How can I get onion skinning in After Effects for a walk cycle?

[Riley27]

I'm trying to animate a simple walk cycle in After Effects and I really miss the onion skinning feature I used in other programs. I know there's a way to simulate it, but the workarounds I've found seem clunky and slow down my workflow. Is there a built-in method or a simple script that actually works well for this?

[GaryJ]

After Effects does not have a built in onion skinning feature. It is common to fake it with several copies of the clip offset by a few frames and reduced opacity. It is workable but not elegant and it can feel clunky next to a true onion skin option.

[Ronald13]

Another approach is to use the echo effect to show recent frames as trails. You can tune the echo time and decay to keep it readable. It can slow you down but it offers a real time sense of motion.

[Timothy_M]

Try frame blending on the layers and use a guide layer as a reference to judge motion. This keeps the edits clean while you test different timings.

[William.J]

Set a small two step test for each clip block First rough motion then a fast pass to sharpen the path of the movement. It helps you stay loose.

[Luna.W]

Make a small presets folder with a basic onion skin recipe that uses the current frame and the last three frames as overlays. This can be a quick toggle when you need a comparison.

[DavidS]

If you want I can suggest a simple setup for your project share a link and tell me what kind of motion you shoot.