Toon Boom Studio 8.1
User Guide

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 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 guide is covered by a specific limited warranty and exclusions and limit of liability under theapplicable License Agreement as supplemented by the special terms and conditions for Adobe®Flash® File
Format (SWF). For details, refer to the License Agreement and to those special terms and conditions.
The content of this guide is the property of Toon Boom Animation Inc. and is copyrighted.
Any reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
Trademarks
Toon Boom Studio® is a registered trademark, and the Toon Boom logo are trademarks of Toon Boom
Animation Inc.
Credits
Art Development: Shabana Ali, Marie-Eve Chartrand, Tania Gray, Anouk Whissell
Technical Editor: Peter Cawthorne, Pamela Grimaud, Liven Tam
Technical Reviewer: Gabriel Bouchard, Virginie Filion, John Payne, Natalia Solari, Jacques Tremblay
Technical Writer: Shabana Ali, Marie-Eve Chartrand, Christopher Diaz, Annie Rodrigue, Liven Tam, Phoebe
Wang-Chao, Anouk Whissell
Publication Date
2014-05-06
Copyright © 2014 Toon Boom Animation Inc. All rights reserved.
PUSG101TBS81EN

Avis Légal
Toon Boom Animation Inc.
4200, boul. St-Laurent, Bureau 1020
Montréal, Québec, Canada H2W 2R2
Tél: +1 514 278 8666
Fax: +1 514 278 2666
toonboom.com
Avis de non-responsabilité

2

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Toon Boom Animation Inc. et ses auteurs ont déployé leurs meilleurs efforts pour préparer ce manuel et son
contenu est basé sur la dernière version du logiciel dans la mesure du possible. Certaines parties du texte
peuvent provenir d’autres versions du logiciel décrit ici. Toon Boom Animation Inc. et ses auteurs déclinent toutegarantie e ou tacite d'utilisation ou des résultats de l'utilisation de la documentation en termes d'exactitude, deprécision, de fiabilité ou autre. Toon Boom et ses auteurs ne seront en aucun cas responsables envers vous ou
des tiers en cas de dommages indirects, spéciaux, exemplaires, accidentels, dissuasifs, de couverture ou
accessoires (y compris, et sans s'y limiter, les dommages pour inaptitude à utiliser l'équipement ou accéder auxdonnées, perte d'exploitation, perte de profits, interruption de l'activité et tout autre dommage, direct ou
indirect), liés à l'utilisation ou à l'impossibilité d'utilisation de la documentation, même si Toon Boom ou ses
représentants ont été prévenus de la possibilité de tels dommages.
L’information dans ce manuel est sujette à changement sans préavis. Le contenu de ce manuel est couvert par lesclauses de Garantie limitée et limitation de responsabilité et de Conditions d'utilisation spéciales pour le format
de fichier de Flash d’Adobe (SWF) incluses dans le Contrat de Licence Utilisateur. Veuillez vous référer au Contrat
de Licence Utilisateur et à ces clauses particulières pour plus de détails.
Le contenu de ce manuel est la propriété de Toon Boom Animation Inc. and est protégé de droits. Le présent
manuel ne doit faire l'objet d'aucune copie, photocopie, reproduction, traduction ou conversion sous quelqueforme que ce soit, électronique ou lisible par machine, sans le consentement écrit de Toon Boom Animation Inc.
Pour des copies additionnelles, veuillez communiquer avec Toon Boom Animation Inc.
Marques déposée
Remerciements
Art Development: Shabana Ali, Marie-Eve Chartrand, Tania Gray, Anouk Whissell
Technical Editor: Peter Cawthorne, Pamela Grimaud, Liven Tam
Technical Reviewer: Gabriel Bouchard, Virginie Filion, John Payne, Natalia Solari, Jacques Tremblay
Technical Writer: Shabana Ali, Marie-Eve Chartrand, Christopher Diaz, Annie Rodrigue, Liven Tam, Phoebe
Wang-Chao, Anouk Whissell
Date de parution: 2014-05-06
Copyright © 2014 Toon Boom Animation Inc. All rights reserved.
PUSG101TBS81EN

3

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Contents

Contents
Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

1

Legal Notices

2

Avis Légal

2

Contents

4

Chapter 1: Introduction

23

Animation Techniques in a Nutshell

24

Resources28

Documentation

28

Online Resources

28

Workout Series

28Video Lessons

29

Tutorials

29

Tips and Tricks

29

Templates

29

Registered Members

30

Get Help and Hone Your Skills!

30

Knowledge Base

30

User Forum

30

Animation Glossary

30

Chapter 2: Starting Your Project

31

Starting Toon Boom Studio32

Welcome Screen

33

Creating and Opening a Project

34

What are Frame Rates and Formats?

34

Creating and Opening Projects from the Welcome Screen

34

Creating a New Project from the Welcome Screen

35

Opening a Project from the Welcome Screen

36

Creating and Opening a Project from the File Menu

36

Creating a New Project from the File Menu

37

Opening a Project from the File Menu

37

Opening a Project File from Another Toon Boom Product37

Changing the Project Format

38

Organizing Your Work

39

Naming Your Files

39

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Saving Files and Structuring a Project

39

User Interface Language

41

Windows

41

Mac OS X

41

Adding Template Copyright and User Name Information

42

Setting the Location of Global Library

43

Some Basic Animation Concepts

44

Bitmap and Vector Graphics

44

Bitmap Image Types

44

Vector Image Types

44

Advantages and Disadvantages of Bitmap and Vector Images

45

Palettes

45

Advantages of Using a Colour Palette

45

Exposure Sheet and Timeline

46

Exposure Sheet

46

Timeline

47

Exposure Sheet and Timeline Usage

47

Pegs

48

Multiplane Camera

48

Multiplane Usage

49

Planning Your Project

50

What is a Scene?

50

Planning Your Scenes

50

Help Tools

51

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 Getting Started Guide

51

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 Online Help

51

Context Sensitive Help51

Preferences

52

Preference Highlights

52

Accessing the Preferences Panel

53

Display

53

Renderer

53

Rendering Options

54

Tablet Support

54

Chapter 3: Discovering the Interface

55

Interface Components

565Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Contents

Menus

56

Top Menu

56

Quick Access Menu

56

Toolbars

57

Views

58

Interface Highlights

60

Camera View

60

View Navigation Toolbar

61

Switch View Toolbar

61

Timeline View

62

Timeline View Toolbar

62

Drawing Tools Toolbar

63

Animation Tools Toolbar

63Interactive Playback Toolbar and Play Menu

64

Interactive Playback Toolbar

64Play Menu

64

Managing Views

66

Adding a New View

66

Closing a View

67

Undocking and Docking Windows and Views

67

Undocking68

Docking69

Moving the Floating Window Around the Desktop

70

Swapping Views

70

Resizing a View

71

Showing and Hiding the Status Bar

71

Extending the Side Panel

72

Managing Toolbars

73

Showing or Hiding Toolbars

73

Moving Toolbars on Windows

73

Customizing Toolbars on Mac OS X

73

Workspaces

75

Loading a Workspace

75

Creating a Workspace

75

Renaming a Workspace

76

Saving a Workspace76

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Deleting a Workspace

76

Restoring the Default Workspaces

76

Interface Navigation

77

Preferences

78

Interface Preferences

78

Element Colours

78

Window Background Colours

78

Show All Tips Again

78

Keyboard Shortcuts

79

Chapter 4: Drawing and Design

81

Drawing Basics

82

Drawing in the Drawing or Camera View

83

Drawing View

83

Camera View

83

Drawing Using the Brush or Pencil Tool

85

Brush Tool

85

Pencil Tool

85

Converting Lines

86

Convert Lines to Brush

86

Extract Centre Line - Converting a Brush Shape to a Pencil line

86

Relative Sizes of Characters and Props

88

Sketching90

Tracing92

Erasing Part of a Drawing

95

Selecting Drawing Objects

96

Repositioning a Pivot Point

97

Pen View

99

Setting Up the Brush and Eraser Tools

99

Eraser and Brush Styles

100

Setting Up the Pencil Tool

100

Setting Up the Shape Tools and Polyline Tool

101

Changing the Thickness of a Centreline Object

101

Managing Pen Styles

102

Adding a Pen Style

102

Editing a Pen Style

102

Removing a Pen Style103

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Contents

Drawing Invisible Lines

104

Working With Text

106

Creating Text

106

Formatting the Text

107

Converting Text into Separate Objects

107

More Drawing Tools

109

Shape Tools

109

Polyline Tool

110

Contour Editor Tool

111

Snap to Contour

113

Perspective Tool

113

Cutter Tool

114

Scissor Tool

115

More Drawing Options

117

Group and Ungroup117

Smooth118

Flatten and Optimize

118

Flatten

119

Optimize

119

Transform

120

Arrange

121

Show Current Drawing on Top

121

Preferences

123

Window Background Colours

123

Light Table

124

Chapter 5: Adding Colours

125

How to Paint

126

Colours127

Adding a Colour Swatch

127

Solid Colour Swatch

128

Gradient Colour Swatch

134

Bitmap Texture Swatch

138

Deleting a Colour Swatch

140

Colour Display Modes

141

Using the Painting Tools

142

Painting with the Paint Tool

142

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Painting with the Paint Unpainted Tool

143

Unpainting Areas with the Unpaint Tool

144

Closing Gaps

145

What is a Gap?

145

Closing Holes with the Close Gap Tool

145

Closing Holes Using Automatic Close Gap

146

Selecting a Colour in a Drawing

148

Editing Gradients and Textures

149

Setting a Gradient or Texture with the Paint Tool

149

Setting a Gradient or Texture with the Edit Texture Tool

150

Palettes

152

Creating a Colour Palette

153

Renaming a Colour Palette

153

Deleting a Colour Palette154

Duplicating a Colour Palette

155

Creating a Palette Style

156

Assigning a Style

157

Deleting a Style

157

Mixing the Colours

157

Exporting a Colour Palette

159

Importing a Colour Palette

159

Chapter 6: Importing Artwork

161

Importing Bitmap Images

162

Importing Bitmaps Without Vectorizing

162

Adding Images to a Bitmap Layer

163

Vectorization of an Image Element or Image Cell

164

Importing and Vectorizing Images

165

Import Images with Keying

168

Importing Multilayered PSD Files

172

Importing AI and PDF files

174

Importing from Adobe Flash

176

Importing a Movie

177

Importing a Bitmap Movie File

177

Importing a Movie in an Existing Image Layer

178

Capture179

Scanning Images

180

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Contents

Library

182

Understanding the Library Concept

182

What is a Library?

182

What is a Template?

182

Library View

183

Preview

183

Library List

184

Template List

184

Structuring the Library184

Creating a Library

185

Opening and Closing a Library186

Creating a Catalog

186

Renaming a Catalog

187

Deleting a Catalog

187

Refreshing the Library187

Reloading Default Templates

187

Saving the Library187

Templates

187

Creating a Template

188

Deleting a Template

189

Editing a Template189

Template Properties

191

Importing Multimedia files into the Library view

192

Importing a Template in Your Scene

192

Linking Templates to Media Elements

193

Copying Selected Template Contents into Your Animation

193

Using Paste Special to Update Content from a Template

194

Chapter 7: Layers and Timing

197

Understanding the Timeline and Exposure Sheet Views
Timeline View

198
198

Timeline View Toolbar

198

Layer Section

199

Timing Section

200

Exposure Sheet View

200

Main Section

201

Element List Section

201

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Exposure Sheet Toolbar

202

Column Header

202

Drawing

202

Frame Numbers

202

Layers and Columns

204

Layer Concepts

204

Layer Types

205

Drawing Element

205

Image Element

205

Camera Element

205

Effect Element

205

Peg Element

206

Sound Element

206

Annotation Element

206

Media Element

207

Adding New Elements

207

Adding Layers in the Timeline View

207

Adding an Element from the Top Menu

208

Adding New Columns in the Exposure Sheet View

208

Deleting Elements

208

Deleting a Layer from the Timeline View

208

Deleting Columns from the Exposure Sheet View

209

Modifying Elements

209

Ordering Elements

209

Show and Hide Elements

210

Renaming an Element

212

Exposure Sheet Thumbnails

213

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer

213

Expanding and Collapsing Layers

215

Modifying the Column Width

215

Filling Exposure217

Typing Exposure

217

Extending Exposure

218

Dragging Cells

219

Increasing and Decreasing Exposure

220

Add Exposure

220

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Contents

Remove Exposure

221

Deleting Exposure

222

Inserting Blank Cells

222

Setting the Exposure

223

Filling a Selection with a Sequence

224

Creating Cycles

225

Navigating Between Frames and Columns

228

Managing Drawings

230

Renaming a Drawing

230

Duplicating a Drawing

230

Copying and Pasting Drawings

231

Preferences

232

Time Measurement

232

Chapter 8: Traditional Digital Animation

233

Traditional Animation Tools

234

Onion Skin

234

Auto Light Table

235

Static Light Table

236

Reposition All Drawings

238

Lock Drawing

239

Clear Drawing

240

Animating Traditionally241

Animating241

Cleaning Up

243

Power Painting

245

Setting the Timing

246

Playing Back Your Animation

246

Rotoscoping

247

What is Rotoscoping?

247

Reasons for Rotoscoping

247

Selecting a Video

248

Importing a Video

248

Tracing the Character

249

Tracing249

Fine Tuning the Animation

250

Painting the Animation

251

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Marking Corrections and Notes

252

Annotation Elements

252

Working with Notes

253

Layer Notes

253

Cell Notes

253

Preferences

255

Onion Skin

255

Static Light Table

255

Chapter 9: Creating a Cut-out Puppet

257

About Building a Cut-out Puppet

258

Choosing Your Character

259

Creating a New Project and Importing a Character

259

Creating a Colour Palette

260

Cutting the Character into Pieces

261

How to Cut the Pieces

261

Cutting Out Your Pieces262

Drawing your Pieces

264

Attaching the Pieces

267

Ordering Your Layers

268

Attaching the Layers

269

Ordering Parented Layers

269

Adding a Master Peg

271

Setting the Pivots

273

Storing the Character in the Library

276

Chapter 10: Setting the Scene

277

Importing the Scene Elements

278

Background, Sound or Movie

278

Show Scene Background Colour

278

Templates

278

Ordering the Element Layers

279

Ordering Layers in the Timeline View

279

Ordering Layers Using the Arrange Command

280

Ordering Layer Types

280

Positioning the Scene Elements

281

Positioning Elements Using the Select Tool

281

Positioning Elements Using the Properties View

281

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Contents

Flipping Elements

282Show Outline Selection

283

Locking Elements

283

Locking and Unlocking a Layer

283

Locking and Unlocking All Layers

284

Locking All Other Layers

284

Cloning and Duplicating Elements

285

Cloning Layers

285

Duplicating Layers

286

Setting the Camera Frame

288

Adding a Camera Layer

288

Choosing the Active Camera Layer

289

Setting the Camera Frame Position

290

Setting the Frame Using the Select Tool

290

Setting the Frame Using the Properties View

291

Creating a Multiplane

293

Distributing the Elements on the Z-axis

293

Top and Side Views

294

Camera View

296

Properties View

296

Chapter 11: Creating Motion Paths

299

Animating Objects on a Layer

300

Instant Motion

301

Instant Motion Properties

303

Orienting Animation on a Path

303

Pegs

305

Adding a Peg

305

Adding a Parent Peg

305

Parenting Elements to a Peg

306

Expanding and Collapsing Layers

307

Peg Only Mode307

Peg Toolbar

308

Motion Path

310

Creating a Basic Motion Path

310

Displaying and Hiding a Motion Path

312

Adding and Controlling Motion Points

312

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Switching between Keyframes and Control Points

315

Adjusting the Tension, Bias and Continuity

316

Previous and Next Control Point

317

Orient to Path

318

Constant Z

319

Snap Last Keyframe

319

Animating the Camera

320

Adding a Peg to Your Camera

320

Making a Basic Camera Move

320

Function Editor View

322

Function Editor View - Overview

322

Adjusting the Velocity

323

Adding and Deleting Motion Points in the Function Editor View

325

Adding Motion Points

326

Delete Motion Points

327

Changing the Values of a Motion Point

327

Other Options

330

Attach to Next Object

330

Detach from Parent

330

Changing the Start Frame

331

Changing the Duration

331

Change Loops

332

Element Notes

333

Show Timeline Selection

334

Paste Special

335

Paste Special Again

337

Preferences

338

Sceneplanning Preferences

338

Motion Points

338

Coordinate Units

338

Show Units

339

Coordinate Units

339

Camera View

339

Use Box Highlighting

339

Selection Always Visible

340

Pegs

340

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Contents

Create Linear Spline

340

Create Constant Keyframes

340

Timeline

341

Single Cell Selection

341

Chapter 12: Bones

343

About the Skeleton Effect344

Bone Tools Toolbar

345

Setup Mode

345

Animation Mode

347

Choosing Your Character

349

Planning and Preparing Your Character

350

Adding the Skeleton

352

Robo-Skeleton Templates

352

Choosing Your Robo-Skeleton Template from the Library

352

Importing Your Robo-Skeleton into a Scene

355

Adding Your Own Character to the Robo-Skeleton Template

355

Building the Skeleton

361

Adding Bones

361

Adding Bones from the Timeline View

364

Setting Up the Bones

366

Resetting the Position of a Bone

369

Setting the Influence Area

369

Influence Area

370

Infinite

371

Elliptical

371

Modifying the Size and Shape of the Influence Area

371

Parenting Bone Chains

373

Unparenting Bone Chains

375

Animating the Skeleton

376

Reassembling the Character

376

Ordering Limbs

378

Character with Limbs on Different Drawing Layers

378

Character on a Single Drawing Layer

379

Hiding Bones

379

Animating Bones

380

Onion Skin Toolbar

383

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Natural Movement

383

Blocking the Body's Position

385

Deleting Keyframes386

Removing All Keyframes

386

Adjusting the Velocity and Functions

387

Disabling a Bone Animation

388

Skeleton Effect Properties

389

Preferences

392

Chapter 13: Animating a Puppet

395

Getting the Character From the Library

396

Extending the Exposure

397

Extending the Exposure of a Peg's Children Layers

397

Understanding Keyframes and Drawings

399

Keyframes and Drawing Blocks

399

Creating a Simple Cut-out Animation

400

Animating the Parts

400

Blocking the Body's Position

401

Deleting Keyframes

402

Copying and Pasting Keyframes

402

Constant and Non-Constant Segments

403

Non-Constant Segment

403

Constant Segment

404

Navigating Inside a Hierarchy

404

Selecting a Parent or Child Element

405

Selecting Brother Elements

406

Using the Different Animation Tools

407

Using the Transform Tool

407

Using the Motion Tool

408

Using the Rotate Tool

408

Using the Skew Tool

409

Using the Scale Tool

410

Using the Select Tool

411

Adjusting the Velocity

411

Using the Onion Skin in Cut-out Animation

415

Swapping Images

416

Preferences

418

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Contents

Sceneplanning Tab Preferences

418

Create Linear Spline

418

Create Constant Keyframes

418

Chapter 14: Sound and Lip-sync

421

Accessing the Sound and Lip-sync Tools

422Sound Toolbar

423Sound Layer Properties

423

Importing a Sound File

424

Sound Display

425

Sound Display - Exposure Sheet View

425

Sound Name

425

Waveform

425

Lip-sync Mouth Shapes - Name

426

Lip-sync Mouth - Thumbnails

426Sound Display - Timeline View

426

Sound Playback

428

Playing the Sound and Animation

428

Playing Only the Sound

428

Sound Scrubbing in the Timeline View

429

Editing a Sound File

430

Sound Element Editor

430

Changing the Start or End Frame of a Sound

431

Trimming a Sound File

433

Looping a Sound

434

Mixing the Sound Volume435

Custom Playback Range

437

Changing from Event to Streamed Sounds

437Sound Scrubbing in the Sound Element Editor

439

Deleting a Sound

439

Adding an Empty Sound Layer

441

Lip-sync

442

Lip-sync View

444

Creating a Lip-sync Using a Mouth Template

444

Creating a Lip-Sync Using Your Own Drawings

446

Lip-sync Detection

447

Automatic Lip-sync Detection

448

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Modifying the Lip-sync Detection

449

Modifying the Lip-sync in the Exposure Sheet View

449

Modifying the Lip-sync in the Sound Element Editor

449

Recomputing the Mouth Chart

450

Chapter 15: Stop-motion Animation

451

Characters and Stage

452

Gathering Your Characters

452

Setting Up Your Background452

Image Capture Settings

454

Setting Up the Image Capture Options

454

Light Table and Onion Skin

455

Capture Features

457

Auto Capture

457

Preview Window

457

Colour Keying

458

Image Capture

460

Capturing Images in an Existing Layer

462

Vectorization and Clean-up

463

Chapter 16: Enhancing with Effects

465

Special Effects

466

Previewing Effects

466

Blur Effect470

Colour Transform Effect473

Feather Edge Effect477

Drop Shadow Effect480

Clipping Effect484

Shake Effect489

Blockbuster and Forces of Nature Effects

492

Forces of Nature Effects

492

Rain Effect494

Snow Effect

495

Hail Effect496

Fog Effect496

Cloud Effect497

Volcano Effect498

Blockbuster Effects

499

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Contents

Shatter Effects

500

Magic Effects

502

Explosion Effects

503

Splash Effects

503

Fire Effects

504

Celestial Effects

505

Customizing Your Effect505

Effects

506

General Properties Buttons

506

Static Parameters Tab

507

Dynamic Parameters Tab

508

Disabling All Effects

510

Chapter 17: Scenes and Transitions

511

Working with Scenes and Transitions

512

About the Storyline View

513

Playing a Sequence

513

Working with Scenes

514

Applying Transitions

517

Transitions

518

Fade

518

Wipe

519

Slide

519

Clock Wipe

520

Checker

520

Cross Dissolve

520

Chapter 18: Exporting Your Project523

Export Drawing to PDF

524

Export Movie

525

Export Snapshot

527

Export to YouTube and Facebook

528

Exporting to YouTube

528

Exporting to Facebook

530

Print

533

Chapter 19: Keyboard Shortcuts for Toon Boom Studio

537

COMMAND

537

EDIT MENU

538

20

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

FILE MENU

538

HELP MENU

538

LIBRARY MENU

539

PLAY MENU

539

TOOLS MENU

539

VIEW MENU540

WINDOWS MENU

541

21

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

22

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Chapter 1: Introduction
Toon Boom Studio 8.1 is a multi-technique, vector-based software that is suitable for all your animation projects,
be they clean and classic or futuristic and cutting-edge. It possesses leading edge features based on industry
proven technology, making it the most dynamic and exciting software on the market. Further, between the stepby-step instruction contained in this guide, the software's user-friendly interface and a handful of helpful online
resources, you'll find that Studio is also ideal for simply learning how to animate.
Studio allows you to produce at least six different styles of animation:•

Traditional Animation•

Traditional Digital Animation, also known as Tradigital Animation•

Cut-out Animation•

Bone Animation•

Stop-motion Animation•

Rotoscoping

The following chapters will give a greater insight into how Studio works and what you can do to produce somegreat animation:•

Starting Your Project on page 31•

Discovering the Interface on page 55•

Drawing and Design on page 81•

Adding Colours on page 125•

Importing Artwork on page 161•

Layers and Timing on page 197•

Traditional Digital Animation on page 233•

Setting the Scene on page 277•

Creating Motion Paths on page 299•

Creating a Cut-out Puppet on page 257•

Bones on page 343•

Animating a Puppet on page 395•

Sound and Lip-sync on page 421•

Stop-motion Animation on page 451•

Enhancing with Effects on page 465•

Scenes and Transitions on page 511•

Exporting Your Project on page 523•

Keyboard Shortcuts for Toon Boom Studio on page 537

23

Chapter 1: Introduction

Animation Techniques in a Nutshell
With Studio you can still animate traditionally in much the way animators have done for decades by simply
putting pen to paper. Traditional animation methods can be used with Studio, from drawing your roughanimation (the underlying structure of your animation), to cleaning it up, tracing solid and clean lines over therough to achieve closed zones, and last, but not least, inking it.
For example, to animate a walk-cycle, you will begin with the torso movements and the legs. The head, arms andclothes are added later, during the secondary phase.

You can also work in a traditional fashion, but animate digitally. Traditional digital animation, also known as
hand-drawn or tradigital animation, is the process of drawing every frame of an animation directly in Studiowithout the use of paper or scanner.
With Studio's extensive set of tools, you can create animated puppets from your drawings or photographs. This
technique is known as cut-out animation because of the way you move cut-out pieces around instead of drawing.

24

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

The Studio cut-out puppet principle is very similar to cutting up a character drawn on a sheet of paper andassembling the pieces using little brass fasteners. You create a drawing for each of your character's body parts
and then attach them in the Timeline view. Next, you can articulate the character and animate it by giving it aslightly different pose on each frame.
Studio has stop-motion animation capabilities, and its intuitive and easy to use image capture window allows you
to set up and capture all your images. Stop-motion animation has been around since animators first realized that
all it took to produce the illusion of motion was to nudge a clay figure, puppet or object and then capture it in aseries of snapshots. In this digital age, the process has only become simpler and more fun, as it is now possible
to mix stop-motion animation with numerous other animation techniques. It is as easy as plugging in yourrecording device, be it a digital camera, video camera or webcam, followed by adjusting the focus in thesoftware, keying out the background and taking the snapshots. In short: endless possibilities.

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Studio also has rotoscoping capabilities for experimenting with or producing realistic movement in yourcharacters.

This technique requires the animator to trace over each frame of a live-action movie, a process that results insome very realistic movement. This rotoscoping technique was invented by the animation pioneer Max Fleischer
in 1915 and involved projecting a movie frame-by-frame onto a optically correct glass surface. The animatorwould then trace over the character projected on the glass to produce a cel. The equipment used in this process
is called a rotoscope, an ingenious invention that has now been replaced by the computer. Studio's rotoscoping
capabilities allows you to import a video clip and trace over it directly in the software.
Mastering the fundamentals of animation is not only important in and of itself, it also affords you the necessary
foundation from which you can grow to master both the nuances and ever-evolving techniques of this dynamic
art form. This is the beauty of Studio; within it are the tools required to create, experiment with and finallymaster your technique, along with some exciting bells and whistles. Nothing beats seeing your first animatedcharacter spring to life, even if it lasts but a few seconds. But there are also thrills to be had in taking things
further; applying sophisticated colour-schemes to your scene or overall project, for example, or by incorporating
sound effects and dialogue into your narrative. With the introduction of its new and improved Bone tools,Toon
Boom has expanded upon, yet simplified, the unlimited options inherent in an animated character. Unlimited
options leading to endless story possibilities, that's it!

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Toon Boom has also taken the ability to enhance your work to a whole new level by introducing effects based on
Hollywood blockbuster effects and the natural world, from volcanic eruptions, to earth quakes, rain showers,
hail, snow and fog. Blurring the edges of a candle can add a little extra atmosphere to a dimly-lit room, while
casting a very long shadow may serve to add a note of realism or mood to an outdoor encounter. The sky is thelimit!

27

Chapter 1: Introduction

Resources

Resources
Toon Boom Studio has a wide variety of resources available.
•

Documentation below•

Online Resources below•

Registered Members on page 30•

Get Help and Hone Your Skills! on page 30

Documentation
In addition to the Online Help available at docs.toonboom.com, there are other useful documents at yourdisposal. Learn how to get the most out of Studio with our easy-to-use documentation package:•

Getting Started Guide
In Studio, select Help > Getting Started to open this quick Toon Boom Studio overview.

