Module 6 - Producing Digital In-Between Drawings

ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12b
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT Ani 12 A, B, C, and D
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph
MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado
Producing digital in-between drawings
Objectives: At the end of this lesson, students shall be able to:

1) Prepare the necessary materials and equipment for digital in-between drawings;
2) Understand the important aspects for in-betweening, namely: timing, the 12 principles of
animation, and concepts of in-betweening;
3) Familiarize oneself with utilizing the animation software of choice for paperless animation
4) Be introduced to concepts unique to digital in-betweening; and
5) Understand the process for digital in-betweening.
Review: Paperless Animation Materials and Equipment

 Computer Equipment
o Computer device
 Must meet the minimum specifications (operating system, processor, Random Access
Memory / RAM, Graphic Processing Unit / GPU , disk space, etc.) of the animation software
of choice
 Must be compatible with the digital drawing equipment of choice (i.e. can install drivers)
 Preferable: PC (desktop / laptop) with mid to high specifications
 Acceptable: PC’s with lower specifications may be used as long as it can run the
animation software and necessary drivers
 Alternative: Mobile (smartphone / tablet) that can run the animation software and drawing
equipment
o Digital drawing equipment
 Drawing tablet
- Optimal choice for digital in-betweening
- Used mostly for PC’s but there are specific models that are compatible for mobile
devices
 Stylus
- Another good choice for digital in-betweening
- Used for mobile devices / PC’s with a touch-screen
- Some devices might need compatibility checks with the stylus
 Mouse
- Not recommended but still usable with proper training and practice
- Mostly used for PC’s only
 Animation Software
o Should match the specifications of the computer device of choice
o Student can choose any animation software that they wish to use, even if it is not listed on the
list below
o Students can have more than one animation software to serve different purposes
o Necessary features:
 Create / edit / delete layers
 Timeline feature (frame or timeline; preferably frame)
 Onion skinning / light box feature
 Exporting options to moving picture or video
 Customizable brush and eraser tools
 Pen / Bezier tool
o Some examples:
 PC (Krita, Adobe Photoshop, FireAlpaca, TVPaint, etc.)
 Mobile (FlipaClip, Animation Desk, FireAlpaca, etc.)
Page 1 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
 Animation Folder
o Mostly given via a digital file folder (compressed), yet some parts can be sent physically for
ease of use
o The contents would depend on the position and tasks in the production studio, type and
amount of work done, type of animation done, and the intensity of any non-disclosure
agreement
o Contents:
 Clean keyframe drawings  Animation scene file
 Special instructions  Exposure sheet
 Model sheets  Location design
 Storyboard  Layout / field guide
o Contents (printed):
 Model sheets
 Exposure sheet
 Other Materials and Equipment
o Traditional animation materials and equipment
 Includes: light box, pencil, eraser, peg bar, etc.
 Used for students who do not have the materials / equipment for digital in-betweening
 Can also be used by students who are more comfortable with doing traditional animation
 Can be used with paperless animation (i.e. doing the rendering traditionally, but the rough
in-betweening and clean-up is done digitally)
o Camera
 For students who shall be using traditional animation (take photos of each frame carefully)
 Can also be used to take photos and video for referencing (i.e. rotoscoping)
o Mirror
 Used for real-life and quick reference for facial expressions and certain body movements
 Measures for Handling and Storing Materials and Equipment
o Ensure that the materials and equipment are available and good for use; if not, then look for
alternatives and/or report to appropriate personnel
o Check the animation folder upon receiving; look into the contents as well as the quality; if
there is anything wrong, report immediately to appropriate personnel
o For the printed files, there should be no tears, crumpling, or unnecessary lines on the pages
o For the printed files, they must be taped, clipped, or pinned at a location easily seen by the
eye within arm’s length of the drawing area
o For digital files, it is important to retain proper naming conventions according to the standards
of the animation studio
o For the raw file, ensure that there is proper version control and to keep versions of the
completed in-betweens
o Any faulty materials / equipment, or concerns about the in-betweening process must be
directed to appropriate personnel
Review: Timing
 Timing Chart / Time Chart
o Written by the senior animator to indicate the number of in-betweens vis-à-vis two keyframes
o Helps determine:
 Number of in-betweens  Speed
 Method of timing (1s, 2s, 3s)  Break up a complicated action
 Type of timing (favors, thirds)
Page 2 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
 Methods of Writing
o Top to bottom / bottom to top / left to right / right to left
o Drawn with a straight or curvy line
o Labeled with a number only, or a number with a letter
o Numbers are written in multiples of one, two, or three, or a combination
o Adding curved lines to indicate same-distanced frames
 Type of Timing Charts
o Determines the spacing between the in-betweens Thirds Favors1 Favors2 Favors3
o Timing charts may be written at a combination
o Thirds
 Keyframes and in-betweens are spaced evenly
amongst each other
 Even spacing means constant speed
o Favors
 In-betweens are unevenly spaced between
each other
 Can show:
- Acceleration / slow out – more drawings at
the beginning
- Deceleration / slow in – more drawings at the end
- Slow in and slow out – more drawings at the start and end
 Parts of a Time Chart
o Keyframes
 AKA extremes
 Main frames of a certain action
 Placed in circles at the top and bottom numbers of a time chart
o In-betweens
 Intermediate frames between two keyframes
 Ones need animating
 Placed between dashes along the line
o Breakdown
 Specialized in-between
 Located at the most middle part of the time chart
 Can be used as a keyframe when breaking down time charts
 Placed inside a triangle
 Can be provided as a keyframe or must be drawn together with the in-betweens
Page 3 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
Review: Twelve Principles of Animation

