Onion skinning is a technique that displays semi-transparent overlays of adjacent frames, allowing animators to see previous and upcoming positions while working on the current frame.
Onion skinning originated in traditional hand-drawn animation, where animators would use translucent paper on a light table to see through multiple layers of drawings at once. The digital equivalent overlays ghosted images of neighboring frames on the current working frame, with earlier frames often tinted one color (like red) and later frames tinted another (like blue). This provides crucial context about the flow of motion.
In video production, onion skinning is invaluable for frame-by-frame animation work, rotoscoping, and any task that requires precise positioning relative to adjacent frames. It helps animators maintain consistent spacing between movements, catch errors in motion arcs, and ensure smooth transitions. Without onion skinning, animators would need to constantly scrub back and forth on the timeline to check their work.
While onion skinning is primarily a production tool that animators use during creation, understanding the concept helps clients appreciate the precision involved in frame-level animation work. Whether creating custom character animations, animated logos, or complex motion graphics sequences, onion skinning is one of the techniques that ensures every frame looks intentional and every movement flows naturally.
A keyframe is a specific point on a timeline that marks the beginning or end of a change in a property such as position, scale, opacity, or rotation.
Motion graphics are animated visual elements — such as text, shapes, icons, and data visualizations — designed to communicate information or enhance visual storytelling.
Rigging is the process of creating a skeletal structure of joints and controls inside a character or object model, enabling it to be animated with natural, controllable movement.