•

Tooltips
To view a short description of a menu command or toolbar button, known as a tooltip, simply hover overa button with your mouse.

•

Context-Sensitive Help
To view a brief, but somewhat more detailed description of a menu command or toolbar button, selectHelp > What's This and then click on the item. A pop-up window opens, displaying pertinent information
regarding the item you clicked on.

Online Resources
Toon Boom's Resources tools, available at www.toonboom.com/resources, will help you to broaden yourStudio and general animating skills. Choose from basic to advanced tools to take your animation know-how to
the next level. You can also open the Resources page from Studio:
Select Help > Toon Boom on the Web to open the Toon Boom website in your default web browser. SelectHome Users > Studio > Resources.

Workout Series

The Toon Boom Animation Workout Series is a dedicated program of exercises designed to help you develop
the skills and techniques necessary to get the most out of Studio. Sharpen your skills while raising yourendorphins!

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Video Lessons

Studio Training Videos are the perfect way to gain first-hand instruction on how to use the software.

Tutorials

Video and print tutorials will get you started and introduce you to the application one step at a time.

Tips and Tricks

From bitmaps to going bananas (with rotoscoping), from model sheets to motion points, visit the Tips andTricks resource section on the Toon Boom website for nifty pointers on how to get the most - and the most fun from your animation projects.

Templates

Use the ready-made templates to create an animation quickly and easily, while learning how to draw and animate
in the cut-out style!
A wide variety of character and prop collections are available in our online store.

29

Chapter 1: Introduction

Resources

Registered Members
Remember to register Toon Boom Studio. Register now and become a member of the Toon Boom community!
As a registered member you can:•Easily recover your activation key 24/7.

•

Reinstall your product anytime, anywhere.

•

Get info on software updates and upgrades.

•

Subscribe to exclusive announcements.

Get Help and Hone Your Skills!
Knowledge Base
Find answers to your Studio questions in the Knowledge Base, located on our website at:•beta.toonboom.com/knowledge-baseUser Forum
Registered Studio members can access and post questions, queries and comments on the User Forum. Shareyour thoughts and learn what others in the Toon Boom community are up to, or simply view the Forum content
as a guest.
•

forums.toonboom.com/toon-boom-studio

Animation Glossary
A comprehensive glossary of terms is available on the Toon Boom website. Access it through the Knowledge
Base at:•beta.toonboom.com/glossary

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Chapter 2: Starting Your ProjectToon Boom Studio is a great tool for learning animation; it is both easy to use and powerful—just what you needwhen you are starting out! Using Studio, you can easily create a project and see it through to the finished output.
In this chapter, you will learn the following:•

Starting Toon Boom Studio on the next page•

Welcome Screen on page 33•

Creating and Opening a Project on page 34•

Changing the Project Format on page 38•

Organizing Your Work on page 39•

Adding Template Copyright and User Name Information on page 42•

Setting the Location of Global Library on page 43•

Some Basic Animation Concepts on page 44•

Planning Your Project on page 50•

Help Tools on page 51•

Preferences on page 52

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Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Starting Toon Boom Studio

Starting Toon Boom Studio
To use Toon Boom Studio, you have to start the application. Remember, you can use Studio on Mac OS X or
Windows operating systems.
To start Toon Boom Studio, do one of the following:‣

Mac OS X: Double-click the Toon Boom Studio 8.1

icon or select Applications > Toon BoomStudio 8.1.
‣

Windows: Double-click the Toon Boom Studio 8.1

icon or select Start > Programs / All Programs> Toon Boom Animation > Toon Boom Studio 8.1 > Toon Boom Studio 8.1.
Toon Boom Studio opens, displaying the Welcome Screen.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Welcome Screen
When Toon Boom Studio starts, the Welcome Screen appears. This screen is also accessible once you are insidea project. To display the Welcome Screen from within the application, you must close the current project byselecting File > Close. This command closes the scene which is currently open.

The Welcome Screen allows you to:•Create new projects•

Select the format, frame rate and camera size of your project•

Access the Getting Started Guide•

Work on a sample project•

View your Toon Boom Studio account•Access the Learn Toon Boom Studio area•

View the Showcase and User Stories area•

Access Support

33

Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Creating and Opening a Project

Creating and Opening a ProjectAs you start your project in Toon Boom Studio, you need to understand the format and the frame rate you willuse.
•

What are Frame Rates and Formats? below•

Creating a New Project from the Welcome Screen on the facing page•

Creating a New Project from the File Menu on page 37•

Opening a Project File from Another Toon Boom Product on page 37

What are Frame Rates and Formats?
When you create an animation, the images you animate must move fluidly to produce the correct effect. If they
don't, you will have a jumpy animation which won't look good. To get a fluid movement between the drawings
you need several images per second. You need a minimum of 12 images per second, any slower than that and theanimation becomes jumpy. An image can also be called a frame, therefore the frame rate is the number of frames
you play per second in your animation.
The format of your project is the size of your camera frame in pixels. You may not be familiar with the term pixel,
but you have probably seen it when you magnify a digital photograph. A pixel is the smallest element of an image
displayed on a monitor or TV screen. Pixel, short for Picture Element, is a single point in a graphic image. It is asmall sample of an image, a dot, a square or a very small section made out of smooth filtering. If you zoom inclose enough on a digital image, you will see the pixels; they look like small squares of different colours andintensity.
Depending on the type of project you want to do, you will need a different image size. For example, if you wantto put your project on the web, you will probably export your movie as a small size so that it is light to play backonce it is on the web. The larger the images are, the heavier the project is, but also, the better the quality. If you
want to export your project for the theatre, you will need to create your project using a large format so theimage is of a high quality and looks good on the big screen.
Also, some display media such as iPod, TV or theatre have an exact format requirement. For example, one TVformat that has been a standard for the past decades is a 4:3 size ratio, meaning that the width of your scene has
to be an equivalent of 4 units compared to 3 units for the height.
In recent years, a new TV standard has been defined with the advent of Blu-ray and high-definition technologies.
It is the 16:9 format, which is often referred to as HDTV (High Definition Television). The most common 16:9
format in pixel is 1920x1080.
You can find most of the formats in the presets list provided in the Welcome Screen.
To recap, the format is the size of your camera frame in pixels, and it matches the width and height required forthe medium in which you want to show your final movie.

Creating and Opening Projects from the Welcome
ScreenUsing the Welcome Screen, you can create new projects and open existing ones.
This section is divided as follows:•

Creating a New Project from the Welcome Screen on the facing page34

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide•

Opening a Project from the Welcome Screen on the next page

Creating a New Project from the Welcome Screen
To create a project from the Welcome Screen:
1. In the Name field, type a name for your new project. Make sure to give it a name which easily identifies the
project, such as JumpingFrog. That way, when you have several projects, you can locate specific ones
more easily.

2. In the Format list, select the format in which you want to produce your project.
You can choose from a wide variety of presets such as Web, iPod and DV. By default, the option selected
is Most Recent. This means that it will use the last setting you chose when creating your last project.
When you create a project for the first time, it will use the settings marked in the Frame Rate and Camera
Size field. By selecting any of the presets, the Frame Rate and Camera Size fields will be automatically
populated with the corresponding values.

3. If you prefer to use your own settings, you can type the Frame Rate and the Camera Size directly in thefields.

4. Once the information is in place, click Create to make your project.
The new project opens.
Now that you have created a new project, the next step is to save it to the correct location.
It is a good idea to follow a structure when saving your work, so that your files are not scattered all over yourcomputer.

Refer to the Organizing Your Work on page 39 topic to learn more about structuring your files.

To save your project for the first time:
1. Select File > Save As or press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [S] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + [S] (Mac OS X).
The Save As dialog box opens.

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Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Creating and Opening a Project

2. In the Save As window, browse to the location where you want to save your project. If needed, rename itin the File Name field. Remember to give the project a name you can identify easily.
3. Click on the Save button to complete the operation.

Opening a Project from the Welcome Screen
When you already have a project you may find that you want to reopen it to work on it some more or to makesome adjustments. You can do that by using the Welcome Screen.
To open a project from the Welcome screen:
1. In the Open Recent section, click on the Browse option.
The Open window displays.
2. Browse and select the file for the project you want to open.
‣*.tbp (Toon Boom Project) (Windows)

OR‣*.tbpd (Toon Boom Studio Document) (Mac OS X)

This is why it is important to give each project a name you can identify. If you have several projects
called project1.tbp, project2.tbp and project3.tbp, it would be difficult to remember
what was in each.

3. Click Open.
If your project is already open and you want to work on a specific scene in that project, you can also do that fromthe Welcome screen.
To open a recent project from the Welcome screen:
1. In the Open Recent section, select a project from the list.

Creating and Opening a Project from the File Menu
If a project is already open and you want to create a new one, you can use the File menu.
This section is divided as follows:•

Creating a New Project from the File Menu on the facing page•

Opening a Project from the File Menu on the facing page36

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Creating a New Project from the File Menu
To create a project from the File menu:
1. Do one of the following:‣

Select File > New.

‣In the Main toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the New‣

Press [Ctrl] + [N] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [N] (Mac OS X).

button.

A new project is created from the currently open project's settings.

Opening a Project from the File Menu
To open a project from the File menu:
1. Do one of the following:‣

Select File > Open.

‣In the Main toolbar(Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Open‣

Press [Ctrl] + [O] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [O] (Mac OS X)

button.

The Open Project browser opens.
2. Browse and select the *.tbp or *.tbpd file you want to open.
3. Click Open.
To open a recent project from the File menu:
1. Select File > Open Recent.
2. In the Open Recent list, select the project you want to open.
3. Click the project name to open the project.
‣

Select the Clear Menu command to remove all projects from the Open Recent list.

Opening a Project File from Another Toon Boom
Product
It is possible to open a Flip Boom (*.fbp / *.fbpd) (Flip Boom Classic, Flip Boom Cartoon, Flip Boom
Doodle), Flip Boom All-Star (*.fba), Comic Boom (*.cbp,*.cbpd), Garfield's Comic Boom (*.cbg) andAnimation-ish (*.ish1,*.ish2*.ish3) projects in Toon Boom Studio.
If you have another project open, you will be prompted to save it, and it will close after you confirm your choice.
To open an existing Flip Boom, Animation-ish or Comic Boom Project:
1. Start Toon Boom Studioto display the Welcome screen.
2. Click the Browse button to display the Open window.
The Open dialog box appears.
3. Browse to the folder where your project is located.
4. Select the file to open and click Open.
The project opens in Toon Boom Studio.

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Chapter 2: Starting Your Project

Changing the Project Format

Changing the Project Format
You can change your project's format or frame rate from the File menu.

When you change the format of your project, if the size ratio is not the same, you may have toreposition some elements.

For example, if you change from a square format to a rectangular format, you will need to fill the sides of thescreen.

To change your project's format:
1. Select File > Animation Properties.
The Animation Properties dialog box opens.

2. In the Frame Rate field, type the new frame rate for your project.
3. In the Camera Size field, type the new format for your project.
4. If you want this format to be used each time you create a new project, click Set As Default.
5. Click OK.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Organizing Your Work
In order to start your project on the right track, it is a good idea to organize your files and directories properly.
In this section, you will learn tips to help organize your work:•

Naming Your Files below•

Saving Files and Structuring a Project below

Naming Your Files
To make it easier to remember what each project, layer, drawing or colour palette is, name your file with arelevant name representing the content of your project.
Make sure to give it a name which easily identifies the project, such as JumpingFrog. That way, when you haveseveral projects, you can locate specific ones more easily.
We recommend that you name your scene using alphanumeric characters: a to z, 0 to 9 and underscore ( _ ).
Avoid spaces in the file names. Try to provide the maximum amount of information for future identification,
which helps ensure that you do not mix up elements and lose information.
Here are some typical examples of project names:•

AdventureProject•

TurtleAdventure_Episode001•

Turtle_PuppetConstruction

Saving Files and Structuring a Project
When you create your project, you must save it somewhere. It is a good idea to create a folder on your hard
drive to contain all the elements of your project. Keeping everything together in one place is always useful for
retrieving scenes, sounds, artwork, or reference material.
There are many ways to structure your project folder. Here is an example you could use to start.
Before you save any elements in your production, you should decide on a project name, which should reflect thecontent or title. Use the name to create your main folder on your local hard drive, where you will save all yourproduction elements.
For example, the main directory could be called SuperTurtleAdventure_Project.
Once your main folder is created, you should create a subfolder to contain the different categories of material
you will store in it. For example, you could have categories such as:

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Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Organizing Your Work•

Studio Project: In this folder, you can store the actual Toon Boom Studio projects.

•

Design: In this folder, you can store designs or any development drawings you have done for your project
either on paper or in another software. You can scan your drawings and store them here.

•

Background: If you drew some backgrounds and painted them in a third party software or took somephotographs to use as backgrounds in your scene, store them here.

•

Reference Material: To get inspiration for your project or design your characters, you can search theInternet to find pictures related to your project and store them here. You could also take photos with acamera and store them in this folder.

•

Audio Files: Use Store any music or dialogue tracks you will use in your movie in this folder.

•

Export: Once a scene or your project is ready, you will export it into a movie format or image sequence.
You can store all your exported material in this folder.

•

Colour Palette Backup: When you create characters and background, you will create a colour palette foreach one of them. It is a good idea to export them from your project and store them in this folder as a
backup in case you modify the colours by accident.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

User Interface Language
Toon Boom Studio's user interface is available in both English and Français. You can toggle between bothlanguages at any time.
This section is divided as follows:•

Windows below•

Mac OS X below

Windows
To change the user interface language using Windows:
1. In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.
The Preferences panel opens.

2. Select the General tab.
3. From the Language list, select English or Français.
4. Click OK.
5. Close the Toon Boom Studio application and restart it for the modification to take effect.

Mac OS X
To change the software's language when using Mac OS X, you need to change your operating system's language
preferences.
You can open the System Preferences option by selecting System Preferences from the Apple menu.

Refer to the Mac OS X's documentation to learn how to set up your applications language
preferences list. In this list, you need to make sure Français is a higher priority than English.

If Toon Boom Studio was already started when you made the changes, you must restart it in order for the new
language settings to take effect.

41

Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Adding Template Copyright and User Name Information

Adding Template Copyright and User Name
Information
Toon Boom Studio allows you to set author and copyright information for the templates. A template is an asset
that you can share and reuse. It can be anything from a drawing to a complete animation. When you store
artwork in your Library, it is converted to a template and an author and copyright owner is assigned to it at thesame time.
In order to set the author and the legally entitled copyright owner information, you must set your preferences
prior to creating your templates. It is a good idea to set them as you start your project.
By default, the names assigned are the User Name and Copyright values entered while installing Toon BoomStudio on your machine.

If you are unsure about entering the copyright information, contact your manager or company
administrator for this information.

To set the author and copyright owner:
1. From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Toon Boom Studio 8.1 > Preferences (MacOS X).
The Preferences panel opens.

2. Select the General tab.
3. In the User Name field, type the author's name.
4. In the Copyright field, type the owner or company name legally entitled to the copyright.
5. Click OK.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Setting the Location of Global Library
By default, when you install Toon Boom Studio, a main library folder is created. This library is called Global
Library. You can store any kind of artwork as a template in this folder and access it from any of your projects.
By default, the Global Library is installed in:•Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\userName\My Documents\Toon Boom Studio - Global Library 8.0•

Mac OS X: /users/userName/Documents/Toon Boom Studio 8.1

If you prefer to place the Global Library in another location, you can change it though the Preferences panel.
To set the Global Library's location:
1. From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Studio > Preferences (Mac OS X).
The Preferences panel opens.

2. Select the General tab.
3. Beside the Global Library field, click Browse.
4. Browse for the Global Library's new location.
5. Click OK/Choose to close the Browse window.
6. Click OK to close the Preferences panel.

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Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Some Basic Animation Concepts

Some Basic Animation Concepts
In Toon Boom Studio, you will find several concepts based on traditional animation. Whether you are new toanimation or an existing animator who wants to understand Toon Boom Studio, this section is for you.
You will learn about:•

Bitmap and Vector Graphics below•

Palettes on the facing page•

Exposure Sheet and Timeline on page 46•

Pegs on page 48•

Multiplane Camera on page 48

Bitmap and Vector Graphics
There are two types of digital images:•

Bitmap Image Types below•

Vector Image Types below

Bitmap Image Types

A bitmap image consists of pixels and has a fixed size. A pixel, short for Picture Element, is a single point in agraphic image. It is a small sample of an image, a dot, a square or a very small section made out of smoothfiltering. If you zoom in enough on a digital image, you will see the pixels. They look like small squares of different
colours and intensity. So, a bitmap image is composed of pixels and has a single resolution (size); if it is enlarged
too much, it will start losing definition and pixels will start to appear. This is known as pixelation.

Vector Image Types

A vector-based image is composed of points and Bezier curves. The computer reads the points and traces thesegments linking them to reproduce the image shape. There is no fixed size or resolution in a vector image. The
graphic can be enlarged and distorted as much as desired and the system will simply recalculate the segments

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

and rebuild the shapes. The segment's shape can be controlled with Bezier handles to curve and smooth it.
Vector images are translated and displayed in pixels once the calculation is done.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Bitmap and Vector Images
Bitmap images allow a more structured style. Since everything has a fixed size and is already made out of pixels,
more effects are possible, such as blur, painting look, texturing, shading, and so on. The bitmap format is
excellent for creating backgrounds and overlay elements. However, because of the specific resolution, in orderto zoom in on or to work in high resolution such as HDTV, the created file must be large.
Vector-based graphics can be very useful in creating large illustrations, as these graphics are resolution
independent. The images can be enlarged significantly without losing definition. A vector-based image generally
has a smaller file size than a bitmap, as it is a set of mathematical points. However, if there are many vectors
composing the graphic, the result can be larger than a bitmap file. A vector shape can always be modified. It also
creates very crisp images.

Palettes

In colour animation, exact colours are used to paint each particular character. In order to maintain consistency
between the scenes and episodes, a colour palette is created for each character, prop, and effect throughout
the project.
Before computers, painters used real colour pots mixed by a colour palette artist. Now, using computers, a
digital colour palette is created. This allows consistent colour accuracy by always having the same group ofcolours associated with each character.

Advantages of Using a Colour PaletteUsing a colour palette has many benefits, including:•

Each character consistently retains their dedicated colours.

•

You cannot accidentally use a colour which is not related to the character.

•Standardization and colour consistency throughout the project.

•

Multiple artists can use the same colour palette and produce the same results.

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Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Some Basic Animation Concepts

Exposure Sheet and Timeline
The exposure sheet o rXsheet and the timeline will be used a lot as you work on your project. This section
explains what they are and how you can make use of them.

Exposure Sheet

The exposure sheet, also known as the Xsheet or Dope Sheet, is used when an animator is planning a scene. The
animator enters the layers, the name of the drawings and their exposure into the Xsheet. The exposure sheet
allows the user to see the timing in detail.
The exposure sheet is composed of columns corresponding to the different layers. Each column is split into rows
representing the frames in the scene. A paper exposure sheet usually has eighty rows and ten columns. This
enables the animator to associate a layer with a certain element and record the frame in which each drawing
appears.

The traditional paper exposure sheet was mainly created for the animator to write down the drawing timings
and main actions. Toon Boom Studio uses a digital exposure sheet for the same purpose.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Timeline
A timeline is a horizontal and chronological representation of events occurring within a particular period.

In animation or digital process, the timeline is quite similar. The timeline is read from left to right and helps you
to understand the scene and its timing. The frames or time codes are placed at the top and the elements orlayers on the left. There is no drawing name or value information. The timeline displays the timing and elements
in a simplified and systematic manner, making it easy to read globally. The timeline can be considered to be aquick overview of the whole scene.

Exposure Sheet and Timeline Usage
Exposure sheets and timelines are used for different tasks. With hand-drawn animation, the exposure sheet isuseful for keeping track of the drawings' ordering, names, and timings. The exposure sheet is used to reproduce
the animator's work in the digital software or the camera.
For puppet animation, compute-generated trajectories, and distortions, there is a lot of extra information
involved, including keyframes, velocities, function curves, and so on. A keyframe is a computer-generated key
pose that contains values for the element's on-screen positioning; keyframes can be displayed in the exposure
sheet as values. If there are too many keyframes, modifying one can be difficult due to all of the values present.
This is why there are digital timelines. Their simplified version of the timing is quite useful in these situations. The
timeline does not display drawing names or keyframe values, instead it represents them as symbols, making itmuch easier for the eye to detect the desired element for modification. Although the name and value information
is not directly displayed, the exposure sheet is still very valuable when retrieving this type of information.

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Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Some Basic Animation Concepts

Pegs

Pegs have been used for a long time in the animation process, mainly for registration purposes. Peg holes at thebottom or top of animation paper are used to keep all of the sheets even and at the same registration.
There are three peg holes in regular animation paper. The centre one is circular and the left and right ones arerectangular and situated 4 inches on either side of the centre one.
To keep the drawings together, we use a peg bar. This bar has three pins shaped exactly like the peg holes. Peg
bars are normally found at the bottom and top of animation discs.
Before computers, the peg bars were also used to move layers under the camera stand. They were theequivalent of the digital trajectories. Toon Boom Studio makes use of these concepts to create animation andcamera moves.

Multiplane Camera

In an animation context, multiplaning is used to create a scene with a multiple planes placed at different
distances from the camera to recreate a perspective illusion. A plane is a layer or an element. In regular flat 2D
scenes, all the elements are at the same distance superposed one on top of another. So, when the camera

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

moves, all the elements are moving at the same speed. In real life, all objects and elements are placed at different
distances from our eyes so when we walk past, the closest objects appear to be moving away faster. The
farthest ones, like mountains, are barely moving. In animation, that perspective effect has to be reproduced
manually.

In 1933, the Walt Disney Company invented the multiplane camera. They got the idea from looking at methods
used in the theatre to introduce perspective into a space with limited depth. In the theatre, cutouts and flatpieces were placed in a variety of layers in front of a backdrop which allowed actors to move through the various
sets while giving the illusion of depth. Walt Disney's final design for the multiplane camera used this same
concept. The multiplane camera which was set up vertically, much like a photographic enlarger, would shootdown through as many as five planes attached to vertical posts that allowed four of the planes to moveindependently of one another. The first two planes were used for animation, the next two were for backgrounds,
and the fifth was fixed and used for sky backgrounds. The finished result produced a depth of perspective which
had not previously been seen in animated film.

Multiplane Usage
Multiplane camera effects can be created digitally. There is no longer a need to use the big multiplane camera.
Multiplane shots are normally used to add depth to a scene to reproduce perspective effect more easily. They
can also be used on a smaller scale to make elements pass in front of and behind certain objects like trees or achair.

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Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Planning Your Project

Planning Your Project
Planning is an important step in creating your animation project. This involves listing the scenes that you need toanimate, the characters you have to design and the different backgrounds to incorporate.
First of all, you need an idea. It does not need to be complicated at all. It can be a very simple idea such as abutterfly flying in a field of flowers. In this example, you would need to design a butterfly, a field full of flowers,
and a sky. Then you could compose a movie of two or three scenes.

What is a Scene?

In animation, a scene is the action happening in front of the camera while the camera does not change angle. Aslong as the camera does not stop "filming" , you are in the same scene.A good example would be two
characters talking. When the camera is facing the first character, this is one scene. When the camera cuts andfilms the second character, you have a second scene. When the camera returns to the first character, you have athird scene, and so on.
A group of scenes occurring in the same location about the same action or event is called a sequence. When
there is a change of location or subject, it becomes a second sequence.

Planning Your Scenes

To plan your scenes, you can create a simple list of the different scenes you want to animate in your project, but if
you want to take it further, you can create a drawing that represents each scene with a short action description.
This concept is called storyboarding. You can create a simple storyboard on paper or you can use another Toon
Boom software called Toon Boom Storyboard Pro.
Once you know which scenes you need in your project, you can create your scene list based on your plan.
Related Topics•

Working with Scenes on page 514

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Help Tools
While learning and working with Toon Boom Studio, you have access to the following help tools:•

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 Getting Started Guide below•

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 Online Help below•

Context Sensitive Help below

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 Getting Started Guide
The Getting Started guide briefly explains the general features and concepts included in the application so thatyou can quickly get up to speed with Toon Boom Studio. It is available through the Help > Getting Started
menu, as PDF file.

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 Online Help
The Online Help explains in details each command and feature included in the application. It is available throughthe Help > Online Help menu. The Online Help is available online at docs.toonboom.com. The Online Help canbe prompted using [F1] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + [?] (Mac OS X).

Context Sensitive Help
The Context Sensitive Help is a built in help system prompting a short description of the selected tool orcommand. It is available in both French and English.
To prompt the Context Sensitive Help:
1. Press the [Shift] + [F1] (Windows) or [Alt] + [Shift] + [?] (Mac OS X) keyboard shortcut.
2. Once you get the Question Mark or Hand icon, click on the button or menu item you want to learn about.

3. A short description is displayed in the bottom Status bar and a longer description appears on mouseover.

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Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Preferences

Preferences
An important feature of Toon Boom Studio is the Preferences panel. From here you can customize your interface,tool behaviour, and shortcuts. Throughout this guide, you are often required to go to the Preferences panel toset parameters and options.
In this section, you will learn how to access the Preferences panel and also find a general description of its
functionality.
This section covers the following topics:•

Preference Highlights below•

Accessing the Preferences Panel on the facing page•

Display on the facing page

To learn about the different preferences available, refer to the following chapters:•

Starting Your Project on page 31•

Drawing and Design on page 81•

Importing Artwork on page 161•

Adding Colours on page 125•

Layers and Timing on page 197•

Animating a Puppet on page 395•

Setting the Scene on page 277

Preference Highlights
You can set over 40 preferences in the Preferences panel. You will learn about them as you read through thisguide.
The Preferences panel is divided into the following tabbed sections:•

General•Shortcuts•

Interface•

Light Table•

Display•

Sceneplanning

Some preferences require you to exit and restart the application or to close a view and reopen it.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Accessing the Preferences PanelTo access the Preferences panel:
1. In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Toon Boom Studio 8.1 > Preferences (Mac OS
X).

Display
You can optimize the display performance of the software, by using the preferences available to you.
Optimization of the display performance is dependent on the task you are doing and your graphics card andsystem. These preferences can be found in the Preferences panel.
To open the Preferences panel:‣

Windows: Select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Toon Boom Studio 8.1 > Preferences.

You can find the display performance preferences under the Display tab.

Renderer•

Direct3D : By default, Toon Boom Studio uses Direct3D for rendering images in the Camera and Drawing
views, but you can change this preference to use OpenGL (Windows).

•

Improve Pencil Rendering Performance: Select this option if you are having problems with centreline
strokes slowing down the software.

Note that you must restart the application in order for the Renderer settings to take effect.

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Chapter 2: Starting Your Project Preferences

Rendering Options•

Smooth Textures & Bitmaps: Improves bitmap image quality by smoothing-out the pixels of bitmap
images when zooming in.

•

Smooth Tools: This option is enabled by default; it increases the display quality of tools. Disabling it will
lower the display quality but increase the display speed.

•

Smooth Pegs: This option increases the display quality of pegs and is enabled by default. Disabling it will
lower the display quality of the peg but increase the display speed.

•

OpenGL Full Scene Anti-Aliasing: Full Scene antialiasing is generated by your computer's graphics card.
This antialiasing will not only antialias your drawings but all the different views in the interface. You canturn the Full Scene Antialiasing preference on or off. Full Scene Antialiasing parameters are only valid while
you work in your scene. The scene will be rendered out to 100% of its resolution regardless of yoursettings in the Preferences or graphics card panel.

