This article is based on the tablet version of Clip Studio Paint.

The layout of menu commands may vary in the smartphone version.

You cannot use animation features in Simple Mode. Please switch to Studio Mode to use them.

 

Click here for a beginner's animation tutorial for first-time animators.

 

For an in-depth guide on how to create animations, please check this article series.

 

Creating an animated illustration

 

By animating just part of an illustration, you can turn it into an eye-catching animated illustration that you can post to social media.

 

For example, you can animate the eyes and eyebrows, like below, with the following broad steps:

 

1. Separating the parts

2. Drawing closed eyes

3. Inbetweening

4. Checking the motion

 

First, separate only the parts that you want to move into an animation folder before you begin working.

 

For more details on how to create animated illustrations, please refer to this article.

 

Use onion skin to check adjacent cels

Tap the Timeline palette > Show animation cels > Enable onion skin to overlay the cels before and after the current cel.

 

Note:

You can adjust the color and number of skins displayed for the onion skin from the Animation menu > Show animation cels > Onion skin settings.

 

For more information on onion skins, please check this article.

 

Using the light table

You can use the light table layer, when performing inbetweening (the process of adding images between two cells to connect the movement) to smooth the animated movement.

 

Select the Window menu > Animation cels palette to display it.

 

The top row shows the currently selected “edited cel”. Drag and drop the layer you want to use as reference onto the bottom row to register it as a light table layer.

 

For more information on light tables, please check this article.

 

Please refer to the User Guide for information on the Animation cels palette.

 

Adding movement with camera movement

Using the camera work function, you can zoom in, rotate, and move the camera without transforming the images in animation folders or layers.

 

For example, use the camera work function to move only the background image to create an effect like the one below.

 

Place the layers you want to set camera work on in a 2D camera folder and add movement to them.

 

For more information on timelines and keyframes, please check this article.

For more information on camera work, please check this article.

 

Match the animation to sound

By using Audio scrubbing, you can easily edit your animation to match the audio.

 

If you turn on Audio scrubbing in the Animation menu, audio will be played as the frames move.

 

For more information on audio scrubbing, see this article.

 

Exporting the animation

When exporting the created animation, select the desired export method from the File menu > Export animation.

 

When exporting as Animated GIF, after you enter the file name in the dialog, the Animated GIF export settings dialog box will appear.

 

From here on, the procedure changes depending on whether you are using an Android or an iPad.

 

On iPad

After setting the export method and tapping OK, the OS Files app will be displayed. Specify the save destination and tap Save.

 

On Android

Set the export method and tap OK. The animated GIF will be exported, and the File operation/Share dialog box will appear.

 

Note:

You can also export your animation as movie data using the same procedure from the File menu > Export animation > Movie.

 

For more information on exporting animations, please check the User Guide.