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Fragmenter User Manual

Introduction

This manual explains how to use the Fragmenter - animated loop machine.

The manual is for Fragmenter v2024.09.

Fragmenter allows you to create moving images. For more info see the Fragmenter homepage.

Experimenting with Fragmenter is the most effective way to learn to use it and thus strongly recommended.

If you find errors or something missing from this manual, please tell us about it by sending it to longtitlepro at gmail dot com.

For a guide on how to install Fragmenter read the Installation instructions. Complete beginners should first read the Quickstart guide. For a complete list of all features of Fragmenter, continue reading.

Basic mechanics

In Fragmenter you always have a current project that consists of multiple layers, each having some number of frames. When a layer is not paused, it keeps playing its frames. There are different types of layers, for the most central one, the loop layer, the frames are played in loops.

The uniqueness of Fragmenter lies in the fact that not only the last frame but some number of preceding frames are also visible, this is called the tail of the animation, the number of frames visible is called the tail length. Also, when you draw, Fragmenter draws the bits of your stroke on the frame of the layer which just appeared last. These two things together allow you to create animations in real-time (that is, do live animation) in a way that is impossible to do with other tools. What you can achieve in real-time is hard to re-create with other tools even if you do not require to do it real-time.

Interaction

  • Click (that is, left mouse button click, which is the same as touching with a finger or pen, if you have a tablet/touchscreen) on the drawing area to draw.

  • GUI elements respond to a click. For some GUI elements, a right-click (that is, a right mouse button click) opens a contextual menu, such elements have a little white triangle in their top-right corner. SHIFT+click also emulates such a right-click, which may be more convenient when you use a tablet pen.

  • Hover over a GUI element with the mouse (hovering with pen does not work) and wait a bit to see a popup containing a short summary of the element's function (turn this feature on/off in Top menu/Settings/Show tooltips).

  • img/img GUI on/off switch - it is on the top-right corner of the screen area. Click on it to turn on/off all other GUI elements.

GUI overview

  • Top menu: file operations, export, layer edit operations, windows arrangement, projection window, settings, help.
  • Drawing tools: things related to how and what you draw (brush size, etc.).
  • Project:
  • Active Layer: change properties of the active layer, and so modify the animation.
  • File browser: access data stored on the machine (fragmenter files, background images, etc.).
  • Controls: control layers with midi signs and time based automation.

  • Palettes: use colors from predefines palettes.

  • Bottom menu: most frequently used elements from the tools and layers window.

Check also the list of keyboard shortcuts.