I've worked my way through all the tutorials. I thought they were rather good. Now I come to start animating, though, I've hit several snags. I'm pleased to report that I have a four-layer background taken from a landscape .jpg photograph (converted to .PNG with Gimp) that works with camera movement. Now I want to animate a character running along it.
1. How do I set the colour of shading?
I want to use the shading feature, to put shadows on top of my filled shapes that make up my character, but I don't seem to be able to choose the colour of the shading. I spent about two hours trying to find a way to change the colour before giving up. The shadows I have are all dark brown. Is this the only shadow colour that Anime Studio can do?
2. How can I choose the colour using the special palettes?
The special palettes (dusk photo, skin tones etc) look great, but every time I try to use one, I either get a beep telling me NO, or the normal palette pops up instead.
3. How do I add in an extra point to binding?
Is there any way to select multiple points other than by lasso, rectangle select or single point? In almost every other program I know, holding Control will enable the user to select multiple things that are not necessarily contiguous. Anime Studio dos not seem to work this way. I keep leaving one point that belongs to the shape behind, and this is ruining everything. I need to be able to select it and all the others at the same time, I think (or is there a way to add it in separately?)
4. How do I move a leg without leaving the bones behind?
The most annoying thing at the moment is that I have drawn two legs, each on its own vector layer, and put bones in them, and the bones all work. Now I want to put the two legs together, but I always leave the bones behind when I move the one leg to the other. How do you move a limb AND its bones. I did this several times without trouble in the tutorials, so there must be something extra that the tutorial set-ups did without mentioning it. I have bound points to bones in every way I can think of, and many times, and it makes no difference.
5. Why won’t any imported video work?
I have tried to import various .avi files, but all of them appear as a torn piece of paper icon and will not play. I have downloaded the latest version of the evil Quicktime program (which as usual is taking over my computer, stopping various other programs from running properly and making itself the default everything without asking me). There are .AVIs and there are .AVIs - not all have the same formatting, so possibly I am trying to import the wrong kind of .AVI, but how could I know?
Thank for any answers. I don't expect anyone to tackle all five.
Lindybeige.
Several questions, I'm afraid.
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
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Lindybeige
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- Location: Newcastle
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Víctor Paredes
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Ok, I'll try.
1- How do I set the colour of shading?
If you are on layer proprieties, on shadow tab you will be able to change the color, alpha and other aspects of shading, shadow and perspective shadow.
If you use the auto shading radius, you won't be able to change anything more than the numeric value.
If you want more control on specific shading, you can add shading to each shape.
2- How can I choose the colour using the special palettes?
Color changes by just clicking on the palette. Left click changes fill and right click changes stroke. You must have selected the shape you want to change, using the select shape tool.
3- How do I add in an extra point to binding?
You can add points to your selection by holding shift and drag (with lasso or rectangle) the selection tool.
As related tip, if you press Tab on keyboard, all points which are connected to your point selected will be added to the selection.
4- how do I move a leg without leaving the bones behind?
If I understand well, you must use the tool "offset bone". Once you have your character constructed and working, you use this tool to put all the parts together. Always on frame zero.
5- Why won’t any imported video work?
Not all videos are the same, even if they have equal extension. There are several kinds of avi videos. I don't remember exactly which avi codecs works well with AS, but can recommend you to work with the evil .mov format (quicktime video), it works fine for me.
Now, I don't like quicktime neither, but during its installation (and after too, on preferences) you can configure the file associations and many aspects to make it as less invasive as possible. I recommend you to never install any software on the "Typical installation" mode. Always set custom, some softwares are very evil.
I hope this info helps you.
welcome to the forum
1- How do I set the colour of shading?
If you are on layer proprieties, on shadow tab you will be able to change the color, alpha and other aspects of shading, shadow and perspective shadow.
If you use the auto shading radius, you won't be able to change anything more than the numeric value.
If you want more control on specific shading, you can add shading to each shape.
2- How can I choose the colour using the special palettes?
Color changes by just clicking on the palette. Left click changes fill and right click changes stroke. You must have selected the shape you want to change, using the select shape tool.
3- How do I add in an extra point to binding?
You can add points to your selection by holding shift and drag (with lasso or rectangle) the selection tool.
As related tip, if you press Tab on keyboard, all points which are connected to your point selected will be added to the selection.
4- how do I move a leg without leaving the bones behind?
If I understand well, you must use the tool "offset bone". Once you have your character constructed and working, you use this tool to put all the parts together. Always on frame zero.
5- Why won’t any imported video work?
Not all videos are the same, even if they have equal extension. There are several kinds of avi videos. I don't remember exactly which avi codecs works well with AS, but can recommend you to work with the evil .mov format (quicktime video), it works fine for me.
Now, I don't like quicktime neither, but during its installation (and after too, on preferences) you can configure the file associations and many aspects to make it as less invasive as possible. I recommend you to never install any software on the "Typical installation" mode. Always set custom, some softwares are very evil.
