Isn't there an onion skin feature in AE?

[sunny_valence]

Hey,

Sorry about the newbie question, but Google won't help me out here and I really need to know: isn't there an onion skin feature in After Effects? Like the one used in classic cellmation (if I, for instance, am watching frame 6, turning on the onion skin feature will allow me to see both frames 5 and 7 at a lower opacity) and that comes with Flash. I've recently started out with AE since using Flash gives me at least three brain hemmorages a day, and to be honest I just thought onion skinning is such a basic thing so I didn't even bother to check if came with AE... But I just realize that maybe it's not, only to animators.

Well, now I can't seem to find it, some other forum posts mention that it doesn't really exist (why, adobe, why?), but I still wanna make sure it doesn't. Does it?

[Rick Gerard]

Onion skinning does not exist classic sense. Depending on exactly what you're trying to do you can fake it. Some plug-ins make use of something like it. It would be very helpful if we knew exactly what you were trying to do.

[sunny_valence]

Oh, sorry, ok, I'll be more precise:

I'm creating a classic cellanimation, I have approx. 25 drawings of a car that comes down a street and turns a corner. I simply need to map out these pics in adequate relation to each other (to create smooth animation), and that's like reading in the dark without your little onion skin fella... Right now it looks pretty much as the car is driven by a drunk.

[Todd_Kopriva · Accepted solution]

There's no onion-skin feature built into After Effects.

This Community Help search pulls up a few workarounds.

It's a good feature request, though.

You can submit feature requests (and bug reports) here: http://www.adobe.com/go/wish

[Jnz77]

Onion skin
2011 it's a good feature request.

2021 it's a good feature request.

[defaultnommohfb4hl5]

2022 it's still a good feature request

[graceer]

i want this feature too.. onion skinning, and edit pre-comp in main composition, and not have to open side-by-side windows. just entered as feature requests.

I guess after effects wasn't build for cel animation. but if they just add these two features it can make it ALOT easier for cel animation.

[InsomniaGFX]

Toon Boom Animate/Harmony has a fantastic onion skin feature and it's a real shame AE doesn't have it. It's the main reason I dread doing cel style animation in AE.

[taamyz]

There is an effect called Echo. If you create an adjustment layer an apply this effects you must get the same result as the Flash's Onion skin. I hope it helps

[Rick Gerard]

Echo or any other time effect would have to be applied to a nested or pre-composed animated layer or a video to work. Time Difference would be more effective than Echo.

if you want to have onion skinning in AE you duplicate the layer you are animating, the the properties you are animating to the animated layer using a valueAtTime - one frame for the top copy and then set the opacity or the blend mode to something that easily lets you see through the layer. I'm not at a machine that has AE installed right now or I'd show you a screenshot and the expressions to drive some effects.

[taamyz]

Interesting, I'll try your way.

[akshayk75714935]

This kinda helped me.Thanks.

[nicolettab954500]

not very helpful....

The other answers provide legitimate recipes, this answer just passes the buck

[_nshand_]

There is actually a plug in that provides onion ski in After Effects. They offer a free trial and a paid version.

It's called Paint + Stick by AEScripts + AePlugins.

[keeganh91]

CC Wide Time works well for me, you can apply it to a precomp with your layers

[adamt18510785]

13 years later, way to get on that no onion skin feature there Adobe. It's not like people use after effect to animate. 

[keeganh91]

Check out the effect CC Wide Time man, not quite onion skin but it gets the same result
https://youtu.be/IQxvw91sOB4

[adamt18510785]

We shouldn't have to. 20 years in the F'n program made for compositing and animation and still no simple tools we should have had decades ago. Like importing OBJs or not having to zoom into a pixel to put a guide in an exact distance. ADOBE SUCKS... Baby steps a program to shake the consumer and never fixes legacy issues.