Troubleshooting

Why: A new project plays 24 frames per second, and in the Simple timeline every frame you add has 0 inbetweens, so each pose is on screen for just 1/24 of a second.

1. In the Simple timeline, click the first frame card, then click the last one with Shift held to select them all.
2. In the frame bar on the left, raise Inbetweens with +, for example to 5. Each pose now lasts 6 frames (a quarter of a second) and the cards’ bars get longer.
3. Or slow everything down at once: type a lower number in the fps box in the timeline’s header, like 12.
4. Press Space to play it again.

In the Advanced timeline, give a pose more frames with Shift+A (Extend keyframe), or drag the end of its key’s bar.

Why: New frames and keys use Constant easing: the pose holds, then jumps to the next one, exactly like Pivot frames.

1. Select the frames that should move smoothly (in the Simple timeline, Shift-click the first and last card).
2. Simple timeline: in the frame bar, set Easing to Auto. Advanced timeline: double-click a key, or right-click it and choose the easing.
3. Make sure the frames have inbetweens: with 0 inbetweens there is nothing to smooth.
4. Play it: the figure now glides between the poses.

Why: Figures can be moved outside the scene, and the view can be zoomed or panned away from them.

1. Press Ctrl+P and type the figure’s name; pick it under In this project to select it.
2. Press Shift+2 (Fit selection). The view jumps to it.
3. Press Shift+1 (Fit canvas) to see the whole scene again.

If it still isn’t there, its layer may be hidden: see “I can’t select a figure” below.

Why: The joints are hidden: the Joints switch is off, or you are in the Draw workspace, which hides them.

1. Click Joints in the stage header, or press Shift+J.
2. If you are in Draw, click Animate in the top bar.
3. Only the other figures’ blue dots are missing? Press Ctrl+H.
4. Still nothing? Turn on Settings → Canvas → Show handles.

Why: Its layer is locked (nothing on it can be selected) or hidden (nothing on it is drawn).

1. Switch the timeline to Advanced so you can see the layers.
2. Find the figure’s layer. If the lock is closed, click it to unlock the layer.
3. If the eye is crossed out, click it to show the layer again.
4. Click the figure’s orange origin or one of its lines, not the empty space around it.

You can also type the figure’s name in the command palette (Ctrl+P) to select it.

Why: They are joined (one is attached to a joint of the other), or both are selected.

1. Click an empty spot on the stage, then click just the figure you want. If they still move together, they are joined.
2. Select the figure that was attached and press J (Join / unjoin figure). It is free again.
3. Not sure what is joined to what? Double-click an origin: it selects everything joined to it.

Why: Dragging a joint with Ctrl held changes the segment’s length instead of turning it.

1. Press Ctrl+Z to undo the stretch.
2. Or hold Ctrl and drag the joint back toward its old length until it snaps to it.
3. To put every joint back as the figure was built, use Reset pose (find it with Ctrl+P).

On a touch screen, check that Stretch isn’t still on in the Modifiers button.

Why: IK can bend a limb either way; it doesn’t know which way is natural unless you tell it.

1. Select the hand or foot.
2. In Properties, set Direction to Left or Right, whichever bends the natural way.

Why: Edit together is on, so your change goes to every selected frame.

1. Press Ctrl+Z to undo the change.
2. Turn off Edit together in the frame bar (or find it with Ctrl+P), or select only the frame you want to change.

Why: Onion skin shows the frames around the current one, so it needs it switched on and frames to show.

1. Press O, or click the onion button in the timeline header.
2. Go to a frame in the middle: on the first frame there is nothing before it.
3. Open the onion settings (the arrow next to the button) and check Opacity, Before / After, and that it shows All figures.

Why: The computer can’t draw every frame in time, usually because of heavy effects or a large scene.

1. Open Settings → Animation → Playback quality and choose Automatic (or Medium). Only the preview gets lighter; exports keep full quality.
2. Turn off Effects in the stage header while you animate.
3. Close other heavy apps and browser tabs.
4. Still slow? Help → Performance shows what is slow; use Copy report and paste it into a report.

Why: Looping is a setting, on by default.

1. Click the loop button next to Play in the timeline header.
2. Or change Settings → Animation → Loop animation.

Why: The track is muted, another track is on solo, or the volume is down.

1. Check the track isn’t muted (M) and that no other track is on solo (S).
2. Check the track’s and the clip’s volume.
3. While scrubbing, sound only plays with Hear audio while scrubbing on (in the audio options).

