Toon BoomHarmony22
Play Application
User Guide

TOON BOOM ANIMATION INC.

+1 514 278 8666

4200 St.Laurent Blvd, Suite 1020
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2W 2R2

contact@toonboom.com
toonboom.com

Harmony 22 Play User Guide

Legal Notices
Toon Boom Animation Inc.
4200 Saint-Laurent, Suite 1020
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2W 2R2
Tel: +1 514 278 8666
Fax: +1 514 278 2666
toonboom.com

Disclaimer
The content of this document is the property of Toon Boom Animation Inc. and is copyrighted. Any
reproduction in w hole or in part is strictly prohibited.
The content of this document is covered by a specific limited w arranty and exclusions and limit of liability
under the applicable License Agreement as supplemented by the special terms and conditions forAdobe® Flash® File Format (SW F). For details, refer to the License Agreement and to those special terms andconditions.

Trademarks
Toon Boom® is a registered trademark. Harmony™ and the Toon Boom logo are trademarks of Toon BoomAnimation Inc. All other trademarks of the property of their respective ow ners.

Publication Date
09-23-2022
Copyright © 2022 Toon Boom Animation Inc., a Corus Entertainment Inc. company. All rights reserved.

1

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Table of Contents

2

About the Play Application

4

Chapter 1: Launching the Play Application

6

Chapter 2: User Interface

8Top Menu

9Playback Toolbar

13

Chapter 3: Loading Image Sequences

16

Loading Image Sequences from Folders

17

Loading Image Sequences from Databases

192Harmony 22 Play User Guide

3

About the Play Application

About the Play Application
The Play module is designed specifically for playing back and view ing animated projects once they have been
rendered out into image sequences.

This module opens directly from your program menu to load your final render. It's also used w hen playing
back a scene w ith effects in Harmony.

4Harmony 22 Play User Guide

5

Chapter 1: Launching the Play Application

Chapter 1: Launching the Play Application
To use Toon Boom Play, you must start the program.

How to launch the Play application
1. Depending on your operating system, do one of the follow ing:l

W indows: Open the Start menu and, in the list of programs, select Harmony 22 [Edition] >
Play.

l

macOS: Do the follow ing:
a. In Finder, proceed to Applications >Toon Boom Harmony 22 [Edition] anddouble-click Harmony [Edition].
The main Harmony application launches.
b. In the top menu, select Harmony [Edition] > Tools > Play.
l

GNU/Linux: In the GNOME top menu, select Applications > Harmony 22 [Edition] >
Play.

6

Harmony 22 Play User Guide

7

Chapter 2: User Interface

Chapter 2: User Interface
The Play Module interface is composed of tw o main components.

Top Menu

9Playback Toolbar

138

Harmony 22 Play User Guide

Top Menu
In the top menu are all the necessary commands for loading and preview ing image sequences.

File Menu
CommandLoad From Folder

Load From Database

ActionAccess Methods

Opens the Find Directory
w indow w here you can selectone or more images to load inthe player.

If you are connected to theDatabase, this command
opens the Database Selector
w indow w here you can selectan image sequence to load inthe player.

File > Load from Folder

File > Load from Database

Opens the Load Playback
dialog box and indicatesw hich frames are loaded. You

Reload Frames

Unload Frames

Quit Playcan select the frames youw ant to reload. Use theReload command to load
frames that are currently open
in the player and that w ere
modified since they w ereloaded.

Opens the Unload Playback
dialog box and indicatesw hich frames are loaded. Youcan select the frames youw ant to unload.

File > Reload FramesFile > Unload Frames

macOS: macOS Play > Quit
Play.

Exits the application.

W indow s/Linux: File > Quit.

9Chapter 2: User Interface

View Menu
CommandZoom InAction

Access Methods

Zooms in on the loaded images
to view them closer. In thelow er-right corner of theinterface, you can see therelative zoom level comparedto the image’s original

View > Zoom In
Press Ctrl + =.

resolution.

Zoom Out

Zooms out of the loaded
images to view them smaller. In
the low er-right corner of theinterface, you can see therelative zoom level comparedto the image’s original
resolution.

View > Zoom Out
Press Ctrl + =.

Image

Displays the images in normal
mode w ith all their colours.

View > Image

Matte

Displays the image’s matte(alpha channel). All transparent
zones are displayed in blackand all fully opaque zones aredisplayed in w hite. Zones thatare semitransparent aredisplayed in grey.

View > Matte

Loaded Files Properties

Opens the Loaded Files
Properties dialog box. Displays
the format, path and resolution
information of each loadedimage.

View > Loaded Files
Properties

CommandAction

Access Methods

Plays the animation from thecurrent frame to the last

Play > Play Scene Forward

Play Scene Forw ard

Play Menu

10Play Forw ard

buttonHarmony 22 Play User Guide

CommandAction

Access Methods

frame.

Play Scene Backw ard

Plays the animation from thecurrent frame to the firstframe.

Play > Play Scene Backward
Play Backw ard

buttonPlay > StopStopStops playback.
Stopbutton

Repeats the scene w hen it
reaches the last frame during
playback.

Play > LoopControls the starting frame ofthe playback range. Opens theSet Start Frame dialog box.

Play > Start Frame

Controls the end frame of thePlay > Stop Frame

playback range. Opens the Set
Stop Frame dialog box.

