Wait... You Can Animate in Photoshop?!? (Tutorial) | A Guide to the Photoshop Timeline

This is my guide to the Photoshop timeline, how to use it, and what it's good for. I'll show you how to import videos into PS, animate drawings over the video, and make jittery animated text!
Make sure to LIKE and SHARE this video if you found it useful!
Thanks again for watching!
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B Way Motion
Tyler Bradway
#Photoshop #Animation #animated
SEO tags to help you find my stuff:
B Way Motion, bway, Creativid Studios, Tyler Bradway, After Effects tutorials, special effects, animating, animated, animations, motion graphics, video editing, filmmaking
photoshop, timeline, frame-by-frame, cell animation, cartoon, gif, flip book, pen, pencil, marker, jitter, text, hand, drawn, drawing, scribble, music video, beginner, basics, wiggle, stop motion, squiggle, line art, cartoony, useful, photo, stylized, shaking, draw, hidden feature

[@BWayMotion]

*FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS* 1. ENABLING ARROW-KEYS SHORTCUTS Click the timeline options icon (four horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of the timeline panel, then click "Enable Timeline Shortcut Keys," you should now be able to use the left and right arrow keys to change frames. (I hadn’t realized they were disabled by default when I made this tutorial) 2. CHANGING DURATION OF TIMELINE >5 SEC This is a dumb aspect of the timeline and requires a workaround. Make another layer (just a normal layer will do) and then drag it to the right. The timeline duration will automatically adjust; but if you move that blank layer back again, it will shorten again. Now you can extend the video layer you were animating. 3. INSERTING NEW FRAMES BETWEEN EXISTING ONES With the video layer selected, go to Layer> Video Layers> Insert Blank Frame. 4. COPY/PASTE CONTENT FROM EXISTING FRAME ONTO ANOTHER FRAME With your video layer selected, press cmd+A to select the entire frame. Move in your timeline to the frame you want to paste the copied frame to, and press cmd+SHIFT+V (paste in place). 5. CHANGING TIMELINE FRAME RATE Shown at 1:25

[@bossle6834]

How do I use the same frame again (instead of always drawing a new frame) ? when I try to copy and paste a drawing it messes up and im kind of a dummy to figure out the photoshp tools

[@BWayMotion]

@@bossle6834 Dude, I had that same problem when I was first experimenting with it and haven't found a workaround. But you should try googling it; maybe someone has figured it out by now? It's definitely a quirk with photoshop that shouldn't be such an issue. Wish I knew. -- Tyler

[@linkthegallade5178]

@@bossle6834 i think you can right click and something about duplicating the layer pops up. Or drag the desired frame(layer) down to the new layer icon at the bottom to make a duplicate. Sorry its hard to explain, and you might've gotten it by now.

[@captv334]

@@bossle6834 maybe try cuting that part of the video layer and then tranform it to an inteligent object then you should be able to copy and paste it I think

[@BWayMotion]

No, sorry 😞 as far as I know, the iPad version doesn't support animation at all

[@crow2533]

It’s quarantine, my school offers photoshop, and I’ve always wanted to animate. Why not?

[@raineyraine5887]

Yeah do it! I started last year, I sucked back then as you could see by the videos posted on my acc lmao but I’ve gotten better (edit: the videos are on a different acc of mine I forgot but take my word for it)

[@husso9396]

I’ve literally searched everywhere for a decent and quick tutorial, and yours is by far the best. thank you so much for this beautiful tutorial

[@BWayMotion]

:)))

[@kerbymedirect8334]

Wow! I literally just started animating in photoshop and didn’t know there was a better way of doing it 😨 (mind blown). Thank you for this!

[@pongo1342]

Amazing tutorial! It went right to the point and was fast and simple to understand! Great for learning the basics!

[@TokyoDraws111]

This tutorial really helped thank you for making this!!!

[@keithjohnson8805]

Wowww this is fr the exact video i been looking for. Had to copy and paste this into my notes so I never lose it. Thank you!!!!

[@user-ng8vy7dt2j]

This is the greatest Photoshop animation video ever made. Trying to learn and watched several that totally over complicated. Thanks for simple and quick with many examples in a short amount of time. Perfect.

