Specifically Opacity & Blur.
I understand for other channels, they'll show up when you change something with a tool. (Like if you translate points, a channel & keyframe appears.)
(But maybe I don't understand it because I still don't get how you can add a keyframe to frame when you want nothing to be changed at that keyframe; you just want that to be the START of the change.)
So for example, opacity at frame 0 is 100%. I want it to start fading at frame 10 and to be completely transparent at frame 20. How can I set an opacity keyframe at frame 10 (where opacity still = 100%)? If I click on the "..." button on the layer, nothing I do will add a keyframe, because I'm not changing the opacity at frame 10 (it's still 100%).
(BTW, I have already turned on "Allow Animated Layer Effects". It doesn't make those channels appear.)
Or is this one of those things where if you do a lot of opacity & blur changes, you should stick with version 5?
get channels to show up in the timeline (Anime Studio Pro 6)
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
Using your example: set a keyframe in frame #9 to 100% then set frame #20 to zero. The fade will begin on frame #10.
I am relatively new to animation myself, but I think this is referred to as "setting a hold frame." It is used to keep any given animated element at its original state until a change in setting is desired.
You can also add a keyframe by right-clicking on the CTI position at any given frame.
Hope this helps.
I am relatively new to animation myself, but I think this is referred to as "setting a hold frame." It is used to keep any given animated element at its original state until a change in setting is desired.
You can also add a keyframe by right-clicking on the CTI position at any given frame.
Hope this helps.
What if?
I did not correctly understand your problem before.
Opacity is set by double clicking on a Layer name. In the Layer Settings page that shows up you can make a layer visible or not visible and you can also set the opacity by percentage.
After checking the manual, it seems that opacity settings only show up in the Layer Settings pages of any layers where such settings have been made. (Search for "opacity" in the manual to see the limited info available there.)
This does make it difficult to know where an opacity adjustment was made unless you keep a written record of which Layers you have made opacity changes in and on which frames you made them.
I have used opacity adjustments in the past and recall that it was a bit of a challenge to make changes or corrections if I forgot which layer and which frame was the precise location of the opacity adjustment. It does seem like they should appear as a channel in the timeline.
Also remember to check the box: "Allow animated layer effects." on the Layer Settings page for each layer you are adding opacity changes to.
Perhaps some of the pros on this forum will be able to add more clarity to this issue.
Good luck.
Opacity is set by double clicking on a Layer name. In the Layer Settings page that shows up you can make a layer visible or not visible and you can also set the opacity by percentage.
After checking the manual, it seems that opacity settings only show up in the Layer Settings pages of any layers where such settings have been made. (Search for "opacity" in the manual to see the limited info available there.)
This does make it difficult to know where an opacity adjustment was made unless you keep a written record of which Layers you have made opacity changes in and on which frames you made them.
I have used opacity adjustments in the past and recall that it was a bit of a challenge to make changes or corrections if I forgot which layer and which frame was the precise location of the opacity adjustment. It does seem like they should appear as a channel in the timeline.
Also remember to check the box: "Allow animated layer effects." on the Layer Settings page for each layer you are adding opacity changes to.
Perhaps some of the pros on this forum will be able to add more clarity to this issue.
Good luck.
What if?
Yes, I have checked the "Allow animated layer effects" box on the Layer Settings Page.
If you open the Layer Settings Page, and you make a CHANGE to the opacity at whatever frame you're currently at, then this will make a keyframe appear there. But I want to insert a keyframe with the SAME opacity as the frames before. That is, I want this to be a "holdframe" (if that is the right term for it). It marks where the change in opacity starts from. Then you'd go to the keyframe where you want the opacity change to end and put another keyframe there.
I'm starting to think that holdframes just aren't something ASP6 can do. Which is weird -- it's a VERY basic animation feature: Sometimes you want your animation to hold for a while, and THEN change.
If you could just get the opacity channel to show up, then you can right-click on the opacity channel and add a keyframe whereever you want.
