenging. And the amount of information is vast. Despite feeling close to my mental processing limit, this month's Tip is complete. Creating with keyframe animation is generally gentler in terms of workflow and effort than frame animation, but it inherently has limits in expressiveness. In contrast, frame animation offers high freedom and expressive depiction, but requires preparing a number of in-between drawings to achieve movement. Expressing perspective movements where front and back intersect is structurally difficult with keyframe animation, so each method has its pros and cons.

 

The potential and creativity of human beings are infinite. Thank you for reading to the end.

I hope the author's Tips will be of some assistance in your creative endeavors.

I wish you all a wonderful creator's life ahead.

Clip Studio Paint DEBUT/Pro/EX 2025.0705 Akiben