[@annailyin431]

I liked it(and subscribed)! I’m familiar with Photoshop but not with animation there. New to this. Watched few different channels on this topic before this and this is the first one with clear sound explanation!Thank you!

[@lillowh6126]

Oh my gosh thank you so much !

[@ramen4003]

i have never been happy in my life with the animate i made god thanks bro! heres a like and a sub

[@MytokyokittyStudios]

I've been animating in Photoshop differently (I have CS6 version). This way of animating is SO much easier! Thank you so much!

[@BWayMotion]

Great! Glad you found it useful :)

[@altheajulienne6254]

I just wanted to say thank you! Very informative and gives me a lot more info on all the ways I can create artwork. Have a nice day!

[@livslovelaugh]

thank you so much for this video! finally feel like i'm unlocking new skills :)

[@thisisjec]

This helps so much! Thank you!

[@adrianzak]

thank you for this material, it shows that almost everything can be animated: D

[@Raltze_]

thank you so much for this, i really did not feel like going through a half hour video to grasp basics, so i watched this and it actually was really well done, i loved the tense music it sounded like you were trying to speedrun this lol

[@noor9196]

Amazing thank you so much for this. Really helped me to get started in 2D animation.

[@furiscafynn6275]

... I had NO idea you could animate in Photoshop... Thank you!!!

[@yuhuwhydee]

This help me a LOTTT! Thank youuuuu 😁

[@vidaphotography4073]

Oh my goodness this is the exact tutorial I needed. Thank you!

[@BWayMotion]

😄 glad it helped!!

[@travissmith7471]

Thanks for sharing... Very helpful...

[@MikeSpike117]

Thankyou this was really helpful

[@suhyouri]

omg you're my lifesaver. thx

[@kopp6484]

exactly what i needed, thanks!

[@mrdrewsomething]

Thanks a lot for this! I had no idea this feature existed :D

[@bjq1987]

very helpful!

[@kyleb5392]

Thanks dude helped more than you think

[@sherifOneWay]

i saw ur animation movie in an animation event

[@kirstengraham9253]

This was very easy to follow as a beginner. Thank you so much.

[@BWayMotion]

Awesome! That was one of my goals :))

[@starsoul_7]

Thank you!

[@lachauntiswashington231]

thank you so much for this

[@BWayMotion]

😄 glad it was useful

[@ky2am581]

this video help me a lot...thank you

[@TheOriginalKidCoyote]

thank you, great video

[@-csotanypure-5106]

Extremely helpful! :*

[@BWayMotion]

Good! Thx for the comment!

[@linttastic]

This is a great vid to get started on animation in setting up photoshop! I use cs6 and before I upgraded to extended, I was doing the timeline animation so this is really neat!

[@mbbdart]

Thanks, you help me save time

[@DonyeaGMusic]

awesome Brodie thanks for sharing.

[@BWayMotion]

Thx :))

[@da_BooBoo2]

BOSS .. thank you!

[@linkthegallade5178]

Ayyyy I use photoshop to animate! I have some posted, yet some of this stuff I never knew-

[@El-jf8fz]

THANK YOU thank you thank you!

[@tatumevans9623]

Tyler your personality is just the best you make me laugh idek why lolll

[@BWayMotion]

Awww shucks ☺

[@EnaVerse]

Omg Thank you so much! You just changed my life

[@BWayMotion]

😄 haha, its an honor

[@SarpSerter]

Amazing video, very motivating! Is there a way to show the same frame twice in a video layer? I want to keep the framerate 24 but animate in 2s. Actually I want to have the freedom of animating in 2s or 1s or 3s whenever I want. Is this possible to do with a video layer or do I have to make a million regular layers and time them each one by one? Also I noticed that the new Photoshop now has a Position and Opacity Key underneath the layers. Just like After Effects but I couldn't figure out how to move the drawing in a way that would register as a key for the position key. Love your vids!

[@BWayMotion]

Crap!! Just saw this comment and it's a great question. My approach is to set the timeline frame rate from 24 to whatever is the same as that increment (12 fps / 8fps). Then render the video as a 24 frame export, so it has the amount of frames you want.