1) Staging
 Presentation of an idea so that it is completely and unmistakably clear
 Directs the audience's attention to the story or idea being told
2) Appeal
 Live action character = charisma; Animated character = appeal
 How to make an appealing character: Quality of charm, pleasing design, simplicity,
communication, or magnetism
 Prevent: Weak design, Complicated/hard to read design, clumsy shapes, awkward moves
3) Pose-to-Pose and Straight Ahead Animation
 Process(es) on how an action will be animated
○ Pose-to-pose – Planned actions, figuring out just what will be needed to animate the scene
○ Straight ahead – Animator works straight ahead from the first drawing in the scene
4) Timing
 AKA the speed of an action; Gives meaning to movement (how well the idea will be received,
weight of an object, size and scale of an object or character, emotions of a character)
○ More drawings – slower and smoother action
○ Fewer drawings – faster and crisper action
○ Variety of fewer and more drawings – adds texture and interest
5) Slow In and Slow Out
 Spacing of the in-between drawings between the extreme poses; more drawings at start / end
 Softens the action; making it more life-like
6) Anticipation
 Preparation for the action; An effective tool for indicating what is about to happen
7) Exaggeration
 Caricature of facial features, expressions, poses, attitudes and actions to make it more natural
 Not an extreme distortion of a drawing or extremely broad, violent action
8) Arc
 Slightly circular movement of actions; may have a few exceptions (ex: mechanical devices)
 Gives an animation a more natural action and better flow, expressive, and less stiff
9) Squash and Stretch
 Indicates rigidity of an object during movement; for dialogue and doing facial expressions
○ Squash – Compression of an object
○ Stretch – Expansion of an object
10) Secondary Action
 Action that results directly from another action; ; Adds to and enriches the main action
 Heightens interest and adding a realistic complexity to the animation
 Adds more dimension to the animation; supplementing and/or re--enforcing the main action
11) Follow Through and Overlapping Action
 Maintains a continual flow between whole phrases of actions
○ Follow Through – Main body stops, other parts catch up; nothing stops all at once
○ Overlapping action – Main body changes direction while other parts continue forward,
changes direction a number of frames later
12) Solid Drawing
 The way cartoons are drawn for reproduction of life
 Basic principles of drawing form, weight, volume solidity, and the illusion of 3D apply to
animation as it does to academic drawing
 Transforming characters into color and movement to give the illusion of 3D and 4D life
 Three-dimensional movement – space; Fourth dimension – movement in time
Page 4 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
Review: Concepts in In-betweening