•

Texture & Images resolution: You can change the bitmap quality of your images while working on yourproject in the Drawing or Camera views. This helps lower the memory usage while working, but does notaffect the final render quality of your project. Depending on whether you want a faster display or better
quality, drag the slider left or right.

•

System Memory Usage: You can change the amount of system memory allocated to bitmap files in youranimation project. This does not affect the quality of your work. Depending on whether you want thesystem to use more or less memory for bitmap material, drag the slider left or right.

Tablet Support
These options are used to fix issues you may have using a tablet.
•

Handle Tablet Events With Qt: This option changes the way the events are treated within the system andthis might be needed to allow the drawing functionality of a tablet that is not a Wacom tablet.This
preference is only used with Mac OS X.

•

Ignore All Tablet Events: This option is used to deactivate all events from a tablet that is not a Wacom
tablet. This will allow the tablet to work as a mouse. It will deactivate the pressure sensitivity but allow
drawing just like a mouse.

•

Enable Tablet PC Portrait Mode Correction: This preference is used to fix a past issue with a Wacom
Tablet PC driver. When in portrait mode, the cursor would not correctly follow the pen movement. Thispreference is only available using Windows and a Tablet PC.

•

Use Qt Wintab Support (Need Relaunch): This preference is used to fix other possible issue with a
Tablet PC by changing the protocol used to manage the tablet events. This preference is only available
using Windows and a Tablet PC.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Chapter 3: Discovering the Interface

Toon Boom Studio has a very user friendly interface that is easy to manage and understand. In this chapter, youwill discover the main interface highlights and how to organize your workspace.
This chapter is divided as follows:•

Interface Components on the next page•

Interface Highlights on page 60•

Managing Views on page 66•

Managing Toolbars on page 73•

Workspaces on page 75•

Interface Navigation on page 77•

Preferences on page 78

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Chapter 3: Discovering the Interface

Interface Components

Interface Components
Toon Boom Studio's user interface has three main components that you will use all the time while creating youranimation:•

Menus below•

Toolbars on the facing page•

Views on page 58

Menus
Studio has two kinds of menus:•

Top Menu below•

Quick Access Menu below

Top Menu
The top menu is always located at the top-left corner of the interface. On Windows, it is part of the user interface
and on Mac OS X, it is located at the very top of the screen.

In the top menu, you find most of the commands that are used throughout your project.

Quick Access Menu

The Quick Access menu is a contextual menu containing only the commands relative to the view and area in which
you are working. Instead of going all the way to the top menu, just right-click in the view in which you are working
to display it.
There are a series of Quick Access menus throughout the interface. Here is a list of the main ones:•

Camera View•

Drawing View

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide•

Timeline Layers (Timeline's left side)•

Timeline Frame (Timeline's right side)•

Xsheet Column Header•

Xsheet Column Cells•

Colour Palette View•

Library Folders (Library's left side)•

Library Templates (Library's right side)

ToolbarsInstead of selecting a command in a menu, you can click on the buttons in the toolbars. Toolbars are found at the
top and left side of the interface, and also within certain views, such as the Timeline view.

It may be more visual and easier to find a feature if you browse through the different toolbars.
The main toolbars are:•

Main Toolbar (Windows)•

Drawing Tools Toolbar•

Animation Tools Toolbar•

Bone Tools Toolbar•

Effects Toolbar•

Interactive Playback Toolbar (Windows)•

Grid Control Toolbar (Windows)•

Onion Skin Toolbar (Windows)•

Peg Toolbar (Windows)•

Scene View Toolbar (Windows)•

Sound Toolbar (Windows)•

Workspace Toolbar•

Exposure Sheet Toolbar•

Timeline View Toolbar

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Interface Components

To customize the top toolbar for Mac OS X, refer to Customizing Toolbars on Mac OS X on page 73.

Views
Toon Boom Studio's interface is composed of several different views used to perform different actions. The mainviews you use for your project are the Camera and Timeline views.
Each view specializes in one or two aspects of the production. For example, the Camera view is used for motion
path animation and scene setup. The Drawing view is used for drawing and the Timeline view for setting timing
and creating simple effects.

Here are the different views available in the software:•

Camera View•

Cell View•

Colour Palette View•

Drawing View•

Exposure Sheet View•

Function View•

Library View•

Pen View•

Properties View•

Storyline View•

Side View

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide•

Text View•

Timeline View•

Top View

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Chapter 3: Discovering the Interface

Interface Highlights

Interface Highlights
In Toon Boom Studio, there are several different views and toolbars. In this section, you will learn about the mainones that are used frequently. All others are described in context in other chapters.
In this topic, you will learn about the followings:•

Camera View below•

Timeline View on page 62•

Drawing Tools Toolbar on page 63•

Animation Tools Toolbar on page 63•

Timeline View Toolbar on page 62

Camera View

The Camera view is the main view you use to create your artwork and animate it. In the Camera view, you find thecamera frame in which you position elements to be part of your final movie. Anything outside the camera frame
does not appear in your final export.
In the Camera view, you also find two toolbars:•

View Navigation Toolbar on the facing page•

Switch View Toolbar on the facing page60

Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

View Navigation Toolbar
In the View Navigation Toolbar, you will find five buttons allowing you to zoom, pan and rotate the Camera view.
Icon Tool Name

Description

Shortcut

Switch between Two Views

Switches between the two last zoom levels you
used. For example, if you zoom in on a drawing
and then zoom out to a global view, clicking thisbutton switches between the close up and theglobal zoom levels.

[B]

Reset Zoom and Pan

Resets any zoom, rotation and pan action you
did while navigating in the Camera view working
area. The camera frame will be re-centred in the
Camera view. Note that it does not reset any
positioning you may have done on your drawings
and images.

[Shift] + [V]Recentre the Active View

Centres the camera frame in the Camera view.
Any rotation or zoom action will remain thesame.

[Shift] + [Space]

Reset the Rotation of the Window

Resets any rotation you did on the Camera view
working area. The pan and zoom levels willremain the same. Note that it does not reset any
positioning you may have done on your drawings
and images.

[Shift] + [C]Reset the Zoom Level of theWindow

Resets any zoom action you did on the Camera
view working area. The pan and rotation willremain the same. Note that it does not reset any
positioning you may have done on your drawings
and images.

[Shift] + [Z]

Switch View Toolbar
In the Switch View toolbar, there are four buttons allowing you to toggle between the following views:•

Drawing View•

Camera View•

Side View•

Top View

This toolbar is useful when switching between these views to save room in your workspace. You can also havethese views separately by selecting them in the Window menu.

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Interface Highlights

Timeline View

The Timeline view is the main view used to create layers, set your timing and create simple effects.
The Timeline view is divided in three sections:•

Timeline View Toolbar•

Layers Section•

Timing Section

Timeline View Toolbar
The Timeline View toolbar is composed of eight different buttons allowing you to add, enable and disable layers
as well as switching between the different scenes of a same project.
Icon

Name of tool

Description

Show/Hide All

Switches between showing and hiding all layers in the Timeline view.

Solo Mode

Lets you see only the currently selected layer, as well as the layer that was selected when you enabled the Solo Mode. This lets you use it as a reference without
having to disable all the other layers.

Add New Elements

Adds a new element (layer) to the timeline. When you click this button, the New
Element dialog box opens and lets you choose which type of element you want,
how many, and how you want to name it
Deletes the selected layers in the timeline.

Delete Element

Note: If you delete a layer with other layers connected to it, all the layers will bedeleted at the same time. Also, if you only have one layer in the timeline, you will
not be able to delete it. The Toon Boom Studio Timeline view must always haveat least one drawing layer in it.

Add Drawing Element

Adds a drawing layer in the Timeline view. You can then double-click the new
drawing layer to rename it.

Add Parent Peg

Adds a peg layer in the Timeline view and connects it to any selected layer. You
can then double-click the new peg layer to rename it.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Scene Menu

Cycles through the different scenes in your project.

Timeline View Menu

Displays a menu of commands related only to the Timeline view.

Drawing Tools Toolbar
The Drawing Tools toolbar contains all of the different tools you need to draw and design your artwork. Someextra commands are located in the top Tools menu.
Some of the buttons in the toolbar have a black drop-down arrow, this lets you open a menu with extra drawing
tools.

Refer to the Drawing and Design on page 81 chapter to learn more about the drawing tools.

Animation Tools Toolbar
The Animation Tools toolbar contains all of the different tools you need to position and animate your layers.
Some of the buttons in the toolbar have a black drop-down arrow, this lets you open a menu with extra
Animation tools.

63Chapter 3: Discovering the Interface

Interface Highlights

Refer to the Setting the Scene on page 277 chapter to learn more about the Animation tools.

Interactive Playback Toolbar and Play Menu
You can play back animation and sound by using the Interactive Playback toolbar or the Play menu (in top menu).

Interactive Playback Toolbar
Icon

Tool Name

Description

Play menu

Shortcut

Play/Stop

Plays or stops playback

Play > Play or Play > Stop

[P]

Loop

Repeats playback indefinitely

Play > Loop

Previous Frame

Go to the previous frame

Play > Previous Frame[A]

Next Frame

Go to the next frame

Play > Next Frame[S]

First Frame

Go to the first frame

Play > First Frame

Last Frame

Go to the last frame

Play > Last Frame

Play Menu
Select any of the following from the top menu Play heading:•

Frame Rate: Lets you choose the playback speed of your animation. By default, the option is set to use
the same playback speed you set in your Animation Properties when you created the project. In the dropdown menu, you can change it to 1, 2, 12, 24 or 30 frame per second.

•

Force Frame Rate: Forces Toon Boom Studio to play the right playback speed. If a scene is too heavy to
be played back in real time, Toon Boom Studio drops images rather than playing back all images at a
slower pace.

•

Playback Range: Specifies the range of frames to be played back. By default, the option is set toAutomatic Fit allowing you to play the full scene length. If you set the option to Free, black markers
appear in the Timeline view.
You can drag these markers to the first and last frames you want to be played back.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

You can also select Play > Playback Range > Change the Playback Start Frame to type the number ofthe first frame of the playback range.

You can also select Play > Playback Range > Change the Playback End Frame to type the number of thelast frame of the playback range.

•

Preview Movie: Exports a QuickTime movie of the entire animation project including all its scenes. You
can press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Enter] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + [Enter] (Mac OS X).

•

Preview Scene: Exports a QuickTime movie of your current scene, ignoring the other scenes in the
project. You can press [Ctrl] + [Enter] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Enter] (Mac OS X).

•

Preview Exposure Sheet: Exports a QuickTime movie of the drawings in the exposure sheet of thecurrent scene only. This type of render ignores all the motion path and scene planning done in the Camera
view. You can press [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Enter] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Alt] + [Enter] (Mac OS X).

•

Preview Exposure Sheet Selection: Exports a QuickTime movie of the selected drawings in the
exposure sheet of the current scene only. This type of render ignores all the motion path and scene setup
done in the Camera view. You can press [Shift] + [Enter].

•

Turn Off/On Sound Playback: Enables or disables the sound while playing back the scene.

•

Turn Off/On Sound Scrubbing: Enables or disables the sound scrubbing effect while changing frames in
the Timeline view. The sound scrubbing option is mainly used to do lip-sync decoding.

•

Quick Preview: Exports a Flash SWF movie of your current scene ignoring the other scenes in the project.
You can press [Enter].

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Chapter 3: Discovering the Interface

Managing Views

Managing Views
The Toon Boom Studio user interface is composed of different views, each one designed for a specific purpose.
This section explains how you can modify the location and accessibility of the views by adding a new view as a tabor as a window. You can also swap the view locations around.
This section covers the following topics:•

Adding a New View below•

Closing a View on the facing page•

Swapping Views on page 70•

Resizing a View on page 71•

Showing and Hiding the Status Bar on page 71•

Extending the Side Panel on page 72

Adding a New View
To add a view:
1. Select the view you want to add from Window > the desired view.
2. If your view appears as a floating window and you want to dock it to your workspace, drag the window's
tab onto one of the workspace's views.
‣

To insert your view into an existing area, wait until the zone is highlighted (Windows), then drop it.

‣

To insert your window between existing views, drag your window to the border of an existing view
and wait for a new space to slide open before dropping it.

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Closing a View
To close a view:
1. Click the X (close view) button.

Undocking and Docking Windows and Views
In Toon Boom Studio you can rapidly dock, undock, or move windows and views around the interface and yourdesktop. This makes it easier for you to organise your workspace and obtain the maximum use from theavailable desktop real estate.
In fact, if you have a dual monitor setup, you can drag it away from the Studio interface and place it on thesecond monitor's desktop.

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Chapter 3: Discovering the Interface

Managing Views

UndockingTo undock a window or view from the Toon Boom Studio interface, do the following:
1. Double-click on the window or view's name tab.

The window detaches automatically from its docked position and appears floating in the interface.

2. Once you have detached the window, you can resize it to fit your work needs.

68Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Docking
To return the floating window to its docked location, do the following:
1. Double-click on the floating window's title bar. The window returns automatically to the docked location.

Next time you double-click on that window's name tab, it undocks and returns to its last location on yourdesktop.

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Managing Views

Moving the Floating Window Around the Desktop
After the window is undocked, you can move it around and position it anywhere on your desktop.

To move the floating window around the desktop:
1. Click on the window's title bar, hold the mouse button down and drag the window to the new location.
Next time you double-click on that window's name tab, it undocks and returns to its last location on yourdesktop.

Swapping Views
To swap views around:
1. Select the view tab and drag it onto one of the view's separators, top area or onto another view.
2. When a darker zone appears showing an available location for the view, release the mouse button anddrop the view into position.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

You can drop views on either side, above and below the Camera view. Your layout can have one
columns on the left, one column on the right, one column on top and one below the Camera view.
You cannot have two columns on either side.

Resizing a View
To change the width and height of the views in the workspace, drag the side of the view.
To resize a view:
1. In the interface, position your cursor on the edge of the view you want to resize.
2. When you see the Resizing cursor, click and drag the side of the window to the desired width or height.

Showing and Hiding the Status Bar
Toon Boom Studio has a Status bar located at the bottom of its user interface. This displays information related
to the tool or feature the mouse is passing over. You can show and hide this bar. Windows and Mac OS X do notshow the same information.

To show or hide the Status bar:
1. Select Window > Show/Hide Status Bar.

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Chapter 3: Discovering the Interface

Managing Views

Extending the Side Panel
In Toon Boom Studio's Default workspace, the utility views such as the Colour Palette and the Pen views arelocated to the right side of the interface. At the bottom of the workspace, there is the Timeline. Some users
prefer to have their timeline take the full width of the workspace and some other prefer to have the utility views
take the full height. You can toggle between the two options using the Extend Side Panel option.
To extend the side panel:
1. Select Window > Extend Side Panel.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Managing Toolbars
The Toon Boom Studio user interface contains toolbars which, by default, are located at the top or side of theinterface. You can reposition the toolbars to suit your work style or hide unused ones.
This section covers the following topics:•

Showing or Hiding Toolbars below•

Moving Toolbars on Windows below•

Customizing Toolbars on Mac OS X below

Showing or Hiding Toolbars
To show or hide a toolbar:
1. Select Window > Toolbar > the desired toolbar.

Moving Toolbars on Windows
To move a toolbar:
1. Select the toolbar you want to move by clicking on its anchor point and dragging it to another position in
the top or side interface toolbar area.

2. When a rectangle outline appears showing an available location for the toolbar, release the mouse buttonand drop the toolbar into position.

Customizing Toolbars on Mac OS X
On Mac OS X, you can customize toolbars to display buttons that access the commands that you use the most.
To customize toolbars in Mac OS X:
1. Select View > Customize Toolbar.
A window opens displaying all of the buttons available for the view you are currently working in.

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Managing Toolbars

2. Drag the buttons you want to the toolbar in the current view.
3. You can also use the Show drop-down list and decide to show:‣

Icon and Text‣

Icon Only‣

Text Only

4. By default, the Studio displays large buttons. You can enable the Use Small Icon option to switch tosmaller buttons.
5. When you are finished making changes, click Done.
6. To remove buttons, drag them away from the toolbar.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide

Workspaces
Toon Boom Studio's user interface is composed of several views. You can customize your workspace to suit yourworking preferences, then save it as a new workspace and load it from the Window menu.
This section covers the following topics:•

Loading a Workspace below•

Creating a Workspace below•

Renaming a Workspace on the next page•

Saving a Workspace on the next page•

Deleting a Workspace on the next page

Loading a Workspace
The first time you open Toon Boom Studio, the default workspace is loaded. Other available workspaces include
the Drawing, Full Screen Drawing, and Scene Planning workspaces, which display different views and toolbars.
You can access these workspaces and the ones you create from the Window menu.
To load a workspace:
1. In the top menu, select Window > Workspaces and select a workspace from the list. You can also selectthe same option in the Workspace toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X).

There are several useful workspaces available in the list. One of them, the Full Screen Drawing is
automatically set to Full Screen to allow a larger drawing space. To exit the Full Screen mode, selectView > Turn Off Full Screen or press [Ctrl] + [F] (Windows) or [⌘] + [F] (Mac OS X).

Creating a Workspace
To create a workspace:
1. Reposition the views and toolbars the way you want them in your new workspace.
2. Select Window > Workspaces > New Workspace. You can also select the same option in the Workspace
toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X).
The workspace dialog box opens.

3. Rename your new workspace.
4. Click OK.
The new workspace is created and can be loaded from the Window > Workspaces menu.

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Workspaces

Renaming a Workspace
You can only rename a custom workspace. You cannot rename workspaces provided with Toon Boom Studio.
To rename a workspace:
1. Select Window > Workspaces > and select the workspace you want to rename. You can also select thesame option in the Workspace toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X).
2. Select Window > Workspaces > Rename "current workspace's name". You can also select the same
option in the Workspace toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X).
The Rename Workspace dialog box opens.

3. Rename the workspace.
4. Click OK.

Saving a Workspace
You cannot save modifications in the Default workspace. You can only save modifications in the Drawing, Full
Screen Drawing, and Scene Planning workspaces.
To save a workspace:
1. Select Window > Workspaces > Save"workspace's name". You can also select the same option in theWorkspace toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X).

Deleting a Workspace
You can only delete a custom workspace. You cannot delete workspaces provided with Toon Boom Studio.
To delete a workspace:
1. Select Window > Workspaces > Delete <workspace name>. You can also select the same option in theWorkspace toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X).

Restoring the Default Workspaces
You can restore modified workspaces to their default layout if you save the modifications.
To restore the default workspaces:
1. Select Window > Workspaces > Restore <workspace name> You can also select the same option in theWorkspace toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X).

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Interface Navigation
Toon Boom Studio supports Zoom In, Zoom Out, Rotate, Pan and Reset View Position for easy interface
navigation.
Command

ActionAccess Methods

Zoom In

Zooms into the view.

View > Zoom In
Press [X].

Zoom Out

Zooms out of the view.

View > Zoom Out
Press [Z].

Pan

Hold down the keyboard shortcut [Spacebar] and drag yourmouse in the direction
you want to pan theview.

Rotate Clockwise

View > Rotate Clockwise
Press [V].

Rotate Counter Clockwise

View > Rotate Counter
Clockwise
Press [C].

Recentre the Active Space

View > Recentre
Press [Shift] + [Space].

Reset View

Reset Rotation

Reset Zoom

Turn On/Off Full Screen

Resets the view to its
default position.

View > Reset View

Resets the view's rotation to its default position.

View > Reset Rotation

Resets the view's zoom
to its default position.

View > Reset Zoom

Enlarges the selectedview to full screen,
keeping the side panel.

View > Turn On/Off Full
Screen77

Press [Shift] + [V].

Press [Shift] + [C].

Press [Shift] + [Z].

Press [Ctrl] + [F] (Windows) or[⌘ ] + [F] (Mac OS X).

Chapter 3: Discovering the Interface

Preferences

Preferences
To customize your interface, you will use some of the preferences located in the Interface category.

Interface Preferences
To customize your interface, open your preference panel and select the interface tab.

Element Colours
Double-click on the colour swatches to modify the colour of the different elements listed in the section. For
example, you can change the colour of the Camera in the Timeline view.

Window Background Colours
Double-click on the Drawing or Timeline colour swatch to modify the colour of the background in the Drawing orTimeline view. If you do not want to have white as a background colour and would prefer to use a grey colour,change the colour swatch to grey.

Show All Tips Again
Toon Boom Studio prompts you to provide information about certain situations. You can select the Do Not
Show This Message Again option to avoid getting message prompts.
If you want to see these messages, click Show All Tips Again.

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Keyboard Shortcuts
To speed up your work, all of Toon Boom Studio's keyboard shortcuts can be customized.
You can customize most of the shortcuts by opening the Preferences panel and going to the Shortcuts tab.
To set a shortcut:
1. Open the Preferences panel.
2. In the Preferences panel, select the Shortcuts tab.
3. In the Category list, select the menu containing the command you want to modify.
4. In the left window, select the command to modify.
5. Click the shortcut button to modify the shortcut.
The currently assigned shortcut is displayed on this button. If no shortcut is currently assigned for theselected command, the word "None" is displayed instead.

6. On your keyboard, press on the desired key for the new shortcut.
‣

To remove any keyboard shortcut associated with a command, click Remove.

‣

To reset all the keyboard shortcuts to their default values, click Reset All.

7. If a keyboard shortcut is already in use, a message appears in the Currently Assigned To window notifying
you of the command to which it is already associated.

‣

Click Override to ignore the previous association and assign the shortcut to the selected command.
The other command's shortcut is set to None.

‣

If you click the OK button before overriding the shortcut assignation, the action is cancelled.

8. Click OK.

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Chapter 4: Drawing and Design

This chapter explains the main options, features and tools you will need when drawing and designing in Toon
Boom Studio.
In this chapter, you will learn about the following:•

Drawing Basics on the next page•

Drawing in the Drawing or Camera View on page 83•

Drawing Using the Brush or Pencil Tool on page 85•

Relative Sizes of Characters and Props on page 88•

Sketching on page 90•

Tracing on page 92•

Erasing Part of a Drawing on page 95•

Selecting Drawing Objects on page 96•

Pen View on page 99•

Drawing Invisible Lines on page 104•

Working With Text on page 106•

More Drawing Tools on page 109•

More Drawing Options on page 117•

Preferences on page 123

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Drawing Basics

Drawing Basics

As soon as Toon Boom Studio is started, you can immediately start drawing using the drawing layer which isalready available.
How to draw:
1. Click the Drawing View

button in the top-right corner of the main window.

2. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Brush

tool or press [@].

3. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the first cell in the drawing layer.

4. In the Drawing view, start drawing.

You can also draw directly in the Camera view without switching to the Drawing view.

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Drawing in the Drawing or Camera View
In Toon Boom Studio, you can draw in the Drawing or Camera view. Although the views look similar, there aresome differences when it comes to drawing.

Drawing View
By default, only the selected cell drawing is displayed in the Drawing view. You can use the Light Tabletodisplay the current frame drawing of all the visible layers of your scene in washed out colours, or the Onion Skin
to display the previous and next drawings of the currently selected drawing layer.
To switch to the Drawing view:‣

Click the Drawing View

button in the top-right corner of the main window.

Camera View
By default, all the visible layers drawing of the selected frame are displayed in the Camera view. The selecteddrawing is automatically displayed on top when you are using a drawing tool to edit a drawing. You can also use
the Onion Skin
tool to display the previous and next drawings of the selected drawing layer.
To switch to the Camera view:‣ Click the Camera View

button in the top-right corner of the main window.

To hide and show layers in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the checkbox corresponding to the layer you want to hide.

‣

A selected checkbox means that the layer is visible.

‣

A deselected checkbox means that the layer is hidden.

If you have a single drawing layer in the Timeline view and it is deselected, and you then select thatlayer, its contents will display in the Camera view even if deselected. When you have two layers or
more, deselected and selected layers will not display its contents.

To show or hide all layers in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, click the Show/Hide All

button.

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Drawing in the Drawing or Camera View

Refer to Traditional Digital Animation on page 233 to learn more about the Onion Skin tool.

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Drawing Using the Brush or Pencil Tool

The Brushand Pencil

tools are used for drawing and sketching.

Brush Tool
The Brush

tool takes account of pressure sensitivity, allowing you to create lines with variable thicknesses

when using a pen tablet, creating a contour vector shape. You can set different parameters, such as the size andsmoothness of the Brush tool in the Pen view.

Refer to Pen View on page 99 to learn more about setting the Brush tool parameters.

To select the Brush tool:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Brush‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Brush.

‣

Press [@].

tool.

Pencil Tool
The Pencil, Polyline

and Shape

tools let you create a central vector line of uniform thickness.

You can set different parameters, such as the size and smoothness of the Pencil tool in the Pen view.

Refer to Pen View on page 99 to learn more about setting the Pencil tool parameters.

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Drawing Using the Brush or Pencil Tool

To select the Pencil tool:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Pencil‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Pencil.

‣

Press [2] to cycle through tools.

tool.

Converting Lines
You can easily convert your pencil lines to brush shapes and your brush shapes to pencil lines using thesefeatures:•

Convert Lines to Brush•

Extract Centre Line

Convert Lines to BrushYou can draw with a Pencil

tool and then convert it to a brush line using the Convert Lines to Brush option,and then you can modify its thickness using the Contour Editor

tool.

To convert a pencil line to a brush zone:
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Select‣Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Select.

‣Press [!].

tool.

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the pencil line to convert and select Tools > Convert Lines toBrush.

Refer to More Drawing Tools on page 109 to learn more about the Contour Editor tool.

Extract Centre Line - Converting a Brush Shape to a Pencil line
You can convert a brush shape into a pencil line using the Extract Centre Line option.

The brush line loses its thick and thin characteristics when is converted from a contour vector to acentral vector type.

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To convert a brush zone to a pencil line:
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Select‣Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Select.

‣Press [!].

tool.

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the brush zone you want to convert and select Tools > Extract
Centre Line.

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Relative Sizes of Characters and Props

Relative Sizes of Characters and Props

Your project can contain many characters and props. When characters are placed together in a scene, noticethat they may be various sizes; some will be too tall or too small, the character's size may vary from one scene to
the next. You may also find that when a character is scaled down using the Animation tools, its outline is thinner.
Sometimes, the outline may be so thin that the difference between the resized character's outline and the outlineof the original un-resized character is quite noticeable.

When you design characters or props, keep in mind how they will look together. The grid can be displayed in the
Camera or Drawing views. This is useful when determining the proportions between characters and props in ascene.
To display the grid when working in the Camera or Drawing view:‣

From the Grid Control toolbar, click the Show Gridbutton or select View > Grid > Show Grid.

To select the grid units when working in the Camera or Drawing view:
With the grid displayed, click and hold the grid unit button in the Grid Control toolbar to display the other grid
unit options and choose one of the following:‣

Normal: Sets the grid units to squares. You can also select View > Grid > Normal.

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12 Field: Sets the grid units to rectangles for a 12 field grid. You can also select View > Grid > 12
Field.

‣

16 Field: Sets the grid units to rectangles for a 16 field grid. You can also select View > Grid > 16
Field.

By default, the grid is displayed as an underlay so it appears behind the drawings. If you prefer it to appear infront of the drawings, you can display it as an overlay.
To display the grid as an overlay:
1. In the Grid Control toolbar, click the Overlay

button or select View > Grid > Overlay. When the

button appears pushed in, the grid is displayed as an overlay.
2. In the Grid Control toolbar, click the pushed-in Overlay

button or select View > Grid > Underlay toswitch back to the underlay grid display mode.

