Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
The Animation panel in Photoshop includes two main types of animation:
the Frame animation, in which animation is based on slides or frames,
and the Timeline animation, in which animation is based on keyframes and
layers that include the changes in the object's properties and in-between
frames that show the gradual transformation between two keyframes. The
Timeline technique is the one already familiar to some from other Adobe
products such as After Efects and Premier.
Note: Although the
animation in Photo-
shop is either Frame
animation or Timeline
animation, you can
easily convert your
Timeline animation to a
Frame animation. This
conversion is one-way:
you can not convert a
Frame-based animation
back to a Timeline
animation.
The Timeline animation is the most common in the animation world; it is the
standard type of animation in many existing animation products. This type of
animation comes with extended capabilities and the ability to apply
3D-based animation. In this chapter, we will start with the Timeline
animation and see how to use it in both 2D and 3D animations, and after the
Timeline animation, we will discuss the Frame animation.
Note: Although the
Timeline animation
supports 3D properties
in animation, such as
changing the camera
position and 3D
rotation, the Frame
animation does not
support animation of
the 3D properties.
Photoshop Timeline
Frankly, it was a crazy idea to have a timeline in Photoshop. But no one can
deny that it gives Photoshop another powerful feature that allows
Photoshop users to produce video and animation content without the need
to rely on video animation products tools such as After Efects. Although the
animation in Photoshop is basic when compared with professional video
tools, it is useful for creation of video and animation content based on
Photoshop layers without the need to learn other complex video tools.
The concept behind the Animation panel (Figure 11.1) is that each layer in
the Photoshop document is represented with a layer in the Animation panel,
and each layer includes sublayers in which you can edit the object properties
over the timeline.
A basic animation consists of two keyframes in the same layer; when the
Current Time Indicator (which shows the current active frame and indicate
the animation frame progress) moves over the timeline, the object moves
based on the frames per second (fps) rate. The fps rate refers to how many
frames of the animation are played in one second. A higher fps rate creates
faster, smoother animation and larger iles; a low fps rate creates slower,
choppier animation and smaller iles.
Keyframes can be created manually or automatically when you move or
change the object's properties on a speciic frame.
Timecode or Frame Number
The Timecode area displays the current time (in hours, minutes, seconds, and
milliseconds) and fps of the animation. The fps value is set by the document
setting and output type. For example, if the animation output will be for the