In the Playback toolbar, enter
values in the Stop field.

Go to Frame

Sets your current frame to any
frame you input in the Go to
Frame dialog box.

Play > Go to Frame

Playback Speed

Changes the frame rate of theplayback. Opens the SetSpeed dialog box.

Play > Playback Speed

First Frame

Sets the current frame to thefirst frame of the loaded
image sequence.

Loop

Start Frame

Stop Frame

Loop

buttonIn the Playback toolbar, enter
values in the Start field.

Play >First FrameFirstbutton

Previous Frame

Sets the current frame to its
previous frame.

Play > Previous Frame

Next Frame

Sets the current frame to its
follow ing frame.

Play > Next Frame

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Chapter 2: User Interface

CommandAction

Access Methods

Play > Last Frame

Last Frame

Sets the current frame to thelast frame of the image
sequence.

CommandAction

Access Methods

Online Help

Opens Toon Boom Online
Help w here you can finduseful indexed andsearchable information on theoperation of the Toon BoomPlay module.

Lastbutton

Play Module Help Menu

About

Opens the About w indow
w hich displays information
related to the application
version.

12

Help > Online Help
Press F1.

W indow s/Linux: Help > About
macOS: This command islocated in the macOS Play menu.

Harmony 22 Play User Guide

Playback Toolbar
Using the Playback toolbar (located at the bottom of the player interface), you can play your animation, loop
playback, navigate through frames and change the playback speed.

Interface Element

NameAction

Frame slider

Scrolls forw ards or throughthe playback frames.

First

Sets the current frame to thefirst frame of the loaded
image sequence.

Play Backw ard

Plays the animation from thecurrent frame to the firstframe.

Stop

Stops playback.

Play Forw ard

Plays the animation from thecurrent frame to the lastframe.

Last

Plays your sound frame-byframe. This command is only
available w hen theapplication is launched fromHarmony.

Loop

Repeats the scene w hen it
reaches the last frame
during playback.

Sound

Includes the soundtrack
during playback. This
command is only available
w hen the application islaunched from Harmony.

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Chapter 2: User Interface

Interface Element

NameAction

Sound Scrubbing

Plays your sound frame-byframe. This command is onlyavailable w hen theapplication is launched fromHarmony.

Enter a new value to control
Start Framethe starting frame of theplayback range.

Stop Frame

Enter a new value to control
the end frame of theplayback range.

FPS

Enter a new value (in framesper second) in this field tochange the playback speed.

Select the Preroll option andenter the number of blank
Prerollframes. These frames w ill be
added at the start of theplayback.

Displays the ratio of theplayback size you are
currently view ing in Toon
Boom Play compared to theimage’s actual size.

Scale

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Harmony 22 Play User Guide

15

Chapter 3: Loading Image Sequences

Chapter 3: Loading Image Sequences
To play a scene in Play, you must load the sequence of rendered frames for that scene in the Play application.
Loading Image Sequences from Folders

17

Loading Image Sequences from Databases

1916

Harmony 22 Play User GuideLoading Image Sequences from Folders
You can import an image sequence from a folder stored locally.

How to load an image sequence from a folder
1. From the top menu, select File > Load from Folder.
The Find Directory dialog box opens.
2. Select the folder that contains the image sequence to load.
3. Click OK.
The Load Playback dialog box opens.

4. Click one of the follow ing:
‣Select All: To select all the files in the list.

‣Select Loaded: To reload images that are already loaded in the player.

‣Select Changed: To reload only the images that w ere modified since they w ere loaded.

‣Select Unloaded: To load all the images in the list that are not currently loaded in the player.

‣Select an option from the Filter Current Selection menu to select a series of frames from theones selected. For example, to load one of six frames instead of the entire sequence, selectKeep 1 Frame Out of 6 from the drop-dow n menu.

17Chapter 3: Loading Image Sequences

5. In the Load At menu, select the image resolution. To load images faster, or to fit them on yourscreen, load the images at a low er resolution.

6. Click Load to load the selected images.
7. Once the images are loaded, click the Playbutton to play back your image sequence.

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Harmony 22 Play User Guide

Loading Image Sequences from Databases
You can import an image sequence stored on the Harmony database.

How to load an image sequence from the database
1. From the top menu, select File > Load from Database. Note that Harmony Essentials cannot
connect to a database. This option is only for Harmony Advanced and Harmony Premium.
The Database selector dialog box opens.
2. Select the environment, job, scene and element in w hich your frames are located.
3. Select one or more frames to load.
4. Click Open.
The Load Playback dialog box opens.
5. Click one of the follow ing:‣

Select All: To select all the files in the list.

‣

Select Loaded: To reload images that are already loaded in the player.

‣

Select Changed: To reload only the images that w ere modified since they w ere loaded.

‣

Select Unloaded: To load all the images in the list that are not currently loaded in the player.

‣

Select an option from the Filter Current Selection menu to select a series of frames from theones selected. For example, to load one of six frames instead of the entire sequence, selectKeep 1 Frame Out of 6 from the drop-dow n menu.

6. In the Load At menu, select the image resolution. To load images faster, or to fit them on yourscreen, load the images at a low er resolution.

19

Chapter 3: Loading Image Sequences

7. Click Load to load the selected images.
8. Once the images are loaded, click the Playbutton to play back your image sequence.

20