You must be working in the Camera or Drawing view when setting the grid options, otherwise theGrid Control toolbar and the related top menu commands will be greyed out. When working in the
Camera view, the grid is only displayed if a Drawing tool is selected.

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Sketching

Sketching

A sketch is a rough version of your design. When you sketch a rough of a new design for a character, you can
produce whatever you imagine without being concerned about the final look of your lines. Making a roughversion of your character helps you build a solid base shape and come up with some new design ideas. Toon
Boom Studio has many tools available for sketching.
To make a sketch:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Brush

tool or press [@].

2. In the Pen view, set the look of the brush:‣

Click the Brush Preview area and select a brush shape.

‣

Use the sliders to set the Minimum and Maximum brush sizes.

As you set your brush size, the Brush Preview area displays the Minimum size of the brush in black and theMaximum size in dark grey.
‣

You can also set the Smoothness value of the Brush tool. Use this option to smooth out the brushstroke after you trace it. The higher the value, the more smoothness will be applied to your line.

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3. In the Colour view, select a default colour swatch to change the colour of the Brush tool.

4. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the first cell of the drawing layer.

5. In the Drawing view, sketch your character.

Related Topics•

Adding Colours on page 125•

Pen View on page 99

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Tracing

Tracing

Once you have sketched a rough version of your design, the next step is to trace it. Tracing lets you determine
the final look and line style of your drawing. Toon Boom Studio has many tools available for you to trace andperfect your drawing line.
To trace a drawing:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Brush

tool or press [@].

2. In the Pen view, set the look of the brush:‣

Click the Brush Preview area and select a brush shape.

‣

Use the sliders to set the Minimum and Maximum brush sizes.

As you set your brush size, the Brush Preview area displays the Minimum size of the brush in black and theMaximum size in dark grey.
‣

You can also set the Smoothness value of the Brush tool. Use this option to smooth out the brushstroke after you trace it. The higher the value, the more smoothness will be applied to your line.

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3. In the Colour view, select a default colour swatch to change the colour of the Brush tool.

4. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, click the Add Drawing Element

button to add a new drawing

layer.
5. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the cell of the new drawing layer corresponding to theframe your sketch is in.

6. To see your sketch as a reference, do one of the following:‣

In the Onion Skin toolbar, click the Auto Light Table‣

Select View > Turn Auto Light Table On.

‣

Press [L].

button.

Your sketch drawing layer appears washed-out in the Drawing view.

7. Sometimes it helps to hide elements, specially when there are many drawing layers. You can hide elementsin the Drawing view using the Exposure Sheet view, so you can focus on a specific layer.

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Tracing‣

In the Exposure Sheet view, select the column containing the drawing you want to hide and selectElement > Display > Exposure Sheet > Hide.

‣

To hide all the drawing columns except the currently selected ones, selectElement > Display > Exposure Sheet > Hide All Others.

‣

To show again the hidden columns, selectElement > Display > Exposure Sheet > Show All Exposure Sheet Elements.

8. In the Drawing view, trace your character.

9. You can use the Rotary Table to rotate your workspace in the same way as you would rotate a sheet ofpaper you are tracing on:•

Press and hold [Ctrl] + [Alt] (Windows) or [Ctrl] + [⌘ ] (Mac OS X) to display the rotary table and thenclick and drag inside the drawing view to rotate the workspace.

•

Select View > Reset Rotation or press [Shift] + [C] to reset the rotation of the view.

Once you are comfortable using the Drawing tools, you can improve your line art using the Contour
Editor tool.

Related Topics•

Adding Colours on page 125•

Pen View on page 99•

More Drawing Tools on page 109

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Erasing Part of a Drawing

The Eraser

tool lets you change part or all of your drawing. It is pressure sensitive, just like the Brush tool.

Pressure sensitivity provides more precision for erasing parts of a drawing. You can set its parameters in the Penview, such as size, smoothness, and eraser shape—Setting Up the Brush and Eraser Tools on page 99.
To erase with the Eraser tool:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Eraser‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Eraser.

‣

Press [$].

tool.

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, erase parts of the drawing.

You can also delete drawing objects by selecting them and pressing [Del].

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Selecting Drawing Objects

Selecting Drawing Objects

The Selecttool is used to select drawing objects in the Drawing or Camera view and to apply basic

transformations, such as repositioning, rotating or scaling, using the different handles of the bounding box.
To select with the Select tool:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Selecttool or press [!].

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the drawing objects.
‣

Select all the drawing objects in a drawing by pressing [Ctrl] + [A] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [A] (Mac OS X).

‣

Switch to lasso selection mode by holding down [Ctrl] (Windows) or [⌘ ] (Mac OS X).

To deform or reposition selected drawing objects:‣

To reposition, click the selected drawing object and drag the selection to a new area.

‣

To rotate, drag the selection box handle.

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To scale, pull or push the side, top, or corner control point.
Hold down [Shift] to lock the scaling ratio.

While working with the Select tool, you can hold [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Alt] (Mac OS X) to temporarily
switch to the Perspective tool, allowing further transformations—see Perspective Tool on page 113.

Repositioning a Pivot Point

Some of the transformations such as rotation, scale and flip, are done using the position of the pivot point as thecentral point. By default, this pivot point is located in the centre of your selection. You can temporarily reposition
this pivot point for a transformation using the Selecttool.
To temporarily reposition the pivot point:
1. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the drawing object you want to transform.
The pivot point appears in the middle of your selection.

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Selecting Drawing Objects

2. Click the pivot point and drag it to a new position.

This becomes the new position of the pivot point for the current transformation and will remain there until
you make a new selection.

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Pen View
The Pen view lets you customize the size, smoothness, or tip shape of the Brush
Shapesand Polyline, Eraser, Pencil,tools.

Setting Up the Brush and Eraser Tools
The Brushand Eraser

tools become pressure sensitive when using a pen tablet, meaning they willproduce a thick and thin effect when drawing or erasing, depending on how hard you press on your pen. Unlike
the Pencil tool, you can set a minimum and maximum brush size for this effect.
To set up the Brush or Eraser tool:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Brushor Erasertool.

2. In the Pen view, select a pen style from the Pen Style list—see Managing Pen Styles on page 102.

3. Use the Minimum Size and Maximum Size sliders to set the Minimum and Maximum brush sizes for the
thick and thin effect.
As you set your brush size, the Brush Preview area displays the Minimum size of your brush in black andthe Maximum size in dark grey.

4. Use the Smoothness slider to set the smoothness value for your line. When you draw, Toon Boom Studiomakes an adjustment to the line based on this value and smooths out any sharp edges or jagged peaks in
the line.

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Pen View

5. Click the Preview area and select a Brush tip shape from the menu.

Eraser and Brush Styles
In the Pen Style list of the Pen view, there is a Brushand Eraser

marker.

These markers show the active pen style linked to the Eraser tool, and the active pen style linked to the Brush,
Pencil, Shapes and Polyline tools. When you switch from one type of tool to the other, the active pen style linked
to it is automatically selected. This way you can quickly switch from the Eraser to the Drawing tool without
having to change the settings in between.

Setting Up the Pencil Tool
The Pencil

tool is not pressure sensitive and only has one value to set, unlike the Brush or Eraser tools.

To set up the Pencil tool:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Pencil

tool.

2. In the Pen view, select a pen style from the Pen Style list—see Managing Pen Styles on page 102.

3. Use the Minimum Size and Maximum Size sliders to set the Minimum and Maximum brush sizes for the
thick and thin effect.
As you set your brush size, the Brush Preview area displays the Minimum size of your brush in black andthe Maximum size in dark grey.

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4. Use the Smoothness slider to set the smoothness value for your line. When you draw, Toon Boom Studiomakes an adjustment to the line based on this value and smooths out any sharp edges or jagged peaks in
the line.

5. Click the Preview area and select a Brush tip shape from the menu.

Setting Up the Shape Tools and Polyline Tool
To customize the size of the Shapes and Polyline tools, you only have to set one value.
To set the shapes and Polyline tools size:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Line, Ellipse, Rectangle

or Polyline

tool.

2. In the Pen view, use the Maximum Size slider to set the size of the tool.

Changing the Thickness of a Centreline Object
You can use the Pen view to resize the thickness of existing centreline drawing objects, such as a Pencil lines,
Shapes or Polylines.
To resize a centreline object stroke:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Selecttool or press [!].

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the centreline drawing object whose thickness you want to change.

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Pen View

3. In the Pen view, use the Maximum Size slider to set the new line thickness.

Managing Pen Styles

There are five default pen styles you can use; each one can be edited. You can also add your own custom pen
styles to the Pen Style list.

Adding a Pen Style
To create a pen style:
1. In the Pen view, click the Add Pen Stylebutton.

A new pen style is added at the end of the pen style list. This new pen style is based on the previously
selected style.
2. Double-click on the new pen style to rename it.

3. Set the desired values for your new pen style, such as Minimum and Maximum Sizes, Smoothness andBrush tip shape.

Editing a Pen Style
To edit a pen style:
1. In the Pen view, select a pen style to edit.

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2. In the Pen Style list, double-click on a pen style to rename it.

3. Set the new values for the pen style, such as Minimum or Maximum size, Smoothness, and Brush tip
shape.

Removing a Pen Style
To remove a pen style:
1. In the Pen view, select a pen style to remove.

2. Click the Remove Pen Stylebutton.

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Drawing Invisible Lines

Drawing Invisible Lines

Using the Pencil tool, you can draw as strokes only, meaning that the line will be invisible. This can be useful for
drawing tones and highlights directly on the character.
To draw invisible lines with the Pencil tool:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the cell on which you want to draw.
2. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, click the Pencil‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Pencil.

‣

Press [2] to cycle through tools.

tool.

3. Select View > Show Strokes or press [K] to make the lines visible, enabling you to see them as you draw.

4. In the Pen Style view, set the Pen tool maximum size to 0. You can also adjust the smoothness.

5. In the Camera or Drawing view, start drawing.

You can modify the stroke shape with the Contour Editor tool—see More Drawing Tools on
page 109.

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You can also draw with invisible lines using the Stroke tool. However, you will not be able to control
the smoothness value for your line.

To select the Stroke tool:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, click the Stroke‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Stroke.

‣

Press [3] to cycle through tools.

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Working With Text

Working With Text
With the Text tool, you can type text in your project using various fonts and texts attributes. Text objects arepart of a drawing, so you can manipulate them the same way.

Creating Text
To add text to your drawings:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, click the Text‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Text.

‣

Press [T].

tool.

2. In the Timeline view, select the frame containing the drawing in which you want to add text.
3. In the Drawing or Camera view, click on the location you want your text to begin.

4. You can use the Text view to select the font, font size, and format of the text—see Formatting the Text
on the facing page.
5. Type in the desired text.

6. If you want to create another text object, click outside the currently active text box. You can always returnto edit the text by selecting the Text
tool and clicking in the text.

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Formatting the Text
Use the Text view to select the font type and other formatting options you want to apply to the text.

1. Font Type: Lets you select a font from the list of fonts available on your system.
2. Font Size: Type the desired size for the text in this field. You can also use the up and down arrow buttons
to set the desired value.
3. Font Style: Use these buttons to select a style for your text:
‣

Bold

‣

Italic

4. Kerning: Use the kerning field to modify the spacing between characters. You can select the Auto Kern
option to set the kerning automatically, based on the font's predefined standard. A negative value
decreases spacing between each character and a positive value increases it.
5. Alignment: Use these buttons to align the paragraph.
‣

Left

‣

Centered

‣

Right

‣

Justified

6. Indent: Enter a value increase or decrease the amount of indentation on the first line of your text. A
positive value sets the first line of your paragraph farther to the right and a negative value sets it farther
to the left.
7. Line Spacing: Enter a value to decrease or increase the space between each line of text.

Converting Text into Separate Objects
Text contained in a text field is treated as a single drawing object. You can easily separate the text so that eachcharacter becomes an individual drawing object that you can select and modify independently.
To break a text object:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, click the Selecttool or press [!].

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Working With Text

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the text object you want to break.

3. Select Tools > Break Text Apart.

Each character is surrounded by its own bounding box that you can modify; they remain text objects you
can edit.

4. Select Tools > Break Text Apart on a single character to break it into a regular drawing object with nomore text attributes.

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More Drawing Tools
Toon Boom Studio provides some other useful drawing tools:•

Shape Tools below•

Polyline Tool on the next page•

Contour Editor Tool on page 111•

Perspective Tool on page 113•

Cutter Tool on page 114•

Scissor Tool on page 115

Shape Tools
In Toon Boom Studio, you can use the shape tools to draw with circles, squares, or lines.
To draw with a shape tool:
1. In the Timeline view, select the frame you want to draw in.
2. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select a Shape tool:‣

Ellipse tool: You can also select Tools > Drawing Tools > Ellipse or press [2] to cycle through thetools.

‣

Rectangle tool: You can also select Tools > Drawing Tools > Rectangle or press [2] to cycle
through the tools.

‣

Line tool: You can also select Tools > Drawing Tools > Line or press [2] to cycle through thetools.

3. In the Pen view, set the size of your shape's line using the Maximum slider.

4. Change the colour of the shape's line using the colour swatches in the Colour view.

5. In the Drawing or Camera view, click and drag to draw your shape.

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More Drawing Tools‣

Hold down [Shift] to lock the rectangle or ellipse ratio to 1:1to create a square or circle.

‣

Hold down [Alt] to draw the rectangle or ellipse from its centre.

‣

Hold down [Shift] to snap the line at 15 degree increments.

‣

Hold down [Alt] to connect the starting point of the line you are drawing to the ending point of theprevious one using the Line tool.

Related Topics•

Pen View on page 99•

Adding Colours on page 125

Polyline Tool
The Polyline tool lets you draw shapes, and like the Pencil and Shape tools, it is a central vector type of line. To
form a shape, click to add points. Repeat until the shape is formed. To make curves, click and without releasing
the mouse, drag to pull the handle in the desired direction before adding the next point.
To use the Polyline tool:
1. In the Timeline view, select the frame in which you want to draw a polyline shape.
2. Do one of the following:‣

In Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Polyline‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Polyline.

‣

Press [2] to cycle through the tools.

tool.

3. In the Pen view, set the size of the polyline using the Maximum slider.

4. You can change the colour of the polyline using the colour swatches in the Colour view.

5. In the Drawing or Camera view, click and drag to create a starting point and a Bezier handle to shape yourline.
‣

Press [Alt] to pull only one handle, instead of two.

‣Press [Shift] to lock the handles to 45°, 90°, or 180°.

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6. Click again in a new area and drag to create a second point and Bezier handle.

7. Repeat the previous step until the shape is completed.
8. To close a shape so that there are no gaps:‣

Place your pointer over a point and click.
An "o" appears when you add a point that will close a shape.

‣

Place your pointer over any location on the shape you are drawing and click.
A plus sign (+) appears when your pointer is over a spot you can use to close the shape.

9. To remove a control point on the line, press [Shift] and click on the point.
A dash (-) appears when your pointer is over a point to delete.

10. If needed, use the Contour Editor

tool to reshape the line—see Contour Editor Tool below.

Contour Editor Tool
The Contour Editor tool lets you correct line shapes and modify part of a colour zone. If a line is too thin or has a
gap in it, you can modify and correct it with this tool. This tool can also be used to create elaborate shapes froma simple one.
The Contour Editor tool displays the vector points around a shape and the central vector point in a pencil line.
Pulling or Pushing on these points adjusts a brush line's thickness or a central vector shape.
To use the Contour Editor tool:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Contour Editor‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Contour Editor.

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More Drawing Tools

Press [1] to cycle through the tools.

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, click on the shape's line or on a pencil line to edit it.

3. Select one point or several points by clicking on them or circling around them.

4. To modify the shape, you can:‣Pull on the Bezier handle. Both point's handles will move as one.

‣

Hold down [Alt] (Windows) or [⌘ ] (Mac OS X) and pull on one of the Bezier handles. The point's
handles will move independently from the other one.

‣

Move the selected points to a new area.

‣

Pull directly on the line between two points. No selection is necessary.

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Hold down [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Alt] (Mac OS X) and click on the line to add a new control point.

‣

Select a control point and press [Del] to delete it.

Snap to Contour
When using the Contour Editor tool, you can snap the selected control point to the vector line.
To snap a control point to the vector line:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Contour Editor tool.
2. Select Tools > Snap to Contour.
3. Select a control point and as you move it, it is attracted to the contour lines. Releasing the point on theline snaps it to it.

Perspective Tool

The Perspective tool lets you deform a selection and alter its perspective.

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More Drawing Tools

To deform a drawing object:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Perspective‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Perspective‣

Press [1] to cycle through the tools.

tool.

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the drawing objects you want to deform.
3. Click and drag the bounding box's anchored points to deform it.

You can temporarily switch to the Perspective tool by holding [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Alt] (Mac OS X)
while using the Select tool—see Selecting Drawing Objects on page 96.

Cutter Tool

The Cutter tool lets you cut a part of your drawing and separate it from the rest. A vector stroke is created thatlets you split the shape. You can show the vector strokes which make up your drawing and visualize the vectorline drawn by the Cutter tool as you draw it.
To use the Cutter tool:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Cutter‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Cutter.

‣

Press [4] to cycle through the tools.

tool.

2. Select View > Show Strokes or press [K] to display the vector lines composing your drawing.

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3. In the Drawing or Camera view, draw the separation line on your drawing.

4. Once you split the drawing, you can use the Selecttool to select the separated part and reposition ortransform it—see Selecting Drawing Objects on page 96.

Scissor Tool

The Scissor tool lets you cut a selection inside a drawing object, and reposition or transform it right-away
without switching tools.
To cut parts from a drawing using the Scissor tool:
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More Drawing Tools‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Scissor‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Scissor.

‣

Press [4] to cycle through the tools.

tool.

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, click and drag to create a square selection to cut inside your drawing. You
can hold [Alt] (Windows) or [⌘ ] (Mac OS X) to make a lasso selection.

3. Use the Scissor tool to move, scale, rotate, or translate the drawing piece. If you deselect the cut piece or
the Scissor tool, the cut area will disappear and the object will remain whole.

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More Drawing Options
Toon Boom Studio provides many useful drawing and design options.
•Group and Ungroup below•

Smooth on the next page•

Optimize on page 119•

Flatten and Optimize on the next page•

Transform on page 120•

Arrange on page 121•

Show Current Drawing on Top on page 121

Group and Ungroup

In Toon Boom Studio, each stroke in a drawing can be selected independently until they are flattened, but theneach different colour shapes still remain independent from one another. It is useful to be able to edit yourdrawing one shape at a time, but depending on the current task, it might be useful to quickly select a groupingof these strokes.For example, when you need to reposition or transform the entire head of a character, you do
not want to drop the nose or an eye.
To group drawing objects:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, click the Select‣Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Select.

‣Press the [!].

tool.

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the drawing objects you want to group. To select all the shapes inyour drawing, press [Ctrl] + [A] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [A] (Mac OS X).

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More Drawing Options

3. Select Tools > Group or press [Ctrl] + [G] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [G] (Mac OS X).
Your drawing objects are grouped and can be selected with a single click.

Grouping is reversible, you can always ungroup selected drawing objects and select the shapes
independently.

To ungroup drawing objects:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, click the Select‣Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Select.

‣Press [!].

tool.

2. In the Drawing or Camera view, select a grouped object and selectTools > Ungroup or press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [G] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + [G] (Mac OS X).

SmoothThe Smooth operation is used to smooth out a selected drawing object and remove extra vector points.
To use the Smooth operation:
1. In the Drawing or Camera view, select a drawing object to smooth using the Selecttool.

2. Select Tools > Smooth.

Flatten and Optimize
The Flatten and Optimize operations are similar. They are used to merge shapes and brush strokes in the samedrawing into a single flat layer. If you draw lines to fix a drawing or a line with many brush strokes, or draw acomplex shape from many different shapes superposed, it can be useful to flatten them all into a single shape118

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because lines are drawn one of top of each other. If you intend on repainting the shape or line or modifying it, it
will be easier if they are merged together as one.

Flatten
The Flatten operation merges shapes and brush strokes of a drawing into a single flat layer. This means that if
you have shapes or strokes of a transparent colour, you will lose the overlapping effect.
To use the Flatten operation:
1. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the drawing objects to flatten using the Selecttool. To selectall shapes in your drawing, press [Ctrl] + [A] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [A] (Mac OS X).
2. Select Tools > Flatten.
‣

Shapes of the same colour are merged together. In this example, the two circles overlapping one
another were painted using a transparent colour.

‣

Shapes of different colours remain separate. In this example, the two circles overlapping one anotherwere painted using two different transparent colours. The green circle on the right was painted on topof the blue circle on the left. When they are flattened, the parts overlapped by a higher level layer
shape are removed, in this case, leaving the blue circle cropped.

When drawing with the Brush

tool, you can also decide to instantly flatten the strokes as you draw themusing the Draw Top Layer option.
To enable the Draw Top Layer option:‣

Select Tools > Draw Top Layer.

Optimize
The Optimize operation is used to merge shapes and brush strokes in the drawing into a single flat layer. Unlike
the Flatten option, the Optimize command merges the selected drawing shapes or strokes only if doing so will
not change the appearance of the final image.
If you have transparent shapes overlapping one another, they will not be merged or flattened. The transparent
overlapping effect is preserved.

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More Drawing Options

To use the Optimize operation:
1. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the drawing objects you want to optimize using the Selecttool.

To select every shape in your drawing, press [Ctrl] + [A] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [A] (Mac OS X).
2. Select Tools > Optimize.
Overlapping shapes of the same non-transparent colour are merged together.
Overlapping shapes of different non-transparent colours are merged and cropped.

Transform
Use the different Transform operations to apply a specific transformation, such as a flip or a rotation to a
drawing shape selection.
To use the Transform options:
1. In the Drawing or Camera view, select the drawing object to flip using the Selectshape in your drawing, press [Ctrl] + [A] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [A] (Mac OS X).
2. Select Tools > Transform and one of the following:‣

Flip Horizontal: Flips the currently selected shape horizontally.

‣

Flip Vertical: Flips the currently selected shape vertically.

‣

Rotate 90 CW: Rotates the currently selected shape clockwise 90°.

‣

Rotate 90 CCW: Roates the currently selected shape counterclockwise 90°.

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Rotate 180: Rotates the currently selected shape 180°.

Arrange

You can reorder the shapes and strokes of a drawing.

This option will only reorder strokes within a drawing. If you want to reorder layers in the Timelineview, see Ordering Your Layers on page 268 and Ordering Parented Layers on page 269.

To reorder shapes in a drawing:
1. In the Drawing or Camera view, use the Selecttool to select the drawing objects to reorder.

2. Select Tools > Arrange and one of the following:‣

Bring to Front: Moves the currently selected shape on top of all the others.

‣

Bring Forward: Moves the currently selected shape one level higher.

‣

Send to Back:; Moves the currently selected shape under all the others.

‣

Send Backward: Moves the currently selected shape one level lower.

Show Current Drawing on Top
By default, the Show Current Drawing on Top option is enabled. This means that when you are working in the
Camera view with a drawing tool, the selected drawing is automatically displayed on top of all the others. Thisfacilitates editing.

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More Drawing Options

If you need to work on the selected drawing while seeing the final composition of your scene, you must place thedrawing in the correct order compared to all the others in the scene. In the following example, the belly of theturtle was selected.

To use the Show Current Drawing on Top option:‣

Select View > Show Current Drawing on Top.

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Preferences
You can customize some options in the Studio Preferences panel. Here are the options related to Drawing and
Designing:•

Window Background Colours below•

Light Table on the next page

To open the Preferences panel:‣

Windows: Select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences.

Window Background Colours
You can change the background colour of the Drawing view. You may want to do this if you are drawing withvery light colours.

To change the colour of the Drawing view:
1. In the Preferences panel, select the Interface tab.

2. In the Window Background Colours section, click the square beside Drawing.

The Select Colour dialog box opens.

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Preferences

3. Choose a colour and click OK.
4. Click OK in the Preferences panel.
The Drawing view background colour changes to the selected colour.

Light Table
You can change the way the drawings are displayed when using the Autoight Table option.

To use the Automatic Light Table:
1. In the Preferences panel, select the LightTable tab.

2. In the Automatic LightTable section:‣

Select the Enable Shade option to display the other columns drawings as washed out colours whenusing the Automatic Light Table.

‣

Deselect the Enable Shade option to display the other columns drawings with their real colours when
you are using the Automatic Light Table.

3. Click OK.

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Chapter 5: Adding Colours

With Toon Boom Studio, you can add colour to your projects and even create sets of colours for your characters.
These sets of colours are called colour palettes. With these palettes, you will discover that adding colours toyour movie is one of the easiest and useful steps in the process!
In this chapter, you will learn about the following:•

How to Paint on the next page•Colours on page 127•

Colour Display Modes on page 141•

Using the Painting Tools on page 142•

Closing Gaps on page 145•

Selecting a Colour in a Drawing on page 148•

Editing Gradients and Textures on page 149•

Palettes on page 152

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Chapter 5: Adding Colours How to Paint

How to Paint
Follow these very simple instructions to learn how to paint your drawings. Once you master this operation you
will be able to try all the tools and features explained below.
To paint your drawings:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Paint‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Paint.

‣

Press [#].

tool.

2. In the Colour Palette view, select a colour from the palette.

3. In the Camera or Drawing view, start painting the colours on your drawing.

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Colours

In Toon Boom Studio, you use different colour swatches to paint your drawings rather than modifying the tint of
one colour each time you want a different colour. A colour swatch can also be called a colour pot.
In the Colour Palette view, you choose a different colour swatch for each colour you want to paint in yourdrawing. You can add as many swatches as you want. You can also rename them or modify existing ones.

When you modify the colour of an existing swatch, it automatically updates all the zones painted with this swatch
throughout the entire project. The colour swatch has a unique identification number that associates it with thepainted zones. This way, you can change the look of your character anytime without having to repaint it!

This topic is divided as follows:•

Adding a Colour Swatch below•

Deleting a Colour Swatch on page 140

Adding a Colour Swatch
You can create three different types of colour swatches:•

Solid Colour Swatch on the next page

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Chapter 5: Adding Colours Colours•

Gradient Colour Swatch on page 134•

Bitmap Texture Swatch on page 138

Solid Colour Swatch

To add or modify a solid colour swatch using Windows:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Colour Palette view, click the Add Colour‣

Click the Menu

button.

button and select Colour > Add Colour.

2. To edit your colour, click the Menu
colour pot or click the Edit Colour

button and select Colour > Edit Colour. Or double-click the
button.

The Colour Picker window opens.

3. To set your colour:‣

Select the colour you want from the colour wheel.

OR‣

Type in the HSV or RGB value in the value fields. Click on the R,G,B,H,S or V radio buttons to change
the look of the colour picking area.

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OR‣

Click the Dropper button to select any colour on your screen. It can be from the Toon BoomStudio's interface, your operating system, or any other opened application.

4. If needed, click the Shade Scale's swatches to modify the shade of the selected colour.

5. If necessary, adjust the level of transparency with the Alpha slider, or type the value directly in the Alpha
field. 0 = 100% transparent, 255 = 100% opaque. Any value between 0 and 255 gives a more-or-less semitransparent colour.

6. If necessary, select the new colour from the Colour Display area and drag it to the Colour Storage Library,so you can quickly access it later.

7. You can rename the colour swatch in the Colour Picker window or directly in the colour list by doubleclicking on its name.

