An In-Depth Guide to Pro Motion NG – The Powerful Pixel Animation Software

Getting Started with the Interface

Pro Motion NG emphasizes usability with tools organized intuitively. Here is a quick overview of the main interface areas:

Documents Panel: Displays all open artwork documents for quick switching.

Toolbox: Contains pixel art and selection tools like the Pencil, Bucket, and Eyedropper. Tools can be customized.

Canvas: The large pixel grid area for drawing and viewing artwork up close to the actual size of pixels.

Toolbar: Provides quick access to common commands and settings related to layers, undo, zoom, and more.

Palettes Panel: Manage and manipulate imported/custom pixel color palettes.

Timeline: For animations, displays frames that can be edited by adding/moving keyframes.

Inspector: View and adjust properties of selected layers, tiles, colors, and more.

Getting familiar with these core sections will allow comfortable use of Pro Motion NG’s features. Play around and always refer here if anything is unclear!

Creating Pixel Art in Pro Motion NG

Let us now explore the pixel art creation process using some of Pro Motion NG’s robust tools:

Drawing with Pencil and Brush Tools

The primary drawing tools are the Pencil and Brush, which can be set to single-pixel or multiple-pixel sizes. Holding shift locks drawing to a strict 45/90-degree angle for clean pixels.

Using the Bucket Tool

The Bucket fills enclosed areas with a single color. It is excellent for coloring large flat spaces quickly without manual filling and holding shifts while using it for a non-contiguous fill.

Shaping Pixels with Eraser

The Eraser allows for removing pixels precisely or in varying-sized strokes. Its properties, like hardness, match the Pencil/Brush for complementary use.

Importing Image Resources

Pro Motion NG reads standard pixel art formats directly. More complex sources can be color-reduced automatically using built-in algorithms for a hand-crafted look.

Organizing with Layers

Drawn/imported elements should be placed on their layer for easy selection/editing. Layers can be grouped and arranged in the stack.

Importing Palettes

Access or build custom palettes of optimized pixel colors and associate them with documents for a consistent look. Palettes can also be exported.

With these pixels’ art features, even complex graphics can be efficiently designed in Pro Motion NG. Always refer to this guide for the exploration of oval tablesful tools.

Bringing Pixel Art to Life with Animation

Where Pro Motion NG truly shines are animating pixel artwork to create a vibrant world:

Setting up the Frames

The timeline forms the backbone of animation. Add/delete frames as needed to establish the duration.

Placing Keyframes

On the chosen layers/tiles, insert keyframes on relevant frames where changes occur. Pro Motion interpolates in between.

Tweaking Keyframes

For smoothness, keyframe positions can be finely adjusted in milliseconds. Eases can be added for acceleration/deceleration.

Onion Skinning

View multiple frames simultaneously with transparency for reference, streamlining character motion and cycles.

Exploring other Tools

Timeline tools allow quick copying/pasting of keyframes, while helpers like the tweens tool automate some transformations.

With practice, animations in Pro Motion NG can be just as fluid and beautiful as in professional studios. Experiment and have fun bringing your worlds to cinematic life!

Exporting Finished Works

Pro Motion NG simplifies delivering creations to others through export:

• Sprite Sheets: Group frames into optimized sheets for game engines.
• Individual Frames: Save each as separate files for custom reuse elsewhere.
• Animated GIF: Export creations as looping animated GIFs to share on social networks easily.
• Video: Render animations in standard formats like MP4 for sharing beyond games.
• Tile sets: Export multi-tile graphics as organized tile sets for games.