combine styles

[Nicohk92]

So I just followed tutorials and read the manual several times, getting a handle on styles and the time it could save me.

So now I'm going over my project assigning styles to each type of element in the hope that I'll be able to change tons of colored items in just a click.

The first obstacle I encountered was that by assigning a style to an existing shape, it superimposed the existing fill and the desired style. I fixed that by systematically resetting the shape's style before assigning my new style (is there a better way? you tell me)

Now I'm confronting another annoyance and tried everything so I resort to you more seasoned animators:


Since we can combine 2 styles, I would like to take advantage of the "shadow only" option of the shaded fill setting.

So i've got my styles (Blue FG, Blue BG, Red this green that...) and I also created a set of styles that are just the shaded setting with "shadow only". Set to white with different opacities, my goal is to be able to add light reflections to my elements.

For example I'd have a tree in the background that I want to give a Back lit feel, so I'd use my style "green bg" combined with my style "bounce 50" (ex: white at 50 opacity and 90 degree angle, "shadow only" )

After messing around a while, it finally worked provided the shadow only style is the one on top


Following the same approach, I now would like to create styles to change color values. In other words, combining whatever style at hand with a style that's just white with 50% opacity, 25% opacity etc... And there I'm stuck. No matter how I switch things up, styles don't seem to collaborate. I either get an empty shape, or my full blown color.


As anyone managed to do this? It's an interesting problem that could really save time if solved.



Best

[Nicohk92]

Before I can even begin to bother on these details, I realize I still don't understand how style really work on the timeline.

I thought styles were independent from my sequence.

But actually they keep changing on the timeline and reverting to their previous state. Keyframes are of no use at all, it's a mess. I look behind frame 0, I try clearing all animation, nothing works so far

[Nicohk92]

Ok so I select the style (in the very layer I set it at initially, just to be sure), and it won't let me delete the keyframes. I'm just gonna create a new clean layer and create my styles there from scratch.

Anime studio can be great but can also be the most circonvoluted and pernicious of tools.

[dueyftw]

I avoid the styles all together. I make one layer that has all the colors and line widths as round shapes and then use the color picker to draw off the shape. As long as it is vector the picker will change the style setting from a different layer. When I'm done and ready to render I hide the Pallet layer from the render.


Dale

[Nicohk92]

I've been using it all day and I finally wrapped my head around it. It's tricky cause it's so easy to change a style by accident. I've got the same circles you mention on a layer at frame zero Mine were all used to create the styles and I go back to it for any change to be sure not to touch anything. Your approach sure seems simpler but being able to change over twenty shapes spread out across different layers and moment in time in just one operation was very rewarding and allowed me to finally find a good color scheme for the whole project.

Could definitly go without it on most occasions.

[hayasidist]

... so I'd use my style "green bg" combined with my style "bounce 50" (ex: white at 50 opacity and 90 degree angle, "shadow only" )

After messing around a while, it finally worked provided the shadow only style is the one on top

did you get that to work properly? it looks OK in the workspace but a test render here didn't show the "base" style?

[Nicohk92]

Yes you're right. I thought it worked for a second when in fact the shadow only style carried its fill with it. It was a similar color with the other one and at first i thought it worked.

[hayasidist]

yeah - it's always worth trying (= I think it's an imperative that you do) a test render... sometimes makes it look better; sometimes makes it look worse... sad to say this is in the "not what I wanted" category... What I think is happening is that the workspace looks right; but the render ignores the underlying "bg" style and so what gets rendered is just the shadow onto the background colour (or to whatever is filled behind the shape.

IMO it's a bug.

[dueyftw]

Could definitly go without it on most occasions.

That's my point 99% of the time you don't need them. Tell me of just one instance where you would change that many shapes styles at once?

Dale

[synthsin75]

That's my point 99% of the time you don't need them. Tell me of just one instance where you would change that many shapes styles at once?

Series work, client changes, environment lighting (like going from day to night), etc..

[dueyftw]

Is it worth the effort is all of a sudden you don't know what the style changes. I have tried to work with them but I always end up fighting them. For me they way the styles work is so derange it not worth the effort.




Dale

[heyvern]

Well... uh... er...

I don't know exactly why you have such problems with styles. I can't live without them. I use them constantly and successfully.
The paint bucket tool and the "default" style when creating shapes is probably what you are having trouble with not the styles themselves.

I never use the paint bucket tool to create shapes. I always use the create shape tool. Whatever style is set up in the style palette (selected shape) is applied to my new style. I just don't have the problems you demonstrated in your video. It does seem strange.

I LOVE named styles. They save me CRAP LOADS of work. I often combine multiple styles together, mixing different effects for all kinds of combinations. Yes, mixing a named style fill with transparency doesn't work the way you would like it to work, but it was always like that so I never bothered trying to make it do something I know won't work.

I often will mix different effects styles to create complex shading effects. You would be amazed how far you can go with styles mixing and matching them. Each named style can have two effects for a fill and one for a stroke. Each shape can have 2 styles applied as well as two effects for fill and one for stroke. That's like, 10 effects that can be "stacked up" on a single shape. You can do some amazing stuff with this combination.

I know styles inside and out so I just don't bother trying to do something that won't work. I use them for what they can do to save me a ton of trouble and effort and create some cool effects that ABSOLUTELY CAN'T BE DONE WITH A SINGLE STYLE SHAPE.

For example:

Imagine a character with body shapes on multiple layers.