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Chapter 5: Adding Colours Colours

To add or modify a solid colour swatch using Mac OS X:
1. In the Colour Palette view, click the Add Colour

button. Or click the Menu

button and selectColour > Add Colour.
2. To edit the colour, click the Menu
pot or click the Edit Colour

button and select Colour > Edit Colour. Or double-click the colour

button.

The Colour window opens.

3. Use the top buttons to select one of the five colour picker display modes:‣

Colour Wheel‣

Colour Slider‣

Colour Palettes‣

Image Palettes‣

Crayons

4. To select a colour from the Colour Wheel display mode:130

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Pick the colour you want from the colour wheel.

‣

If needed, use the Shade Scale's slider to modify the shade of the selected colour.

5. To select a colour from the Colour Slider display mode:‣

From the slider type drop-down list, select the type of slider you want to use:•

Greyscale slider•

RGB sliders

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Chapter 5: Adding Colours Colours•

HSB sliders‣

Use the sliders to select a colour. You can also type in the values directly into the fields.

6. To select a colour from the Colour Palettes display mode:‣Use the palette drop-down list to select a system palette to display. System palettes are not linked toToon Boom Studio.

‣

From the Palette Menu

button, select one of the following:

New to create a new system palette.
Open to open a system palette stored on your computer.
Rename to rename to current palette. Note that you can not rename an Apple default palette.
Remove to delete the current palette. Note that you can not remove an Apple default palette.
‣

Use the plus button (+) to add a new colour swatch to a palette you created. Note that you can not
add colours to one of Apple's default palettes.

‣

Use the minus button (-) to remove a colour swatch from a palette you created. Note that you can notremove colours from one of Apple's default palettes.

‣

Type a letter in the search field to narrow down the list to only swatch name containing this letter tohelp you find a particular colour from the current palette colour list.

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From the Image drop-down list, select the image you want to display in the main space. By default,
only the Spectrum image is available. Once you start adding pictures, they will be added to the list.

‣

From the Palette drop-down menu, select one of the following:
New from File to browse to a picture of your choice to be displayed in the main space.
Rename to rename the current picture. This is the name that appears in the Image drop-list. Note thatyou can not rename an Apple default picture.
Remove to remove the current picture. Note that you cannot remove an Apple default picture.
Copy to add the current image to your clipboard.
New from Clipboard to use a copied image file or a selection within an image, still stored in yourclipboard.

8. To select a colour from the Crayons display mode:‣

Click a crayon from the image to select that colour.

9. In all of the colour picker display modes, you can also:‣

Click the Magnifier to select any colour on your screen. It can be from the Toon Boom Studio's
interface, your operating system or any other opened application.

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If necessary, adjust the level of transparency with the Opacity slider, or type the value directly in thepercentage field. 0 = 100% transparent, 255 = 100% opaque. Any value between 0 and 255 gives amore-or-less semi-transparent colour.

10. You can rename the colour swatch in the Colour Palette view colour list by double-clicking on its name.

Gradient Colour Swatch

To create a gradient colour swatch using Windows:
1. In the Colour Palette view, select a colour to modify.

2. Click the Colour Palette Menu button and select Colour > Edit Colour. You can also double-click thecolour swatch.
The Colour Picker window opens.

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3. Select the Gradient option.

4. Select the Linear or Radial option.
5. Select the Gradient arrows to modify the colours.

‣

Click between the arrows to add extra colours.

‣

Pull down the arrows to remove them.

‣Move the arrows left and right to modify the gradient distance.

135Chapter 5: Adding Colours Colours

To create a gradient colour swatch using Mac OS X.
1. In the Colour Palette view, select the colour to be modified.
2. Click on the Colour Palette Menu button and select Colour > Edit Colour. You can also double-click on
the colour swatch.
The Colours window opens.

3. Select the Gradient option.

4. Select the Linear or Radial option.

5. Select the Gradient arrows to modify the colours.

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Click between the arrows to add extra colours.

‣

Pull up the arrows to remove them.

‣Move the arrows left and right to modify the gradient distance.

6. By default the Deformable by Skeleton option is enabled. This means that when creating a skeleton
puppet animation, the gradient will be deformed following the bones. You can disable this option if you
want the gradient to stay as it is—see Bones on page 343 to learn more about Skeletons and Bones.

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Bitmap Texture Swatch

To create and edit a texture colour:
1. In the Colour Palette view, click the Menu

button and select Colour > Add Texture.

2. Browse for any bitmap file created in a third party software.

3. Click Open to create the colour swatch.

4. In the Colour Palette view, select the texture swatch that you want to modify the texture of.
5. Double-click on the colour swatch to edit.
The Texture Properties dialog box opens.

6. To rename the colour swatch, type a new name in the Name field.

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7. Disable the Tile option if you want the texture to automatically scale up to the size of the painted zone.
Enable the Tile option if you want your image to repeat over and over inside the drawing zone.

8. Click OK.

Refer to the Editing Gradients and Textures on page 149 topic to learn how to reposition textured
zones in your drawings.

You can also replace a texture once it is painted. For instance, if you decide to make the character's suit a dark
granite colour instead of pink cotton, just update the texture file in the swatch and the entire project updates.
Any transformation previously applied to the texture's position in your drawings is kept.

To replace a texture swatch:
1. In the Colour Palette view, select the texture swatch you want to modify the texture of.

2. Double-click the colour swatch to edit.
The Texture Properties dialog box opens.

139Chapter 5: Adding Colours Colours

3. Click the Browse button.
The Browse window opens.
4. Browse for any bitmap file created in a third party software.

5. Click Open to update the colour swatch.
6. Click OK.

Deleting a Colour Swatch
If a colour is not needed in a project, you can delete it from the list to avoid having too many colour swatches inyour Colour Palette view.
To delete a colour swatch:
1. In the Colour view, select the colour swatches to delete.

2. In the Colour Palette view, click the Delete Colour

button. You can also click the Menu

button andselect Colour > Delete Colour.
‣

If you delete colour swatches already in use, the zones painted with them turn red so you can easily
identify them.

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Colour Display Modes
The Colour Palette view can display the colour swatches in two different ways:•

List mode•

Swatch mode

To toggle between the display modes:‣ In the Colour Palette view, click the Show/Hide Colour Names
modes. You can also click the Menu

button to switch between the two

button and select Show/Hide Colour Names.

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Chapter 5: Adding Colours Using the Painting Tools

Using the Painting Tools
The Paint

tool is the main tool for painting your drawings. Other painting tools are also available to makeyour painting process easier and faster.
The painting tools only paint closed zones. If you have gaps in your lines, you must close them using either theBrush, Pencil, Close Gap tools or the Automatic Close Gap option.

This topic is divided as follows:•

Painting with the Paint Tool below•

Painting with the Paint Unpainted Tool on the facing page•

Unpainting Areas with the Unpaint Tool on page 144

Painting with the Paint Tool
To paint with the Paint tool:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select a drawing to paint.

2. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Paint‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Paint.

‣

Press [#].
.

tool.

3. In the Colour Palette view, select a colour.

4. In the Drawing or Camera view, start painting by clicking in the different closed zones.

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Painting with the Paint Unpainted Tool

The Paint Unpainted tool only paints empty zones. Any line or filled zone remains unchanged. For example, if you
are painting a cow or a leopard, this tool is very useful when it is time to paint all the spots on the body. Insteadof trying to click in each one of them, you can draw a large selection around the body to paint all the spots at
once. All the empty zones are painted and all the filled zones remain untouched.
To paint with the Paint Unpainted tool:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select a drawing to paint.

2. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Paint Unpainted

tool, under the Paint tool category. Or

Tools > Drawing Tools > Paint Unpainted.
3. In the Drawing or Camera view, draw a wide selection containing all the zones to paint.

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Chapter 5: Adding Colours Using the Painting Tools

Unpainting Areas with the Unpaint Tool

The Unpaint tool unpaints everything it touches. You can use it to unpaint zones you have painted by mistake, or
to simply unpaint a drawing.
To unpaint a drawing with the Unpaint tool:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select a drawing to unpaint.

2. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Unpainttool, under the Paint tool category. You can also

select the Unpaint tool from the top menu Tools > Drawing Tools > Unpaint.
3. In the Drawing or Camera view, click on the zones to unpaint.

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Closing Gaps

When painting, you will notice that some of your drawing areas are not closed. To close the zone, you can draw
the missing line with the Brush or Pencil tool. You can also close the gap with an invisible line. To do so, you can
use the Close Gap tool or the automatic close gap feature.

What is a Gap?

A gap is a hole or break in your lines causing a zone to be opened, therefore not paintable. You can often findgaps where lines intersect or if you erased a portion of the line accidentally.

Closing Holes with the Close Gap Tool
The Close Gap tool is used to close small gaps in a drawing. The Paint tool only paints closed areas. The Close
Gap tool creates a small, invisible stroke between the two closest points to close the colour zone. You do notneed to trace directly over the gap. You can draw it a few millimetres away and the two closest points areautomatically chosen and the gap between them is closed.
To use the Close Gap tool:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Close Gap

tool under the Paint tool category.

2. Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Close Gap.

You can display invisible lines by selecting View > Show Strokes or pressing [K].

3. In the Camera or Drawing view, draw an invisible line near to the gap to be closed. The gap closes
automatically.

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Chapter 5: Adding Colours Closing Gaps

The new invisible line closing the gap appears.

4. In the Drawing or Camera view, paint the newly closed zone.

Closing Holes Using Automatic Close Gap
The Auto Gap option is used while painting drawings with small gaps. Instead of having to close them manuallyeither with the Brush tool or Close Gap tool, Toon Boom Studio analyzes the drawing and close the gaps while
you paint according to the selected mode.
The Auto Gap option has four modes available:•

No Close Gap: No opened zones, regardless of the zoom level, is painted.

•

Close Small Gap: Only the zones with very small gaps in the lines are painted. Larger gaps are not painted.

•

Close Medium Gap: Zones with small and medium gaps are painted. The zones with larger gaps are not painted.

•

Close Large Gap: Zones with small, medium and large gaps are painted. Although, zones with very wide gaps are
not painted.

The automated gap closing is done using the zoom level of your Camera or Drawing view. If your eye does not
see the gap, Toon Boom Studio won't either. If the gap is too big in the Camera or Drawing view, Toon BoomStudio does not close it and the zone is not painted.

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147

Chapter 5: Adding Colours Selecting a Colour in a Drawing

Selecting a Colour in a Drawing
While working in your Camera or Drawing view, you may need to pick a colour from your drawing without goingto the Colour Palette view, especially if you do not know which colour swatch it is. To do this, you use the
Droppertool.
Once you select your colour on your drawing using the Dropper tool, the colour swatch is automatically selectedin the Colour Palette view.
To use the Dropper tool:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Dropper

tool, under the Paint tool category or select Tools> Drawing Tools > Dropper.
2. In the Camera or Drawing view, click on the colour zone you want to select the colour from.

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Editing Gradients and Textures

There are two ways to position your gradient and textures when you paint a drawing. You can do it when you
paint with the Paint tool or afterwards using the Edit Texture
tool.

Setting a Gradient or Texture with the Paint Tool
When you paint a zone with a gradient or bitmap texture colour swatch, you can position and orient the colour inthe zone directly with the Paint tool by tracing a selection in the direction you want the gradient or texture to be.
To set a gradient or texture with the Paint tool:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Paint‣

Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Paint.

‣

Press [#].

tool.

2. In the Colour Palette view, select a gradient or texture swatch.
3. In the Drawing or Camera view, click in the zone to be painted and drag a selection in the direction you
want the gradient or texture to be. The length of your selection determines the size and centre of yourtexture or gradient.

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Chapter 5: Adding Colours Editing Gradients and Textures

Setting a Gradient or Texture with the Edit Texture
Tool
If you paint a zone with a gradient or texture colour, you can use the Edit Texture tool to modify its position in
the zone. You can move, scale, rotate and skew. If you have to match the colour to the animation, you can set thefirst texture position and copy the Edit Texture's position. When moving to the next drawing, you can select thenext texture and paste the previous position to continue the modifications.
To use Edit Texture tool:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Edit Texture

tool under the Paint category or select Tools >Drawing Tools > Edit Texture.
2. Click the Gradient or Texture zone to be modified.

3. Move the edit texture's anchor points to obtain the look you want.

‣

If the same modification needs to be applied to another gradient in another drawing or texture zone,
you can select the modified zone and select Edit > Copy or press[Ctrl] + [C] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [C](Mac OS X).

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Select the zone to be modified in the other drawing and select Edit > Paste or press [Ctrl] + [V](Windows) or [⌘ ] + [V] (Mac OS X).

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PalettesToon Boom Studio uses colour palettes to add colour to your project.
The idea behind a colour palette is to create a set of colours for each character, object or background that you
reuse each time you have a new drawing to paint. If you create a teddy bear character, you create a teddy bearcolour palette that you use each time that character appears in your project.
You do not use that teddy bear palette to paint a bedroom background or a doll. You would create newpalettes specifically for each of those. This way, colours never get mixed up and your character is always thesame colour scheme. It also makes your work more organized.
Using a colour palette has many benefits, including:•Characters consistently retain dedicated colours•

You cannot accidentally use a colour which is not in the palette•Standardization and colour consistency throughout the project•

The results are repeatable, no matter who uses the colour palette

A palette is created by assigning a set of colours to each character, prop or effect. You can create a new paletteand add a new colour, known as a colour swatch, for each zone on the character, such as the skin, hair, tongue,
shirt, pants, etc.
This topic is divided as follows:•

Creating a Colour Palette on the facing page•

Renaming a Colour Palette on the facing page•

Deleting a Colour Palette on page 154•

Duplicating a Colour Palette on page 155•

Creating a Palette Style on page 156•

Assigning a Style on page 157•

Deleting a Style on page 157•

Mixing the Colours on page 157•

Exporting a Colour Palette on page 159•

Importing a Colour Palette on page 159

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Creating a Colour Palette
The first step in the palette process is to create a new palette rather than using the default palette to paint all of
your drawings.
To create a new palette:
1. In the Colour Palette view, click the Menu

button and select Palette > New Palette.

The new palette appears in the Colour Palette view.

The Rename Palette dialog box opens.

2. In the Palette Name field, type the new palette's name and click OK.
3. Analyze the character or background you want to create this palette for and list all the colour swatches
you need to paint it.

4. Add the colour swatches needed—see Adding a Colour Swatch on page 127.

Renaming a Colour Palette
To keep your palette organized, you can rename them to better represent who and what they are used for.
To rename a palette:
1. In the Colour Palette view, select the palette to rename.
2. Click the Menu

button and select Palette > Rename Palette.

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The Rename Palette dialog box opens.

3. In the Palette Name field, type the new palette's name and click OK.

Deleting a Colour Palette
You can remove palettes from your Palette list if they are not needed in your scene.
To delete a palette:
1. In the Colour Palette view, select the palette to remove.

2. In the Colour Palette view, click the Menu

button and select Palette > Delete Palette.

A Warning dialog box opens to confirm the operation.

3. Click OK.
‣

If the palette was in use in your scene, the zones painted with its colours turns red.

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Duplicating a Colour Palette
If you have two characters using similar colours and colour pots, you can use the Duplicate palette option tocopy the existing palette and modify the new one instead of creating a new palette from scratch. This saves timecreating new colour swatches and renaming them.

The original and the duplicate palettes are completely independent.Once a palette is duplicated,
you can change whatever you want in it without affecting the first one and vice-versa.

To duplicate a palette:
1. In the Colour view, select the palette to be duplicated.

2. In the Colour Palette view, click the Menu

button and select Palette > Duplicate Palette.

The new palette appears in the Colour Palette view.

3. In the Colour Palette view, click the Menu

button and select Palette > Rename Palette.

The Rename Palette dialog box opens.

4. In the Palette Name field, type the new palette's name and click OK.

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Creating a Palette Style

A character usually has one colour palette, although there are times when the characters are placed in different
lighting conditions and require a different colour shading. The night palette is a popular choice when a scene orsequence changes from day to night. It can be difficult and time-consuming to repaint everything and creating
two independent palettes can be quite complex. As an alternative, you can create a palette style.
The palette style is a copy of the main palette. The colours in each palette have the same properties. The colours
have the same identification number pointing to the same colour painted zones, the same names, but theswatches can be different colours. Depending on the selected style (night or day), the painted drawing updates.
There is no need to repaint the animation, only to create or import a clone palette (palette style).
To create a palette style:
1. In the Colour Palette view, select the palette you want to create a new style for.

2. In the Colour Palette view, click the Menu

button and select Style > Duplicate Style.

The new style appears in the Style list.
3. In the Colour Palette view, click the Menu

button and select Style > Rename Style.

The Rename Style dialog box opens.
The Rename Palette dialog box opens.

4. In the Palette Name field, type the new palette's name and click OK.
In the Colour Palette view, you can modify the colours individually by using the Colour Picker window or all at
once using the Tint Panel window.

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Refer to the Mixing the Colours below topic to learn how to modify your palette style's colours.

Assigning a Style
Once you paint a character with a palette, you may want to assign a different style to it. Note that the style isused for the entire length of the scene. You cannot use two different styles in one scene. Although, you can use a
different style for each scene in the project.

Refer to the Planning Your Project on page 50 topic in the Starting Your Project on page 31 chapter
to learn how to create scenes.

To select a palette style:
1. In the Colour Palette view, open the Style list and select the palette style to use for the current scene.

Deleting a Style
If a style is not needed anymore, you can delete it from the Style list.
To delete a palette style:
1. In the Colour Palette view, select the palette you want to delete a style from.

2. In the Colour Palette view, click the Menu

button and select Style > Delete Style.

The zones painted with the current styles are now painted with the default style.

Mixing the Colours
If you want to modify a series of colours at once to blend a tint in them or offset their colour, you use the Tint
Blend or the Tint Offset panels. These panels are quite useful when creating palette styles such as "night" and157

Chapter 5: Adding Colours Palettes"day" styles.
The Tint Offset panel takes all the current colours in your palette and changes their tints. The Tint Blend panel
takes a selected colour and applies it over your current colours.
To mix colours:
1. In the Colour Palette view, select the palette and the style to offset or blend the colours for.

2. In the Colour Palette view, click the Menu

button and select Style > Tint Offset or Tint Blend.

The Tint Offset or the Tint Blend panel opens.

3. To modify your colours:‣

In the Tint Offset panel, move the R (red) slider to the right to increase the amount of red in yourpalette. Slide it to the left to remove the amount of red in your palette. You can do the same with the
G (green) and B (blue) sliders.

‣

In the Tint Blend panel, move the R (red) slider to the right to increase the amount of red in the colourto blend in your palette. Slide it to the left to remove the amount of red in the colour to blend in yourpalette. You can do the same with the G (green) and B (blue) sliders.

‣If you select the HSB mode rather than the RGB mode to modify your colours, you can modify thecolour the same way by moving the H(hue), S (saturation) and B (brightness) sliders left or right. Thoseare simply two different ways of selecting a colour. Some people are more comfortable modifying
colours by changing the Red, Green and Blue amounts and others are more comfortable changing theHue, Saturation and Brightness values.

‣

If you want your colours to become semi-transparent or your semi-transparent colours to become
opaque, move the Alpha (transparency) slider left or right to increase or decrease the transparency
level.

‣

Finally, increase or decrease the Blending amount to indicate how strong the blending or offset of thecolours should be.

If you blend a colour in your palette, the blending amount progressively turns all your colours into thatsame colour. If you offset your colours, all the colours progressively changes to another tint, but they do
not necessarily end up all the same colour.

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4. Click OK.

Exporting a Colour PaletteWhen you work on a project, you should create a backup for your palettes. Since you can modify all the colours
throughout the whole project, export your palettes once they are final and keep them in an external folder.
Also, it is quite possible that you will reuse your characters in other projects and you will want to reuse the colour
palettes you already created instead of recreating them. You simply need to export your palette from theprevious project and import it in the new one.
To export a palette:
1. In the Colour Palette view, click the Menu

button and select Palette > Export Palette.

The Export Palette dialog box opens.

2. In the Palette Selection section, select the palettes you want to export.
3. In the File section, click the Browse button and select a location to save your backup palettes.
4. Click Export.

Importing a Colour Palette
If you created a palette in another project and you would like to import it in your current project, you can browse
for the palette file on your computer and add it to your project. When the palette is imported in your scene, the159

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file is copied in the project's directory. It is not linked to the original file.
To import a palette into your project:
1. In the Colour Palette view, click on the Menu

button and select Palette > Import Palette.

The Browser window opens.
2. Browse for a palette file located on your hard drive.
3. Click Open.
The palette appears in the Palette list.

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Chapter 6: Importing Artwork

With Toon Boom Studio, you can import visual content, such as images and movies that were created outside of
the software.
In this chapter, you will learn about the following:•

Importing Bitmap Images on the next page•

Import Images with Keying on page 168•

Importing Multilayered PSD Files on page 172•

Importing AI and PDF files on page 174•

Importing from Adobe Flash on page 176•

Importing a Movie on page 177•

Scanning Images on page 180•

Capture on page 179•

Library on page 182

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Importing Bitmap Images

Importing Bitmap Images

Images can come in many different file formats. Some formats are able to preserve transparency or transparent
layers. Toon Boom Studio supports the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPEG 2000, PICT, SGI, BMP, PNG, PSD,
TIFF, TGA, MacPaint, QuickTime, and FlashPix.
In this section, you will cover the following topics:•

Importing Bitmaps Without Vectorizing below•

Vectorization of an Image Element or Image Cell on page 164•

Importing and Vectorizing Images on page 165

Importing Bitmaps Without Vectorizing
To import bitmaps:
1. Select File > Import File.
The Open browser opens.
2. Browse for your bitmap image file and click Open.
The Import Options dialog box opens.

3. In the Import Options dialog box, set the Image Import Option:‣

Fit Image to Camera Width
By default this option is enabled, meaning that your image is resized to fit the width of the camera
frame. You can disable this option to import the image at its original size.

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4. Click OK.

You can also select a bitmap file directly from your operating system browser and drag it in the
Camera, Drawing, Top, Side, Timeline or Exposure Sheet view.

Adding Images to a Bitmap Layer
Once you created a bitmap layer, it is possible to add more images inside it.
To add an image element from the top menu:
1. Select Element > Add > Image.
The new image column is added to your scene.
To add an image layer from the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline View toolbar, click the Add Layer
The New Elements dialog box opens.

2. Choose Image from the Type list.

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Importing Bitmap Images

3. Enter a name for your new image layer in the Name field.

4. Choose how many image layers you want to add to your scene using the Number field.

5. Click OK.
To add an image element from the Exposure Sheet view:
1. In the Exposure Sheet View toolbar, click the New Image

button.

The new image element is added to your scene.

To add images to a bitmap layer:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the cell into which you want to import the image.
2. Right-click in the selected cell and select:‣

Timeline View: Import Images > Import Images.

‣

Exposure Sheet View: Import Images > From File.

The Open browser opens.
3. Select the desired bitmap image file. You can select multiple image files if needed.
4. Click OK.
The image is imported in the selected cell.

Vectorization of an Image Element or Image Cell
You can vectorize a bitmap after it has been imported to your project. You can do this by using the Convert
Element to Vector option or a regular Copy/Paste command.
To vectorize bitmaps using the Convert Element to Vector option:
1. In the Timeline view, select the cells containing the images you want to convert into vectors:‣

Select specific cells in the right side of the Timeline view.

OR‣

Select the full Image element by clicking on it in the left side of the Timeline view.

2. Right-click on a selected cell and select Convert Element to Vector.
The files are converted and a new Drawing element containing the vectorized files is created.

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To vectorize bitmaps using copy/paste command:
1. In the Timeline view, select the cells containing the images you wish to convert into vectors:‣

Select specific cells in the right side of the Timeline view.

OR‣

Select the full Image element by clicking on it in the left side of the Timeline view.

2. Select Edit > Copy or press [Ctrl] + [C] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [C] (Mac OS X) to copy the cells.
3. In the Timeline view, select the destination of your copied image element or cells:‣

Select a cell in the Drawing element in which you want to paste your copied cels into.

OR‣

Select the entire Drawing element in which you want to paste your Image element into.

4. Select Edit > Paste or press [Ctrl] + [V] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [V] (Mac OS X).
Your cells are copied and simultaneously converted into vectors.

Importing and Vectorizing Images
In Toon Boom Studio, you can import bitmap images and vectorize them.
To import and vectorize bitmap images:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, click the Add Drawing Element

button if you do not alreadyhave an empty drawing element in your scene.
The new drawing element is added to your scene.
2. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select an empty cell.

3. Right-click in the empty cell and select Import and Vectorize > From File or select File > Import and
Vectorize > From File.
The Open browser opens.
4. Locate the bitmap image file(s) you want to import and vectorize, and click Open. You can select multiple
files if necessary.
The Import and Vectorize Options dialog box opens.

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Importing Bitmap Images

5. Click Preview to display your image in the preview space. Click Preview every time you change thesettings to update the result.

6. Click the plus (+)and minus (-) buttons to zoom in and out in the preview space.

7. Set up the desired parameters:‣

Files: This field displays the image you selected to browse. You can click on the browse button tochange your selection.

‣

Vectorization Types:

Black and White: Vectorizes the images in black and white. This is used when vectorizing line art thatcan be coloured in Toon Boom Studio later. This makes use of the Filters options described later inthis section.

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With Texture: When the Vectorization type is set to With Texture, Toon Boom Studio imports thebitmap and applies it as a texture on a vector shape. This allows for direct manipulation of bitmap
images within Studio.

‣

Filters

No Filter: Vectorizes without applying a filter.
Smoothing + Loss Of Sharpness: Smooths the image. This process causes a loss of sharpness of theoriginal image.
Smoothing + Greater Loss Of Sharpness: Smooths the image. This process causes a greater loss of
sharpness of the original image than the option above.
Edge Enhancement: Enhances the edge of the image, resulting in a more precise result.
Sharpening With Clearness: Sharpens the images, resulting in a more precise and clear result.
Threshold%: Lets you adjust the threshold value. The greater the percentage, the more grey pixels
are allowed into the final vectorization of the line.

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Import Images with Keying

Import Images with Keying

Keying is a concept used in animation but also in live action movies. Keying is the process of picking a precise
colour value and removing it from the image to isolate a character or object. The more common use of keying iswhen filming actors against a green screen in cinema.
In Toon Boom Studio, you can import your images with the keying option, which isolates an element in an image
with a single-coloured background.
To import images with keying:
1. In the Timeline view, select an empty cell in a bitmap image layer.
2. Right-click and select Import Images > Import Images with Keying.
The Open Browser opens.
3. Select the images you want to import and key. Hold down the [Shift] key while selecting your images tomake a multiple selection.
The Import Images With Keying dialog box opens.

‣

In the Files section, click the Browse button if you want to change the selected images.

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If you selected many image files, use the Previous and Next buttons to display the other drawings.
The name of the currently selected drawing is displayed above the buttons.

‣

Use the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons to zoom in or out of the Preview area. Above the buttons isdisplayed the total number of drawings loaded in the Import Images With Keying dialog box.

4. In the Keying Options section, set the keying parameters:‣

In the Keying Type list, select a keying type.

None: Selecting the None option means that there is no keying on this drawing. Selecting None
makes the other parameters greyed out.
Chroma Keying (YUV): This option makes the pixels corresponding to the selected colour
transparent, using the YUV channels.
Chroma Keying (RGB): This option makes the pixels corresponding to the selected colour
transparent, using the RGB channels.
Luma Keying (YUV): With this option, you can set different levels of transparency on your drawing.
The level of transparency is determined by the different levels of colours, where the white colour iscompletely transparent and the black colour completely opaque.

