Questions on animation features (batch process G'MIC, import gap frames with holds)

[squirrel]

Hi, nice to meet you all. I just have a few questions regarding available tools for animation since I don’t want to make unnecessary feature requests and have not had much luck finding the information I’m looking for.

Is there a way to import animation frames with holds based on gaps in frame #s? (ex: 001,005 would have 3 hold frames in between)

Is there a way to batch process images with filters like G’MIC through Krita? (sort of like BIMP plugin for GIMP?)

Is there a way to paint bucket multiple frames? Or is there any way to make coloring animation frames a little faster? (Since colorize mask does not work with animation)

Is there a way to import PSD animations as frames instead of layers?

I’m willing to install addons, and am trying to understand scripting (not experienced but would really like these features). Thanks for your help.

[Grum999]

Hi

@squirrel

Is there a way to import animation frames with holds based on gaps in frame #s? (ex: 001,005 would have 3 hold frames in between)

If you mean you have images names like:

• img0001
• img0010
• img0025
  And have images imported to frames 1, 10 and 25, I don’t think so.
  You can define the gap between imported images, but in this case it will be the same gap between all images

@squirrel

Is there a way to batch process images with filters like G’MIC through Krita? (sort of like BIMP plugin for GIMP?)

You can create plugins, that allows to batch some operation, but:

• It need some skills with Python development
• Krita API for animation are minimal and you’ll have to do some tricky things to work on frames (possible, but not the easiest thing)
• I’m not sure you can access to G’Mic filter from Krita’s python API

Workaround might be possible, but tricky.

Things that works well: you can apply a filter mask on an animated layer and play with filter layer mask in time, but playing with filter properties in time seems not possible (or I didn’t found how to do it for example, applying a progressive gaussian blur)

@squirrel

Is there a way to paint bucket multiple frames? Or is there any way to make coloring animation frames a little faster? (Since colorize mask does not work with animation)

For what I can see, you can use colorize mask on an animated layer, but currently (event in Krita 5…0.0-prealpha) the colorize mask is applied on all layer frames I’m not able able to define a different paint definition on colorize mask in time (no keyframes for colorize mask)

Here a “workaround”, but it’s not really fluid…

Krita Colorize mask in Animation Workaround - Tutorial

Hey I made a small tutorial for using colorize mask to color our animation frames. [Album] Krita Colorize mask in Animation work around [Krita Colorize mask in Animation work around] Cheers!

I recently saw @tiar talking about this functionality I think:

Aid in coloring animation

Well, then you guys can go to WIP: Making colorize mask work with animation (!661) · Merge Requests · Graphics / Krita · GitLab and cheer the volunteer who’s working on it It’s of course about the Colorize Mask which works for sure differently than what you’re talking about here, but is about the same thing, to color animation. Since it’s a mask, you can attach it to a group layer where some layers will be actual lineart and some would be lines between the shadow areas and non-shadow ar…

But I think you’ll have to download source and compile it by yourself if you want to test it

@squirrel

Is there a way to import PSD animations as frames instead of layers?

I don’t know
As I don’t have photoshop, I can’t test a PSD file with animation…

But if you’ve tested a such PSD file import and got layers instead of frames, without any import option, I’m afraid that it’s currently not possible.

@squirrel

I’m willing to install addons, and am trying to understand scripting

As I said before, Krita’s python API are minimal for animation.
You can move in time across layer frames, you can -in a certain way, it’s tricky- modify their content programmatically, but currently except by importing a list of image files, there’s no function to create/insert/delete/move frames from an animated layer

https://api.kde.org/appscomplete-api/krita-apidocs/libs/libkis/html/classNode.html#a5fc11982bb591e5f98c64f214fa1488b

layers can be animated, i.e., have frames.

return true if the layer has frames. Currently, the scripting framework does not give access to the animation features.

Currently @eoinoneill and @emmetpdx are working hard to improve animation in Krita.
I don’t know if with Krita 5.0.0, Python API will be improved or not…

Grum999

[squirrel]

Thank you so much for the thorough response. Sounds like I should stick to other programs for any sort of animation heavy lifting for now, and just enjoy Krita for its delightful digital drawing capabilities while supporting the developers from the sidelines.

[Grum999]

@squirrel

Sounds like I should stick to other programs for any sort of animation heavy lifting for now

It depends of what you want to animate.

On my side, use of Krita only is not possible.

For pre-processing (mostly doing tweening and prepare dynamic parts) I use Enve and/or Synfig.
For processing (drawing/painting) I use Krita
For post-processing, I use Natron
For final video editing, I use KDEnlive

I think Blender “Grease Pencil” allows to do pre-processing, processing and some of post-processing parts, but I didn’t tried it yet.

Grum999

[squirrel]

Thanks for the suggestions. I primarily do 2D/3D hybrid animation. Blender is actually my main go-to program for most of the pipeline, especially since the introduction of GP. I use Krita for digital painting for textures, environments, small image sequences, etc. I work with a team, some working with Photoshop (which I don’t have, but thankfully PSDs open in Krita), and sometimes I help with cleanup and flat coloring. I’ve been recently trying out using the GIMP BIMP plugin with G’Mic interactive colors just to batch process image sequences, and using Krita for further cleanup. Blender has a new autocolor feature coming up as well as a trace image to GP, so that’s very promising for the future. Blender sort of lags on video editing, so thanks for recommending KDEnlive. I’ll certainly check it out.