The Adobe Animate Interface

Screenshot of the Adobe Animate interface.

The Toolbar

On the left side of the interface is the Toolbar. This contains all the tools we use to create the imagery for our animation. This includes tools that allow us to draw, erase, create simple shapes, add text, fill in color, and more. If you see a small triangular icon in the corner of a tool, that means you can click + hold to see variations of that tool.

The Sidebar

The Sidebar on the right side of the interface is where most other menus will appear. By default, it will contain the Properties Menu, the Library, and Assets. The Properties Menu will be the most useful for us. It gives us options to fine-tune and adjust anything we click on. Different properties and options will be available depending on what you have selected.

The Canvas

The Canvas is where you do your actual drawing/animating. The Canvas is white by default, but you can change it to any color using the “Modify” > “Document” option in the File Menu. You can zoom in and out of the Canvas by using the tools in the top right, just left of the Properties Menu.

The Timeline

Adobe Animate Timeline.

Finally, we have the Timeline. The Timeline is how Adobe Animate represents all of the drawings that go into our animation. The left side of the Timeline is the start of the animation at 0.0 seconds. Each image in the animation is represented by the cells along the Timeline. You can see in this screenshot that my blue cursor is on the 5th cell of the Timeline - this is noted at 5F just above the cursor. You need to create a Keyframe to draw on any of these cells. Keyframes are represented with a lighter gray on your Timeline. To create a Keyframe, right-click/CMD+Click where you want it to start, or use the shortcut F6.

Adobe Animate Timeline.

You can use the sliding bar on the right of your Timeline to zoom in and out on just the Timeline.

The Brush Tool

Adobe Animate brush tool.

Once you have created a Keyframe or two, click on the Brush Tool in your Toolbar. It is represented by a small paintbrush icon. Now you can draw right on your Canvas. When a Keyframe is empty with nothing drawn on it, it will feature a small hollow circle. Once a drawing has been started, the circle will turn solid.

You will also notice the Properties Menu on the right has several options for you to play with when using the Brush Tool. With this panel, you can turn stylus pressure on and off, change the brush's size, color, and shape, and even control the strokes' opacity, tapering, and auto-stabilizing. See how the examples differ based on the settings in the Properties panel. Customize your Brush settings until you find something you like.

Remember that anything drawn outside the Canvas boundaries will be cut off when we export our animations. Notice how parts of the tree, clouds, and sun are excluded in this example. Use this to your advantage! It’s helpful, and it is recommended that you draw an entire object or character, even if your goal is for it to appear partially on the canvas. I also sometimes keep notes or references off to the side of my canvas.

The Eraser Tool

Adobe Animate eraser tool.

The Eraser Tool is another you will need to use. It is located on the Toolbar just below the Brush Tool. It looks like a traditional rectangular rubber eraser. The Eraser functions very similarly to the Brush Tool. After selecting the Eraser, you can erase anything on your Canvas. Use this to clean up mistakes or create negative space inside a shape you’ve drawn. The Properties in the right sidebar are similar to those you see with the Brush Tool.