‣Pick Colour: When you select one of the two Chroma Keying types from the drop-down menu, thisoption becomes available.

‣

Click Pick Colour to change your cursor to a dropper and select the background colour of your picture
you want to illuminate from the preview area. As soon as you click on a colour, this colour is displayedin the colour swatch and is removed from the preview area. A grey checkerboard is displayed torepresent the transparent area.

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Import Images with Keying

Click the colour swatch to open the Select Colour dialog box and select a precise colour from there.
‣

Luma Correction, Matte and Hide Checkerboard

Matte: Displays the matte in the preview area.

Luma Correction: Applies a luma correction filter on your image.

Hide Checkerboard : By default Toon Boom Studio displays a checkerboard pattern in the preview
area to represent the transparent zones. You can enable the Hide Checkerboard option to conceal
the checkerboard pattern and display the zone as white.

‣

Minimum, Maximum: Lets you adjust the minimum and maximum level values to be considered in the
keying process following the parameters you set above. You can see the result in the preview area.

‣

Filter list: Lets you select an effect to apply on your keying selection to make it more precise. You canalso use the Effect Intensity list to choose the level of intensity.

None: No filter is applied to your keying selection.
Gaussian: A gaussian blur effect is applied to your selection to soften the edge of the keyed selection.
Mean: A mean filter is applied to your selection to soften the edge of the keyed selection with aminimum of blurry result.
Erode: The edge of the keyed selection is cropped following the effect intensity level chosen below.

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Dilate: The edge of the keyed selection is increased following the effect intensity level chosen below.
Distance: The edge of the keyed selection is increased with a blur following the effect intensity level
chosen below.
‣

Click Apply if you need to apply multiple passes of keying. Once you set up your first keying passvalues and options, click Apply. You are now ready to set up your next keying pass.

5. Click OK.

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Importing Multilayered PSD Files

Importing Multilayered PSD Files

In Toon Boom Studio you can import bitmap images. You can also import multilayered Adobe Photoshop *.psd(version 4 or higher) files and retain their layering when you enable the option during the import. Toon BoomStudio creates an image element for every layer contained in the PSD file.
To import multilayered PSD files:
1. Select File > Import File.
The Open browser opens.
2. Browse for your multilayered PSD image file and click Open.
The Import Options dialog box opens.

3. In the Image Import Options section, the Fit Image to Camera Width option is enabled by default. Thismeans your image is resized to fit the camera width frame. You can disable this option to import theimage at its original size.

4. In the Photoshop Import Options section, the Preserve original layers of Photoshop files is deselected bydefault. This means means that when you import the PSD file, the layers are flattened to create a single
image element in your scene.

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You can enable this option to preserve the PSD file layering, which creates a different image element foreach layers contained in your Adobe Photoshop file.

5. Click OK.

You can also select a PSD file directly from your operating system browser and drag it in the Camera,
Drawing, Top, Side, Timeline or Exposure Sheet view. Then, follow steps 3 and 4.

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Importing AI and PDF files

Importing AI and PDF files

In Toon Boom Studio, you can import a vector-based Adobe Illustrator or PDF file and preserve its layering when
you enable the option during the import. Studio creates a drawing layer for every layer contained in the AI file orcreates a drawing layer and separate drawing frames for each page contained in the PDF file.
Studio supports Adobe Illustrator files from version 5. You must create a PDF compatible file when you save
Adobe Illustrator CS files to be able to import them into Studio.
When you import an Adobe Illustrator or PDF file, Studio:•

Converts CMYK colours to RGB.

You can convert the colour space of your Adobe Illustrator or PDF files when you save them. See
Adobe Illustrator documentation for instructions. However, to ensure the colour results you want,develop your web colours in the web-safe RGB palette.

•

Displays objects that were hidden in the Adobe Illustrator file.

•

Does not import text. You must convert text to outlines to import it.

•

Does not import global colour swatches from V8 and under.

•

Does not convert transparent objects drawn with the Brush tool.

If your Adobe Illustrator file contains bitmaps, be sure those bitmaps are copied into the file. If they
are linked, Toon Boom Studio can not import them.

To import multilayered AI or PDF files:
1. Select File > Import File.
The Open browser opens.
2. Browse for an .ai or .pdf image file and click Open.
The Import Options dialog box opens.

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3. Preserve original layers of illustrator documents: By default this option is disabled. When you import
the .ai or .pdf file, the layers and the pages are flattened. Select this option to preserve the Adobe
Illustrator file layering, which creates a different drawing for each layer contained in your AI file.
4. Click OK.
To import an Illustrator or PDF file in an already existing drawing layer:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select a cell in the drawing layer into which you want to import theimage.
2. Right-click in the selected cell and select Import Illustrator.
The Open browser opens.
3. Select an .ai or .pdf file. You can select multiple image files if needed.
4. Click OK.
An information dialog box opens, notifying you that the layers will not be preserved but that you can use
the File > Import File command to import your files and preserve its layers.

5. Click OK.
The image is imported in the selected cell.

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Importing from Adobe Flash

Importing from Adobe FlashIf a project was started in Adobe Flash, you can add more dimension to it by adding multiplane camera
movements or effects to it. Although *.fla files are not supported, you can export your Flash project to *.swf
movies and import them into Studio.
When you import an SWF file into your scene, its contents are expanded and laid out as a collection of elements.
Pegs are automatically created to manage any scaling, rotation or motion animated in the file.
A new palette is automatically created and given a name corresponding to the movie file. This palette contains all
the colours in the movie.
To import a SWF movie:
1. Select File > Import File.
The Open browser opens.
2. Browse for your video file and click Open.
The video appears in the Timeline view. Each SWF element has its own drawing layer which is connected
to pegs (if there is a motion). A palette is also created in the Colour Palette view.

You can import SWF files as template from the Library view and link SWF files into Media Elements—
see Importing Multimedia files into the Library view on page 192 and Linking Templates to Media
Elements on page 193.

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Importing a Movie

There are several reasons why you may need to import a movie into your animation project— to create arotoscope animation, add 2D animation to a live video or incorporate a television showing a program inside yourscene.
Studio allows you to import several movie types into your project:
•

AVI

•

MPG

•

M4V

•

QuickTimeYou can also import a SWF movie file—see Importing from Adobe Flash on the previous page.

Importing a Bitmap Movie File
AVI, M4V, MPG and QuickTime movies have one thing in common. They are all bitmap movie files. When they areimported into Studio, a bitmap image sequence is created.
To import an AVI, M4V, MPG or QuickTime movie:
1. Select File > Import File.
The Open browser opens.
2. Browse for your video file and click Open.
The Import Options dialog box opens.

3. In the Import Options dialog box, set the Movie Import Options:177

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Importing a Movie‣

Set Opacity Value: Sometimes you want to import a movie as a reference and you would like it tohave a specific transparency value. Select this option to edit the opacity value of the movie.

‣

Opacity% (1-100%): When the Set Opacity Value option is selected , the Opacity% field becomes
available. Type in the desired Opacity% value from 1 to 100.

4. Click OK.
The video appears on its own image layer in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet view as a bitmap image
sequence.

Importing a Movie in an Existing Image Layer
You can import a bitmap movie file in an already existing image layer.
To import a movie as an image sequence:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the cell on which you want your movie to start playing.
2. Right-click in the cell and select Import Movie File as Image Sequence.
The Open browser opens.
3. Browse for your movie file and click Open.
The Import Options dialog box opens.

4. In the Import Options dialog box, set the Movie Import Options:‣

Set Opacity Value: Sometimes you want to import a movie as a reference and you would like it tohave a specific transparency value. Select this option to edit the opacity value of the movie.

‣

Opacity% (1-100%): When the Set Opacity Value option is selected , the Opacity% field becomes
available. Type in the desired Opacity% value from 1 to 100.

5. Click OK.
The image sequence appears in the image layer at the selected starting cell.

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CaptureIn Toon Boom Studio, you can capture from a device, such as a digital camera to create original stop-motion
animation. Studio has an integrated image capture feature–an intuitive and easy-to-use image capture window,
which allows you to set up and capture all your images.

Refer to the Stop-motion Animation on page 451 chapter to learn how to capture images and create
your own stop-motion animation project.

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Scanning Images

Scanning Images

Instead of importing images from files, you can use Toon Boom Studio to get images from any TWAIN device,
such as scanners and cameras. You can load them as bitmaps into your scene or convert them into vector images
that you can edit in Studio.

You must install the TWAIN driver in order to access its contents. To get the latest TWAIN driver foryour particular device you should refer to that manufacturer's website.

To select a device:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Exposure Sheet or Timeline view, right-click in a cell or on an image element and select Import
Images > Select TWAIN Source.

‣

Right-click in a cell from a drawing element and select Import and Vectorize > Select TWAIN Source.

The Select Source dialog box opens.
2. Use the Select Source dialog box to select the device you want to acquire content from.
3. Click OK.
To scan or get a bitmap from a TWAIN device:
1. Select a cell in an Image element.
2. Right-click in the cell and select Import Images > From TWAIN.
A dialog box with your device's options appears.
3. Use the options in this dialog box to set your parameters and then scan or load the drawings into Studio.
To vectorize a bitmap retrieved from a TWAIN device:
1. Select a cell in a drawing element in the Exposure Sheet or Timeline view.
2. Right-click in the cell and select Import and Vectorize > From TWAIN.
The Import and Vectorize Settings dialog box opens.

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3. Set the vectorization settings:‣

Black and White: Uses the filters listed below to transform the bitmap into vector art.

‣

With Texture: Applies the bitmap as a texture on the drawing shape.

4. Select a filter. You may have to experiment with these settings depending on the quality of the images forvectorization.
‣

Smoothing + Loss of Sharpness: Select this option if the lines in your image are thin. This filter blurs
the lines in the image slightly, so thin lines are picked up in the vectorization process.

‣

Smoothing + Greater Loss of Sharpnes: Select this option if the lines in your image are very fine. Thisfilter blurs the lines in your image more so more lines are transformed in the vectorization process.

‣Edge Enhancement: Select this option if the lines in your image are thick. This filter merges fine lines(noise) into larger lines to create cleaner objects.

‣

Sharpening with Clearness: Select this option if the lines in your images are thick and include a lot offine detail. This filter sharpens edges to enhance details in your images.

5. Select a Threshold percentage. The Threshold value filters out noise in your images. Noise can be dirt or
faint smudges on your scanned images. For example, if your value is set to 70%, all colour values below
70% are converted to white and ignored in the final image.
6. Click OK.
A dialog box with your device's options appears.
7. Use the options here to select your parameters and then load and vectorize the drawings into Toon BoomStudio.

Refer to the Importing and Vectorizing Images on page 165 topic to learn more about vectorization
options.

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Library

Library

You can share and reuse any elements you create in Toon Boom Studio as templates. The Library in Studio has
ready-to-use templates and is where you can store different elements you create like puppets, backgrounds oranimations. In fact, almost anything you create or use in Studio can be stored in the library.
In this chapter, you will learn about the following:•

Understanding the Library Concept below•

Library View on the facing page•

Structuring the Library on page 184•

Templates on page 187

Understanding the Library Concept
Use the Library view to reuse your artwork and animation in other scenes.
This topic is divided as follows:•

What is a Library? below•

What is a Template? below

What is a Library?
A library is a folder where you store your templates. You can access these folders from your different projects.
To store your artwork in the Library, drag the content into the Library. To reuse artwork, drag it into yourTimeline view.
A library can be organized using subfolders, you can have several different library folders on your hard drive.

What is a Template?
A template is a copy of the artwork stored in the library,which can be reused in different scenes. Once a templateis stored in the library, it is accessible from any project. Dragging a template into your scene copies the content
to your timeline and does not create a link to the original. This individual copy can be modified at anytime.
You can create a template out of pieces of animation content, such as elements, drawings, images, or sounds oreven collections of animation content such as drawings, images and sounds in one single template.

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Library View
The Library window is the centre for managing reusable content in Toon Boom Studio.

The Library view is used to create and manage your templates, display the folders and manage all of the content.
1. Preview
2. Library List
3. Templates List

Preview

You can use the Preview area to check the contents of the Library. You can preview any type of template.
However, if your template consists of a peg or a camera element only, nothing is going to show in the preview
window.
To preview content in the library:
1. In the Library view, make sure that the preview checkbox is enabled.

2. Select the template you want to preview:‣

In the Library list, select a Scene folder to display the entire scene in the preview area.

OR‣

In the Template list, double-click on the template you want to preview.

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The preview appears in the Preview area.
3. If there are multiple frames in the selected template or scene, click on the Play button to play it back. You
can also use the slider to select the frame you want to see.

Library List

The Library List is used to navigate through the different libraries and subfolders. You can also open, close andcreate new libraries from here.
The Library List contains four default Libraries:•

Animation: This library stores all the elements and drawings contained in your project. It is organized byscene and is constantly updated as you work in your project.

•

Local: This library store templates that you want to use in the current animation project. In your system,
this library is stored in the Template folder inside of your project's main folder.

•Global: This library stores templates that you can use in any project animation that you create on yourcomputer.

•Toon Boom Templates: This library stores templates provided by Toon Boom Studio. Here you can findinteresting artwork organized in subfolders,called catalogs, by categories such as Backgrounds,
Storyboarding, Props, Characters, Cut-out Characters, Clip Arts and Special Events. You cannot edit thislibrary.

Template List

The templates contained in the selected Library list are displayed on the right side of the Library view asthumbnails, either as a list or as details.
To change the templates list display:
1. In the Library view's right side, right-click and select View > List, Thumbnails or Details.

Structuring the Library
As you create templates, you will soon realize that they need to be organized. You can create different libraries
and catalogs to easily have access to your assets.

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For example, in your global library, you can create a different library for each project and divide it into several
categories, such as:•Characters

•

Props

•

Backgrounds

This topic is divided as follows:•

Creating a Library below•

Opening and Closing a Library on the next page•

Creating a Catalog on the next page•

Renaming a Catalog on page 187•

Deleting a Catalog on page 187•

Refreshing the Library on page 187•

Reloading Default Templates on page 187•

Saving the Library on page 187

Creating a Library
You can create libraries in the Library view.
To create a library:
1. In the Library List, right-click and select Create Library.
The Browser window opens.
2. Browse for the location where you want your new library to be stored.
3. Click Make New Folder.

4. Give a relevant name to your new library and click OK.

The new library appears in the Library list area.

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Library

To rename a library:
1. In the Library list, select the library you want to rename, right-click and select Rename Library.
The library name becomes an editable field.
2. Rename the Library and press [Enter] to validate.

Opening and Closing a Library
You can load libraries of templates stored on your computer or on another computer through your network.
Libraries make it easier for you to work on productions with other users who share the same templates. Toon
Boom Studio identifies libraries with the extension *.tbc. To load a library, the folder must have a file with the*.tbc extension.
To load and close a library:
1. Right-click in the library list and select Open Library.
A browser dialog box opens.
2. Locate the library you want to open and click Open.
3. The selected library appears in the library list.
To close a library:
1. Select the library you want to close and right-click on the library and select Close Library.
If you have made changes to the library since you last saved the global library, a message appears asking
you to confirm your desire to close the library.

‣

Click Yes to close the library without saving changes.

‣

Click No to keep the library open so that you can save changes.

2. Select File > Save Global Library to save changes to the library.

Creating a Catalog
Symbols and templates libraries need to be organized, you can create different subfolders in the Library view sothat you can gain easy access to your assets. These subfolders are called catalogs.
To create a catalog:
1. In the Library view's left side, select the library to which you want to add a catalog.
2. Right-click on the selected library and select New Catalog.
The new folder appears in the Library. When you have a library with catalogs, click on the plus sign (+) to
expand it to make the catalogs visible.

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3. Name the new catalog and press [Enter] to validate.

Renaming a Catalog
To rename a catalog:
1. In the Library list, select the catalog you want to rename, right-click and select Rename Catalog.
The catalog name becomes an editable field.
2. Rename the catalog and press [Enter] to validate.

Deleting a Catalog
To delete a catalog:
1. In the Library list, select the catalog you want to delete, right-click and select Delete.
The catalog is deleted.

Refreshing the Library
Sometimes you may need to refresh the Template list to see the latest changes.
To refresh the library:
1. In the Template list, right-click and select Refresh or press [F5].
The Template list is refreshed.

Reloading Default Templates
If you close the Toon Boom Templates library, you can always quickly bring it back to the library list.
To reload the default Templates:
1. In the Library list, right-click and select Reload Default Templates.
The Toon Boom Templates library is reopened.

Saving the Library
When you save your Toon Boom Studio project, the library is automatically saved. You can also save only thechanges made to the library without saving your Studio project.
To save the library:
1. Select File > Save Global Library.

Templates
If you want to reuse artwork and animation from your project into other scenes, you need to create a templateout of it.

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LibraryThis topic is divided as follows:•

Creating a Template below•

Deleting a Template on the facing page•

Editing a Template on the facing page•Template Properties on page 191•

Importing Multimedia files into the Library view on page 192•

Importing a Template in Your Scene on page 192•

Linking Templates to Media Elements on page 193•

Copying Selected Template Contents into Your Animation on page 193•

Using Paste Special to Update Content from a Template on page 194

Creating a Template
In Toon Boom Studio, creating a template is as easy as selecting what you want from the Exposure Sheet orTimeline view and dragging it into the Library view.
You can create templates from any piece of animation content:•

From the Exposure Sheet view, you can create templates from single or multiple images and drawings, orsounds.

•From the Timeline view, you can create templates from single or multiple layers, or from a selection offrames across multiple layers. You can store anything available in the Timeline view as a template.

To create a template:
1. Make a selection of what you want to include in the template:‣In the Timeline view, select some cells or layers.

OR‣

In the Exposure Sheet view, select some cells from one or multiple columns.

2. In the Library view, select the destination library or catalog from the library list.
3. Drag the current selection to the template list in the Library view.

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You can drag a selection to any library or catalog folder icon in the library list and the template isadded to that library or catalog.

The template is added to the template list.
4. The name of the template is shown as an active text field, type the desired name for your template andpress [Enter] to validate.

To rename a template:
1. In the Library view, select the folder containing the template to rename.
2. Select the template you want to rename from the template list.
3. Right-click on the selected template and select Rename Template.
4. Enter the new name in the active text field and press [Enter] to validate.
The template is renamed.

Deleting a Template
You can easily delete templates from the Library view if you do not need them anymore. This action can beundone if necessary.
To delete a template:
1. In the Library view, select the folder containing the template to delete.
2. Select the template you want to delete from the template list.
3. Right-click on the selected template and select Delete Template or press [Del].
The template is removed from the library.

Editing a Template
You can modify the templates contained in the Global, Local and any Library you created. A template is like ascene, you can open it and edit it as any regular project.

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Library

If you want to do some modifications in your templates, you can edit them using the Edit Template command.
To edit templates:
1. In the Library view, select the folder containing the template to modify.
2. Select the template you want to edit from the template list.

3. In the Library window, right-click on the selected template you want to edit and select Edit Templatefrom the pop-up menu.
The identification of the active scene changes in the Scene Manager view.

The contents of the template you are editing appear in all views and the title bar on the Exposure Sheetand Timeline views changes to indicate that you are currently editing a template.

4. Now that you are in template editing mode, you can make any change you want to the contents of thetemplate in any the views. You can adjust timing, add drawings, edit existing drawings or even add layers.

5. Save your template.
‣

Select File > Save to save the changes to the local and global template, as well as the animation
project.

‣

Select File > Save Global Library to save the contents of the Library view only and not the animation
project.

6. To exit the edit template mode, in the template list of the Library view, right-click on the selected
template and select Return to Scene. You can also double-click on the scene name in the Scene Manager
view.
7. In the Library view, right-click in the template list and select Refresh or press [F5] to refresh the templates
so that the thumbnail displays the latest changes.

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Refer to the Refreshing the Library on page 187 topic to learn how to display your template as
thumbnails.

Template Properties
If you need more information about a template, you can view the template's properties. The template's
properties shows the following information:

1. The name and a preview thumbnail of the template.
2. The template's type and version of Toon Boom Studio that was used.
3. The name of the artist who created the template and copyright information.
4. The size of the template and the date of the latest modification.
5. The contents of the template and their duration.
To display a template's properties:
1. Right-click on a template and select Template Properties.
The Properties dialog box opens.

Refer to the Starting Your Project chapter to learn how to set up your artist name and copyright info.

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Importing Multimedia files into the Library view
If you have a SWF file, a QuickTime file, a sound file, an image, or even another template that is not currently inyour animation set, you can import it into the Library view to gain quick access to them.
To create templates from multimedia files:
1. In the Library view, select the library into which you want to import the multimedia file.
2. Right-click in the template list and select Import > and one of the following choices:‣

Import Image File: Imports a bitmap image.

‣Import Movie File: Imports a movie file.

‣

Import Sound File: Imports a sound file.

‣

Import Template File: Imports a template created in Toon Boom Studio.

A browser opens.
3. Browse and select the file you want to import and click OK.
The file is added in the library.

Importing a Template in Your Scene
You can drag a template from the Library view to the Exposure Sheet or Timeline view to add its contents toyour animation.

Copying templates into your animation increases the file size of your movies. You can link templates
to your animation to keep the file size of your animation small. Refer to the Linking Templates toMedia Elements on the facing page topic to learn more about template linking.

To import a template into your scene:
1. In the Library view, select the template you want to import.
2. Drag the selected template to the Camera view or Timeline view's left side.

‣

You can also drag a template to the Timeline view's right side into existing layers if the layer structureis the same as the existing one.

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Linking Templates to Media Elements
You must use media elements to link templates to your animations. Media elements identify the contents they
contain as references to a centrally stored file. If the template you link contains multiple elements, all of thoseelements are composited into one element, the media element.
Linking templates has two advantages:•

It keeps the file size of your SWF animations small.

•

It updates and manages frequently-used material in a central location.

If the contents of the template are updated, Toon Boom Studio updates it in all animations.

To link a template to a media element:
1. Select Element > Add > Media.
A new element appears in the Timeline view.

2. In the Library view, select the template you want to link and drag it to the media element you created in
the Timeline view's right side.

‣

You can also create a media element as you link a template, by pressing [Alt] as you drag the templateto the Timeline view's left side.

Studio links to the original file.

Copying Selected Template Contents into Your Animation
When you drag templates from the Library window, you can open the Timeline Drag & Drop Preferences toselect the template contents that you want to copy into your animation.

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Library

To copy selected template contents into your animation:
1. In the Library view, select the template you want to copy.
2. Drag the template to the Timeline view and place the template on top of the elements where you want toplace it.
You must select the same number and hierarchy of elements as there are in the template. Otherwise you
cannot complete the drag operation. Refer to the Template Properties on page 191 topic to learn how to
open the Template properties.
3. Press and hold [Alt] and then release the mouse button.
The Timeline Drag & Drop Preferences dialog box opens.

4. Select the properties you want to copy to the animation.
5. Click OK.

Refer to the Animating a Puppet chapter to learn more about the Paste Special options

Using Paste Special to Update Content from a Template
You can use the Paste Special command to update selected content with material stored in a template file. You
can use this command to update drawings, timing, layout, as well as palettes.
To use paste special to update content:
1. Select the template in the Library and select Edit > Copy Template.
2. In the Timeline, select the elements you want to paste the template onto.
You must select the same number and hierarchy of elements as are in the template. Otherwise you cannot
complete the paste operation. Refer to the Template Properties on page 191 topic to learn how to open
the Template properties.
3. Select Edit > Paste Special or press [Ctrl] + [B] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [B] (Mac OS X).
The Paste Special dialog box opens.

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4. Select the options from the Paste Special dialog box.
5. Click OK.

Refer to the Animating a Puppet on page 395 chapter to learn more about the Paste Special options.

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Chapter 7: Layers and Timing

When you create animation, it is important to know how to set and modify the timing of your drawings. You canadjust the timing in both the Timeline and Exposure Sheet views, depending on which one you prefer.
In this chapter, you will learn how to work on your drawing's exposure and length. The keyframes and motion
paths are covered in a separate chapter.

To animate with motion paths (pegs) and keyframes—see Creating Motion Paths on page 299.

In this chapter, you will learn about the following:•

Understanding the Timeline and Exposure Sheet Views on the next page•

Layers and Columns on page 204•

Filling Exposure on page 217•

Navigating Between Frames and Columns on page 228•

Managing Drawings on page 230•

Preferences on page 232

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Understanding the Timeline and Exposure
Sheet Views
To set your animation timing, you will work mostly with the Timeline and Exposure Sheet views. This section will
help you become familiar with these views, how they work and the differences between them.

Timeline View

The Timeline view allows you to read your drawings and timing from left to right. It represents the scene's
elements in their simplest form.
In the Timeline view, you can see layers and their names, as well as the drawing timing. The drawing name isdisplayed when you place your cursor above the drawing's exposure.

The Timeline view has three main sections:•

Timeline View Toolbar below•

Layer Section on the facing page•

Timing Section on page 200

Timeline View Toolbar
The Timeline View toolbar contains eight different buttons allowing you to add, enable and disable layers as well
as switch between the different scenes of a same project.
•

Show/Hide All: Shows or hides all the layers in the timeline.

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Solo Mode: Turns the Solo mode on

or off. The Solo mode lets you see only the currently

selected layer, as well as the layer that was selected when you enabled the Solo Mode to use it as areference without having to disable all the other layers.
•

Add New Elements: Adds a new element (layer) to your timeline. When you click this button, the
New Element dialog box opens and lets you choose which type of element you want, how many and how
you want to name it.

•

Delete Element: Deletes the selected layers in your timeline. Note that if you delete a layer withother layers connected to it, all the layers connected will be deleted at the same time. Also, if you only
have one layer in your timeline, you are not able to delete it. Toon Boom Studio's Timeline view must
always have at least one drawing layer in it.

•

Add Drawing Element: Adds a drawing layer in your timeline without having to go through the Add
New Element dialog box. Simply click on the button and a new drawing layer appears in the Timeline view.
You can then double-click on the new layer to rename it.

•

Add Parent Peg: Adds a peg layer in your timeline and connect it to any selected layer without having
to go through the Add New Element dialog box. Simply click on the button and a new peg layer appears
in the Timeline view and the selected layer is connected to it. You can then double-click on the new layer torename it.

•

Scene Menu: Lets you move between the different scenes in your project.

•

Timeline View Contextual Menu: Displays a drop-down menu with commands related only to theTimeline view.

Layer Section

The Layer section is on the left side of the Timeline view. This is where you can add, delete, rename, reorder andattach layers.

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Timing Section

The Timing section is on the right side of the Timeline view. This is where you can increase and decrease adrawing's exposure, duplicate drawings, add blank cells, etc. Any operation you do that affects a drawing or its
timing is done in this section.

Exposure Sheet View

The Exposure Sheet view lets you read your timing vertically where the columns represent drawing layers.
The Exposure Sheet view has two main sections and several other components:•

Main Section on the facing page•

Element List Section on the facing page•

Exposure Sheet Toolbar on page 202

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Column Header on the next page•

Drawing on the next page•

Frame Numbers on the next page

Main Section

The Main section shows the Drawing, Image, Sound and Media columns. You can see the drawing timing andnames.