[@asrieklasik7871]

thanks!!!!

[@ALLIENYC]

This is great basic animation video in PS! Only thing, you way want to show the completion on how to export for use. Your video animation plays while in PS as you have "loop playback" enabled so it keeps looping it. When you select the "forever" option when making a gif and you export the file it does just that. But with "loop playback" in only loops the playback in PS for just that: "playing back" when you export/render the video it only plays in once so you do not get the effect that you see in PS with "loop playback" enabled. I think this tutorial would have even better if you also included this information as well on now to export the video so that it plays "forever" or looped to get the wiggling effect, otherwise it plays once and you don't get the wiggle effect.

[@BWayMotion]

Aahhh. True.

[@Christian-fs6yl]

Super helpful, was trying to do simple animations over videos so this was perfect! Thanks!

[@BWayMotion]

welcome!

[@karolinaszymczyk]

rong

[@subhenoor5972]

u are awesome thanku

[@BWayMotion]

🤟🤓🤙 Thankth

[@rajehalrajeh639]

Hi man! I would suggest to make a toturial about using textures in photoshop to texture drawings and animate them.

[@buyzilla3552]

I can't enable onion skin and whenever i rotate or puppet warp it applies on all layer

[@BWayMotion]

Make sure your timeline is a video timeline and not a frame animation timeline. Are your timeline layers video layers (blue)? Or static layers (purple)? They need to be blue video layers to enable onion skins. I think the problem when you rotate is that you may have copied and pasted the image to multiple layers; if you change one you change all instances of it. Yeah, I know that's pretty dumb of photoshop. If you aren't trying to make a hand-drawn animation, I recommend just using after effects. :) - Tyler

[@adorkablydeliciousdesigns7852]

Thank you for the awesome and helpful tutorial!!

[@BWayMotion]

🤗

[@adorkablydeliciousdesigns7852]

So I’m trying to use my arrow keys to toggle through to the next frame and it doesn’t do anything. Is there something that I am doing wrong?

[@BWayMotion]

@@adorkablydeliciousdesigns7852 Hi! Sorry, I forgot to mention that part in the video. I think if you click the options icon (four horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of the timeline panel, then click "Enable Timeline Shortcut Keys," it should be fixed. You may have already had it figured out by now. Let me know if it's working. --Tyler

[@adorkablydeliciousdesigns7852]

Creativid Studios thank you so much!!! I thought my computer was just wigging out! Lol! 🤣😅 thankfully that’s not the case... but thank you again for the awesome tutorial!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@jusskraa1255]

lol thx bro i actually understood this

[@lizmeza8912]

thanks a lot!

[@hozefabarwaniwala5755]

Dope.

[@chiarabertelli5540]

Thank you for the soundtrack

[@shtrida2388]

is there something I can click besides the arrow keys to get to next frame mine doesn't work

[@intracortex]

where you changed the frame rate settings, there's a option enable shortcut timeline:)

[@brandob9477]

@@intracortex Thank You Viktor

[@UltraSquad]

good guide, i want to ask if possible to make decent animation for dialog (shape lips) using your method: video timeline+ new video layer from files , and just adding templates of character with different lip shapes for each letter?

[@BWayMotion]

Yeah, totally! Just make sure that after you bring in the audio clip(s) onto the audio track, you enable the audio playback by clicking the speaker icon next to the play button on the timeline. That may have been obvious to you, but I'm just mentioning that bc i don't usually use adio in photoshop, and i hadn't even noticed that button until i *really* searched. Thx for the comment!

[@nanjitheninja1071]

Thanks for this bro, it really helped! quick question though. Whenever I export it, it always comes out as lots of JPegs. is there some sort of actual video format i can export it as? thanks

[@BWayMotion]

Ok, I think i figured out what happened, but let me know. In the "render video" export window, switch the "photoshop image sequence" drop-down to "Adobe media encoder" and more options should appear. I use quicktime format (uncompressed) when I export assets, so they don't loose quality for later down the pipeline. :)

[@rushikesh3974]

thanx mate :)

[@BWayMotion]

:D Thanks for watching!!

