Give your characters moving cat ears to make them look even cuter!

Introduction

Today I'll show you how to make a moving cat ear animation using Clip Studio Paint's animation function.

When you hear the word animation, it sounds difficult, doesn't it? In fact, this cute cat ear animation can be easily made by just drawing three pictures!

"I want to make my character move."

 

"Clip Studio Paint's animation functions seem complicated and I don't understand them."

 

"I want to try my hand at making a simple animation that's quick and easy."

 

We've got the answer to those requests!

 

This tip explains the basic operations of Clip Studio Paint's animation functions.

 

In the second half, we'll demonstrate how to add cat ears to a prepared character illustration and create a moving cat ear animation.

 

Even beginners with no animation knowledge can do it easily, so be sure to watch until the end and join us as we create moving cat ears.

I recommend this hotel

Once again,

these tips are recommended for the following people.

 

・Are interested in moving illustrations

・Want to make character illustrations look more appealing

・Want to learn the basic operations of Clip Studio Paint's animation function

 

So, let's get started!

Basic operations of Clip Studio Paint animation features

There are probably many people who regularly use Clip Studio Paint to draw illustrations, but have never used its animation function.

 

First, I would like to explain the basic animation functions of Clip Studio Paint.

 

First, let's start with how to create an animation file.

 

Select "Animation" from the Create New File menu.

First, let's decide on a base size.

 

The base size will be the size of the video you will create.

 

Commonly used sizes are 720P and 1080p. You can choose from presets. This time we set it to 720p.

 

You can also customize it if there is a size you want to create.

The Margin is the part that is out of the frame and will not be visible in the final output video. It can be used for notes, etc.

 

We recommend that beginners set the margin to 0. This will make screen operation more intuitive.

Regarding frame rate, animation frame rates are generally 24 or 30. We'll set it to 24 this time.

 

Frame rate indicates the number of still images displayed per second.

 

A frame rate of 24 means that 24 still images are displayed continuously per second.

 

It may be easier to understand if you imagine one frame as one page of a flip book.

 

 

Next, set the Playback Duration units to "Timecode."

 

This will cause the timeline to display minutes and seconds, giving you a more accurate idea of how much time is displayed in each frame.

There is one thing to note about playback time.

 

With CLIP STUDIO PAINT PRO, you can create animations with a maximum of 24 frames.

 

In other words, if you select a frame rate of 24, you can only set the playback time to a maximum of 1 second. If you want to create more professional animations, you will need to upgrade to EX.

 

But don't worry, we'll use the Pro version since we'll be creating a GIF animation for beginners this time.

 

You might want to try making a simple animation first, and then consider upgrading if you want to try more professional animations.

A canvas for animation has been created.

 

Below the canvas is a timeline. An animation folder and an animation cell have also been created.

An animation folder is a folder that manages animation cells.

 

Layers and layer folders stored in an animation folder are treated as "cells" that add movement to the animation.

 

We've introduced the new word "cell" again, but animation cells are roughly the same as layers when drawing an illustration. However, layer folders in an animation folder are also treated as a single cell.

Next, let's look at the timeline.

This distance corresponds to 1 second of footage.

 

Click on the timeline, this red part is 1 frame of the animation.

 

 

As a final preparation, we'll introduce the "Specify Cels" function.

 

You need to specify a cel to display the created layer on the timeline.

 

With the frame selected, right-click and select the layer you want to display.

You can also perform the same operation by clicking the cel designation mark.

 

You can designate not only a single layer, but also a layer folder as a cel.

That's all for the explanation of the basic operations of the animation feature. Congratulations!

 

Now we'll move on to demonstrating how to create moving cat ears.

 

 

Demonstration of how to make moving cat ears

Draw a character illustration as usual.

 

There is no need to put this character illustration layer in an animation folder.

 

By the way, layers in the animation folder will not be visible on the canvas unless you specify them as cells. They cannot be edited either.

 

 

Create three layers in the animation folder.

 

Specify the layers as cels in the order 1, 2, 3.

 

 

Draw cat ears on layer 2.

 

Draw cat ears that move up and down based on these cat ears.

 

 

On layer 1, draw cat ears pointing down.

 

Enable Onion Skin while drawing.

 

This will allow you to see the cels before and after.

Let's draw the cat ears based on the one drawn in 2. The base of the ears will barely move.

• Onion skin is a function that displays on the canvas the cels specified before and after in the [Timeline ] in addition to the cel being edited. Display the onion skin to check the drawing of the cel.

Using the same technique, draw upward-facing cat ears in folder 3.

These are the only three cels you need!

 

Next, adjust the movement of the cat ears by specifying the cels.

 

Specify the cels in the following order: 1-2-3-2-1.

 

We want the cat ears to move slightly faster when pointing upwards and slightly slower when pointing downwards, so specify the first 1-2-3 for one frame each. Specify the latter 3-2-1 at two frame intervals.

 

 

Finally, set loop playback and export the animation.

 

Drag the blue end mark on the timeline to around 15 to enable loop playback.

 

 

Export the completed animation.

 

Select File > Export Animation > Animated GIF and set the loop count to infinite and the number of frames to the frame rate you set initially.

 

Finished!

 

 

What did you think?

 

Today, I introduced how to create a moving cat ear animation using Clip Studio Paint's animation function.

 

If you found this article useful, please like, bookmark, and follow me.

 

See you in the next Tips.