Guides / Motion and animation
Change how painted strokes move
Select strokes already on the page and set them moving, give them more or less motion, make them still, or freeze them or a whole layer in place.
- Free
- Everything in this guide works in Free.
Paint a few strokes first. Tap Amount and choose Still among the motions, so nothing moves yet.
Paint a few strokes first. Unfold the wheel, tap Amount and choose Still among the motions, which folds the wheel, so nothing moves yet.
Paint a few strokes first. Click Amount and choose Still among the motions, so nothing moves yet.
Open Tools and choose Select stroke. Tap the middle stroke, then the bottom one. Each is outlined, and the bar above the page counts them.
Open Tools and choose Select stroke. Tap the middle stroke, then the bottom one. Each is outlined, and the bar above the page counts them.
Open Tools and choose Select stroke. Click the middle stroke, then the bottom one. Each is outlined, and the bar above the page counts them.
Tap Motion on the bar. Less and More change how far the selected strokes move, Still stops them, and Freeze holds them as they are. Choose a motion opens the wheel's motions.
Tap Motion on the bar. Less and More change how far the selected strokes move, Still stops them, and Freeze holds them as they are. Choose a motion opens the wheel's motions.
Click Motion on the bar. Less and More change how far the selected strokes move, Still stops them, and Freeze holds them as they are. Choose a motion opens the wheel's motions.
Tap Choose a motion. While strokes are selected, the wheel's motions are theirs. Choose Waves and Flow, then Wave. The two selected strokes start to wave; the top one, left alone, stays still.
Tap Choose a motion. The wheel unfolds at its motions, and while strokes are selected they are theirs. Choose Waves and Flow, then Wave, which folds the wheel. The two selected strokes start to wave; the top one, left alone, stays still.
Click Choose a motion. While strokes are selected, the wheel's motions are theirs. Choose Waves and Flow, then Wave. The two selected strokes start to wave; the top one, left alone, stays still.
Open Motion again and tap More twice. The menu stays open, so you can watch the strokes move further with each tap.
Open Motion again and tap More twice. The menu stays open, so you can watch the strokes move further with each tap.
Open Motion again and click More twice. The menu stays open, so you can watch the strokes move further with each click.
Tap the bottom stroke to take it out of the selection, so only the middle one is left. Then choose Motion and Freeze here. It holds the pose it had at that moment, while the bottom stroke plays on.
Tap the bottom stroke to take it out of the selection, so only the middle one is left. Then choose Motion and Freeze here. It holds the pose it had at that moment, while the bottom stroke plays on.
Click the bottom stroke to take it out of the selection, so only the middle one is left. Then choose Motion and Freeze here. It holds the pose it had at that moment, while the bottom stroke plays on.
Tap Done to go back to painting. To hold a whole layer at once, open Layers, tap the layer's menu, and choose Freeze motion here.
Tap Done to go back to painting. To hold a whole layer at once, open Layers, tap the layer's menu, and choose Freeze motion here.
Click Done to go back to painting. To hold a whole layer at once, open Layers, click the layer's menu, and choose Freeze motion here.
Motion after painting
A brush's motion goes onto the strokes you paint next. To change strokes that are already on the page, select them first, then change how they move. Their paint stays as it is, and every change is one Undo.
Tools on the wheel, then Select stroke. Tap a stroke to select it, tap it again to let it go, or loop or swipe across several. See Select and change strokes for every way to select, including Same brush and Same motion, which pick up every stroke of a kind at once.
Motion on the selection bar
Motion 2 on the selection bar 1 holds the quick changes:
| Choice | What it does to the selected strokes |
|---|---|
| Less, More | A step less or more movement. The menu stays open, so tap again until it looks right. More stops at the most a stroke can move. |
| Still | Takes their motion away. They rest where you painted them. |
| Freeze here | Holds each stroke in the pose it has at this moment. It keeps its motion, and Resume lets it move again. |
| Choose a motion… | Opens the wheel's motions. |
Less and More need a stroke that moves: on still strokes they are dimmed.
The wheel changes the selection
While strokes are selected, the wheel's motion half is theirs. Its three motion gauges are outlined to show it.
- Selected effect strokes with no motion of their own show their effect's gauges instead, such as Fuel, Flicker and Sparks for fire.
- Amount, Speed and Pattern show the selected strokes' motion. Where they differ, the gauge reads Mixed and its fill spans from the least to the most, as a word processor shows a mixed font size.
- Turn Amount and, when you let go, every selected stroke changes by the same proportion, so a far stroke that moved less than a near one still does.
- Turn Speed or Pattern and every selected stroke takes the value you set, within its own limits, so they move in time. Pattern goes only to strokes whose motion has one; for Random redraw the gauge is Detail, and it goes to the Random redraw strokes alone.
- When the selected strokes share a motion, its chip is highlighted in the ring; when they have different motions, none is.
- Tap a motion gauge for the motions. Still or Moving and Freeze lead the ring, then Suggested and the motion families. Tap a motion to give it to every selected stroke: each takes it at a size that suits its own width, and the painting plays so you see it.
- A stroke that already has a motion stack keeps its added motions; the motion you choose replaces the first one.
Colour, Size, Strength and Water on the wheel still set your brush. Done on the bar, or choosing a brush, gives the whole wheel back to the brush.
Freeze
Freeze here holds selected strokes in mid-movement: each stops moving, but stays in the painting as it was at that moment. A stroke frozen earlier keeps its earlier pose. Resume lets them go, and choosing a motion for a frozen stroke sets it moving again.
To freeze a whole layer, open Layers, tap the layer's ⋯ menu and choose Freeze motion here. Every stroke on it holds still from the current time onward; the layer shows Frozen at and the time. Drying and the layer's own water current can continue. Unfreeze motion in the same menu lets it move again.
Tip: Pause first (see Play, pause and the timeline) and scrub to the pose you want, then freeze.
On iPhone, Choose a motion… unfolds the wheel at its motions, and choosing one folds it again. To turn a gauge for the selection, unfold the wheel yourself.
On the Mac, click a stroke to select it, and click it again to let it go. Undo is ⌘Z.
Plus: Every motion is Free, for strokes already painted as for new ones. Motion stacks are built in Stroke details and Brush Studio.
Try it in the app.
Download on the App Store Free for iPad, iPhone and MacSomething not behaving as expected?
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