Face coloring and animation

[Karbo]

Hello! I'm still trying different techniques in Anime Studio...

Sorry for my English... If you don't understand something I can write it again more carefully...

This time I've made an ideal head... Why Ideal? Because it's quite hard to find such view in comics and movies... So, I've made it just for test...

This is AS file http://www.getupper.com/face.zip

And this is a small animation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unk9ej30HO0

Hehe... This isn't what I expected, actually

Anyway this animation gave some questions to me...

1) Is it necessary to make such complicated (for me it's quite complicated) bones? Maybe is it much easier to make point animation for mouth for example, and use bones for complicated shapes only?

2) I like colored animation... 2-3 colors per area is what I want to try... This time I tried to color it with image texture and masking... (I used this tutorial http://www.lostmarble.com/moho/manual/t ... index.html)
As I can see there are some artifacts

a) Nose texture doesn't fit
b) Some textures overlay the eyelashes
c) Pupils texture doesn't move, when I move pupils vector layer...

So what do you think? Is the image textures the bad idea in this case?

3) How do you color your animations?
My vision now is to make layers with shadow and highlights and connect it to the main shape using bones (maybe to use mask)

4) Almost forgot to ask this. In Fiziwig's tutorial (http://fiziwig.com/anim/index04.php) I saw that he use 3 or 4 shapes for eyes animation... Which method is better? To make the eyes the way in this tutorial (group of shapes over the face shape) or to make holes in the face's shape and make the eyes under the face's shape?

[synthsin75]

If you share files that require images, you need to include the images in a zip file. Without them, we cannot see the image textures you mention.

[Karbo]

fixed

[synthsin75]

Wow, nice work! Here's a few ideas to fix some of your problems. If you need me to explain what I've done, let me know.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dgxtz0vhdnv

As for your questions:
1)I like your bone rig. I would only suggest using one copy of the mouth. You may need separate images for the upper and lower lips, but then you wouldn't have to deal with layer visibility.

2)Nice masking work. I fixed the face image when the eye blink and the pupil images now move with the vectors. Basically, if part of an image moves more than you want, just add bones to hold it still.
b) If you move the eyes layer just below the nose layer and point bind them to the bones like you have your eyeholes, it should fix the eyelash overlay.

3) I've been doing my coloring using vector shapes made in AS, but I like your results. I'll have to try this.

4)Depends. I've used both.

If you need anything else, or further explaination, just ask.

[Karbo]

Thank you Now I know another way - how to use bones...

I think about nose layer... Looks like it's better put it on the Face layer and maybe add some layers with Multiply and Dodge overlay styles to make hightlight and shadow...

I'll try to make vector based coloring tonight.

Any way, I hope I don't need to rig every scene well... Because even the simple plot (to open door - to enter the room - to see a dead body - to run away) is made of different scenes and some scenes doesn't have face animation (for example) at all...

And about texture coloring... think it's very useful sometimes... For example hair... It's very hard to color it with vector layers...

[montblankdesign]

very informative.
I still don't have on set way of working with a character. I have found some times it is easier to move points on vectors than to spend the time rigging.
I also think you get more exaggeration ( I like cartoons).