How to animate a walk cycle in Manabit

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Build a 4–6 frame walk cycle — timing tips from Mega Man, Castlevania, and Celeste.

A walk cycle is a short loop of poses that sells weight and timing. Study how Mega Man and Castlevania keep limbs readable at tiny sizes, then build a 4–6 frame loop in Manabit.

What you'll make

A simple side-view walk cycle on one character layer, ready to preview and export.

Mega Man 2 platforming pose readability
Mega Man — strong silhouettes that stay clear in motion.
Castlevania NES character stance
Castlevania — compact poses with clear weight on each step.

Steps

  1. Draw the key pose on frame 1 of your character layer.
  2. Click + to duplicate frames and adjust limbs between poses.
  3. Set frame duration (100 ms is a good starting point for walk cycles).
  4. Enable Sync if multiple layers animate together.
  5. Preview playback, then export GIF or an animation strip PNG.
Celeste character motion readability
Celeste — modern pixel motion with readable contact poses (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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