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Animation in Arttista is structured around a unique combination of frame-by-frame control and the flexibility of editable vectors with interpolation systems. Because it is a vector-based system, any shape, point, or texture modification remains fully editable even after the animation is completed.

Below are the essential concepts and step-by-step guide on how to structure and create your animations.

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1. The Animation Paradigm and Timeline

In Arttista, animation happens very directly: the system automatically saves any changes in position, points, or shape you make on the selected frame.

• Normal Frame: This is a standard position on the timeline. Whatever you modify on it is saved directly to that frame.
• Keyframe: This is a normal frame that you mark in a special way. It functions strictly as a pose marker or reference state so that Arttista knows which poses to connect during interpolation.

★ Important Note: Since the actual animation data is recorded on each normal frame, removing a keyframe does not delete the corresponding animation; it only removes its designation as a reference pose for interpolation.

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2. Creating and Navigating the Timeline

To control time and poses in your scene:

• Create/Remove a Keyframe: Position the red playhead on the timeline and press Ctrl + F2 or double-click the corresponding frame.
• Navigate Between Keyframes: Press Ctrl + → to jump to the next keyframe or Ctrl + ← to return to the previous one.
• Return to Beginning: Press Backspace (on Windows/Linux) or Home (on macOS).

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3. Executing Interpolation (Calculating Motion)

Instead of drawing every single frame manually, you can have Arttista calculate the transitions between poses (keyframes).

1. The Golden Rule: Arttista only interpolates what is selected in the scene. If you try to interpolate without selecting any objects or points, nothing will happen. This protects parts of the animation that you have already refined manually.
2. Select the objects or points you wish to move in the scene.
3. Press F2. The system will calculate the intermediate frames and record the results on the timeline.

Choosing the Curve Type:

You can configure how the animation behaves by clicking the small dot corresponding to each keyframe on the timeline. The available options are:

• Linear: Constant motion.
• Ease In: Gentle start.
• Ease Out: Gentle end.
• Ease In & Ease Out: Smooth start and end, ideal for organic and natural movements.

(Remember to press F2 again after changing the curve to recalculate the animation).

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4. Controlling Range Selection

By default, interpolation affects the entire timeline. However, you can choose to work only on specific sections:

• Create a Range: Hold Ctrl, click, and drag on the timeline to select a frame interval. Any interpolation or visibility operation will be restricted to this area.
• Copy Animation: Select the objects in the scene, select the frame range, hold Alt, and drag the timeline selection to duplicate that section’s animation to another position.
• Move Animation: Repeat the process above, but hold Shift + Alt to drag and move the section to a new position on the timeline.

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5. Global Edits with the Keyframe Tool (KF)

If you have finished your animation and realize the character needs to be larger, or positioned further to the side along the entire path, you don’t need to edit frame by frame.

1. Press key 4 (or activate the fourth Working Modes button on the sidebar) to activate the Keyframe Tool. The cursor will change to an arrow with a keyframe dot.
2. Perform any transformation (scale, move, rotate, or even change colors).
3. This change will be applied proportionally across all frames in the animation (or only to the active range if one is selected).
4. Press 1 to return to normal edit mode.

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