[@Rohan_tag_song]

nice

[@madasakisharabea9418]

I cant seem to expand my video layer. I can't drag it to the right to expand i can only reduce it or drag to the left. Is it not posible to make it longer?

[@BWayMotion]

Someone else had this problem too a long while back. Here is my response to them asking that: Hi, yeah I have a janky solution, but it does work. Make another layer (just a normal layer will do) and then drag it to the right. The timeline duration will automatically adjust; but if you move that blank layer back again, it will shorten again. It's such a dumb fix, but that's the only way I know how haha. --Tyler

[@jasmijncath]

can you change the size after drawing the animations?

[@doukzu]

edit nevermind, I had to make the video group, then make new frames inside of that, finally getting the hang of it... sort of. No idea why the audio is making an entirely new canvas though aha How did you get your layer to immediately become video layers? Mine are just frames or... well, they're purple. Whenever I add an audio track it opens a copy of my canvas and my layers are all like... in one video layer even if they're technically different. It's weird, I'm really new to this moving over from Adobe animate I also don't have the video layers option ): I hope I don't have to go back to Animate it may be fast but it drops my quality a crazy amount without being able to shade and having such a bad brush.

[@hannahmelea]

This was so helpful, I never thought, animating in Photoshop is that easy, thank you so much!

[@marthamichellegarcia361]

Very useful , accurate and alright to the point 💪

[@momdraws5948]

😍

[@jundellas9202]

I have the version of CC 2015 Photoshop with no Video Layers nor 3D option at all and I wanted so much to animate. I feel so sad

[@BWayMotion]

Dang

[@alancastaneda8322]

When did Photoshop add: timeline, animation, and video? I don't remember seeing this option available circa 2011-2014

[@ehsan_shardum]

2:43 lost u on that point, how did u move the time readerthing? by pressing right arrow key? i did that but it doesnt move like urs. # nevermind i found that u mentioned about that, so, its solved. thanks for the tutorial, never knew its so easy in ps.

[@karolinaszymczyk]

yeah your actually correct how did he do that

[@stellaq3306]

@@karolinaszymczyk Read the pinned note above the comments.

[@rudfaja9314]

As which file do you save it in the end? I mean to save it like an animation video

[@BWayMotion]

File > Export > Render Video Under "format," you can save as "H264" for MP4 files or "Quicktime" for less compressed (higher quality) MOV files. Either one will be able to be imported into a video editing software so you can add sound/music and edits.

[@weronikabogucka294]

Nice and simple to understand tutorial . Btw how is the music called in background?

[@user-hd7ej9om1u]

Witam rodaku!

[@coletteconway6228]

If im making an animation say of just a smiley face, and I want that same picture to appear in the next frame just changed a bit, how do I do this without having to draw it all over again>?

[@BWayMotion]

I'm SO sorry. I thought I responded to this comment- I made a whole new answer in the FAQ bc of it. Answer number 4 in my pinned FAQ comment!

[@OsoMorado]

Your intro its mindblowing!

[@BWayMotion]

Thank you!!

[@angrycanadian1851]

Would this work the same in 2017 cc ? Also would I still be able once I’m done my animation sequence. Save as PNG that I can drop in FCPX so I can voice over and add music effects ect ?

[@stellaq3306]

Best way to find out is run a test. Name it "test".

[@karinwolfova3130]

I have 2017 cc and there is no video layer😖

[@primetime0104]

I knew these steps, but is there a way to insert frame or delete (by this approach)?

[@BWayMotion]

Sorry for wicked slow response. I actually dont know of a way to and I think its frustrating that I havent found that feature. -Tyler

[@waqasmansoor7956]

hey man at 2:45 you did shortcut for the next frame ? what was it ? i am on windows tho not on mac .. thanks :)

[@BWayMotion]

. ⬆️ ⬅️⬇️➡️ ^ this one

[@attentionlabel]

I don't have a "video layers" option in my "layer" tab, but i'm definitely using CS6. Any ideas how I can get to the "video layers"? :(

[@BWayMotion]

Unfortunately, I don't know. When in doubt, google it. Hopefully you already found your solution. Sorry I missed this question.