Why: The wheel’s job is a setting.

1. Open Settings → Canvas → Zoom gesture.
2. Pick Ctrl + scroll to zoom (the default: the wheel scrolls) or Scroll to zoom.

Pinching on a trackpad or touch screen always zooms.

Why: It was folded to a strip, hidden, or Focus mode is on.

1. Look for a thin strip at the window’s edge and click the panel’s icon on it.
2. If everything folded at once, press Ctrl+\ to leave Focus mode.
3. Open View → Layout… and set the panel back to Right or With Properties, or click Reset.

In the desktop app, Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+4 bring back Properties, VFX, Library and the timeline.

Why: The interface size follows your screen, and you can change it.

1. Desktop app: open Settings → Interface → UI scale, choose Custom and drag the slider (75% to 200%).
2. The round arrow next to it, Back to automatic scale, undoes it.
3. In the browser, zoom the page instead: Ctrl+= and Ctrl+-.

Why: The graphics card was reset (after sleep or a driver update), or the graphics mode doesn’t suit your computer.

1. If you see Reconnect canvas, click it. Your work is safe.
2. Open Settings → Canvas → Graphics mode and choose Canvas 2D.
3. Update your graphics driver, then restart StykAnimate.

Why: Sound is only added when you ask for it, and only videos can carry it.

1. In the Export window, turn on Include sound under Sound.
2. Pick a video format: GIFs, pictures and Pivot files can’t carry sound.

Why: Your scene is wide, and export presets never change the scene’s shape.

1. Set the scene to 1080 × 1920 in Scene settings, ideally before you animate.
2. Export again.

Why: MP4, AVI and Windows Media can’t be see-through, so they get black; JPEG gets white.

1. Choose PNG frames, Animated PNG, WebM (desktop) or GIF.
2. Turn on Transparent background, then export.

Why: It was saved by a newer StykAnimate, it isn’t a type StykAnimate reads, or it’s too big.

1. Update first: Help → Check for updates… (desktop app).
2. Check the file type in Open Pivot and Stick Nodes files.
3. Files over 128 MB are refused.

Why: StykAnimate keeps a recovery copy of unsaved work (every 2.5 seconds by default).

1. Open StykAnimate again. If there is a recovery copy, it offers Restore unsaved work.
2. Click Restore, then save with Ctrl+S.

In the browser, the copy lives in that browser’s storage, so open StykAnimate in the same browser.

Why: The keys are going somewhere else: a text box, the browser, or the key was changed.

1. Click the canvas first: while you type in a box, keys type letters.
2. In the browser, some keys belong to the browser: Ctrl+1…Ctrl+4 switch tabs.
3. Check Settings → Shortcuts: the key may have been changed.

Why: The installer isn’t code-signed yet, so Windows may show “Windows protected your PC” the first time.

1. Click More info.
2. Click Run anyway. Only do this for files you downloaded from stykanimate.com.

Why: Downloaded files aren’t allowed to run until you say so.

1. Right-click the AppImage → Properties → Allow executing as a program, or run chmod +x on it.
2. Double-click it again.

On Wayland desktops, StykAnimate restarts itself through X11 automatically; that’s normal.

Why: Your browser lacks a feature StykAnimate needs, and the page tells you which.

1. Update your browser, or try another one.
2. Or use the desktop app.

Why: Not yet.

1. On a Mac, open the browser editor at app.stykanimate.com: it’s the same editor.
2. It can be installed as an app that works offline.

Why: A normal drag turns a joint at a fixed length.

1. In Animate, Ctrl-drag the control to change its length.
2. Check that Smart Stretch is on for that rig and that its limits allow the change.

Why: That part’s Stretch response lets the stretch through.

1. Select the part and look at its Stretch response.
2. Choose Keep rigid · pass through to keep it rigid but still drive what follows, or Stop at this joint to stop the stretch there.

Why: Its rest length (or rest slide) was captured from a different arrangement.

1. Put the rig in the arrangement you want as its rest.
2. Capture the rest length or rest slide again.

Why: Its width setting reacts to stretching.

1. Check the part’s width option: Keep width, Thicken on compression or Scale with length.

Why: Selecting the slider edits its position; the look belongs to the connector’s segment.

1. Select the connector’s segment instead of the slider.

Why: Its anchors or what drives it aren’t what you expect.

1. Check Anchor A and Anchor B.
2. Check Driven by: Anchor distance, Slide position, or Distance → slide. Change one thing at a time.