 Methods of Timing
o Refer to how long a single drawing holds on camera in relationship to frames per second
o One’s / 1’s (24fps)
 Creates the smoothest animation amongst all other methods of timing
 Also recommended for high-paced scenes
 Mostly seen in older Disney films
o Two’s / 2’s (12fps)
 Most common method of timing
 Gives a less coherent movement than when animating in 1s, but is still of good quality
 Uses animation blurs to create smoother movement
 Originated and popularized mostly by Looney Toons
o Three’s / 3’s (8fps)
 Used in Japanese animation
 Caused by high demand but lower budgets
 Frames v. Drawings v. Feet
o Used to traditionally measure the amount of work done in an animation production
o Drawing
 Actual number of images where there is keyframing / in-betweening
 i.e. An animation in 24fps in 1s must have 24 drawings; an animation in 24fps in 2s must
have 12 drawings; an animation in 24fps in 3s must have 8 drawings
o Frame
 Shot of the drawing
 Measurement for animation speed
 Unit of measurement is frames per second (fps)
 i.e. 24 fps is the standard frame rate, regardless of the number of drawings
o Foot / Footage
 Earlier measurement of productivity
 1 foot = 16 frames
 Parts of an Action
o Starting Position / Neutral
 First keyframe of the action
o Anticipation / Antic
 Preparation before the take
 If take = squash; antic = stretch
 If take = stretch; antic = squash
o Take
 The main action
o Overshoot
 Hyperextension of the action
 Allows recovery from a high-energy take
o Settle / End Keyframe
 Shows that the action is finished
 Action is back to a non-moving state
 Separation
o Animation technique that divides the object to moving and non-moving objects
 Moving objects are animated first and separately
 Non-moving objects are traced right after / placed in one frame
o Allows for easier and more consistent modelling and faster animation production
Page 5 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
 Imaginary Drawing
o Technique in animation that imagines a non-existing drawing in between two existing ones
o Mostly applicable when drawing in 2s or 3s to help make the action feel smoother
 Offset
o When an object changes direction, parts of the main body will start to turn first before others
o Helps exaggerate the change in direction
 Animation Blurs
o AKA animation smears, blurs, or smears
o Animation technique where in-betweens are shown as a quick blur of an image
o Indicates very quick movement to be used when animating in 2’s
Krita for Paperless Animation

 Workspace
o Krita has a default workspace that is not ideal for animating
o However, it has different workspace options for the user to easily access the dockers and tools
necessary for animation
o To solve this, click on Window from the main toolbar >> Workspace >> Animation
 Main Dockers for Animation