Element List Section

The Element List section allows you to show and hide columns from your Exposure Sheet view. When you hide acolumn using your Exposure Sheet view, it is NOT disabled in the Timeline view. When you hide a column in your
Exposure Sheet, the artwork is hidden from the Drawing view, but NOT from the Camera view. To hide elementsin the Camera view, disable the layers in the Timeline view.
To display the Element List section:
1. In the Exposure Sheet toolbar, click the Toggle Element List

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Exposure Sheet Toolbar

The Exposure Sheet view has its own toolbar where you can find the most common features. This toolbar isdisplayed by default. If you do not see it, select Windows > Toolbar > Exposure Sheet. The Exposure Sheetview must be part of your workspace in order to display its toolbar.

Column Header
Each column available in the Exposure Sheet view has a header displaying the column's name. The
column's name is the same as the corresponding timeline layer. If you rename one or the other,
they will both be renamed.
A quick access menu is available when you right-click. This menu contains the command that affects
an entire column such as renaming, changing the default colour or deleting a column.

Drawing

When you see a cell containing a name or number, it represents the drawing you created in the
Drawing or Camera view.

Frame Numbers
The frame numbers are located on the left side of the Exposure Sheet view. They read vertically instead of left
to right, as in the Timeline view.
•

To go to a particular frame, you click on the frame number.

•If you click and drag a selection downwards, you select an entire frame range.

In the Xsheet view, you can remove any selected frame range by pressing the [Del] key.
To delete a frame range:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, select a frame range by clicking on the first frame's number to delete anddragging down to the last frame to delete.

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2. Press [Del] to delete the selection.

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Chapter 7: Layers and Timing Layers and Columns

Layers and Columns
In Studio there are two ways to see your layers:•

As horizontal layers in the Timeline view•As vertical columns in the Exposure Sheet view.

Whether you work in the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, they are the same and any modification you do to one
or the other is applied to both.
This topic is divided as follows:•

Layer Concepts below•

Layer Types on the facing page•

Adding New Elements on page 207•

Deleting Elements on page 208•

Modifying Elements on page 209•

Expanding and Collapsing Layers on page 215

Layer Concepts
In order to understand what happens when you duplicate a drawing, extend an exposure, create cycles or delete
a drawing, it is important to know how layers and columns work.
The layers are linked to a folder containing all the drawings you create. This folder is contained inside your Studio
project's folder.
When you create a new drawing in your Camera view, a drawing file is created inside the Drawing folder.
When you type a drawing name in a Exposure Sheet cell or Timeline frame, the system looks in the Drawing
folder for the corresponding drawing to display. If there is no corresponding drawing, a new one is created.

.
When you create a drawing cycle, all of the repeated drawings are linked to the same original drawing. Thismeans that when you modify, repaint or correct a drawing named "1", all drawings named "1" are updated

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simultaneously. In order to modify a drawing independently from its other exposures, you must duplicate thedrawing—see Duplicating a Drawing on page 230.

Layer Types
There are several types of layers you can add in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet views.

Drawing Element
The most common layer type is the Drawing element. Any time you need to create a vector drawing, use aDrawing element. Note that bitmap images are contained in Image Element layers.
The Drawing layer is tagged with the Drawing

icon.

Image Element
If you import picture or bitmap images into your project, they are inserted in an Image element.
The Image layer is tagged with the Image

icon.

Refer to the Importing Artwork on page 161 chapter to learn how to import images.

Camera Element
The Camera element represents the camera filming your stage. You must position it if you want to change thecamera frame in your scene or animate it with a Peg layer if you want to create a camera motion.
•

The Camera layer is tagged with the Camera

icon.

•

The Camera layer is not visible in the Exposure Sheet view.

If you want to have several cameras with different settings, you can keep adding Camera layers in your Timeline
view. To switch between available cameras, select a camera from the Camera list located in the Scene toolbar.

Refer to the Setting the Scene on page 277 chapter to learn how to animate the camera.

Effect Element
To enhance the look of your scene, you can add effect layers and attach your drawings to them. In Toon BoomStudio, there are seven effects.

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In the Timeline view, the Effect element is tagged with the Effecticon.

The Effect layers are not visible in the Exposure Sheet view.

Refer to the Enhancing with Effects on page 465 chapter to learn how to add effects to your project.

Peg Element
A Peg Element can be described as a trajectory or motion path layer that does not contain drawings. It can be
attached to any drawing layer, cut-out puppet or other peg layers. The layers attached to the Peg layer follow
the trajectory that you set in this Peg layer.
In the Timeline view, the Peg element is tagged with the Peg

icon.

Peg layers are not visible in the Exposure Sheet view.

Refer to the Setting the Scene on page 277 chapter to learn more about pegs.

Sound Element
You can import sound files to add dialog and sound effects to your project. The sound layer is added to yourTimeline and Exposure Sheet view when you import a sound file in your scene.
The Sound element is tagged with the Sound

icon.

Refer to the Sound and Lip-sync on page 421 chapter to learn how to import and play sound.

Annotation Element
An Annotation Element is mainly used for educational purpose. The teacher can use these layers to draw andmark comments and corrections over an animation.
In the Timeline view, the Annotation element is tagged with the Annotation

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Refer to the Traditional Digital Animation on page 233 chapter to learn more about annotation
elements.

Media Element
A Media Element is used in different ways. The main way is to import an SWF movie in your project and keep it in
one single layer instead of it being spread on several layers. The second way is to link a media element to yourscene instead of importing templates from the Library directly in your scene. This way you can connect several
scenes to the same template. If you modify the original template, it is altered in all the scenes simultaneously.
The Media element is tagged with the Media

icon.

Refer to the Setting the Scene on page 277 chapter to learn more about media elements.

Adding New Elements
In this section you will learn the different ways to add elements to your project. By default, when you create a
new scene, there is one Drawing layer included in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet views.
This section is divided as follows:•

Adding Layers in the Timeline View below•

Adding an Element from the Top Menu on the next page•

Adding New Columns in the Exposure Sheet View on the next page

Adding Layers in the Timeline View
You can add a new layer in the Timeline view in two different ways; using the Layer toolbar or using the New
Elements dialog box.
To add a Drawing layer using the Timeline's Layer toolbar:
1. In the Timeline's Layer toolbar, click the Add Drawing Elements
A new layer appears in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet view.
2. Double-click the layer to rename it.
To add layers using the New Elements dialog box:
1. In the Timeline's Layer toolbar, click the Add Elements
The New Elements dialog box opens.

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2. In the Type list, select an element type.
3. In the Name field, type a name for the layer. If you are adding more than one layer at the same time, all ofthese layers are given that layer's name and a numerical suffix.
4. In the Number field, set the number of layers.
5. Click OK.

Adding an Element from the Top Menu
To add a new element from the top menu:
1. Select Element > Add > Element Type.
A new element appears in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet view.

Adding New Columns in the Exposure Sheet View
To add a new column:
1. In the Exposure Sheet toolbar, click one of the following buttons:•

Add Drawing Element•

Add Image Element•

Add Sound Element•

Add Media Element•

Add Annotation Element
A new element appears in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet view.

2. Double-click the Column header to rename the new column.

Deleting Elements
You can delete elements from your scene in two different locations: the Timeline and Exposure Sheet view.

Deleting a Layer from the Timeline View
There are three ways to delete a layer in the Timeline view:•

Delete Layers

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Top menu > Element > Delete Element•

Quick access menu

To delete layers in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layers to delete.

2. In the Timeline's Layer toolbar, click on the Delete Layers

button or right-click on the selection andselect Delete Element.

Deleting Columns from the Exposure Sheet View
You can delete columns in the Exposure Sheet view by using the quick access menu or the top menu.
To delete layers in the Exposure Sheet view:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, select the columns to delete by clicking on their header.

2. From the top menu, select Element > Delete Element or right-click and select Delete Element.

Modifying Elements
Once you add elements to your project, you can modify their properties, name or ordering.
This section is divided as follows:•

Ordering Elements below•

Show and Hide Elements on the next page•

Renaming an Element on page 212•

Exposure Sheet Thumbnails on page 213•

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer on page 213

Ordering Elements
You can change the order of your layers in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet view. When you change the order ofyour layers in one of these views, the other one is updated automatically.

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To reorder layers in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layers to move.
2. Drag the selection to the new location and drop it in between the existing layers. Dropping the selection
on an existing layer would create a hierarchy.
‣

Layers located on top of the Timeline view are displayed in front of the other ones.

‣

Layers located at the bottom are displayed behind.

To reorder columns in the Xsheet view:
1. In the Exposure Sheet toolbar, click the Show Element List

button to display the Element List panel.

2. In the Element List panel, drag up or down the columns to reorder. Layers located on top of the Element
List are displayed in front of the other ones. Layers located at the bottom are displayed behind.

Show and Hide Elements
As you work in the Drawing or Camera view, some elements may be in the way or are used as references. You
can hide these layers to make your work area easier and less cluttered.

The show/hide operation in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet views are independent from eachother and will not affect the other view. For example, hiding layers in the Timeline does not affectthe layer's availability in the Exposure Sheet view and vice versa.

To show or hide all layers in the Timeline view:‣

In the Timeline's Layer toolbar, click the Enable/Disable All

button or select Element > Display >Timeline > Show All.
To show or hide individual layers in the Timeline view:‣

In the Timeline view, deselect the layer's checkbox or select Element > Display > Timeline >Show/Hide.

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To disable all layers but the selected one:‣

Select Element > Display > Timeline > Hide All Others from the top menu or select Display > HideAll Others in the Timeline contextualmenu.

To show and hide columns in the Exposure Sheet view:
1. In the Exposure Sheet toolbar, click the Show Element List

button.

2. In the Element List section, show or hide the columns by selecting or deselecting a column's checkbox.

‣

Select Element > Display > Exposure Sheet > Hide to hide a column.

To disable all columns except the selected one:
1. Select Element > Display > Exposure Sheet > Hide All Others.

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To show all hidden Exposure Sheet columns:
1. Select Element > Display > Show All Exposure Sheet Elements.

Renaming an Element
You can rename an element in three different ways; directly in the column header, in the Timeline layer or in the
Rename dialog box.
To rename a layer in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, double-click on the name of the layer to rename.
2. In the Name field rename the layer and press [Return] to validate the modifications.

To rename a layer in the Exposure Sheet view:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, double-click on the column header of the layer to rename.
2. In the Name field, type a new name and press [Enter]to validate the modifications.

To rename a layer in the Rename Element dialog box:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the layer to rename.
2. Select Element > Rename Element or right-click and select Rename Element.

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The Rename Element dialog box opens.
3. In the Name field, rename the layer.

4. Click OK.

Exposure Sheet Thumbnails

When there are a large number of columns and drawings in the Exposure Sheet, it is not always easy to quickly
identify a particular column. Displaying the column thumbnails makes this easier. This option displays a small
thumbnail picture in each cell where there is a drawing.
To display the thumbnails:
1. In the Exposure Sheet toolbar, click the Thumbnails
Exposure Sheet contextual

button or select View > Thumbnails from themenu or right-click and select View > Thumbnails.

The thumbnails appear.

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer
To easily identify layers in your Timeline and Exposure Sheet views, you can change their colour. You can change
the drawing exposure colour and track background independently.
To change the drawing exposure colour:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the layer whose colour you want to change.
2. Select Element > Display > Change Colour from the top menu or right-click the header of the column inthe exposure sheet and select Display > Change Colour.

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3. In the Select Colour window, select the new colour for your layer.

4. Click OK.
The layer's colour is updated.

To change the Timeline layer's background colour:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layer whose background colour you want to change.
2. Select Element > Display > Background Colour or right-click in the Timeline and select Display >Background Colour.

3. In the Select Colour window, select the new colour for your layer.

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4. Click OK.
The layer's background colour is updated.

To reset a layer's colour in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the layers whose colour you want to reset and selectElement > Display > Default Colour or right-click in the Timeline and select Display > Default Colour.

Expanding and Collapsing Layers
To simplify the look of your Timeline view, you can collapse and expand your layers. If some layers are attached,
you can collapse the top layer to hide all of the layers attached to it.
To collapse a layer selection in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, click the Expand Arrowbutton on the layer you want to collapse.

Modifying the Column Width
In the Exposure Sheet view, you can change the width of a column. If the name of your column is too long anddoes not fit in the column header, make the column wider to see it all.
To modify the column's width:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, place your cursor on the edge of the column header you want to adjust.

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2. Once you see the Extend cursor appear, adjust the column width by clicking and dragging the Extend
Cursor.

3. To restore all columns to their default width, in the Exposure Sheet contextual

menu, selectView > Reset Column Width or by right-clicking on the column and select Display > Reset Column
Width.

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Filling ExposureStudio provides different tools to fill in exposures and values, create cycles, and set increments.
This section is divided as follows:•

Typing Exposure below•

Extending Exposure on the next page•

Dragging Cells on page 219•

Increasing and Decreasing Exposure on page 220•

Deleting Exposure on page 222•

Inserting Blank Cells on page 222•

Setting the Exposure on page 223•

Filling a Selection with a Sequence on page 224•

Creating Cycles on page 225

Typing Exposure
To fill-in your exposure, you can directly type the values in the Exposure Sheet view.
To enter a value in a column's cell, you have to either double-click in the cell or use the Change Label commandand type in the numbers or letters.
You can only use alphanumeric values (0-9, a-z, underscore (_) and dash (-)).
The following shortcuts can be helpful when editing the exposure values:•[Return] to move to the next cell.

•[Esc] to exit the typing mode and return to normal mode.

To type values in the Exposure Sheet view:
1. In a column, double-click on one cell or right-click on the selected cell and select Change Label.

2. Type a value in the cell.

3. Press [Return] to move on to the next cell.

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4. Press [Esc] to quit the edit mode.

Extending Exposure
The Extend Exposure feature allows you to select a drawing exposure to make it appear longer in the scene.
To extend a drawing exposure:
1. In the Exposure Sheet or Timeline view, select the drawing (cell) to extend.

You can also select the last cell of the area where you want the drawing exposure to end, as opposed to
selecting the drawing cell directly. The cell must be an empty cell.

2. Select Element > Cell > Extend Exposure or press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [1] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + [1](Mac OS X).
If you selected the drawing cell, the Extend Exposure dialog box opens.
If you selected the last cell where you want the exposure to end, the exposure is automatically extended.

3. In the Extend to Frame field, type the frame number you want to extend the cell to.
4. Click OK.

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Dragging Cells
To readjust your timing, you can drag one or several cells to a new location in both the Timeline and Exposure
Sheet view. You can only drag a cell in the same column or layer.
To drag a cell to another location:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select one or several cells to move.

2. Click on the cell selection and drag it to a new location.

‣

If you drop the selection, it overwrites the existing cells.

‣

If you hold [Ctrl] (Windows) or [⌘ ] (Mac OS X) while dropping the selection, the cells are copied andnot moved.

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To change the starting frame of an element, use the Change Start Frame command.

3. Select Element > Change Start Frame.

4. Type the frame number where you want the selected layer to start.
5. Click OK.

Increasing and Decreasing Exposure
Once a value is entered in the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, you can increase and decrease its exposure.
This section is divided as follows:•

Add Exposure below•

Remove Exposure on the facing page

Add Exposure
Increasing the exposure adds one more exposures to a selected cell. Repeating this action adds an extra cellevery time. This is a quick way of extending a drawing exposure. Increasing an exposure always pushes theexisting exposure down.
To add exposure to a drawing:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select a cell.

2. Select Element > Cell > Add Exposure or right-click the selected cell and select:‣

From the Timeline view, Exposure > Add Exposure.

‣

From the Exposure Sheet view, Add Exposure.

‣Press [R].

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Remove Exposure
Decreasing the exposure removes one exposure from a selected cell. Repeating this action removes an extra cellevery time. This is a quick way to reduce a drawing exposure and remove the exposed drawing.
To decrease the exposure:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select a cell.

2. Select Element > Cell > Remove Exposure or right-click the selected cell and select:‣

From the Timeline view, Exposure > Remove Exposure.

‣

From the Exposure Sheet view, Remove Exposure.

‣Press [E].

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Deleting Exposure
You can delete a drawing's exposure and blank cells in several simple ways. Note that when you delete adrawing's exposure from the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, you are not deleting the actual drawing file. You
can always bring it back by typing its name again in a cell.

Refer to the Layer Concepts on page 204 topic to learn more about the drawing concept.

To delete selected exposures:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select all the exposures you want to delete.
2. Press [Del] or right-click and select Delete Cell.
To delete blank cells:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select a blank cell.
2. Select Element > Cell > Delete Blank Cell or right-click and select Delete Blank Cell or press [Shift] + [E].

Inserting Blank Cells
Use the Insert Blank Cell option to place an empty cell between other cells. This pushes down existing exposure.

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To insert blank cells:
1. In the Exposure Sheet or Timeline view, select the cell where you want to insert a blank cell.

2. Select Element > Cell > Insert Blank Cell or right-clickthe selected cell and select Insert Blank Cell orpress [Shift] + [R].
The blank cell is inserted.

Setting the Exposure
You can easily increase or decrease the exposure for a selected cell range by using the Set Exposure options.
To use the Set Exposure options:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the cell range that you want to set the exposure for.

2. In the top menu, select one of the following:•

Element > Cell > Set Exposure to 1•

Element > Cell > Set Exposure to 2•

Element > Cell > Set Exposure to 3•

Element > Cell > Set Exposure
You can also select the frames in the Timeline view or in the Exposure Sheet and right-click to selectExposure > Set Desired.
‣If you choose the Set Exposure option, the Set Exposure dialog box opens.

‣

Type the number of frames you want each of the drawings to be displayed.

‣

Click OK

The new timing is displayed.

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Filling a Selection with a Sequence
The Insert Cell option is used to create a numbered sequence over a selection.
To fill a selection with a sequence:
1. In the Exposure Sheet or Timeline view, select one cell or a cell range.

2. Select Element > Cell > Insert Cell.
‣

If you selected only one cell, the Insert Cell dialog box opens.

‣

If you selected a frame range, the timing sequence appears.

‣

If you select multiple cells across different layers (i.e. one cell on each layer), the behavior is that Insert
Cell adds an extra row of blank cells before the selected cells.

3. In the Number field, type the number of cells.
4. If you want to insert cells with numbers in it, select the Named Cells option. If you want to insert blankcells, deselect the Named Cells option.
5. If you want to insert these new cells in all the layers, select the In All Elements option. If you want the newcells to be added only in the currently selected layer, deselect the In All Elements option.

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Selecting In All Elements disables the Named Cells option and the cells added to all the elements areblank.

6. If you want the new cells to be inserted before the currently selected cell, select the Before option. If you
want the new cells to be inserted after the currently selected cell, select the After option.
7. Click OK.

Creating Cycles
Once you have entered a series of drawings and exposures, you can create cycles out of them in several ways.
You can loop your drawings using the following commands:•

Create Cycle•

Create Advanced Cycle

The Create Cycle command is used to do simple cycles on your selected drawings. The Create Advanced Cycle
command is used to create more complex cycles including reversed cycle.
For example, a bouncing ball cycle where the sequence of drawings goes backwards and forwards during thecycle (1-2-3-4-3-2-1).
You can use the Advanced Cycle dialog box to automate the process of creating complex cycles.
When you cycle your selection, you are not duplicating the drawings. If you have a drawing named "1" in yourcycle, when you modify that drawing, it is updated in all the cycles at once.
To use the Create Cycle command:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the cell range to cycle.

2. Select Element > Cell > Create Cycle or right-click and select Create Cycle.
The Create Cycle dialog box opens.

3. Enter the number of cycles you want, including the current selection.
4. Click OK.

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To use the Create Advanced Cycle command:
1. Select the element where you want to create the cycle.
2. Select Element > Cell > Create Advanced Cycle.
The Advanced Cycle dialog box opens.

3. In the First Drawing and Last Drawing sections, select the drawings you want in the first and last positionof the cycle. You can type the drawing name in the Name fields or use the slider to select the drawings.
4. In the Exposure section, set the number of cells you want each drawing to be exposed for during thecycle. You can set a different exposure for the last drawing in the cycle to stay on-screen by typing thenumber of cells you want it to be exposed in the Exposed Last Drawing For field.
5. In the Loops section, select the number of times you want the cycle to repeat.
‣

None: If don't want the cycle to repeat.

‣

Continuous: If you want the cycle to restart with the first drawing on each loop. For example, if you
created 2 continuous loops of drawings 1-2-3, the resulting loop would be: 1-2-3-1-2-3.

‣

Forward-Backward: If you want the loop to contain the specified drawings in continuous order (firstto last) followed by a backward order (last to first). In the Forward-Backward loop the last frame is
only displayed once. Every consecutive loop starts with the second frame so that the first frame is notrepeated. For example, if you created 2 forward-backward loops with drawings 1-2-3, the resulting
loop would be: 1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2-1.

‣

Loops: Type the number of times you want the cycle to repeat.

‣

Frames: Type the number of frames. By default this field is set to the number of number of frames.

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6. Select how you want to insert the cycle.
‣

Insert Frames: Adds the cycle in the current location.

‣

Overwrite Frames: Deletes frames that overlap the cycle.

7. Click OK.

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Navigating Between Frames and Columns
Once a cell is selected in the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, you can navigate between the layers and drawings
using keyboard shortcuts that work in the Camera, Drawing, Timeline and Exposure Sheet views.
You can navigate through:•Columns•

Drawings•

Frames•Elements

To navigate through the drawings, frames and elements:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select a cell.

2. Once the cell is selected, you can navigate between:‣

Previous and Next Timeline Layers: Press [D] and [F].

‣Previous and Next Exposure Sheet Column: Press [Shift] + [D] and [Shift] + [F].

‣Previous and Next Drawings: Press [Shift] + [A] and [Shift] + [S].

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Previous and Next Frames: Press [A] and [S].

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Managing Drawings
Drawings that are created in Studio are not encapsulated in their cells. They are actual files stored in the
project's Drawing folder. If you want to rename a drawing, you need to use the Rename Drawing command,
instead of typing in the cell.
This section is divided as follows:•

Renaming a Drawing below•

Duplicating a Drawing below•

Copying and Pasting Drawings on the facing page

Renaming a Drawing
To rename a drawing select the cell containing the drawing and use the Rename Drawing command from the
Exposure Sheet contextual
menu.

Do not type the new name in the cell as this creates a new drawing instead of renaming the existingone.

To rename a drawing:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, select the drawing to rename.

2. Right-click on the selection and select Rename Drawing.
The Rename Drawing dialog box opens.

3. In the Drawing Name field, type the new drawing name.
4. Click OK.

Duplicating a Drawing
If you want to modify an existing drawing, but keep the original drawing intact, you can duplicate the drawing
and work on the copy. When duplicating a drawing, the selected cell is replaced with the new drawing. The

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original drawing is not deleted and can still be accessed from the Drawing folder.
To duplicate a drawing:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the drawing to duplicate.

2. Right-click on the selection and select Duplicate Drawing.

Copying and Pasting Drawings
When you copy and paste a selection in the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, you are not copying and pasting
the actual drawings, you are pasting the exposure.
If you want to copy and paste the selected drawings into a different layer or paste the selection in the same layer
to duplicate the drawings, you must use the Paste New Object command.
To paste drawings as new objects:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the drawings to copy.

2. Select Edit > Copy/Copy Cell or press [Ctrl] + [C] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [C] (Mac OS X).
3. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the cell where you want your pasted selection to start.

4. Select Edit > Paste New Object or press [Ctrl] + [V] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [V] (Mac OS X).

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Preferences
When adjusting your timing in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet views, you may want to set some preferences.
This section covers the preference related to the timing measurement.
To open the Preferences panel:‣

Windows: Select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Toon Boom Studio 8.0 > Preferences.

Time Measurement
The Time Measurement preference is on the Interface tab. It is used to change the way the timing measurement
is displayed in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet view.
‣

In the Time Measurement drop-down menu, select Frames or Feet and Frames and click OK.

There are two ways of measuring an animation timing:
Frames: The animation timing is measured in frames per second. To get a fluid animation, you need a minimumof 12 frames per second. This technique is frequently used when working with a software.
Feet and Frames: This technique is mainly used when shooting the animation frame-by-frame directly on film.
The length of the animation is calculated in length of film instead of frames per second.

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Chapter 8: Traditional Digital Animation

Traditional digital animation, also known as hand-drawn animation, is the process of drawing every frame of ananimation. This is very different from using cut-out puppets, where body parts drawn at different angles are
stored in a bank and swapped. These drawings do not use motion paths; everything is hand drawn.
With the advent of digital animation, much has changed in the way that animation is done. However, there arestill tried and true animation tools and techniques that every animator may still find useful. Most of thesetechniques are derived from the classic method of traditional animation.
The following sections will be covered in this chapter:•

Traditional Animation Tools on the next page•

Animating Traditionally on page 241•

Rotoscoping on page 247•

Marking Corrections and Notes on page 252•

Preferences on page 255

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Traditional Animation Tools

Traditional Animation Tools
When you animate digitally using traditional techniques, certain tools are needed to work effectively. Just as an
animation table, paper and pencils are essential to the traditional animator, the tools listed here are needed for
traditional animation when it is done digitally.
•Onion Skin below•

Auto Light Table on the facing page•

Static Light Table on page 236•

Reposition All Drawings on page 238•

Lock Drawing on page 239•

Clear Drawing on page 240

Onion Skin

The Onion Skin is used to preview the previous and next drawings. This feature comes in handy when animating
because it allows you to see the flow of a movement and lays it out in visible steps. By default, the previous
drawings appear with a shade of red and the next drawings are displayed with a shade of green, but you canchange the display options in the Preferences panel.

Refer to the Preferences on page 255 topic to learn about the Onion Skin preferences.

To use the Onion Skin feature:
1. Do one of the following to turn on the Onion Skin feature:‣

Windows: In the Onion Skin toolbar, click the Show Onion Skin‣

Mac OS X: In the Top toolbar, click the Show Onion Skin‣

Windows and Mac OS X: Select View > Onion Skin > Turn On Onion Skin.

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2. You can select the number of previous and next drawings you want to show by clicking the button on theOnion Skin toolbar or by following any of the menu paths listed below:‣

Select View > Onion Skin > No Previous Drawing or press [Shift] + [Q].

‣

Select View > Onion Skin > Previous Drawing.

‣

Select View > Onion Skin > Previous Two Drawings.

‣

Select View > Onion Skin > Previous Three Drawings.

‣

Select View > Onion Skin > No Next Drawing or press [Shift] + [W].

‣

Select View > Onion Skin > Next Drawing.

‣

Select View > Onion Skin > Next Two Drawings.

‣

Select View > Onion Skin > Next Three Drawings.

The previous and next drawings appear in the Drawing and Camera views.

Auto Light Table

The Light Table lets you preview the active layers above and beneath the selected layer. It is useful to be able tosee the other layers when designing, animating, or cleaning up your animation.

The Light Table feature is only available in the Drawing view.

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Traditional Animation Tools

To use the Light Table feature:
1. Do one of the following:‣

When working in the Drawing view, select View > Turn On Auto LightTable.

‣

In the Onion Skin toolbar, select the Light Table

button.

The drawings are displayed in the Exposure Sheet view.

2. In the Exposure Sheet view, you can deselect the layers you want to hide from the Light Table for the
Drawing view.

Static Light Table

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The Static Light Table works differently than the Auto Light Table and can only be accessed from the Exposure
Sheet view. By using this feature, you can lock one drawing and have it appear in washed-out colours behind
every drawing, existing on any frame, belonging to any layer.
To use the Static Light Table feature:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, right-click on the cell that contains the drawing that you want to lock onto theStatic Light Table.
2. Select Send to Static Light Table.

3. Click on another cell where you would like to work with the aid of the drawing locked on the Static Light
Table, then proceed to draw in the Drawing or Camera view.
To display the elements on the Static Light Table:
1. From the Exposure Sheet toolbars, click the Toggle Static Light Table

button.

