Learn to Animate

Gestures/Controls

1. Create a movie/animation:
   1. Click on the + icon in the top right
   2. Swipe between 5 common size/resolutions
   3. To create the file either:
      1. Tap "Draw" to start with an empty drawing in Draw and Paint mode
      2. Or tap "Empty" to open the Timeline, without any content
2. Rename: Long hold on a movie → choose "Rename"
3. Select: to delete or group into a folder → tap on the command, tap on the needed animations, and then tap on either "Delete" or "Folder" (please keep all of your animations in a folder with your name)
4. Share: Long hold on a movie → choose "Share"
5. Duplicate (like Save As): Long hold on a movie → choose "Duplicate"

The "Stage" represents the area within the camera — what will appear in the final render or export. The "Backstage" is the area outside of the camera — which will not appear in the final output. Having drawings (or etc.) extend into the backstage can allow for panning/zooming of the environment, or for assets to come in and out of view over the course of the animation.

Stage Gestures

1. Navigation:
   1. Pan: Two finger slide
   2. Zoom In/Out: Two finger pinch inwards or outwards
   3. Quick Zoom In: double-tap
   4. Fit-to-screen: quick pinch inward
2. Stage Options:
   1. Access stage options: Click on the timestamp in the bottom left corner
   2. Onion skin:
      1. Show/hide onion skin: toggle the onion skin visibility button on or off as needed
      2. Edit onion:
         1. Enter onion skin options: tap on "Edit onion skin"
         2. Select either forwards or backwards (to edit the visibility for previous or next frames)
         3. Choose a color as needed
         4. Adjust the number of frames (1-8) as needed
         5. Adjust the opacity slider as needed
   3. Adjust the camera background color: click on the colorfield to access a color picker
3. Other:
   1. Undo: 2 finger tap
   2. Redo: 3 finger tap
   3. Long hold on a frame: access the context menu

The Timeline takes up the bottom half of the workspace and holds multiple tracks (layers) of content. Images, video, audio, and text can all be added to tracks in the Timeline and timed/organized there to form your animation.

Within a single track there could be multiple drawings held for various amounts of time, a single asset held for the entire track, or different assets one after the next. Tracks also can hbe organized in groups and sub-groups for easier organization.

Timeline UI

The top of the Timeline gives access to the menu and Timeline controls.

1. Theatre button: returns to the Theatre view to access or make other animations
2. Animation name (Dream # by default): provides access to the movie properties/settings
3. Play/pause button: play and pause the visible range of your animation
4. Performing: the record button lets you keyframe changes in scale/rotation/position/warp in real time as the animation plays
5. Timeline edit: for selecting/editing tracks/frames
6. Draw & Paint: switches the stage to a drawable canvas
7. +: add tracks and content

Timeline Gestures

1. Navigation:
   1. Pan: Two finger slide
   2. Zoom In/Out: Two finger pinch inwards or outwards
   3. Quick Zoom In: double-tap
   4. Fit-to-screen: quick pinch inward
   5. Increase scale: Three finger drag upwards (vertical scale increase) or to the right (horizontal scale increase)
   6. Decrease scale: Three finger drag downwards (vertical scale decrease) or to the left (horizontal scale decrease)
2. Enter/Exit:
   1. Exit the Timeline (and switch to the Flipbook): In drawing mode, drag the Timeline's handle downward
   2. Return to the Timeline (from the Flipbook): Press the X or quickly flick the flipbook handle downwards
3. Repositioning: Long hold and drag/drop to reorder tracks, frames or groups
4. Groups:
   1. Grouping:
      1. In "Timeline Edit" mode (similar to a layer icon), drag across the frames, tracks, or groups to select them
      2. Long hold on any of the frames, tracks or groups to access the context menu
      3. Choose "Group"
   2. Expand/close a group: next to the group name, click on the > to expand or ∨ to close
   3. Ungroup: long hold on the group to ungroup from the context menu
5. Other:
   1. Undo: 2 finger tap
   2. Redo: 3 finger tap
   3. Long hold on a frame: access the context menu

The Flipbook is intended for frame by frame animation techniques and allows sequences of multiple drawings to be created. Drawing mode must be turned on to access the Flipbook. It is very similar to Procreate's "Animation Assit" mode.

Timing is not currently controlled in the Flipbook, so make any drawings in sequence and then return to the timeline for timing adjustments such as how long each frame lasts for.

Gestures

1. Enter/Exit:
   1. Enter the Flipbook: In drawing mode, drag the Timeline's drag handle downward
   2. Return to the Timeline: Press the X in the right corner of the flipbook controls (or quickly flick the flipbook handle downwards)
2. Reposition the flipbook controls: drag the drag handle on the top edge to position
3. Create a new frame: Long hold on an existing frame and then click on the + icon in the top right corner (once in this "add mode", clicking on an empty frame to the right will create the new frame)
4. Context Menu:
   1. Open the context menu for the active (middle) frame: long hold on the center of the frame
   2. Cut, copy or duplicate the frame by tapping on the relevant command
   3. Clear frame: returns the frame to a blank/empty drawing

1. Tap on the movie name to access "Properties"
2. Properties:
   1. Tap on the related number to change the FPS (frames per second/frame rate), animation duration, width, or height
   2. Tap on "Unknown Author" to write your own name or pseudonym
3. Timeline:
   1. Set whether the entire animation plays once, loops, or ping-pongs
4. Share:
   1. If needed, tap on "Custom Settings" to specify video or image format/encoding (tap on a setting to see and choose different format options)
   2. Tap on a format to export in (video, image sequence, a single frame, or Dreams file)
   3. Either Airdrop, save video/image or save to Files