o Workspace (red)
 Space / canvas where the animation / drawing are done and played
 Onion skinning can also be seen based on the other settings
o Animation (yellow)
 Consists the basic controls to play the animation
 Includes:
- Player controls
- Play speed (frames per second)
- Frames to be played
- Onion skins
- Other framing options
o Timeline (blue)
 Main docker for manipulating the positioning of the frames
 Contains:
- Layers
- Frames per layer
- Options for visibility
- Visibility for onion skins
Page 6 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
 Layers
o Each layer is transparent by default (seen as a white and gray checkered texture) except for
the background
o When creating a new file, the first layer would be the background, containing a white color
o Each layer has the following options:
 Visibility (red)
- Turns on / off the visibility of the layer
- Helpful for clearing out the rough drawings when finalizing the animation
 Thumbnail (orange)
- Shows the contents of the layer
- If transparent, then a checkered gray and white pattern is seen
 Name (light green)
- Showcases the name of the layer
- Can be renamed according to proper naming conventions
- Holding and dragging the clear part of the name can also move the arrangement of
the layer
 Lock (dark green)
- Turns on / off lock of the layer
- Useful if this layer must be undisturbed (cleaned-up keyframes)
 Inherit Alpha (dark blue)
- Turns on / off inheriting alpha of the previous layer
- Used for masking
 Alpha Lock (purple)
- Turns on / off the locking of the alpha layer
- Locks the visibility state of a layer to only areas visible on all the layers below it, in the
same stack
Page 7 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
o Other parts:
 Anchor (red)
- Drag the docker around the Krita
interface
 Blending options (orange)
- The selected layer shall turn into the
necessary blending options
- Used mainly for coloring and
compositing
 Colors (yellow)
- Helps assign colors to each layer
- Used for easier organization
 Opacity (light green)
- The selected layer shall have the
opacity level shown and
manipulated
- Done by clicking around the bar or dragging
 Thumbnail size (dark green)
- Changes the size of the thumbnail
 Add (light blue)
- Create a new layer placed above the selected layer
 Duplicate (dark blue)
- Duplicates layer or mask selected
- Can be done by selecting the layer and using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + J
 Arrows (purple)
- Brings the selected layer up and down the arrangement
- The arrangement of the layers is important, as the layers at the top are the ones in the
foreground, while the ones at the bottom is blocked
 Layer properties (pink)
- View or change the layer properties
- Showcases the overall properties of the layer
- Can be done by selecting the layer and using the keyboard shortcut F3
 Delete (brown)
- Deletes selected layer
- Can be done by selecting the layer and using the keyboard shortcut Shift + Del
o Other important shortcuts:
 Merge
- Select two or more layers by holding the Ctrl key while choosing all the layers
- Press Ctrl + E to merge
- Rename if necessary
- The foreground and background is determined by the order of the layers
- The opacity of the layer when merged is retained; but the overall opacity of the
merged layer is 100%
 Grouping
- Select two or more layers by holding the Ctrl key while choosing all the layers
- Press Ctrl + G to group
- Rename the mother layer if necessary
- Clicking on the mother layer hides / shows the other grouped layers
- The mother layer cannot be drawn / added elements on
Page 8 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
 Animation Docker
o Docker for the control of the timeline
o Mainly used for line-testing / play
preview
o Parts:
 Frame number (red)
- Determines the current frame
shown on the canvas
 Start and end (yellow)
- Selects the start and end frames
for play preview / line-testing
- When it reaches at the end
keyframe, the play preview
 Play controls (light green)
- Controls for line-testing / play preview
- Includes the following (from left to right): skip to first frame, previous keyframe, previous
frame, play / pause, next frame, next keyframe, and skip to last frame
 Play / pause button (dark green)
- Plays / pauses the animation according to what is placed in the timeline
- Plays according to the settings in the timeline and animation dockers
 Frame options (light blue)
- Showcases options for editing the frames based on the selected frame
- Includes the following (from top to bottom; left to right): add frame, duplicate frame,
remove frames without moving anything around, onion skin, auto frame, and drop
frames
 Onion skinning
- Opens the onion skinning docker
 Play speed and frame rate
- Shows and edits the play speed and frame rate
 Timeline Docker
o Docker for the creation and editing of individual frames per layer
o Used in relation to the animation docker
o Parts:
 Layer options (red)
- General options for the layer; can be done using the layer docker
- Includes: new layer, add existing layer, remove layer, and show in timeline
 Audio options (yellow)
- Options for adding audio (in a separate layer) and manipulating the audio
- Includes: open audio, mute, remove audio
 Layer (light green)
- Showcases every layer in the raw file
- Has similar functions such as visibility, lock, alpha inherit, and alpha lock
- Also includes the light box option if there is an existing frame
 Light box (dark green)
- Used to turn on / off the light box option
- Only present if two or more frames are present
 Timeline (light blue)
- Showcases all of the frames for all layers
- A unit of measurement is placed at the top
Page 9 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
 Frame (purple)
- Established, used frame for animation
- Content (brush, color, clean-up) has been placed
- Filled with blue color
 Hold frame (pink)
- Unused frames for animation
- Shows the hold time of a certain frame
- Can be turned into a frame / keyframe if needed
 Blank frame (brown)
- Established frame for animation
- No content has been placed
- Has blue outline; no fill color
o Frame options (appears when right-clicking a frame):

 Set Start Time / Start End Time
- Sets start and end time for the line-testing / play preview
- Can also be changed in the animation docker
 Cut / Copy / Paste to Clipboard
- Cuts / copies / pastes to the selected frame
- If pasting on an existing frame, the new frame will be part of the previous frame
 Keyframes
- Inserts a new keyframe based on the selected frame
- Two options: insert keyframe left and insert keyframe right
- The number of frames selected is the number of new keyframes that shall be created
 Hold Frames
- Creates hold frames
- Hold frames: lengthening the time of
the previous frame / keyframe
- Two options: insert hold frame left
and insert hold frame right
- The number of frames selected is
the number of new hold frames that
shall be created
 Remove Keyframe
- Removes the selected keyframe
- The frames after the removed
keyframe shall stay, not affecting
the timeline
- Does not affect time of animation
- Cannot be used for hold frames or
blank frames
Page 10 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
 Remove Frame and Pull

