OVER THE MOON

Sorry, all the microfiber cleaning cloths are gone. All snatched. Better luck next time.

In the meantime please enjoy the tutorial:

Table of contents:

What you need

Setting up the project (<- biggest part)

How to convert an already existing project

Export

Light Table

What you need

The biggest constraint for the export is that you require »ClipStudio Paint EX«. You won't have the handy automatic file naming and layer separating. If you only have »ClipStudio Paint Pro« and don't know how to use the Animation Feature as a way to create Variations this guide is still for you. Export can still be done, but need a lot more manual work.

For namesake I will refer to the subwindows as "<Name> palette" (like in the subwindow "Navigator palette" in the picture below)

menu bar (in picture below as green box) as "Main Menu" and the sandwich menu of a subwindow (in picture below as red box) as "<palette> Context Menu" (in this example it would be "Navigator Context Menu".

For the method to work we need the animation tools, even though we are not using the tools for animation.

We need the following windows ("palettes"):

Timeline (for Setting up)

Animation cels (for the Light Table)

Layer (probably already open on your workspace)

The "Timeline palette" needs a lot of space, but is not required while painting. And once you get the hang of things you will only require the "Timeline palette" at the beginning of a project to set things up and can hide the palette until you finish the rest.

I would recommend you to add the following items to the "Command Bar" (in the picture above as blue box). You can add items by right clicking on the "Command Bar" > "Command Bar Setting"

"Menu Commands" > "File" > "Export Animation" > "Export animation cels" alternatively: "Menu Commands" > "File" > "Export Animation" > "Export Image Sequence" "Menu Commands" > "Windows" > "Timeline"

It would be also handy if you check what keyboard shortcut is set for "Main Menu" > "Animation" > "Move Frame" > "Go to next frame"

Setting up the Project

Let's create a simple example: Here we have our faceless character. Look at ye mighty and despair of my beautiful mouse drawing (I currently have no access to my graphic tablet)

Keep in mind that all the character stuff is set up in the folder "TestCharacter". Pretty basic stuff; nothing unusual. No color (there won't be any) and no face.

Now would be a good time to open the "Timeline palette" if it isn't open yet. ("Window" > "Timeline")

Note there are the boxed buttons in case you don't want to click through submenus.

blue: "New Timeline"

red: "New Animation folder"

green: "New Animation cel"

I want to make a folder with different emotions for the faces. But not any ordinary folder will do. We need an "Animation Folder".

"Main Menu" or "Timeline context menu" > "Animation" > "New animation layer" > "Animation folder"

Next we set up a new timeline:

"Main Menu" or "Timeline context menu" >"Animation" > "Timeline" > "New timeline"

This is the setting I use, but:

The name of the timeline will not be used for exporting animation cels (EX), but is used for exporting as "Image Sequence" (PRO, EX)

The framerate is irrelevant, because we are not animating

The only setting we need to pay attention to is "Playback time"

"Playback time" has as units "frames". You should set up more when you think is necessary. It has no bearing how many files you get or which "animation cells" are excluded, but how well you can keep working.

In "Clipstudio Paint Pro" the limit is 24 while "Clipstudio Paint Ex" is »limitless«. 24 is however enough in my opinion, because I see it more as a how many different variations I can quickly flip through.

The Timeline looks now like this:

You will notice, that every layer and folder has a defined frame with the exception of our animation folder "Faces", which in the initial setup is empty.

Left you can see the same list of layers that are in the "Layer palette". The animation folder "Faces" is currently selected.

We are currently on frame 1 as indicated by the red column.

I will now make a new animation cel (the green boxed button)

"Main Menu" or "Timeline context menu" > "New animation cel"

It now has created a new layer in the selected animation folder "Faces" with the name "1" and put it on the timeline.

This layer has no special properties and can be handled like any other standard raster layer, including renaming the layer.

The command "new animation cel" is no different than

create new raster layer

go to next unassigned frame (blue box)

assign this layer to this frame (red box)

If you prefer having layer folders instead of just one raster layer, you may want to do these 3 steps manually where you create a layer folder instead of a raster layer. On the timeline a layer folder will not be treated differently than a raster layer.

Anyway now we can start drawing.

Very neutral. Yep, I am happy. You know what let's make a happy face. "New animation cel" here we go.

Ah, don't you want to just smile along.

Well anyway, as you will notice after I renamed the layers, those name are now listed on the timeline. Those names will later be used for the filenames as well, so keep that in mind.

Aaaaaand now we are all set up. Let our creative flow begin.

Oh, wait I haven't told you the handy part about the timeline yet:

As you can see on the drawing board he has his happy face and only his happy face, but the visibility of the neutral face isn't even disabled.

On the timeline we are currently on frame 2 where "happy" is assigned.

You may ask: »But if I want the neutral face again, do I have to open the timeline, find where neutral is assigned in this compressed font and then go to the frame. There has to be a better way!«

And there is: In the "Layer palette" you just select "neutral" and Clip Studio Paint will just jump to its assigned frame without a fuss

How to convert an already existing project

Well let me guide you through the very difficult process. Let's assume we already have this non-animation setup:

First we make a new Animation folder and a new Timeline like previously.

