2D Animation Follows
In today’s project, we will do our 2D rough animation in Flash. Create a new document with the following dimensions: 1280 x 720, 24 fps.
We will bring the reference images into the timeline.
1. Go to File > Import > Import Video, and select the body level movie file.
2. In the options, make sure to choose the following:
a. Deployment > Embed video in SWF and play in timeline
b. Encode > Video > Encode alpha channel
3. Repeat for the head reference layer.
Drawing in Flash
Insert a new layer above your video layers and choose the pencil or brush tool to draw in. The shots with rough animation shown in Figure 5.12 were drawn using the brush tool in Flash. You can see in Figure 5.12 that using the brush tool still creates a vector line; the outline of the brush is vector. The brush tool works with tablet pressure sensitivity as well.
FIGURE 5.12 Rough animation using brush tool in Flash.
For those new to drawing in Flash and the concepts of keyframes, here are a few tips: lock all layers that you are not currently drawing on. If you don’t, you might accidentally draw on layers that you do not wish to. Also, you can drag and drop keyframes on the timeline; but beware, you can accidentally duplicate keyframes and cause a messy timeline. Refer to Figure 5.13 for the following explanations:
1. The current time is indicated by a red bar.
2. A blank keyframe, where nothing is drawn, is indicated by a white block with an empty circle. You can right-click on the timeline to insert a blank keyframe or use the hotkey F7. Once you have a blank keyframe, or a blank piece of paper, you can begin to draw your key; the circle will fill in and the keyframe will turn gray.
3. To create a keyframe that also has a copy of the previous drawing on it, use the hotkey F6.
4. To extend a keyframe by holding it longer, use the hotkey F5. The end of a hold is indicated by a gray rectangle on the timeline.
FIGURE 5.13 Using the timeline in Flash.
When you have completed your rough animation, you will want to export those images so that they can be brought into the cleanup package of your choice. For our production Jaguar McGuire, we debated on using Toon Boom or Photoshop. In the end, because of its familiarity and to enable students to work on projects at home, we chose Flash for most scenes. By now you should already be thinking of the next step. If we need the alpha channel, can we output a series of .tifs or tgas? We’ll export a QuickTime file:
1. Delete all but the rough head animation levels. Even if you hide layers, they will export.
2. Choose File > Export > Export Movie.
3. Give it a name, choose Quicktime Movie, and click Save.
4. In the export settings, make sure that the image size is correct.
5. If you want an alpha channel, make sure that Ignore stage color (generate alpha channel) is clicked on.
6. Click Quicktime Settings ….
7. Make sure that the compression settings are for Animation, and that the frame rate is correct.
8. Then click Export.
It is always good to be paranoid when exporting images and always double-check that they exported what you wanted them to. All too often you get five steps down the pipeline only to realize you have exported completely blank images or images from the wrong camera.
FIGURE 5.14a Exporting rough animation from Flash.
It is also good to check if alpha channels are present and if the images are the correct size. While testing this topic, I was happily following along until I realized that my images were not exporting out at the correct size from Flash. This is very sad. Then I remembered that the same thing happened during a 24-hour art challenge where I did a 2D/3D shot, and at 5 in the morning my brain could not process why my 2D image (which was drawn in Flash) was not lining up with the 3D image. Now I see why. When you export a simple line drawing from Flash, even though your export settings are the correct size, it will crop to the smallest rectangle that will encompass your image. That can be quite a shock. A way around this is to place a bounding rectangle around your canvas that is just at the cutoff size. If you make it a guide layer, it will not render. This will ensure a proper export. Warning: If the box is bigger than the output file size should be, you may have registration issues in your compositing software.
CLEANUP IN PHOTOSHOP
The easiest way to open a QuickTime movie into a video layer and make sure that the file size is the correct dimension is to simply go to File > Open and open the movie file you exported out of Flash. This will open the QuickTime file into a video layer and give you a document that is the correct size and bit depth. Watch out for your document’s playback settings, however. During testing, our frame rate had to be changed manually. You can see in Figure 5.15 where the frame rate is incorrect.
FIGURE 5.14b Placing an outline in Flash to ensure an export of the proper canvas size.
Add an extra video layer and use the brush that you wish to draw in your cleanup line, as we have in previous topics. When you are done, export your video layer for final compositing.