So here's a kind of a dumb workaround:
1. Add a keyframe somewhere by going to the Layer Settings page and changing the opacity.
2. Now the opacity channel shows up.
3. Now do what you want, including reseting the opacity at the frame you originally changed it so it's whatever opacity it's supposed to be.
If you open the Layer Settings Page, and you make a CHANGE to the opacity at whatever frame you're currently at, then this will make a keyframe appear there. But I want to insert a keyframe with the SAME opacity as the frames before. That is, I want this to be a "holdframe" (if that is the right term for it). It marks where the change in opacity starts from. Then you'd go to the keyframe where you want the opacity change to end and put another keyframe there.
I'm starting to think that holdframes just aren't something ASP6 can do. Which is weird -- it's a VERY basic animation feature: Sometimes you want your animation to hold for a while, and THEN change.
If you could just get the opacity channel to show up, then you can right-click on the opacity channel and add a keyframe whereever you want.
So here's a kind of a dumb workaround:
1. Add a keyframe somewhere by going to the Layer Settings page and changing the opacity.
2. Now the opacity channel shows up.
3. Now do what you want, including reseting the opacity at the frame you originally changed it so it's whatever opacity it's supposed to be.
RE: my workaround.
So, to add an opacity holdframe (a keyframe where the opacity is the same at the frames before it) you could:
1.Go to the frame where you want the holdframe.
2. Open the Layer settings and CHANGE the opacity. This makes the opacity channel appear.
3. Open the Layer settings AGAIN and change the opacity back to what it was. The channel and the keyframe stay there.
Is that really the only way to do it? Anyone?
So, to add an opacity holdframe (a keyframe where the opacity is the same at the frames before it) you could:
1.Go to the frame where you want the holdframe.
2. Open the Layer settings and CHANGE the opacity. This makes the opacity channel appear.
3. Open the Layer settings AGAIN and change the opacity back to what it was. The channel and the keyframe stay there.
Is that really the only way to do it? Anyone?
Creating opacity keys is a bit confusing. You can't create a key for 100% opacity if that's the first key you create. I do it this way:
Open Layer, set opacity to my end value (say 0%), OK.
The newly created key appears in its timeline.
I grab it and shift it right in time.
Without leaving my frame, I open the layer again and set opacity, which will be some odd number now, to 100%.
Another key is created, setting 100% right where I want it.
Open Layer, set opacity to my end value (say 0%), OK.
The newly created key appears in its timeline.
I grab it and shift it right in time.
Without leaving my frame, I open the layer again and set opacity, which will be some odd number now, to 100%.
Another key is created, setting 100% right where I want it.
About the show hide channels issue, I have used the "Animation --> "Copy Current Frame..." menu entry to accomplish this kind of tasks.
You can go to frame 0, open that "Copy Current Frame..." window, type 1 (or whatever you want) into "Copy to frame" numerical box, select the desired channel/channels you want to see and, after O.K.ing, you'll have your channel visible with a keyframe in frame 1 with the same 0 frame value, that maybe is not the value you want, but, at least, you can see the animation channel/s now, and then adjust the property to your taste in all the still mentioned existing ways...
The good thing about this method, of course, is you can show several (or even all) channels at a time or, even, assign a shortcut to the menu entry to save more time! Although... yeah, maybe a more "direct" method could be nice.
You can go to frame 0, open that "Copy Current Frame..." window, type 1 (or whatever you want) into "Copy to frame" numerical box, select the desired channel/channels you want to see and, after O.K.ing, you'll have your channel visible with a keyframe in frame 1 with the same 0 frame value, that maybe is not the value you want, but, at least, you can see the animation channel/s now, and then adjust the property to your taste in all the still mentioned existing ways...
The good thing about this method, of course, is you can show several (or even all) channels at a time or, even, assign a shortcut to the menu entry to save more time! Although... yeah, maybe a more "direct" method could be nice.
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