[@attentionlabel]

@@BWayMotion that's OK. Thank you for replying. I'm using Flash instead. 😊

[@microwavefries]

Video layers is a feature only available to the 32-bit version of photoshop cs6. Hope this helps!

[@attentionlabel]

@@microwavefries thanks TGG, I'm using Flash now. 😊

[@user-ve2un1eo3j]

how do you get it to bounce back up?

[@leezaadlakha2427]

Can you create more photoshop videos..this one is really good

[@BWayMotion]

Thanks 😊 I dont think I'm adept enough to contribute more than what is already available on youtube for photoshop. I felt this one was an exception bc it's a very unknown-about topic for a lot of artists. Thanks for your comment 😁

[@TiffanyRusell]

does anyone know how I can copy a frame and paste it later on the timeline? I can't seem to find a way :(

[@BWayMotion]

Hey! I got it. With your video layer selected, cmd+A to select the entire frame. Move in your timeline to the frame you want to paste the copied frame to, and cmd+SHIFT+V (paste in place). Also if you want to insert that copied frame and shift the rest of the animation over, Layer>Video Layers>Insert Blank Frame, then paste it onto that new blank frame. :))

[@AkaiMikasa]

Is there a way to add more frames between the ones already created?

[@BWayMotion]

Hey. That's a really good question. My work-around is to duplicate the video layer and then trim both copies so that the edit point is where you want to insert frames. (To duplicate the layer Command+J / Ctrl+J with the layer selected on the layer panel on the right) Then move the second half over to make room to add to the first half. Hopefully, I've described it well enough; if not, send me a quick email and I can send you some screenshots. --Tyler

[@max109y]

That backround music tho

[@MannyVideosCZ]

is absolutely terrible

[@max109y]

@@MannyVideosCZ xD

[@samuelakorede9438]

Will this work on ipad pro?

[@FrauMoonlight]

Maybe it's just me but is this still a thing in the latest PS (CC) Version? I can't import any video file in PS.

[@BWayMotion]

I'm really sorry I missed this comment. Yes, all features shown are still available in the latest PS versions

[@a_3x]

My arrow keys aren't moving to the next frame in the timeline. How do I fix this?

[@BWayMotion]

See my pinned answer at the top of the comment section. --Tyler

[@luisfelipearango582]

Excelent video. For some reason the arrow command to move from frame to frame is not working, any suggestions?

[@BWayMotion]

Thanks! See my pinned comment to fix that

[@luisfelipearango582]

Creativid Studios im so dumb 🤦‍♂️thanks!!

[@BWayMotion]

@@luisfelipearango582 lmaoo I get this comment pretty much weekly tho 😂 so ur not alone

[@nirmalpatel9537]

how do I make a new animation cel? like when you said " lets hit the right arrow key" i didnt understand

[@BWayMotion]

Hi. All the frames are already there, once you have a video layer. To move between frames within the timeline, use the left and right arrow keys on your keypad. 2:39

[@AllyG1967]

@@BWayMotion Hi there, gr8 video thanks. My arrow keys don't advance the timeline. Where is the setting for that in the preferences please.

[@AllyG1967]

Saw your response to another person about enabling timeline shortcut keys - thanks

[@heloisecarpenter1081]

Hey, is there any way to duplicate frames so that i don't have to redraw everything?

[@kacperjabuszewski8888]

ctrl+a>ctrl+c>next frame>ctrl+v

[@magicalswordsman5838]

Okay so I'm currently using Photoshop CS5 not CC and the Window option does not have timeline so what do I do with it? If I have to have CC then is there any way to download and used it for free and permanently because I currently don't have access to money?

[@BWayMotion]

Not legally... 🏴‍☠️

[@Ava-yj7vt]

I know I'm late, but for some reason, mine goes super fast. I have the FPS at 18 but it's still going super fast. Any help is appreciated

[@BWayMotion]

Hi. Do you mean it's going at a rate faster than 18 fps? If playback is working properly and the animation is faster than you want, you need to make the changes between the frames smaller changes (smaller movements) and so you will need more frames in your animation. But if it's that the playback isn't using the fps you set, idk how to fix that problem. :/ -- Tyler

[@Ava-yj7vt]

Creativid Studios alright, thanks👍🏻

[@Nana-pf4tl]

How do I create a new frame? Like, in between two frames, and i want to add one in the middle to "smooth" it out?

