Using the lightbox

The Drawing Window

Using the lightbox

You can make the Drawing Window work in a similar way to a traditional lightbox, so you see how images animate. You'll see all the images from the current frame, overlaid with faded images from other frames. You can choose which images appear faded, and from which frames. For example:

To use lightbox mode, you must choose the images that you wish to appear faded by selecting a node (see Selecting nodes):

Each input to the selected node will appear faded.

: You'll get an unfaded copy of the image at the current frame, above a faded copy taken from each frame you've chosen to appear (see below).

All other images will appear as normal - i.e. unfaded, for the current frame only.

You must also use the XSheet to set the frames from which the faded images should come:

Select the frames in the FR column (i.e. the original frames column).

: You do this in exactly the same way as selecting keyframes; see Selecting keyframes. The frames turn blue as you select them.

Use the pop-up menu at the bottom of the XSheet to specify which of the selected frames' images actually appear:

to show all the selected, choose All frames

to show only selected keyframes, choose Keys only

to show the frame mid-way between each selected keyframe, as well as the keyframes themselves, choose Break down.

: Any selected frames that won't actually appear are shown a lighter blue in the frames column than those which do appear.

Finally, click on the Lightbox button.

The images that appear move relative to the current View Node, which is the fixed reference point:

We recommend you show movement relative to the Camera node. This shows how images move through the camera shot - probably the most understandable and useful way to use the lightbox.

: If the View Node isn't set to Camera, click on the Camera View button; you can then adjust the view, so long as you don't use the Select View Node button.

To view images relative to other nodes, click on the Select View Node button to change your current View Node; see Setting the view.

Changing which images are faded

The list of images that are faded is set when you enter lightbox mode, and remains the same until you again leave lightbox mode. To change which images are faded, you must leave lightbox mode, select the relevant nodes, and re-enter lightbox mode.

The Drawing Window

Using the lightbox

Changing which images are faded