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Isn't there an onion skin feature in AE?

New Here ,
Oct 21, 2011 Oct 21, 2011

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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?

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Oct 21, 2011 Oct 21, 2011

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

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Community Expert ,
Oct 21, 2011 Oct 21, 2011

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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.

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New Here ,
Oct 21, 2011 Oct 21, 2011

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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.

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Oct 21, 2011 Oct 21, 2011

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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

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Explorer ,
Aug 01, 2021 Aug 01, 2021

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Onion skin
2011 it's a good feature request.

2021 it's a good feature request.

 

 

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Explorer ,
Jul 23, 2023 Jul 23, 2023

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2031 it's a good feature request.

Meanwhile, enjoy gradient-coloured panels in the After Effects 31.1 Release.

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New Here ,
Mar 13, 2022 Mar 13, 2022

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2022 it's still a good feature request

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 01, 2023 Sep 01, 2023

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Hello Adobe, Todd or whomever this may concern! 
It is now 2023, 12 years after your answer. Why is there still no 'onion skin' effect feauture in AE? 
Please provide a serious answer. on how we designers have to wait 12 years on a feature what can be so useful. 
Regards

 

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New Here ,
Aug 30, 2023 Aug 30, 2023

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2023: Its a good feature request

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Community Beginner ,
Jan 24, 2016 Jan 24, 2016

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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.

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 07, 2018 Sep 07, 2018

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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.

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New Here ,
Apr 26, 2016 Apr 26, 2016

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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

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Community Expert ,
Apr 26, 2016 Apr 26, 2016

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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.

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New Here ,
Apr 26, 2016 Apr 26, 2016

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Interesting, I'll try your way.

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New Here ,
Sep 30, 2023 Sep 30, 2023

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you are a fkn rockstar, thank you for the idea!!! works good enough ❤️

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New Here ,
May 03, 2020 May 03, 2020

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This kinda helped me.Thanks.

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 22, 2019 Jul 22, 2019

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not very helpful....

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

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New Here ,
May 18, 2020 May 18, 2020

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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.

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Contributor ,
Dec 15, 2023 Dec 15, 2023

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LATEST

Not compatible with Apple Silicon!
awaiting update. . .

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Community Beginner ,
Oct 12, 2021 Oct 12, 2021

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

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Contributor ,
Apr 19, 2023 Apr 19, 2023

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

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 19, 2023 Apr 19, 2023

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

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Contributor ,
May 08, 2023 May 08, 2023

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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. 

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