Moho Forum

Hello,

My brother and I made a little animated short to coincide with the release of Anime Studio 8. You may know by now about the tight Photoshop live-link - open a PSD file in AS and animate it, then you can go back to Photoshop, change the layer around, draw on it, erase stuff, etc... and save it. The changes will automatically be reflected in AS. The Photoshop layers get turned into AS layers which is pretty darn awesome.

Here's the short:

http://youtu.be/N0zDEcmGwN0



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

My brother made the music. That's me and my brother in the animation. It was colour-corrected by our friends at FrameShuffle.

Peace,

Mike

Nice! You really have found your own unique style. Not sure if I've commented on your stuff before but I've loved it all.
I don't know why, but I loved the storm troopers with cat ears in your previous musc video. I want a t-shirt with cat troopers on it.

Mikdog wrote:open a PSD file in AS and animate it, then you can go back to Photoshop, change the layer around, draw on it, erase stuff, etc... and save it. The changes will automatically be reflected in AS. The Photoshop layers get turned into AS layers which is pretty darn awesome.

So does this help you with frame by frame animation? If so, how?
I really like that you can import a layered photoshop file now, but personally I haven't found a use for the live updating. That's why I'm curious about your workflow, if there's something I'm missing.

Thanks.

Well, let's say I notice something not quite right on the image. I can change it in Photoshop, or change the colours, move the position ... add on to the layer. Beforehand I'd need to run the 'Export layers to Anime Studio' script which would make an AS file and export all the PSD layers to PNG files. So I 'd open a PNG file, sometimes need to change the dimensions of the file to make it bigger so I can draw more of whatever, and it'd be a PNG image in isolation so I couldn't really see it in context of the rest of the piece - really a mission. With this one I can just change the original layer and BOOM have it update. Also I can add new layers, drag them to the top of the stack, re-save the document and re-import the new layers. Something to note - you shouldn't move the PSD layer stack order once you've saved the file. The script remembers not the layer names for reference but their position in the layer stack, starting from the bottom layer. So any new layers at the top of the stack are ok, but if you add layers to the stack after you've imported the PSD file to AS and resave the PSD file, you'll get weird results with layers swapping out for other layers. Hope that makes sense.

Anyways, my general workflow is ... hey I made a 'making of' video for this, it may be posted quite soon. I'll post here once it is. I explained things. In short - get music clip from my brother, storyboard, animatic made in AS, draw the material in Photoshop, animate the PSD files in AS to a clicktrack, export scene by scene and composite in Final Cut Express, colour correction done by someone else, upload.

Thanks for the tip about adding layers on the stack. I can't wait for the video, so I'll ask now: When you import the psd file, how do you adjust the timing of the layers? Do you put the layers in a switch, or turn visibility on and off, or some other way?

I think this is a great feature. I've tested it with Artrage and OpenCanvas, both of which exports to psd format.

Great stuff as usual, Mikdog.

Hi Neeters,

Yep, if I put all the PSD layers in a group within Photoshop, I'll also get a group in AS when I open the PSD file. - NOTE - only visible layers will import. So I make sure all my layers are visible by right-clicking in the visibility box of a layer and checking HIDE/ALL LAYERS (or something like that) once or twice to get all the layers showing up.

Then with version 8 (and this is a feature I really like) you can right-click the group in AS and change it to a SWICTH layer. RAD. And then BAM its pretty straight-forward to place the layers along the timeline.

AND THEN when you go back to Photoshop and change something with the layer and save it, changes are reflected in AS. I wouldn't change the layer order though or you'll get weird results.

Mikdog, I just watched your "Making of:" video. I consider it required study. (sorry to get off topic)

Hey Larry,

Ah, you're referring to the link in my signature?

I made a 'making of' for this animation too (Anime-Tors). I think its getting posted next week.

I still have hours of screen recordings from the Goldfish video that I may still post at some stage. Want to get round to that at some stage.

Thanks,

Mike

Just watched the video and the "making of" as suggested and it was really great. The amount of work you put in really shows as this is professional grade stuff!

This is a real good video. Yes, your style is very unique, the animation is smooth and full of life. Music is cool, to Great work of you both, brothers.

Yes I referred to the link in your signature. You even sync scene changes to the beat. Very cool and subtle.
I also noticed a list of credits in one of your videos where you said "THANKS" to a number of people. I want to do the same for those who have helped me when I'm ready to publish my animation. Do I need permission?

Mikdog, thanks for explaining. Yes, the ability to change to switch layers is great.

3deeguy wrote:I also noticed a list of credits in one of your videos where you said "THANKS" to a number of people.

Uolter's first animation thanked forum members for their advice. It's wasn't necessary but it was certainly a kind gesture and pleasant surprise:

The town crier 1st episode! ( at 1:08 )

Of course, if people actually contributed work to the piece (as in Mikdog's video) then they ought to be credited.

neeters_guy, thanks for the link. Some people have even created files and artwork to help me out. I couldn't do what I've done without them. Acknowledging them in the credits is the right thing to do.

nice Mikdog,
I wonder, if you create a file I know that changes to the file are updated in AS, but if you add new layers (an inbetween you needed for example, or another shape into the switch group) are they imported and added to the AS file??

Thanks in advance!

Hi funks > unfortunately new layers are not automatically imported. How the function works as I understand is layers are linked according to their number away from the bottom of the layer stack. So swapping around layers in the stack in photoshop and saving results in layers being swapped in as. Creating new layers in the middle of the stack in ps results in the layer assignments shifting in AS which can be confusing. What I did is create new layers at the top of the stack in photoshop and reimport ps file and grab new layers. Top of the stack doesn't affect things.