Moho Forum

Hi all,

How can I use the photoshop coloration layers in anime studio?

I explain myself better:

In photoshop I created a character, a ball, and I painted it with different colours using a photoshop pencil (for each color I have a layer). The result is a sofisticated coloration, impossible to get with Anime Studio.
Now, in Anime studio I want to use this photoshop layers (about coloration) in a vector where I made the same character (a ball).

What is the better way to do it?

Thanks.

Three ways:

1.The simplest method is to just export the image from Photoshop as a .png with a transparent background. This will bake in your sophisticated coloring and leave the background clear so it won't require masking. You can apply bones to it and deform it like a vector image. One disadvantage is that you can't edit exactly how it will deform in a Smart Bone Action the way you can with vectors. (Note that in Moho 12, you can now do this using Smart Warp.)

2. Import the texture as an Image Layer, then use a shape below it as a mask. This masking shape can be a bitmap or a vector layer. When you rig your character, use the same bones for both layers.

3. Create your vector shape and use Image Texture to fill it with an imported bitmap texture. Use the Image Texture widget to transform and animate the texture if you wish to simulate turning effects. To give the vector a 'rough' edge, use a image brush filled with the same Image Texture--don't worry about matching the transform because the fill and stroke textures will be in sync automatically if you use the same image.

Any of the above methods work well depending on what you need. You may even want to use a combination of methods. Here are a few notes that may help you decide which is better for your situation:

The first method is pretty straight-forward. It's the easiest method but also the most limited in terms of controlling deformation and transformation.

The second method is pretty easy once you learn how to use basic masking techniques. However, a disadvantage with this method is that you can't tile the 'fill' layer image so you may need to create an image that is much larger if you intend to slide it inside the space. Another disadvantage is that it can potentially block the Ctrl-Alt Right-Click trick for Switch Layer keyframing.

The third method is my preferred technique because Image layer has a tiling option. This means you can use a more optimal 'wraparound' image that can slide seamlessly to simulate '720 degree' turnaround animations (i.e., a front/back image with no duplicate pixels.) But be aware that there are two disadvantages with Image Texture. First, the widget can't be constrained using the Shift key or grid, so it might be tricky to keep sliding transformations perfectly aligned (you'll need to eyeball it or draw on-screen guides, and probably do a few trial and error renders.) The second is that in ASP 11 and Moho 12.0, Image Texture may 'ripple' when it's deformed (this is a known bug and had been fixed in the upcoming 12.1.) Fortunately, for many animations, you might not notice this 'rippling' artifact. But if you do, you can render the animation at double-res and scale it down in post--this workaround slows down rendering but it does improve the texture significantly.

Hope this helps.

Can you post a picture of the Photoshop coloring?