- Removes the selected frame and then pulls the frames after it one step earlier
- Changes the time of the animation
 Create Blank Frame
- Creates a blank frame
- Can be used as a hold frame or a keyframe
 Create Duplicate Frame
- Creates a duplicate of the selected frame
 Color Label
- Establish color labels
- Used for organization
Concepts for Digital In-betweening

 Onion Skinning and Light Box
o Onion Skinning
 Images that represent the frames before and after the framed, usually colored or tinted
translucently
 To make paperless animation easier, it helps to see both the next frame as well as the
previous frame sort of layered on top of the current one
 To configure the onion skin window:
- Click on the Onion Skins button located at the lower left corner by the Animation
docker, or
- Main toolbar >> Settings >> Docker >> Onion Skins
o Configuring Onion Skins
 Frames
- Zero (0) represents the
current frame
- Any frame at its right (positive
numbers) are the frames
after
- Any frame at its left
(negative numbers) are the
frames before
 Visibility
- Clicking the number would
change the visibility of the
onion skin of that frame
- If highlighted (turns blue), it is visible
- If not highlighted (no tint), then it is not visible
 Opacity
- Changing the length of the bar graph would change the opacity of the frame
- The higher the bar, the darker the image would be
 Coloring
- The onion skins are also color-coded
- By default, the preceding frames are a red tint
- By default, the succeeding frames are in a green tint
- The farther away the frame is from the referenced frame, it becomes lighter
- Change the color by clicking the “Filter Frames by Color” setting
Page 11 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
o Light Box
 Application of the onion skins to certain layer
 By default, no layer has an activated onion skin
 To activate the light box, click on the Light box button on the layer which is being
animated
 If there are existing frames, the frames before and after the selected one are visible
 Tweening
o Process of sophisticated animation software enables the animator to specify objects in an
image and define how they should move and change
o Usually automated by the animation software to which it is available to
o The most types of tweening are classic, shape, and motion
o This technique is not used in paperless animation, but rather, in 2D animation
Steps in Digital In-betweening

 Modeling
o Before the actual in-betweening process, modeling the character must be done beforehand
o Similar to clean-up artists, in-betweeners tend to have some time before the production to
understand and draw the characters based on the model sheets
 Workshop that is held before the production
 Model sheets are given and the animator has to learn them individually
o Tips for modeling:
 Focus on determining the proportions and basic shapes first before anything else
 Understand how the character squashes / stretches
 Determine the different poses and facial expressions that they do and match it with the
personality (if provided)
 Try to do modeling with other members of the production staff to bounce around ideas
 Start by redrawing what is placed in the model sheets then countercheck if it is on-model
 If possible, work on the poses that may be seen in the storyboard to plan before the actual
production process
 Duplicating of Raw File
o For digital in-betweening, the cleaned-up keyframes would appear as a raw file according to
the animation software used by the studio
o As a safety precaution, create a duplicate file of the raw file
 Simply duplicate, and rename the file to add a “v2” on it
 Example: ucict_s01e01_sc04_v2.kra
o This is to:
 Have a clean file as a reference
 Have a clean file in case the other file has been accidentally drawn on
 Have a reference file in case other production personnel have lost theirs
Page 12 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
 Configure Settings
o Open the raw file, and countercheck the settings if it is according to production information
 Frame size and resolution
- Check according to the rules of the animation studio
- Ensure that the other layers (aside from the background layer) is transparent
 Frame rate and playback speed
- Default is 24 fps
- Can be changed slightly slower (around 12fps) during the line-testing and actual in-
betweening process
- Check playback speed as well (1.00)
- Ensure that the default is changed back to normal before exporting and submitting
 Animation and timeline settings
- Lock the background layer (if any)
- Configure onion skinning first; do not turn on light box yet
- Set start and end time (according to the placement of the current keyframe)
o Change the pencil / brush and pen settings as early as now to streamline the in-betweening
process
 Rough in-betweening
- Type: basic or pencil
- Color: usually dictated by the animation studio; usually blue, orange, or red
- Size: slightly bigger than the clean-up size (around 10px depending on canvas size)
- Opacity, hardness, and flow: closer to 100% to 100%
- Add pressure sensitivity and jitter
- Lower smoothing / stabilizing
 Clean-up (in-betweening)
- Type: basic or ink
- Color: black (#000000 or R=0 G=0 B=0)
- Size: around 5 to 10 px
- Opacity, hardness, and flow: 100%
- No pressure sensitivity and jitter
o For setting up the pencil / brush and pen settings:
 If possible, have a preset brush made already with the following settings even before
production
 For the color, Krita and other animation / illustration software tend to have two colors
(foreground and background)
- Foreground: color for rough in-betweening
- Background: color for clean-up
- Use the ‘X’ key for switching from foreground to background color and vice versa
 Be careful when switching into the following brush settings
 It is possible to have more than one brush and pen settings
 Analysis
o In this step:
 The animator must have an idea of how the action should look like based on the
keyframes created
 Formulate a plan on how to do the in-betweening process
o As a safety precaution:
 Lock the layer where the cleaned-up keyframes are
 Create a new layer where one can freely draw during the analysis step, which can be
deleted later
Page 13 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
o Focus on analyzing the following:

