Recommended software for backgrounds?

[Tobisama]

I want to hear some opinions about what software is recommended for backgrounds. I'm more an after effects user, I'm learning anime studio and I'm gonna make my first 3 or 5 minutes animation, I want to make it look good, but noting so complex or extra detailed.
Mi options for backgrounds are Illustrator, Photoshop or make everything inside anime studio. (pixels vs vectors)

Can you give me some advice? Maybe in terms of speed? I mean in which software would you work if u were in hurry? Which one do u use?

By the way, I was thinking about illustrator, but the gradients can not be imported in anime studio.

Thanks!

[lwaxana]

It's really up to you. You might decide based on the style of your backgrounds and which program is more suited to that style. Another thing you might consider is the style of your characters and props. I'm currently working on some very simple 3d backgrounds that I'll render at a few different angles and then trace in either anime studio or illustrator. I want them to be proportionate, but still to match my characters. If I use anime studio, the ability to use vector art as both background elements and props could be very beneficial. I guess I'll find out!

Here is another thread about which programs to draw backgrounds in:
viewtopic.php?t=15907

[JCook]

If you use Illustrator of Photoshop for your backgrounds save or export it as a PNG file, then you can import it into AS, gradients and all, as an image. Another good program for backgrounds is ArtRage, a fairly inexpensive but excellent painting program.

Jack

[PARKER]

AS is a great tool for making backgrounds, check mine, they are realistic and cartoon, you can copy the style if you want, all of them made with AS, i hope you like them !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRZ17wQN2qw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iidns2dOEDI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsW56DXPQbM

[Rhoel]

i hope you like them

WOW, some amazing work Parker - I thought they were Illustrator and PhotoShop: Have you thought of doing a tutorial or describing how you get some of those effects, eg to the clouds in this one:_



Never managed to get good looking clouds and mist in ASP.

Rhoel

[PARKER]

Thanks Rhoel, i was thinking about making a tutorial about that along time ago, its just i havent had time for that.

[ulrik]

Fantastic work Parker, yes it would be nice to see a tutorial how you do this.
The clouds, mist, water etc just looks great!
Well done!

[PARKER]

Fantastic work Parker, yes it would be nice to see a tutorial how you do this.
The clouds, mist, water etc just looks great!
Well done!

thanks, ok here you go: viewtopic.php?p=88490#88490

[Tobisama]

Thanks for all the answers, I'm watching the backgrounds of Parker (awesome work), and I'm still trying to understand some of the techniques that he use.I hope that some day my backgrounds can look as good.

[Vagabond]

Holy Penguins Batman! That was a visual kaleidoscope of awesomeness!! I have to let you know that you are officially on my dream team of animators. Selgin, Genete, and Heyvern would be character artists and you and Neomarz would be in charge of backgrounds. How much would a team like that cost I wonder??? I am both inspired and crushed by your work. Great Job!!

[94253]

My mind has just been blown. Clearly, there is a lot more to AS than I am aware.

I downloaded Parker's content pack from the link in his signature. I opened up some of the files to see what they were. Simple colors, straight black outlines, nothing amazing. Then I hit Cmd+R to render one.

WHOA.

Those simple colors and hard lines somehow rendered into pure awesome. How is this possible? There are gradients. I've been trying to figure out a good way to do gradients and have come up with nothing. But here they are, and I even have the *.anme file which I should be able to use to tell me how it was done, but I don't know what I'm looking for.

I am apparently very bad at searching. If someone has links to information about how to do these things, I would appreciate a PM!

I had no idea you could do this stuff in AS! Great work!

[PARKER]

My mind has just been blown. Clearly, there is a lot more to AS than I am aware.

I downloaded Parker's content pack from the link in his signature. I opened up some of the files to see what they were. Simple colors, straight black outlines, nothing amazing. Then I hit Cmd+R to render one.

WHOA.

Those simple colors and hard lines somehow rendered into pure awesome. How is this possible? There are gradients. I've been trying to figure out a good way to do gradients and have come up with nothing. But here they are, and I even have the *.anme file which I should be able to use to tell me how it was done, but I don't know what I'm looking for.

I am apparently very bad at searching. If someone has links to information about how to do these things, I would appreciate a PM!

I had no idea you could do this stuff in AS! Great work!

My free content is really really simple, its not really big deal!
These are the last works i have made, i think with these ones you will realize that AS has even more power .




High resolution version:

http://parkerx87.deviantart.com/art/fon ... -160526044
http://parkerx87.deviantart.com/art/fon ... -160526337
http://parkerx87.deviantart.com/art/fon ... -160527093

[GCharb]

Awsome work Parker, you really push AS, which is great!

G

[GCharb]

We got flushed, again!

While Parker certainly showed that AS has a huge potential as a BG drawing software, it still is vector based, you can achieve more effects and better drawing tools with raster software like Photoshop, painter or even Gimp.

Really depends on the type of BG you want to make and your skills at drawing.

This said, AS sure makes the process easy.

G

[PARKER]

We got flushed, again!

While Parker certainly showed that AS has a huge potential as a BG drawing software, it still is vector based, you can achieve more effects and better drawing tools with raster software like Photoshop, painter or even Gimp.

Really depends on the type of BG you want to make and your skills at drawing.

This said, AS sure makes the process easy.

G

No doubt AS makes the process easy, i enjoy a lot making backgrounds in AS.