I hope this info helps you.
welcome to the forum
Moho co-owner
Previously Rigged animation supervisor: My father's dragon, Wolfwalkers & Star Wars Visions "Screecher's Reach"
My personal Youtube Channel
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Lindybeige
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2010 6:43 pm
- Location: Newcastle
Many thanks for taking the trouble to reply. I'm afraid that things continue not to work.
1. I tried what you suggest, and it makes no difference at all. The shadows I see are exactly the same colour and exactly the same opacity, no matter how I set the values in the layer properties. I do wonder about the layer properties thing anyway - surely that would affect the whole layer, which might have in it several objects of different colours. I'm trying as you say to add shading to each shape, so how is that done?
2. No luck with this at all - still the same beep NO whenever I try, and/or the normal palette pops up. I've tried selecting the shape in all the ways I know first. Aha! No wait! If you DON'T have the feature highlit red AND you DON'T click in the "stoke" box, but RIGHT click on the special palette, it seems to work. That must have been the one combination I never tried.
3. This isn't working. In fact, things are now worse, with things that were bound no unbound. I can find no way to select all the points I need. I have a shape of a thigh, for example, with some internal muscle details drawn using the freehand tool, and try as I might I cannot select the outline of the thigh and the muscle detail at the same time. Now at frame 0 the bones are within the leg, but when I click manipulate bones, they jump out of the leg entirely. When I select a bone and press TAB, as you suggested, the points bound to it glow scarlet, suggesting that they are bound to the bone, but when I move the bones, the shapes are left behind. The manual recommends not using bind points, but I can't see how things would work properly without it. It is interesting to see how the bottoms of the trousers on the sample character Jace move with his feet, strongly suggesting that they are points in the trousers bound to his foot bones. It is also interesting to note how many mistakes there are with this character. If you lift his left arm there is a gap beneath it, and if you move his body around it leaves one point bound to the desktop, making him near useless.
4. This seems to work! Unfortunately, by clicking the offset bone button, this causes the bones (most but not all) to leap out of the leg completely. At the moment, then, this is no good until I find what the underlying problem is.
5. Drat. My very expensive editing programme doesn't do MOV files, and all my footage is in one unknown and seemingly unknowable version of the AVI format. This is a major setback.
Thanks very much again for helping. I shall soldier on for a bit longer.
Lindybeige
1. I tried what you suggest, and it makes no difference at all. The shadows I see are exactly the same colour and exactly the same opacity, no matter how I set the values in the layer properties. I do wonder about the layer properties thing anyway - surely that would affect the whole layer, which might have in it several objects of different colours. I'm trying as you say to add shading to each shape, so how is that done?
2. No luck with this at all - still the same beep NO whenever I try, and/or the normal palette pops up. I've tried selecting the shape in all the ways I know first. Aha! No wait! If you DON'T have the feature highlit red AND you DON'T click in the "stoke" box, but RIGHT click on the special palette, it seems to work. That must have been the one combination I never tried.
3. This isn't working. In fact, things are now worse, with things that were bound no unbound. I can find no way to select all the points I need. I have a shape of a thigh, for example, with some internal muscle details drawn using the freehand tool, and try as I might I cannot select the outline of the thigh and the muscle detail at the same time. Now at frame 0 the bones are within the leg, but when I click manipulate bones, they jump out of the leg entirely. When I select a bone and press TAB, as you suggested, the points bound to it glow scarlet, suggesting that they are bound to the bone, but when I move the bones, the shapes are left behind. The manual recommends not using bind points, but I can't see how things would work properly without it. It is interesting to see how the bottoms of the trousers on the sample character Jace move with his feet, strongly suggesting that they are points in the trousers bound to his foot bones. It is also interesting to note how many mistakes there are with this character. If you lift his left arm there is a gap beneath it, and if you move his body around it leaves one point bound to the desktop, making him near useless.
4. This seems to work! Unfortunately, by clicking the offset bone button, this causes the bones (most but not all) to leap out of the leg completely. At the moment, then, this is no good until I find what the underlying problem is.
5. Drat. My very expensive editing programme doesn't do MOV files, and all my footage is in one unknown and seemingly unknowable version of the AVI format. This is a major setback.
Thanks very much again for helping. I shall soldier on for a bit longer.
Lindybeige
1. The layer property as well as the style effect have a field "shadow colour" where you pick a colour. Try to set alpha to 0 to really see a difference.
Getting shadows on indvidual shapes in a layer needs the effect in the style palette. The layer shadow does one shadow across all elements of the layer.
3. Tab only selects bones, it does not bind them.
Try this sequence:
- select vector layer (which must be inside a bone layer)
- select "bind points" tool (I)
- click one shape - all of its points should be highlighted
- press shift and click another shape - should highlight as well
- shift-click shapes or points to add or subtract from selection
- now click the bone you want these points to bind to - gets red
- and press SPACE - to tell AS that you want to bind this.