 Movement of the keyframe(s) (with the breakdown frame) using the play preview button
 Time chart / exposure sheet and how the keyframes react to them
 Main movement and secondary movements
 Special instructions
 General attitude of the pose and facial expression
 Separation
o Based on the analysis, determine the moving and the non-moving objects
 All non-moving objects will be placed in another layer
 All moving objects will have to be animated using pose-to-pose or straight ahead
o Consult the exposure sheet or time charts to see if some moving objects have different times
 Plotting
o Once the moving objects have been identified, determine the arc of each one
 Draw if necessary
 The arcs could be used to determine the placements of the other frames later on
o Take note that every arc should coincide / complement the main arc / path of action
 The main action is determined from the analysis
 Most moving objects should go in the direction of the main action
 Any counterance must go against the main action
 Any drag, overlapping action, and/or follow through should be a bit delayed but should
still be based on the main action
 Order of In-betweening (Pose-to-Pose)
o Mostly, the animator shall be using pose-to-pose; but straight ahead may be used for certain
occasions
o Based on the keyframes and the time chart, the order of the frames that must be in-
betweened must be determined:
 Determine the breakdown frame – the middlemost frame – based on the time chart and
the two keyframes
 Draw the breakdown frame by finding the in-between of the two keyframes
 Turn the breakdown frame into a temporary keyframe
 Determine the middlemost frame between the first frame and the temporary keyframe
 Draw the middlemost frame by finding the in-between of the two keyframes
 Turn this new frame into a temporary keyframe
 Repeat the process until all frames in the first half are drawn
 Turn to the second half by turning the breakdown frame into the first frame
 Repeat the process until all frames in the second half are drawn
o The middlemost frame is based on the spacing of the frames and not the frame itself
o If the time chart is thirds, then a straight ahead approach may be done
 Creation of Hold Frames
o Based on the number of in-betweens placed on the time chart, create some space first
between the keyframes
o Utilize the hold frames
o Change the end time according to the placement of the last keyframe
o Play preview once more to countercheck the overall action once more
 Creation of In-Between Frames
o Turn the hold frame into a keyframe by clicking on the middlemost frame >> Insert Blank Frame
o This is only to be done only when the in-between frame is to be drawn
 When all hold frames are turned into in-betweens at the same time, then the onion skinning
and light box functions shall be worthless
Page 14 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
 In-betweening Proper (Moving Objects)

