Frame annotations

Frame annotations let you mark up a frame by hand: a circle around the hand that needs fixing, an arrow showing where something should move, a reminder to yourself for later. They are drawn on top of the frame, kept per frame, and they are never part of your artwork. Annotations never play back, never show in onion skin, and are never included in any export (video, GIF, or images). Think of them as a see-through sheet of tracing paper laid over the frame, just for you.

Frame annotations are a Pro feature.

Looking for typed text on a frame instead of a drawing? That is a frame note, and it is free.

Turning it on

In the canvas quick bar (bottom-left), tap the scribble button. The whole app gets a coloured border and an Annotating banner appears at the top, so you always know you are marking up and not drawing. The quick bar changes into the annotation toolbar, and the reel dims.

While annotating, only the brush (draw an annotation) and the eraser (rub one out) are available in the tool dock. Every other tool is greyed out, so annotations and artwork never get mixed up.

Tap the back arrow in the annotation toolbar to leave. Your annotations stay on the frame as a reference while you keep drawing.

Drawing annotations

• Draw anywhere. Annotations are not limited to the frame. You can draw out in the grey margin around the canvas too, which is perfect for a remark that points at the drawing from outside it.
• Colour and size. The annotation toolbar has its own colour well and size dot, remembered separately from your brush, so your annotations stay a distinct colour (red by default). Pick a colour or drag the size dot before you draw.
• Eraser. Switch to the eraser in the tool dock and drag over an annotation to remove it. Undo brings it back.
• Per frame. Each frame has its own annotations. A small badge on a frame's thumbnail in the timeline shows which frames carry them.

Show or hide annotations

When a frame has annotations, an eye button appears in the quick bar. Tap it to hide them so you can see the art underneath, and tap again to show them. This is just for viewing, and it does not delete anything.

Clearing annotations

In the annotation toolbar, the trash button clears every annotation on the current frame. It asks you to confirm first (so you cannot wipe them by accident), and you can undo right afterwards.

What annotations are (and are not)

• Annotations are a private layer. They are not drawn into your frames.
• They never appear in playback, onion skin, thumbnails, or any export.
• They travel with the project file, so they are still there when you reopen it, and they move, copy, and delete along with their frame.

Because annotations are never exported, they are the safe place for feedback, corrections, and reminders. Mark up a frame as much as you like, and your finished animation stays clean.