Hello,

I did an animation inKrita (4.1.7), worked well as I did like shown in the handbook.

But - lets say, I import a .png or a krita-Layer, which I just want to show from frame 0 to 23: I set the first keyframe on "0", and the last on "23", the "in-between-line" is visible, but the layer is "empty" (as long as I stay in the animation workspace).
Is it not possible to animate something in krita, that is NOT drawn AFTER setting the first keyframe?

So far:).

Hello again tandorf

Are you having a problem with something you're doing or are you planning and thinking about something you want to try?

[Note: A 'Fill Layer' is a particular type of layer in krita which is very useful for fixed backgrounds of a continuous colour or pattern. You can see it listed in the Layers docker as one of the types of layer you can add to an image.
When you refer to 'Animation of a Filled Layer', I assume you mean a layer/image that is already full of painted content, not a krita Fill Layer]

If you have a non-animated layer with a picture on it, that you painted or imported from a .png image, and you want that to be animated, you have to bring it into 'animation space'. Until you do that, the layer will not be animated.

You make it animated by right-click on frame-0 of the timeline for the layer and then click the 'Create Duplicate Frame' option from the list that will appear. Then the layer will be an animated layer and your image will become frame-0 of that animated layer.
Also, frame-0 will be repeated along the timeline as a 'Held frame', which is what the blue line means. i.e the content is held/maintained along the timeline.

Then, you can go to frame-24, right-click it and then click the 'Create Blank Frame' option. That will make a blank/empty frame at frame-24 which will stop the previous held frames.

If all that doesn't help you, please reply with a more detailed description of what you're trying to do and, ideally, a full screen .png screenshot of your work with the Timeline and the Layers docker visible.

Thank you (you remember me )!

Now I got it, but find it kind of illogically: Why doesn´t "the program" just accept every content on a layer (without an extra step "Create Blank Frame")? And - the user could choose, when and how long it will be an the video (by setting key-frames)?

[I never used a fill-layer before]

I´m not a native english speaker; just´ followed the instructions on the manuel, worked, BECAUSE I filled contend after setting the first keyframe. Was confused because that did not work on layers that has already content.

It is confusing until you get used to it. Non-animated layers and animated layers have a kind of isolation from each other within krita. You can't copy/paste content betwen non-animated layers and animated layers.

What you can do is convert a non-animated layer to an animated layer, as you've just done, then use the frame copy/paste functions.

Also, you can convert an animated layer to a non-animated layer (with Flatten Layer from a right click in the Layers docker) but then you throw away all the frames on it except for one frame, the currently selected frame, which then becomes the content of a non-animated layer. This is actually useful when you want one particular frame from an animation to work on as a non-animated image.

Keep practicing and playing and good luck

I actually had some idea how to make it easier (and still consistent, in my opinion):
(note that the non-animated layer behaves exactly in the same way as animated layer with only one frame on the 0th timeslot with the content)
- when doing Create Blank Frame on the timeslot no. 0, the animated layer should be all empty, the content deleted. (because the same happens when you do that on the animated layer with first frame filled).
- when doing Create Blank Frame on some other timeslot, it should keep the content on the 0th frame and create a new blank frame in the nth timeslot.
- when doing Create Duplicate Frame on the 0th timeslot, it should create the frame on 0th timeslot with the content from the layer.
- when doing Create Duplicate Frame on any other timeslot, there should be two frames:

Would that be less confusing to you, @tandorf? Also what do you think, @Ahab, would that be still fine? In my opinion it would be easier that way...

Thank you again!

It is confusing until you get used to it. Non-animated layers and animated layers have a kind of isolation from each other within krita. You can't copy/paste content betwen non-animated layers and animated layers.

--> This I got...all the time:).

After setting the first keyframe, AND drawing the first line, a layer is "activated" for animation. The only thing confusion was: Why is it not enough just setting a keyframe?

Meanwhile I found out, that is also possible to start with an empty frame, and then integrate the, for example .png-layer, into the "now animation-ready-layer".

Now I got everything I need, and animation in krita is all I need for my animation-tasks.

@tandorf,

If you do Create Blank Frame on any frame of a non-animated layer, then the layer is then animated. You can tell because the lightbulb icon appears on the layer slot info at the left. What you don't get, until you paint content on the layer, is the horizntal hold line because there is no content to hold.
Also, if you make a first blank frame anywhere on the timeline, you can then paint on any other frame and that content will be held until the next keyframe.

What method do you use to '... start with an empty frame, and then integrate the, for example .png-layer, into the "now animation-ready-layer". ' ?

@tymond,

I'd need to do some experiments/tests to form a proper opinion of your ideas but my initial impression is as follows.

Numbering your points as 1 to 4:

1. I'm not at all sure about deleting the entire contents of an animated layer if I Create Blank Frame on frame-0. At the moment, you can't do that. If an animated layer has content than all you can do on frame-0 is remove and pull. You can't remove because it seems to insist on having a blank frame at frame-0.
If it did as you suggest then someone may think they could make a 'cleared' frame-0, as work on an existing animated layer which already had content, and delete everything they'd done in that layer.
The obvious answer is to tell people to be careful but that never works.

2. This is what it already does. ok?

3. This is what it already does. ok?

4. At the moment it puts the non-animated layer content onto frame-0 and at frame-n when you do that on frame-n of a non-animated layer. I'd have thought that putting a blank frame on frame-0 and the original non-animated layer content on frame-n would be a more obvious thing to do.

If I seem to have misunderstood your ideas, please explain how and also please emphasise how your ideas differ from the current behaviour.

Whatever it does at the moment, people have got used to it and would be disrupted by any change to current behaviour, as they always are (including me)

What method do you use to '... start with an empty frame, and then integrate the, for example .png-layer, into the "now animation-ready-layer". ' ?

--> As you explained: "Create Duplicate Frame" - an imported .png-Layer is now "animateable" and starts at frame 0. I move it to the frame where I need it. Like that, it is absolutely acceptable for me .