Copying a frame in Photoshop's animation timeline is straightforward. Here's how to do it:
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Locate the Source Frame: Navigate the timeline to the frame you wish to duplicate.
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Select and Copy: Select the area within the frame you want to copy (using selection tools like the marquee or lasso). Then, press Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (macOS) to copy the selection.
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Target the Destination Frame: Move the timeline cursor to the frame where you want to paste the copied content. Ensure the correct layer in the Layers panel is selected; this is crucial for pasting into the desired location.
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Paste the Content: Press Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (macOS) to paste the copied selection into the target frame.
Important Considerations:
- Frame Animation vs. Video Timeline: The method above pertains to frame animations. For video timelines, techniques might differ slightly; grouping layers and dragging-and-dropping may be involved. See this StackExchange answer for details on transferring animation between PSD files.
- Layer Selection: Remember to select the appropriate layer in the Layers panel before pasting. Pasting will only affect the currently active layer. This Adobe Community post highlights this point.
- Entire Frame Copying: If you want to copy the entire frame's contents, you can skip the selection step (step 2) and proceed directly to copying and pasting the entire frame content.
This approach effectively duplicates the selected elements from one frame to another, streamlining the animation workflow. Note that this method copies the content, not the frame itself as a separate entity.
