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cartmanblues
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Please help!(Maybe it's a noob question.)

Post by cartmanblues »

So I'm making this Dragon Ball Z parody/continuation and I need help.

I have a Da Vinci like pic of Goku which I plan to cut up into the arms,legs, etc... So...how exactly do I go about doing this? How do I make it transparent in the backround? How do i combine the parts in Anime Studio? And....How do I make em' talk?

(I have GIMP.)

Feel free to answer with very long answers, but please help!!! I want the first episode on Youtube by summer.
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heyvern
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Post by heyvern »

How do I make it transparent in the backround?
You have GIMP. Learn about alpha channels and exporting to PNG. There are many threads on the forum regarding alpha mask creation in images, most are probably about Photoshop though. Do a search on the web for specific techniques.
How do i combine the parts in Anime Studio?
Read the help and do the tutorials for Anime Studio. Image support is a basic feature of AS. Images are brought in to AS as "image layers". Once they are a layer in AS they can be manipulated the same as all other layers.
How do I make em' talk?
Read the manual about switch layers. Search the forum for answers about switch layers. Also check out Papagayo on the main page of this forum. It is a separate program that aids with producing lip sync in AS.

For a simpler solution use the basic "wave form" switch layer lip sync in Anime Studio. This is also covered in the tutorials and help files. Basically a few mouth shapes in a switch layer and load a wav file. It doesn't look perfect but gets the job done.

I won't yell at you or anything but please... I hope your next question is not something like "What's a switch layer?" or "How do import an image?". Read the help (people complain it is sparse yet NO ONE seems to read it). Do all the tutorials... TWICE just to make them stick.

At that point you can ask SPECIFIC questions that can be better explained. A general question means we just repeat what's in the help.

-vern
cartmanblues
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Post by cartmanblues »

Thanks! I read through the help but it kinda got stupid. I didn't realize they had an importing image section. But another question(I hope this wasn't answered.) I can't open that preview window for gradient effects and such. I have the 50.00 dollar version. Is that why? Does it matter?
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heyvern
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Post by heyvern »

I can't open that preview window for gradient effects and such.
Fill effects like Gradients can't be seen in preview or edit mode they can only be seen in the final render. Is that what you mean?

If you apply a gradient to a shape style you have to "render" to see it. The standard version doesn't have a "render" option so you must export the animation. You can export 1 frame to an image format to preview it if you like.

-vern
cartmanblues
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Post by cartmanblues »

yea I meant final render. So it'll appear in say...Movie Maker or Youtube?
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heyvern
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Post by heyvern »

If it isn't in the final render it won't appear in "Movie Maker" or "Youtube". The final render is what you OPEN in Movie Maker or upload to Youtube. Those things won't show anything not in the final rendered movie file from Anime Studio.

-vern
cartmanblues
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Post by cartmanblues »

heyvern wrote:If it isn't in the final render it won't appear in "Movie Maker" or "Youtube". The final render is what you OPEN in Movie Maker or upload to Youtube. Those things won't show anything not in the final rendered movie file from Anime Studio.

-vern
Good. So I tried the tutorials....no help with alpha in there...
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heyvern
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Post by heyvern »

You have GIMP. Learn about alpha channels and exporting to PNG. There are many threads on the forum regarding alpha mask creation in images, most are probably about Photoshop though. Do a search on the web for specific techniques.
Anime Studio supports PNG with alpha transparency. You won't find any specific tutorials or info in the Anime Studio help on how exactly to create them. Photoshop has one way to do it, Gimp has another way, Adobe Illustrator can export PNG... etc, etc.

Look for instructions on the internet specific to Gimp for creating alphas channels and exporting PNGs with transparency. If I knew how I would tell you. I only know how to create alpha masks in Photoshop.

-vern
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tonym
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Post by tonym »

Here's how I would do it.

1) Save a version of your drawing as a PNG somewhere.
2) Start a new file in AS and immediately click file>import>tracing image, then browse and select the PNG of your drawing. The drawing will appear in the big AS window for working.
3) Over in the Layers window, click Bone to add a bone layer, then double-click it and rename "Toon front view" or something.
4) Add a few vector layers into the bone layer. Make sure they are "IN" the bone layer. (If this doesn't make sense, ask.)
5) Name the vector layers after body parts, like "Head", "Torso," "Right foot."
6) Using the Add Points tool, trace one body part into the appropriate Vector Layer. Fill the shape with color.
7) Press F5 to do a quick render to see what you made. The tracing image won't render.
8 ) Repeat for the whole body.
8b) Under the VIEW pulldown menu, you can check and uncheck the tracing image. This will make it appear and disappear so you can see your art without seeing the tracing image.
9) Add bones to the Bone Layer where they belong.
10) Then start biding bones to layers with the Bind Layer tool. That is, you click on the bind layer tool, then click on a vector layer to select it (it turns blue), then you click on the bone you want binded to that bone.
11) After doing this to every vector layer of your dude, every vector layer should be attached to a bone. Click on the Bone Layer to select it, then choose the Manipulate Bone tool. This is the fun part. You use the manipulate bone tool on the actual guy you made with Add Points. Click on his bones and move them around; you'll see him move like a puppet.
12) You'll have to use the Translate Bone tool to adjust the length and position of the bones to get limbs to bend in ideal places.

Crud, I just checked. You don't get Tracing Image unless you have Pro.

In this case, the new step 2 is: over in the Layers window, import IMG and pick the PNG and trace it that way. IMG is in that pullddown menu, right under Vector Layer. Click and unclick the eyeball next to your IMG layer to see your work without the image.

Hope this helps!

If you can do this and get it to work, then you need to create a SWITCH layer for your mouths. But first things first.

Tony
cartmanblues
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Post by cartmanblues »

Edit: Yea but then it screws it up by doing some weird line bending thing when i connect points
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fiziwig
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Post by fiziwig »

You can control whether a given point is curved or angular, and you can control the amount of curvature at each point.

Look for these three tools, Curvature, Smooth, and Peak. Look them up in the help to see how to use them.

Image

--gary
cartmanblues
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Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 4:28 am

Post by cartmanblues »

k thnx! :D

The thing is though...I'm making a lot of characters...it may take too long..

When I try to make the image transparent in Gimp and make it PNG, it comes up as a .xcf file when I try to reopen it. Any help?
cartmanblues
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Post by cartmanblues »

Help???
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heyvern
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Post by heyvern »

I don't know how to use Gimp. Maybe you should try looking for help for that on the Gimp forum?

-vern
cartmanblues
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Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 4:28 am

Post by cartmanblues »

Well until I can find help with GIMP and Anime Studio, if someone who knows how to use GIMP to make a transparent image that works with Anime Studio is reading this then please help!
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