o Create a new layer for the rough in-between drawings of the moving objects and rename
appropriately
o Focus on doing the in-betweening of one frame of the moving objects first
o General rule: do the in-between of the two keyframes based on placement, size (proportions),
and volume (basic shapes)
 However, it is very important to stress out that the approach for in-betweening differs from
situation to situation and the general rule does not apply to a lot of circumstances
 It is important to derive from real-life movement as well as some ingenuity to ensure that
the frames are moving smoothly from one another
o A checklist for the in-between are as follows:
 Special instructions – main priority
 Placement of the object from the arc
 Size and volume of the object based on the keyframes
 Foreshortening and other solid drawing elements
 Squash and stretch
 Animation blur
 General attitude of the pose and/or facial expression
 Other principles of animation
o In this step, it is only necessary to do a rough in-between drawing
 Focus on the general shape and the areas that are important for movement (i.e. eye
movement, hair movement, etc.)
 Do not draw unnecessary details (i.e. clothing details, etc.)
 Draw as loose and as light as possible
 Corrections will be done after the line-testing
o Do line-testing by pressing the play preview button every now and then
 Line-Testing
o There are two types of line-testing:
 Testing for the motion between a few in-betweens
- This is done when constructing the in-between drawing per frame
- Helps build the necessary elements before moving on with the next frame
 Testing for the motion for the entire keyframe
- This is done after all the frames have had a rough in-between drawing
- Checks the motion before adding the non-moving objects and rendering
o It is important for the animator to always do line-testing to ensure that the motion between
frames is smooth and convincing
 In-Betweening (Non-Moving Objects)
o After the rough drawings of all moving objects have been done
o Create a new layer and rename for non-moving object
o Trace the non-moving objects based from the keyframe
o Line-test once more to see if it coincides with the moving objects
 Do some adjustments to the moving objects layer if necessary
 Rendering
o Done after all of the motion in the time chart has been fulfilled
o Go back to every moving frame and add details that are necessary
o Done to complete the detail for the drawing of every single frame, but the line quality is still to
be fixed
o Line-test again to see if the rendering process affected any motions or the general attitude of
the pose and facial expression; change if necessary
Page 15 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
 Tightening
o Process of further cleaning up the rough rendering to make it easier for clean-up
o When tightening, it is recommended to add one layer per pass
o Use different colors compared to the previous layer as well as the final clean-up layer
o The animator may do as many passes as necessary until satisfied and confident for clean-up
 Preparation for Digital Clean-Up
o Create a new layer for the clean-up
o Turn off visibility for all previous frames except for the final tightened layer and keyframe
o Lock the keyframes layer
o Lower opacity of the final tightened layer, then lock
o Change of pencil settings to fit the clean-up
o Turn to pen tool / Bezier tool
 Clean-up Proper
o The order for clean-up is similar to the order of the drawing of the in-betweens
o Follow the proper technique / tool (pen tool / freehand)
o Ensure to follow the specifications for the clean-up tool as well as for the line quality
o Take note of the do’s and don’ts in creating a digital line
o Do line-testing every now and then to see if the clean-up is consistent and if it retains the
general attitude of the pose and facial expression as it did for the rough drawings
o Hide the visibility of the tightened layer; only the final cleaned-up layer for the keyframe and
in-betweens are seen
 Saving and Exporting
o Ensure that the frame label and time charts are still present in the keyframes
o Save as a raw file first
o Export according to the specifications given by the animation studio
 Moving objects (usually GIF)
 Video (usually MP4)
o Follow proper naming conventions
o Place both the raw files and the exported outputs to the animation folder
 Submission
o If digital animation folder, it is better to re-compress the file folder
o Follow proper naming conventions, and ensure that the records that the animator has is the
same with the production staff
o Submit to proper personnel according to the methods of the animation studio:
 Physical storage (flashdrive, hard drive, CD / DVD, etc.)
 Digital storage (email, local area network, etc.)
o If there are any corrections or revisions, please attend to it as soon as possible
References:
 Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (2018 February 27). Training Regulations
for Animation NCII – Version 02. Quezon City
 Williams, R. (2001). Animator’s Survival Kit. Faber and Faber: United States.
 Blair, P. (1994). Animation. Walter Foster Publishing: California.
 ToonBoom. (n.d.). Paperless Animation Workflow, Toon Boom Learn. Retrieved from
https://learn.toonboom.com/modules/animation-workflow/topic/paperless-animation-
workflow
Page 16 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
ACTIVITY 6: Self-check 3
Instructions: Read, understand, and analyze the questions. Choose the letter of the BEST answer to
the question. (15 items, 15 pts.)
1. Which of the following is not information that can be derived from a time chart?
A. Concept of in-betweening C. Number of in-betweens
B. Method of timing D. Speed
2. What type of frames are given to the in-betweener?
A. Cleaned-up breakdown frames C. Rough breakdown frames
B. Cleaned-up keyframes D. Rough keyframes
3. What principle of animation is used to determine the path of action?
A. Anticipation C. Arc
B. Appeal D. Exaggeration
4. What principle of animation is the main way on how to determine the order of drawing in-
betweens?
A. Follow through C. Pose-to-pose
B. Overlapping action D. Straight ahead
5. What method of timing is the most common?
A. 1s C. 3s
B. 2s D. 4s
6. What concept of in-betweening focuses on the moving objects, then the non-moving objects?
A. Animation blurs C. Offset
B. Imaginary drawings D. Separation
7. What concept of digital in-betweening helps in determining the positions of the keyframes?
A. Light box C. Tweening
B. Onion skinning D. Visibility
8. What type of frame makes the time of a previous frame longer?
A. Breakdown frame C. In-between frame
B. Hold frame D. Keyframe
9. Which of the following steps in in-betweening is present in both traditional and paperless styles?
A. Analysis C. Pegging
B. Flipping D. Rolling
10. Which of the following steps in in-betweening is unique to digital in-betweening only?
A. Configure settings C. Plotting
B. Order of in-betweens D. Separation
11. Which of the following steps in in-betweening focus on starting off with the middlemost frame?
A. Configure settings C. Plotting
B. Order of in-betweens D. Separation
12. Which of the following steps in in-betweening is integrated into the other steps?
A. Exporting C. In-betweening non-moving objects
B. In-betweening moving objects D. Line-testing
13. Which of the following steps in in-betweening is the last step?
A. Exporting C. In-betweening non-moving objects
B. In-betweening moving objects D. Line-testing
14. When drawing the in-betweening, which of the following is the priority?
A. Slow in and slow out C. Special instructions
B. Solid drawing D. Squash and stretch
15. When drawing the in-between, which of the following is the least priority?
A. Placement C. Rendering
B. Proportions D. Volume
Page 17 of 18
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
How to Submit:
 Answer “6: Self-Check 3” under “Module 6 – Producing Digital In-between Drawings”.
Submission Channels:
 Canvas K-12 LMS (Quizzes)
OVERVIEW: Final Project

