I'm a newbie to using AS and I'm working my way through the tutorials, but I had a question about workflow for some of you more experienced users.
How much do you do in Anime Studio at one time? Do you do like a whole scene with different shots and different angles or do you do one shot at a time, render it and then stitch them together using some other program?
Workflow
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
-
vertigoflow
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:34 pm
My workflow is to break down the entire animated show into "scenes" which take place at one locale using one background (if I switch backgrounds, even in the same "act scene", like with people driving a car where I show the driver, then the passenger, then both, I consider each background switch a "scene" for the purposes of AS).
Within each scene I will break it down further sometimes by changing the camera angles (using the step on the key so it abruptly changes, or sometimes with a zoom or pan) but as long as the background is the same background it's still one AS file. I then render each AS file out as BMP files, and bring them all into Adobe Premiere and edit them together with titles, sound effects and music.
Lastly, if I need to add some special effects I may bring in subsections (or the whole kabang) into After Affects. Haven't really done this yet, but it would be my normal workflow for 3D animation so I'm guessing at some point I'll also do this for my 2D work.
This is all for the purposes of making our weekly "half hour" (really around 22 minutes for commercial purposes) sit com.
Within each scene I will break it down further sometimes by changing the camera angles (using the step on the key so it abruptly changes, or sometimes with a zoom or pan) but as long as the background is the same background it's still one AS file. I then render each AS file out as BMP files, and bring them all into Adobe Premiere and edit them together with titles, sound effects and music.
Lastly, if I need to add some special effects I may bring in subsections (or the whole kabang) into After Affects. Haven't really done this yet, but it would be my normal workflow for 3D animation so I'm guessing at some point I'll also do this for my 2D work.
This is all for the purposes of making our weekly "half hour" (really around 22 minutes for commercial purposes) sit com.
Vertigo, workflow really depends a lot on how YOU work and what the final outcome is going to be like. Also, what software you have and how you like to work. You can create complete animations in AS Pro or you can add/alter/improve? your work by using 3rd party programs like Adobe After Effects.
As to the scene bit, if you can get a basic video editing program, organizing your ASPro file by doing one file/timeline per scene is not a bad idea. In the end your own experience will guide you best.
As to the scene bit, if you can get a basic video editing program, organizing your ASPro file by doing one file/timeline per scene is not a bad idea. In the end your own experience will guide you best.
I had several "scenes" in a project that were the same setting but required different camera angles. I like to break things down so that each "AS file" or document is one camera angle, one set, one background. This makes it much easier.
If a scene requires two different angles (characters talking) I basically do both angles in separate documents with the same dialog wav file and cut them together. Sometimes this means I've done a little bit more than needed but not that much. Gives me flexibility.
As soon as the whole thing "changes" I switch to a new document.
It isn't a matter of what is the "right way" or correct way to do something. It is what feels easy and comfortable for me. At some point an AS project just gets too big and unwieldy. It becomes difficult to navigate the time line. It is hard to see the "big picture" of that particular scene. I like to keep each document large enough to cover the story element for consistency but small enough that it doesn't overwhelm me while working on it.
-vern
If a scene requires two different angles (characters talking) I basically do both angles in separate documents with the same dialog wav file and cut them together. Sometimes this means I've done a little bit more than needed but not that much. Gives me flexibility.
As soon as the whole thing "changes" I switch to a new document.
It isn't a matter of what is the "right way" or correct way to do something. It is what feels easy and comfortable for me. At some point an AS project just gets too big and unwieldy. It becomes difficult to navigate the time line. It is hard to see the "big picture" of that particular scene. I like to keep each document large enough to cover the story element for consistency but small enough that it doesn't overwhelm me while working on it.
-vern