zero·style

Dictionary entry

onion skinning

View related-term graphUse in a brief
Was this helpful?
Graphic designCurated · verified

An animation aid that shows faint ghost images of the frames just before and after the current one, so the animator can see how a drawing relates to its neighbours. The name comes from the translucent layers of an onion.

Synonyms

  • onionskinning
  • ghosting

Related terms

In plain words

  • seeing faint versions of the surrounding frames
  • the ghost images that help you line up drawings

Usage example

With onion skinning on, she could trace the bouncing ball's arc across several frames at once.

Don't confuse with…

  • motion trailOnion skinning is an editing overlay showing neighbouring frames; a motion trail is a visible effect kept in the final animation.

Categories

  • Motion & animation

Related-term graph

Two hops from onion skinning — click a term to open its entry, or re-center the graph on it

Focus term

Directly related

Two hops away

  • Relatedonion skinning related of frame rate
  • Relatedonion skinning related of keyframe
  • Relatedonion skinning related of timeline
  • Relatedonion skinning related of tween
  • Relatedtween related of easing
  • Relatedkeyframe related of easing
  • Relatedtween related of frame rate
  • Relatedframe rate related of keyframe
  • Relatedtween related of keyframe
  • Relatedframe rate related of motion blur
  • Relatedtimeline related of sparkline
  • Relatedkeyframe related of timeline
  • Relatedframe rate related of timeline
  • Relatedtween related of timeline
  • Relatedkeyframe related of tween

Stop describing. Start naming.

Turn a plain-language description into a designer-ready brief in minutes.

Start a brief