Premise:
 Create an animation of your own original character saying their core belief
 The original character design, audio recording, and animation shall all be created by the
student
Related Activities:
Module Total
Number Title of Activity General Description Number
and Title of Points
Formulate a one-sentence motto of your character,
8 – Exposure
Exposure Sheet which can be said for at least three seconds. Create 30
Sheet
the exposure sheet detailing the timing.
Produce an audio recording of your character
9 – Mouth saying their one-sentence motto. Based on the
Mouth Codes 50
Codes exposure sheet, create all of the mouth codes
needed for the motto.
Creation an animation of your character saying their
10 – Lip Character core belief. Base it off the recording created, the
50
Sync Monologue exposure sheet, and mouth codes. Character must
be up until bust level in the field guide.
Note: Details of the activities may be subject to change.
Page 18 of 18

Module 6 - Producing Digital In-Between Drawings

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module 6 - Producing Digital In-Between Drawings

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12b

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

Producing digital in-between drawings

Objectives: At the end of this lesson, students shall be able to:

Review: Paperless Animation Materials and Equipment

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

Review: Twelve Principles of Animation

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

Review: Concepts in In-betweening

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

Krita for Paperless Animation

 Main Dockers for Animation

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

o Frame options (appears when right-clicking a frame):

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

 Remove Frame and Pull

Concepts for Digital In-betweening

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

Steps in Digital In-betweening

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

o Focus on analyzing the following:

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

 In-betweening Proper (Moving Objects)

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

MODULE 6 – Ani12b Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

OVERVIEW: Final Project

You might also like