Very often I need to alternate between two frames, generally one for reference and the other for drawing. I have in mind a traditional animation artist with a stack of pages, looking at one, lifting it up, then drawing on the one beneath.
My current methods for doing this are:
- Have the frames be consecutive, then use any of “←→,.” to go back and forth
- Not always lucky enough for them to be consecutive
- Sometimes temporarily create extra frames linked to the ones I want to see
- Annoying to juggle multiple hotkeys
- Disruptive when I accidentally switch frames in the wrong direction
- Not always lucky enough for them to be consecutive
- Open a new view and move it to be side-by-side
- Side-by-side is better than nothing
- Click on the frames
- Slower than a hotkey
- Takes my mouse away from the drawing surface
- Onionskin
- Good for outlines but not fine details and precise colors
Any other solutions? Edit: here’s another obvious one I forgot at first:
- Tabs
- Works best when only two are open
- Otherwise have to juggle Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab
- Need to ensure scrolling and zooming are exactly in sync between tabs
- Works best when only two are open
I propose a hotkey to alternate between the current and previously displayed frame so I can very quickly flip back and forth. Bonus points if there’s a configuration option to control the number of frames to cycle between: current and last one, two, three, etc.
Maybe this feature already exists and I’ve just not found it yet. I’m curious to know!