Hand
Arm
Bicep
Thigh
Shin
Face
etc

Each of those shapes use the same fill color. Applying a style to all of those shapes allows me to change the color for many shapes on multiple layers with one simple click on a single style.

I also usually apply a "stroke" style to all the shapes that I want to have the same width (but different colors).
So imagine you have a pile of LAYERS with different shapes, many shapes, and each shape has a different color stroke but you want the same stroke weight for ALL shapes that can be modified quickly.

I apply the stroke color ONLY to the named style for that color. I apply another style that only applies stroke weight but no color to ALL the shapes. Now if I need to adjust the stroke weight of THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT I can do that by simply changing ONE style. I don't have to poke through hunting down all the shapes on every single layer (all the layers if the stroke is for everything). I can simply adjust the width of the stroke in one single style and watch it update the WHOLE thing.

What about switch layers? If you had for example, multiple hand shapes in two switch layers (one for each hand) and the hands had a fill shape color... you would seriously prefer to go to each layer of every switch and change the color of every shape? No way man. I would apply a style for the fill and stroke to all the switches. Globally change the styles in one simple fast step.

Sorry, but styles are FANTASTIC. They have some "rough edges" but to not use them at all because of some minor issues? No way dude.

EDIT:

I just tried to replicate what you showed in the video. I couldn't get it to do what you showed. If I chose a set of styles in the style palette and used the paint bucket on a shape it worked as expected. The displayed styles applied as expected.

If a STYLE is selected in the style palette it doesn't apply. You have to set up the default "shape" settings FIRST to what you want a new shape to be.

[synthsin75]

From the user manual:

Window Mode Indication (3)
This indicates the current mode of the Style Window. There
are three modes:

Window Mode Indication
• DEFAULTS (For new shapes): In this mode the style you
define will be applied to any new shapes you create.
This default will retain the style of the last shape you
had selected. This is the default mode when there are
no shapes or styles selected.
• SHAPE: In this mode the style you define will edit the
style of the currently selected shape. Selecting a shape
in the workspace or in the shape selection drop-down
menu will enter shape mode.
• STYLE: In this mode the style you define will either
create a new style or edit an existing one, depending
on the option you select from the style management
drop-down menu.

It's very important to pay attention to what mode the style window is in.

Style mode (when it says STYLE below the shape and style dropdowns) is ONLY for creating or editing styles. It IS NOT for applying styles. Shape mode (when it says SHAPE below the shape and style dropdowns) is for editing a shape's style, including applying save styles using the Style 1 and Style 2 dropdowns. Default mode (when it says DEFAULTS (For new shapes) below the shape and style dropdowns) is for editing the style that will used for new shapes, including applying save styles using the Style 1 and Style 2 dropdowns.

In your video you need to follow one of these methods:

Method 1 (for applying existing saved styles):
You have two options:

• Using the paint bucket tool. With no shapes selected (DEFAULT mode) use the Style 1 and/or Style 2 dropdowns to apply a saved style to the default style for new shapes.
  Now using the paint bucket tool will apply this default, including the applied style, to a new or existing shape.
• Using the select shape tool. Select an existing shape. The Style window is now in SHAPE mode. Using the Style 1 and/or Style 2 dropdowns to select a saved style will apply that style to the selected shape.

The paint bucket can only apply the DEFAULT style, including any saved styles applied to its Style dropdowns. Selecting a shape while in any other mode will revert to SHAPE mode, where it only shows what has already been applied to that shape.

Method 2 (for applying a new saved style):

• Select a shape with no style applied (both Style 1 and Style 2 dropdowns say "<None>" with the shape selected). The style window will now be in SHAPE mode.
• With the shape still selected, choose New from the Styles dropdown to create a new style. The style window is now in STYLE mode. The changes you make to this new style will now be reflected on your selected shape and are automatically applied to the shape's Style 1 dropdown. This only works for applying the first newly created style to a selected shape.

[Nicohk92]

I end up agreeing with Dale. Last night I found myself fighting with styles for a good hour. I had the hardest time taking off a style from an element, it seemed the style just didn't want to go away and had "corrupted" my shape. Also, I still can't figure out how to copy the settings of a style and past it into another shape WITHOUT pasting the style itself. extremely frustrating.

Heyvern's experience leaves me hopeful tho and there are good tips in this thread so i'm sure i'll come back to it.

[heyvern]

I end up agreeing with Dale. Last night I found myself fighting with styles for a good hour. I had the hardest time taking off a style from an element, it seemed the style just didn't want to go away and had "corrupted" my shape. Also, I still can't figure out how to copy the settings of a style and past it into another shape WITHOUT pasting the style itself. extremely frustrating.

Heyvern's experience leaves me hopeful tho and there are good tips in this thread so i'm sure i'll come back to it.

Please read and try to understand synthsin75 last post. It's VERY VERY important to understand how the styles work when creating or copying and pasting shapes.

For the life of me... I just don't... have any issues at all, ever, with applying and working with styles and shape creation described here. I have to say... it just sounds like user error or a misunderstanding of the feature to me.

YES, I DO have issues with style limitations. However these limitations are not "bugs" or inconsistent behavior, just limits on what you can do.

To make an analogy... My complaint about lack of features with styles is like if I complained that my new car can't fly so it must be defective. Flying is a feature of a car that it never had so I can't say it's a bug. I just want enhancements. That's where I'm at with styles. I wish my car could fly.

However, in the examples above about styles being "broken" and completely unusable, I have to disagree. if you can't drive your car because you forget to take off the parking brake, that's user error not a broken car. If you remember to take off the parking brake the car will drive fine.