We can now pull the layer folder into the animation folder and ungroup the layer folder:

"Main Menu" > "Layer" > "ungroup Layer folder" or "Layer palette context menu" > "ungroup Layer folder"

In this example only one variation was set as visible, but for the animation folder we need all of them visible. While they are still selected lets make them visible again.

"Main Menu" > "Layer" > "Layer settings" > "Show Layer" or "Layer palette context menu" > "Layer settings" > "Show Layer"

You may ask: »But none of these layers are assigned on the timeline. Do I have to assign every single variation one by one manually. There has to b…« YES. AND THER IS:

"Main Menu" > "Animation" > "Edit Track" > "Assign multiple cels" or "Timeline palette context menu" > "Edit Track" > "Assign multiple cels"

We need to select "assign by cel name". The start cel and end cel are already setup correct by ClipStudio Pain. You can probably just press "OK".

ClipStudio will however only define a frame range for only the variations.

If you want to add more variations you can EITHER make a new frame and assign it one frame after the range to create a new range OR you can extend the range by pulling on the little box in the green circle.

And that was it. Let's finish this.

Export

This is where the both worlds EX an PRO split. I will start with exporting as "Image Sequence" (PRO, EX) first:

Export as Image Sequence

The Image sequence will export the timeline as is presented. Basically if you navigate to the first frame, the image you see would be the first image that is exported; the next frame is the next image and so on. This export will not use layer names for file names.

This is how I set up the timeline for this export:

If you remember the command "assign multiple cels" there was an option for repeating the assign (in this case "repeat to end" was selected.

We will have fun with accessories on this one. I got earrings and sunglasses. So I set it up in a way where each variation will be with earrings; with sunglasses; with neither and with both.

You will notice that the layers "earrings" and "sunglasses" have a shortened frame range. This can be achieved by pulling on the little boxes in the green circles. The narrow box between those two can be used to reposition the frame range. Each accessory will be only displayed within the frame ranges but not outside.

The blue rectangles on top of the timeline are limiters. There is nothing interesting after frame 16, so I set the limiter to this frame.

Anyway let's export:

"Main Menu" > "File" > "Export Animation" > "Image Sequence"

The Name was automatically set to the name of the timeline. Due to the limiters the "Frame export" is set from 1 to 16.

The result is as following:

As a note the only layer that wasn't included is the Layer "Draft" that was marked as a draft layer (green box)

If you want just the components on their own then you need to set up the timeline accordingly. I was so free and already converted the "Accessories" layer folder into an animation folder.

Well now you got a bunch of files. Have fun renaming all of that.

Anyway that was it with that. Let's move on.

Exporting Animation cels

For this export we can ignore the timeline completely as nothing from the timeline has any bearing on Animation cels export. What is really import is how the layers are set up.

If we want only the components of the character we can set it up by giving each component its own animation folder:

The result will look like this:

The second way is to get the whole character model with variation. For this to work however I recommend to have only one animation folder. Having more than two will not result in overlapping combinations.

Let's set up the layers like as follows. I want just earrings, no sunglasses, so I hid them away. I also renamed the animation folder to "emotion_"

For the Export I enabled "Export layers not in animation folders". This will make sure that everything about the character is included.

Since I manually selected the accessories I gave the file name the appropriate "File prefix" as "Neo+acc_earrings+". If I want to cover all the combinations I still need to manually toggle the visibility and change the "File prefix" and merge the folders.

It also included the Layer "Watermark" outside of the character folder. The Layer "Draft" was not included and the Layer "Paper" was also left out.

This is not a definite guide for how to this tool must be used. Try to experiment with the folders, names and settings. There are a lot of settings I haven't used and you can probably find some ways to improve these methods or create other methods that work for you.

I certainly hop you have fun experimenting with all of this.

But before you go. There. IS. ONE. MORE. THING.

You may ask: »Can I please go?« For which the answer is NO! Because that is not what you ask. You are wondering: »How can I use another variations as a reference for a new one. It always disappears when I click away. I could use the Onion mask, but then I have to always move the frames around. There has to b…« THERE IS. IT'S CALLED A

Light Table

and this isn't even what it's called. BECAUSE IT'S CALLED AN

"Animation Cel Palette"

Are You Flabbergasted Right Now. Because Neo will be.

"Main Menu" > "Window" > "Animation Cels"

This buttons are important

enable/disable Light Table (red box)

enable Light Table Tool (blue box)

show cell-specific OR general Light Table (green box)

The Light Table is set up in 3 rows from top to bottom:

The item that is currently being edited

cell-specific Light Table

general Light Table

To add layers to the light table simply drag and drop them in.

The light table has its own visibility markers separate from the "Layer palette".

I dropped the Layer "neutral" in the cell-specific Light Table. ClipStudio Paint will remembered that "flabbergasted" has "neutral" in its table.

Now I really like the eyebrows from "nervous", but I need to reposition them. Let's do that with the Light Table Tool

Well neat. Have fun.

I wish I had some better ending for this tutorial, but I am sleep deprived.

I certainly hope that you have this face after reading all of that

Because that is the face of someone flabbergasted. Or at least I hope so. Did I mention how tired I am.