I've been doing frame-by-frame stuff in Procreate on my iPad and it's okay, but I'm wondering if there's a better workflow or if I'm missing something. The onion skin feature is decent but I feel like I'm fighting the app sometimes. Should I just bite the bullet and learn Clip Studio or ToonBoom instead?
Procreate's animation assist does work, but it's really designed more for motion graphics and simple loops rather than full frame-by-frame traditional animation. The onion skin feels clunky compared to what you get in Clip Studio or ToonBoom because those apps were built ground-up for animators - you get way better frame management, drawing tools optimized for animation, and workflows that don't make you feel like you're constantly working around limitations. If you're already deep into frame-by-frame stuff and feeling frustrated, Clip Studio is a solid middle ground (cheaper than ToonBoom, still powerful), but honestly if Procreate's fighting you this much it's probably worth trying the other apps since animation is what they do best.
don't force yourself to keep animating in something that's making you grind your teeth - life's too short for that! the real trick nobody mentions is using procreate's frame stack WITH an external timeline app like AnimationDesk or even just referencing your frames in a separate window, which gives you way more control over timing and playback speed without the fighting.
if you're doing serious frame-by-frame stuff, clip studio's actually built for exactly that workflow and it'll feel like breathing after the procreate struggle is real! the learning curve pays off fast because the tools just get out of your way.
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