Now you're done, and moving the bone should move all points as well.
5. Try and get some free video converter, like VLC player. I assure you that AS can handle lots of video formats, but not all, and if there's no video import at all it's very likely a faulty installation of the video part of a system.
Getting shadows on indvidual shapes in a layer needs the effect in the style palette. The layer shadow does one shadow across all elements of the layer.
3. Tab only selects bones, it does not bind them.
Try this sequence:
- select vector layer (which must be inside a bone layer)
- select "bind points" tool (I)
- click one shape - all of its points should be highlighted
- press shift and click another shape - should highlight as well
- shift-click shapes or points to add or subtract from selection
- now click the bone you want these points to bind to - gets red
- and press SPACE - to tell AS that you want to bind this.
Now you're done, and moving the bone should move all points as well.
5. Try and get some free video converter, like VLC player. I assure you that AS can handle lots of video formats, but not all, and if there's no video import at all it's very likely a faulty installation of the video part of a system.
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Lindybeige
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2010 6:43 pm
- Location: Newcastle
Thank you so much for helping. It really is wonderful that there are so many helpful people out there.
1. I think I found a way to do this, but I can't remember what it is. One very specific and non-intuitive combination of clicks makes it possible.
3.> - select vector layer (which must be inside a bone layer)
Done, and yes it was.
> - select "bind points" tool (I)
Done, but it took me ages to do it before I realised that the timeline had drifted off frame 0.
> - click one shape - all of its points should be highlighted
Yes it did!
> - press shift and click another shape - should highlight as well
Not so reliable, but sometimes worked.
> - shift-click shapes or points to add or subtract from selection
Yes, this requires a lot of zooming in to find the fiddly ones.
> - now click the bone you want these points to bind to - gets red
No it doesn't. It just reselects the shape the bone is in, as at the start. I tried clicking select bone before this, but this then deselects all the points I just meticulously selected.
> - and press SPACE - to tell AS that you want to bind this.
No, it starts the video running.
5. I already have VLC, but when I asked it to convert to a mp4/mov file, it creates a .ps file instead, which won't load in either. Changing its name to .mov didn't work either. I have an editing program that can create all manner of files but.... wait! Yes! I also have POwer Director 8, and this CAN do MOV files... tries it.... yes, it loads! The picture quality is awful, the sound is out of synch, and the animation is very slow but it did load. Right. I'll deal with those problems another day.
Thanks for that.
Getting there by slow increments.
L.
1. I think I found a way to do this, but I can't remember what it is. One very specific and non-intuitive combination of clicks makes it possible.
3.> - select vector layer (which must be inside a bone layer)
Done, and yes it was.
> - select "bind points" tool (I)
Done, but it took me ages to do it before I realised that the timeline had drifted off frame 0.
> - click one shape - all of its points should be highlighted
Yes it did!
> - press shift and click another shape - should highlight as well
Not so reliable, but sometimes worked.
> - shift-click shapes or points to add or subtract from selection
Yes, this requires a lot of zooming in to find the fiddly ones.
> - now click the bone you want these points to bind to - gets red
No it doesn't. It just reselects the shape the bone is in, as at the start. I tried clicking select bone before this, but this then deselects all the points I just meticulously selected.
> - and press SPACE - to tell AS that you want to bind this.
No, it starts the video running.
5. I already have VLC, but when I asked it to convert to a mp4/mov file, it creates a .ps file instead, which won't load in either. Changing its name to .mov didn't work either. I have an editing program that can create all manner of files but.... wait! Yes! I also have POwer Director 8, and this CAN do MOV files... tries it.... yes, it loads! The picture quality is awful, the sound is out of synch, and the animation is very slow but it did load. Right. I'll deal with those problems another day.
Thanks for that.
Getting there by slow increments.
L.
Aaargh. My mistake. I used layer binding exclusively for such a long time now that I complety messed up the sequence. Here's the correct way.
- select bone in bone layer (with (B)) - gets red
- select vector layer (which must be inside a bone layer)
- select "bind points" tool (I)
- click one shape - all of its points should be highlighted
- press shift and click another shape - should highlight as well
- shift-click shapes or points to add or subtract from selection
- and press SPACE - to tell AS that you want to bind this.
I somehow must've suppressed the memories of such a cumberome way to do things - it works, but needs to change tools and layers in the middle of the way. And if you do one wrong click in the sequence you have to start all over again. Sorry for setting you on the wrong track.
- select bone in bone layer (with (B)) - gets red
- select vector layer (which must be inside a bone layer)
- select "bind points" tool (I)
- click one shape - all of its points should be highlighted
- press shift and click another shape - should highlight as well
- shift-click shapes or points to add or subtract from selection
- and press SPACE - to tell AS that you want to bind this.
I somehow must've suppressed the memories of such a cumberome way to do things - it works, but needs to change tools and layers in the middle of the way. And if you do one wrong click in the sequence you have to start all over again. Sorry for setting you on the wrong track.