[@BWayMotion]

Hi. Good question! So, from how I understand it, you can't insert or delete frames from a video layer :/ However, I think if you have your timeline as a frame animation, you might be able to... but idk because I've only tried the frame animation timeline a couple times when I was first messing around with the photoshop timeline. Wish I could help more, but my suggestion is to google it. :/ --Tyler

[@FlusteredBushStudios]

Edison Anderson so if you have two frames and you want to and a frame in between them, make sure your on the first frame then go to Layers- Video Layers- and select “Insert Blank Frame” then a frame will be added in between your two other frames :) (theres also an option in the same place to delete a frame)

[@BWayMotion]

@@FlusteredBushStudios thx

[@xc1971pp]

Thanks a lot for the vídeo. Thumbs up put. But... What is "léer"...?

[@uyangabundkhorol5027]

[@BWayMotion]

😁

[@martina3920]

HOW DO I ADD AN INBETWEN DRAWING TO THE CIRCLE DEMO ONCE I ANIMATED ALL MY DRAWING ..LETS SAY BETWEEN 1-2 I want to add a drawing in-between

[@BWayMotion]

Answer #3 in FAQ (pinned comment)

[@raimarameez]

i cant draw when i go to the next frame because it says the the frame head is over the target layer in timeline? what do i do????

[@error404boy_]

yes same

[@BWayMotion]

Crap, just realized I hadn't responded sorry 😕 I think what that was saying the frame you were on in the timeline didn't have the selected layer within it - the layer you were trying to draw on isn't seen at that timecode. You'd would need to make sure whatever layer you have selected (the one you are trying to draw on) is extended to include the frame that the playhead is on. Im finding this very hard to explain... hopefully that made a bit of sense?

[@ramen4003]

@@BWayMotion got it

[@pollplace1]

about animation it seems like youtube only has this basic animation that everyone knows how to make the ball bounce

[@BWayMotion]

Search "Olof Storm" on KZbin he is VERY skilled in 2d photoshop animation. Good place to look for inspiration and some really good tips and tutorials.

[@noobcoverssauceage2923]

Hey! I have a request, can you please make a tutorial on how to "animate" with stock photos, I came across a video a few days ago and I was wondering if I could do something like that, thanks😁

[@BWayMotion]

Send me a link, idk what you mean.

[@noobcoverssauceage2923]

@@BWayMotion kzbin.info/www/bejne/e53bY62kp52Ya7c :)

[@BWayMotion]

Search "Adobe Animate beginner tutorials" on youtube. "Animate" used to be called "Flash." Thats what I recommend using for that style. I dont work in Animate, though, so 🤷

[@noobcoverssauceage2923]

@@BWayMotion thanks a lot!!! 😁

[@pabrikkunyuk60]

How to insert frame(f5 in adobe animate) in photoshop videolayer? How to make symbols in photoshop

[@BWayMotion]

There's not exactly an insert frame function (that I'm aware of). WORKAROUND: I'd say split the layer where you want to insert a frame. Move the second half of the split (2nd video layer) over one frame and add a frame to the end of the first video layer. (IDK if there is a shortcut for layer splitting, so I'd just duplicate and trim.)

[@adtan7915]

why cant i change the length of my animation for my video layer

[@BWayMotion]

I know, right!? This is really dumb, but I have a janky solution. Make another layer (just a normal layer will do) and then drag it to the right. The timeline duration will automatically adjust; but if you move that blank layer back again, it will shorten again; now extend the video layer that you are working on. It's such a dumb fix, but that's the only way I know how haha. --Tyler

[@fattpikachuu]

how do you make the animation loop ??

[@BWayMotion]

james allen I think I understand what you’re asking, you mean how to loop the playback? You can click the timeline options menu (the four lines in the top right of the timeline) and then select “loop playback.” Thanks for the view & comment! -Tyler

[@fattpikachuu]

Creativid Studios tysm !!!!! love the tutorial btw it was super helpful :D