8. Onion skin

Onion skin is an invaluable tool for animators. It provides a transparent view of the previous and next frames, allowing you to see the motion and direction of your animation. Let's delve deeper into how it works.

1. Onion Skin Basics

• What is Onion Skin?

The faint lines you see behind your current frame. It gives a glimpse of the previous and the upcoming strokes.

• Onion skin options

You can customize the onion skin settings on a layer per layer basis

• Onion skin visibility

The visibility of the onion skin can be managed globally through the overlays tab at the top of the workspace, or on a layer per layer basis in the switches of the layer view.

2. Creating a Sample Animation for Demonstration

1. Head over to draw mode and sketch a basic ball.
2. Use sculpt mode to animate the ball, giving it a bouncing motion.

3. Onion Skin in Action

With your animation in place, turn on the onion skin. You'll notice the previous and future positions of the ball become visible, giving insight in the quality of motion, as well as giving an aid in drawing the frame in between.

4. Overlay Options

• Accessible from the overlay tab.
• While various options exist, onion skin is arguably the most used.
• Convenient switches exist to toggle between viewing your animation with or without the onion skin.

5. Modifying Onion Skin Settings

• Each layer offers individual onion skin settings.
• Found in the layers tab, under the onion skin section.
• Adjust the number of frames you wish to view with the onion skin.
• Adjust the opacity to make the onion skin more or less visible.

Onion skinning is a crucial part of the animation process, offering insights into the fluidity and direction of movements. Familiarizing yourself with its settings and understanding its significance can greatly improve your animation workflow.