Thumbnails of the drawing appear under the Exposure Sheet columns.

2. Send more than one cell containing drawings to the Static Light Table.
3. Use the check mark boxes to show or hide the drawings sent to the Static Light Table.
4. Use the foreground/background swatches button to toggle the drawings sent to the Static Light Table
either behind or in front of your other drawings seen in the Drawing view.
To clear a cell from the Static Light Table:
1. Right-click on the thumbnail that you want to delete and select Delete to remove that particular cell, orDelete All to remove all cells from the Static Light Table.

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Traditional Animation Tools

Reposition All Drawings

The Reposition All Drawings tool is used to change the position, scaling, rotation, or skewing of all the drawing
strokes on every frame belonging to the same layer.
To reposition all drawings:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Reposition All Drawings

tool or press 1 to alternate

between all the tools under the Select Tool drop-down menu.
In the Drawing view, every stroke that composes your drawing is selected.
To deform or reposition a selection:‣

To reposition, click and drag your selection to a new area.

‣

To rotate, move the selection box handle in a circular motion.

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To scale, pull or push on the side, top or corner control point. Hold down [Shift] to lock the selection's
ratio.

‣

To skew, drag the sides or top and bottom segments, between the control points.

When you release the pointer, every drawing contained in the drawing layer you repositioned, scaled,rotated or skewed follows the same transformation.

Lock Drawing
Although the Reposition All Drawings tool can be quite useful, sometimes you may need to reposition all but afew drawings. For example, one or two elements, such as a background or point of reference might have toremain absolutely fixed. The Lock Drawing option is a good way to keep certain individual frames from moving,or from accidentally being drawn on.
To use the Lock Drawing option:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, select the cell that contains the drawing you want to lock.
2. Right-click on this cell and select Lock Drawing.
The cell containing the drawing is locked as indicated by the lock icon beside the cell name.

3. In the Timeline view, you can also right-click on a selected layer and select Lock > Lock or another desired
option.

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Clear Drawing
Another feature that makes drawing by hand much easier is the Clear Drawing feature in the Exposure Sheetview. Often when you are drawing with your Wacom tablet directly in the software, you may decide that you
want to start a particular drawing in an action sequence from scratch.
If you delete the frame from the Timeline view, there is a gap in your timeline. If you use the Select tool to selectall your drawing strokes and delete them, you risk missing a few strokes while taking twice as long to do so.
To use the Clear Drawing command:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, right-click on the cell that contains the drawing strokes you want to delete.
2. Select Clear Drawing.

The Clear Drawing command does not work on Image layers or on extended exposure cells; thecommand only works on Drawing layers.

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Animating Traditionally
In Studio, you can easily animate traditionally and work entirely digitally. The process of hand-drawn animation
through traditional animation procedures has been divided to lead you easily through the process.
•Animating below•

Cleaning Up on page 243•

Power Painting on page 245•

Setting the Timing on page 246•

Playing Back Your Animation on page 246

Animating

The first step to complete is the rough animation, which is the skeleton of your animation. You would usually
start with the main action. For example, to animate a walk-cycle, you will start with the torso moves and the legs.
The head, arms, and clothes are added later, during the secondary animation.
For a satisfactory animation, complete the main action before adding all the details. If you start animating thedetails right away, you lose a lot of time if you have to do corrections, and your animation often looks too rigid.
To animate:
1. In the Timeline view, create a new drawing layer and name it Rough.
2. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Brush

tool or press [@].

3. In the Colour view, select the colour you will use to draw. It is a good idea to choose a light colour for yourrough animation to help for the following task, the clean up process.

4. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the cell where the first drawing will appear.
5. In the Drawing or Camera view, draw the first key drawing.

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6. In the Onion Skin toolbar, click the Enable Onion Skinbutton.

7. From the Onion Skin toolbar, click the onion skin's Previous

or Next

drawing buttons and fromtheir drop-downs, select the number of previous and next visible drawings that you think you will need.
8. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the cell where your next key drawing will appear.

9. In the Camera view, draw your second key drawing.

10. In the Exposure Sheet View, select a cell between your two key drawings.

11. Draw your new drawing.

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12. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select a new cell and repeat these steps for the new drawings.

Cleaning Up

When your rough animation is ready, it is time to clean it up and ink it. The clean-up is also called tracing. It
consists of tracing solid and clean lines over the rough animation to get closed zones. This is the final paperlessanimation step before the ink and paint step.
You need to add a new drawing layer to draw your clean drawings. This is the equivalent of adding a sheet ofpaper and tracing over the rough using the animation disk.

If you plan on tracing your animation in the Drawing view, you need to turn on theLight Table
feature in order to display all the layers of your project.

To trace your animation in a new layer:
1. In the Timeline view toolbar, click the Add Drawing Layer
2. Rename your new layer Clean.

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3. In the Timeline view, select your rough layer,
4. Click the Menu

button, and select Lock > Lock. This is to prevent any accidental changes.

5. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the cell on the clean layer corresponding to the first key
drawing of your rough animation.
6. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select a drawing tool.
7. In the Colour view, select the colour to trace your animation. Pick a bold dark colour, such as black tomake sure it contrasts well with the light colour of your rough animation.
8. In the Camera view, start tracing the first key drawing.

9. If you have some other layers in the way, you can deselect them temporarily so that only your roughanimation and your clean-up layer are displayed. You can do this in two ways, by deselecting these layers
in the Timeline to affect what is seen in the Camera view, or by disabling them in the Exposure Sheet view
to affect the Drawing view.
10. In the Onion Skin toolbar, select the Enable Onion Skinbutton and extend the previous and next

drawing numbers.
11. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the next cell corresponding to a rough drawing.
12. In the Drawing or Camera view, trace your next drawing.

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13. Repeat these steps for the rest of your rough drawings until you have a full set of clean ones.
This method allows you to keep the roughs and the cleans intact. You only need to disable the rough layer toprevent it from appearing in the scene.

Power Painting
When you create a traditional digital animation, you need to paint each drawing one at a time. But you can use
the Paint All tool to automatically paint closed zones in the same location within an element. To use the Paint All
tool, you click a zone in a drawing object. Toon Boom Studio then flips through all of the drawings in the element
to see if there is a closed zone in the location you clicked. If there is, it fills the zone with the same colour. This
saves you a lot of time when painting your animation.

You can use the onion skin to select a location.

To learn more about painting, colour palettes and Onion Skin, see Adding Colours on page 125

To power paint drawings in an element:
1. Do one of the following to enable the Onion Skin feature:‣

Windows: In the Onion Skin toolbar, click the Show Onion Skin‣

Windows and Mac OS X: Select View > Onion Skin > Turn On Onion Skin.

button.

2. You can select the number of previous and next drawings you want to show by clicking on the button fromthe Onion Skin toolbar or by using the View > Onion Skin menu.
The previous and next drawings appears in both the Drawing and Camera view.

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3. From the Colour Palette view, select the swatch you want to use to paint the zone.
4. Select the Paint

tool from the Drawing Tools toolbar or select Tools > Drawing Tools > Paint.

5. Press [Shift] + [Alt] and click a zone that many drawings in the element share.

Studio evaluates all of the drawings in the element to determine if there is a closed zone beneath where
you clicked.

Setting the Timing
To learn how to set the timing of your animation, see Layers and Timing on page 197.

Playing Back Your Animation
You can play back your animation in the Camera view using the Playback toolbar.
To play back your animation:
1. Be sure you are currently using the Camera view, as this feature is not available in the Drawing view.
2. In the Timeline view, deselect the layers you do not want to show during playback.
3. In the Playback toolbar, click the Loopbutton if you want the playback to loop.

4. In the Playback toolbar, click the Playbutton to start the animation.

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Rotoscoping
Maybe you have heard about this process, but do not know how to use it. Perhaps you have an idea of how thistechnique works, but do not know where to begin. This section will help you get started.
•

What is Rotoscoping? below•

Selecting a Video on the next page•

Tracing the Character on page 249•

Painting the Animation on page 251

What is Rotoscoping?

Rotoscoping is an animation technique where the animator traces over each frame of a live-action movie toreproduce a realistic movement. This technique was invented by Max Fleischer in 1915. The movie was projected
frame by frame onto a piece of glass that the animator could trace over. The piece of equipment used in thisprocess is called a rotoscope. Today, the rotoscope has been replaced by the computer.

Reasons for Rotoscoping
Some reasons you may chose to use this process:•

The motion is very realistic.

•

The timing is accurate.

•

The characters or other elements retain their proportions and volume.

•

It helps you learn how to animate.

•

It helps you understand how to break down a movement.

•

It teaches you how to animate very subtle motions, like a slight head turn or a slow raise of the hand.

You can also superimpose your character design and only use the motion but not the actual object, person or
animal from the video.
Because rotoscoping is so realistic, it leaves little room for exaggeration, movement, squash and stretch, or avery cartoony look. If you use this technique, make sure it suits your project.

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Rotoscoping

Selecting a Video

Selecting a video to rotoscope is simple. You can:•Film the actions you need to animate yourself. For example, you could film a dog playing with a ball or aperson running,•

Find a free movie clip on the web, or•Purchase a royalty-free movie clip from a website.

Your movie format can be any of the following:•

AVI (*.avi)•

QuickTime (*.mov)•

MPEG (*.mpg)•

iPod (*.m4v)

If you find a movie clip that is not in any of these formats, you can easily convert it in an editing software.
Your clip does not need to have a very high resolution, however the higher the resolution, the more detail you
see. A minimum resolution of 300x200 is recommended.

Importing a Video
When you create your Toon Boom Studio project, you can avoid having too many drawings to trace over bycreating the project with a rate of 12 frames per second instead of 24.
To import your video:
1. Select File > Import File.
2. In the Open dialog box, browse for your clip and click Open.
3. In the Import Options dialog box, do NOT set an opacity value.

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4. Click OK.

Tracing the Character
Before you start tracing your movie, set up your brush with a low smoothness and a lively tracing colour. This isso your lines will be more faithful to the video still and you will be able to see your lines clearly.

Tracing

When you trace over your imported movie, concentrate on one element at a time. For example, if there is a boy
running with a balloon, trace the boy first and then the balloon. This helps when trying to create separate
movements. The boy moves differently than a balloon, even if they are moving at the same speed and in the same
direction.If the two objects or characters are interacting, it is best to draw them on the same layer.
Remember, when you trace over the character, try to close your zones for fast and efficient painting later on.
To trace your animation:
1. In the Timeline view, add a new layer to trace your animation.
2. If you work in the Drawing view, enable the Light Table

to see the live-action frames.

3. In the Camera/Drawing view, zoom in on your image to see the details better.
4. Trace your first frame.

5. In the Timeline view, select the second cell and trace the second image.
6. If necessary enable Onion Skinto see your previous drawings.

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Rotoscoping

7. Repeat the process until the animation is entirely traced.

Fine Tuning the Animation
Once your animation is traced, it is a good idea to deselect the live-action clip layer or turn off the Light Table,
and then go over your animation to fix the little details, such as open zones and uncompleted lines.

To learn more about closing gaps, see Adding Colours and to learn more about making invisible
strokes, see Drawing and Design on page 81.

If you want your final project to be lighter once you are done tracing, select your lines and flatten them.
To flatten your drawings:
1. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, click the Selecttool.

2. In the Timeline view, select the first frame of the tracing layer.
3. In the Camera/Drawing view, select your entire drawing.

4. Select Tools > Flatten.
5. Repeat this process for all your drawings.

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Painting the Animation

To create your colour palette, use Toon Boom Studio's special dropper to pick colours from your live-action
movie and paint your animation in the same colours as the clip.
To create your colour palette:
1. In the Colour view, create and rename your new palette.
2. In the Colour list section, add a new colour swatch by clicking the Add Colour

button.

3. In the Camera view, display your live action movie.
4. Double-click on the new colour swatch to display the Colour Picker window.
5. In the Colour picker window, click the Eye Dropper button.
6. In the Camera view, pick a colour.
7. Repeat this process until the colour palette is entirely finished.
Your animation is now ready for painting.

When you are ready to publish your animation, see Exporting Your Project on page 523.

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Marking Corrections and Notes

Marking Corrections and Notes
Toon Boom Studio has integrated several features to make adding notes and making visual corrections easy.
•

Annotation Elements

•

Notes

Annotation Elements
It does not matter if you want to place notes, suggestions or corrections to the anatomy of a drawing, you willfind the annotation levels are invaluable.
To create an annotation element:
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the Timeline view's contextual‣

Select Element > Add > Annotation.

‣

In the Exposure Sheet View toolbar, click the Add Annotation

menu, select New > Annotation

button.

The Annotation element appears in the Timeline and Exposure Sheet view.

2. Draw or make notes on this layer.

You can also select an existing Drawing element and convert it to an Annotation element.
To set a Drawing element as an Annotation element:
1. In the Timeline view, select a Drawing element.

2. From the Timeline view's the contextual

menu, select Annotation Elements > Set As Annotation

Element or select View >Annotation Elements > Set As Annotation Element.
The colour of the element name changes from black to blue and the prefix Annotation is added to it.

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After the animator has made all the requested changes, it is possible to view the full animation without seeing all
the red marks and arrows.
To hide an annotation element:
1. In the Timeline view, select the annotation element.
2. From the Timeline view's the contextual

menu, select Annotation Elements > Hide All Annotation

Elements or select View > Annotation Elements > Hide All Annotation Elements.

Working with Notes
Layer Notes
Another way to write small reminders to yourself or for others is by writing a layer/element note.
To write a layer/element note:
1. In the Timeline view, right-click on a layer and select Add Element Note or select Element > Add
Element Note.
The Note dialog box appears.
2. Type in a message, either to remind yourself about something concerning this layer, or for the next
person you are passing this project on to.

3. When you are finished typing your message, click OK.
The existence of the message is indicated by a small note icon on the respective element in both theTimeline and Exposure Sheet views.

Later on, if you want to edit or reread your own message, or access the message of another person, simply
double-click on the icon or from the top menu, select Element > Update Element Note and the Note box
reappears.

Cell Notes
To go into greater detail or to make notes more specific, you can also create notes for an individual cell or frame.

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Marking Corrections and Notes

To create a cell note:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, select the cell you want to make notes on.
2. Right-click and select Add Cell Note or select Element > Cell > Add Cell Note.
The Note dialog box opens.
3. Compose a message about that specific cell or a drawing on that cell.
4. When you are finished composing your message, click OK.
The existence of the cell note is indicated by a small note icon on the respective cell in the Exposure Sheetview.

Later on, if you want to edit or reread your own message, or access the message of another person,
right-click on the cell and select Update Cell Note or select Element > Cell > Update Cell Note.

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Preferences
When doing traditional digital animation, you work with features and options. You can customize the default
behaviour of most tools via the Preferences panel.
To open the Preferences panel:‣

Windows: Select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Toon Boom Studio 8.0 > Preferences.

You can find the preferences relating to the Onion Skin and Static Light Table features on the Light Table tab of
the Preferences panel.

Onion Skin

By default the onion skin is displayed as the element's shape in washed-out colours. Green represents the next
frames and red represents the previous frames. You can customize the onion skin display.
•

Enable Transparency: By default the onion skin is displayed with transparency. You can change this behaviour tomake the onion skin drawing opaque by deselecting this option.

•

Enable Colour Shading: By default the onion skin's previous and next drawing are displayed in red and green
washed-out colour. You can deselect this option to use the current drawing's colours washed-out as the onion skindisplay.

•

Previous Drawing Colour: Click the red colour swatch to display the colour picker in which you can select a newcolour for the previous drawings displayed in the Camera view.

•

Next Drawing Colour: Click the green colour swatch to display the colour picker in which you can select a newcolour for the next drawings displayed in the Camera view.

Static Light Table

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Preferences

Enable Shade: By default the Static Light Table displays the other drawings as washed-out colours. You can turnoff this option to display the other drawings with their real colours.

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Chapter 9: Creating a Cut-out Puppet

With Toon Boom Studio's extensive set of tools, you can create animated puppets from your drawings orphotographs. This technique is known as cut-out animation because of the way you move cut-out pieces aroundinstead of drawing.
This chapter is divided as follows:•

About Building a Cut-out Puppet on the next page•

Choosing Your Character on page 259•

Cutting the Character into Pieces on page 261•

Attaching the Pieces on page 267•

Storing the Character in the Library on page 276

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Chapter 9: Creating a Cut-out Puppet About Building a Cut-out Puppet

About Building a Cut-out Puppet
The Toon Boom Studio cut-out puppet principle is very similar to cutting up a character drawn on a sheet ofpaper and assembling the pieces using little brass fasteners. You create a drawing for each character's bodyparts and attach them in the Timeline view. Then, you can articulate the character and animate it by giving it aslightly different pose on each frame.

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Choosing Your CharacterAs you start building your puppet, the first thing you need to do is to select your character. If this is your first
puppet, it is always better to choose a simple character. A simple character is a character with two legs, twoarms, a head and torso. To start with, you should avoid a character with too many loose clothes such as a cloak
or baggy pants. Once you are used to constructing puppets, you will understand how to cut them apart andloose clothing will not be as much of a challenge for you.
The character we chose for this cut-out demonstration is a turtle.

You could also create your character from a picture. Instead of drawing a turtle, you could use a photograph of aturtle and break it apart in Toon Boom Studio or another third party software, such as Adobe Photoshop.

Creating a New Project and Importing a Character
The best way to break down your character is to create a new scene and import the character into the scene.
There are several ways to import your character in a scene:•

Create a template using the Library and import it into your new scene.

•

Import a bitmap image.

•

Scan a drawing.

•

Import a picture, etc.

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Chapter 9: Creating a Cut-out Puppet Choosing Your CharacterIf you import a picture, make sure to import it as a Vector element and not an Image element in order to erase
portions and cut pieces.
Related Topics•

Creating and Opening a Project on page 34•

Scanning Images on page 180•

Importing Bitmap Images on page 162•

Library on page 182

Creating a Colour PaletteOnce your drawing is imported into your new scene, you need to create a new colour palette for your puppet,
unless, of course, you are using a photograph.

Related Topics•

Palettes on page 152

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Cutting the Character into Pieces
To cut up your character into pieces, you must first decide which parts of the final character will move.

If you are building your first puppet, start with a very simple breakdown. Most of the time, you will want toanimate the arms, legs and head. It is not necessary to separate all the facial features from the head or to break
down the knees and elbows to get a working puppet. Breaking down the character into six pieces is enough to
produce a basic animation.

If you like, you can extend the amount of the puppet's articulation. You can bend the arms and legs, andseparate the head into several different pieces to animate the eyebrows and make the eyes blink.

How to Cut the Pieces
Once you know what you want to animate, it is time to cut the different pieces required for the animation. There
are two ways to do so. First, you can use the Cutter and Scissor tools to cut the portion needed and use thedrawing tools to complete the missing portion or, if you are not using a photo, you can trace the new pieces
using the drawing tools.

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Cutting Out Your Pieces
You will now learn about cutting parts of your character and completing any missing areas. If you are using a
picture, and because Toon Boom Studio mainly edits vector images, you may want to do this in a bitmap editing
software, such as Adobe Photoshop.

You can use the Show Strokes feature to help you clearly see the region you are cutting using the
Cutter tool. To display the strokes, select View > Show Strokes or press [K].

To cut your pieces:
1. In the Tools toolbar or in the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Cutter

tool.

2. In the Drawing view, trace a selection around the part to cut.

3. In the Tools toolbar or in the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Drawing Selecttool.

4. In the Drawing view, select the cut zone.

5. Select Edit > Copy Drawing Object or press [Ctrl] + [C] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [C] (Mac OS X).

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6. In the Timeline view, click the Add Drawing Element

button and rename the new layer corresponding

to the new piece you want to create.

7. On the right side of the Timeline view, select the new layer's first cell.
8. Click the Drawing view, to activate it.
9. Select Edit > Paste Drawing Object or press [Ctrl] + [V] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [V] (Mac OS X).

10. In the Tools toolbar, select a drawing tool to clean and complete your new drawing. The Brush
Eraserandtools are recommended.

11. In the Onion Skin toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Light Table

button so you can see youroriginal drawing while you draw.
12. In the Drawing view, clean and complete your new drawing. Make sure to draw a complete shape thatoverlaps the other body parts.

13. In the Tools toolbar, select the Paint

tool.

14. In the Colour Palette view, select the colour needed.

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15. In the Drawing view, paint your new drawing.

16. Save your project.
17. Repeat the same process for each new piece to create.

Drawing your Pieces
To draw your pieces:
1. In the Timeline view, click the Add Drawing Element

button and rename the new layer corresponding

to the new piece you want to create.

2. On the right side of the Timeline view, select the new layer's first cell.

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3. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the drawing tool of your choice. The Brush
4. In the Onion Skin toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Light Table

tool is recommended.

button to see your original

drawing while you draw.
5. In the Drawing view, trace the new piece. Make sure to draw a complete shape overlapping with the otherbody parts.

6. In the Tools toolbar, select the Paint

tool.

7. In the Colour Palette view, select the colour needed.

8. In the Drawing view, paint your new drawing.

9. Save your project.
10. Repeat the same process for each new piece to create.

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Attaching the Pieces

Once all your pieces are completed, it is time to attach them to each other, the same as you would do with thebrass fasteners. To do so, you will connect your layers to each other in the Timeline view.
This process is divided in the following steps:•

Ordering Your Layers on the next page•Attaching the Layers on page 269•

Ordering Parented Layers on page 269•

Adding a Master Peg on page 271•

Setting the Pivots on page 273

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Chapter 9: Creating a Cut-out Puppet Attaching the Pieces

Ordering Your Layers

Once you have finished drawing all your pieces, you may find that your drawings need to be reordered. You canplace these pieces in the correct order before attaching your pieces to each other.
To reorder your layers:
1. In the Timeline view, select the drawing to bring in front of the others.

2. Drag the selected layer and drop it BETWEEN the existing layers. Do NOT drop it onto a layer because it
will connect them, and in this case, you do not want to connect them.

3. Repeat this process until the entire character is in the correct order.

To reorder parented layers, see Ordering Parented Layers on the facing page.

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Attaching the Layers
When you animate, you will often want the forearm and hand to follow the upper arm when you select and moveit. To do this, you must attach the forearm to the upper arm and the hand to the forearm.

To attach a layer to another one, drag the layers one onto the other in the Timeline view.
To attach a layer to another one:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layer you want to attach to another one. For example, select the forearmlayer to attach it to the upper arm.

2. Drag the selected layer ONTO the one you want to attach it to.
Once the layer is attached to another one, it is pushed to the right.

3. Repeat this process until every piece is connected.

Ordering Parented Layers
To reorder parented layers:
1. If the piece you connected is supposed to be in front of the layer it is attached to, you can push it in front
using a keyboard shortcut, which is explained below.

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In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Transform‣In the Camera view, select the part to bring in front.

‣

Hold down the [Alt]key and press the [Down Arrow] key to nudge the drawing forward. Doing somoves the drawing very slightly forward. If you press on the key several times, the drawing will move
forward even more. You can also use the [Up Arrow] key to send the drawing backward.

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Adding a Master Peg

A good element to add to your puppet is a Master Peg. This is a trajectory on which you attach your puppet tomake it travel through your scene. t is also used when you want to scale the entire character up or down without
doing it on each individual piece. For example, you could animate your puppet walking on the spot then use theMaster Peg to get it to move from left to right.
To add a Master Peg:
1. In the Timeline view, click the Add Parent Peg

button.

2. Double-click the new Peg and name it myCharacterName-Peg.

3. In the Timeline view, select all your puppet's layers.

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4. Drag the selection ONTO the new peg.
All the layers are connected to the peg and moved slightly to the right.

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Setting the Pivots

In order for your pieces to rotate properly, it is important to set the pivots at the right location. The pivot is thepoint from which the body part will rotate; they generally correspond to an articulation. To know where toposition a pivot point, think of your own body. If you are moving an arm, notice that your own arm rotates fromthe shoulder. So, the pivot point for the puppet's arm must be located at the shoulder. The pivot point for theforearm will be the elbow, etc.
You can apply this technique to anything you want to animate that contains a joint or pivot. For example, if you
are animating a spider, study a real spider or a film of a spider moving to determine where you should place thepivot points correctly in your animation.
To position the pivots:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Rotate

tool.

2. In the Timeline or Camera view, select the first layer on which to set the pivot.
The green pivot point appears.

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3. In the Properties view, select the Properties tab. In the Properties, decide how you want to apply thepivot:‣

Rotation: The pivot point applies to rotation only.

‣

Scale: The pivot point applies to scaling only.

‣

Both: The pivot point applies to both rotation and scaling.

4. In the Camera view, click the green pivot point and drag it to a new position.

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5. In the Camera view, rotate the part to see if the point is well positioned. If not, relocate it.

6. Repeat this process for each piece. Do not forget to set a pivot for the eyes and mouth. This is generally
located at the centre of the drawing.
Do not forget to do this for your master peg. Positioning the pivot between the feet is often a good
option.

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Chapter 9: Creating a Cut-out Puppet Storing the Character in the Library

Storing the Character in the LibraryYour puppet is now ready and can be imported into your different scenes to be animated. The best way to reuse
your puppet is to store it in the Library as a template. From there, you can open a different scene or project anddrag it from the Library into your scene.

Refer to the Importing Artwork on page 161 chapter to learn more about creating templates andorganizing your library.

To store your puppet in the library:
1. In the Timeline view, click the Master Peg's collapsing arrow button to collapse your puppet.

2. In the left side of the Timeline view, select the puppet's master peg.
3. Drag your selection to the Global Library folder or any other one you may have created for your project.

4. Double-click the template and rename it with your character's name.
5. Select File > Save Global Library.
Your puppet is completed.

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Chapter 10: Setting the Scene

Setting up your scene can be compared to building a set for a television show. This is the point where you
position each scene element, such as the Camera frame, background elements, and characters.
In this chapter, you will learn about the following:•

Importing the Scene Elements on the next page•

Ordering the Element Layers on page 279•

Positioning the Scene Elements on page 281•

Cloning and Duplicating Elements on page 285•

Setting the Camera Frame on page 288•

Creating a Multiplane on page 293

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Importing the Scene Elements

Importing the Scene Elements
The first step when building your set is to gather up the scene's elements and import them into your Studio
project.

Background, Sound or Movie
Refer to Importing Artwork on page 161 to learn how to import different types of elements inside your scene.
Refer to Sound and Lip-sync on page 421 to learn how to import sound files.

Show Scene Background Colour
If you have no background and want to use your Scene Background Colour as a colour card, enable the Show
Scene Background Colour option. A colour card has no boundary.

By default, the Scene Background Colour is set to white. Refer to Starting Your Project on page 31 tolearn how to set the colour of your colour card.

To enable the Show Scene Background Colour option:‣

Select View > Show Scene Background Colour.

To disable the Show Scene Background Colour option:‣

Select View > Hide Scene Background Colour.

Templates
Refer to Importing Artwork on page 161 to learn how to import elements from the Library view.

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Ordering the Element Layers

When you import the elements of your scene, they might not appear in the right order in which case, you need toreorder your layers. This can be easily done in the Timeline view or by using the Arrange commands from the Top
menu. You can also use the Ordering Layer Types in the Properties view.
•

Ordering Layers in the Timeline View below•

Ordering Layers Using the Arrange Command on the next page•

Ordering Layer Types on the next page

Ordering Layers in the Timeline View
Ordering your layers in Studio is as easy as a drag and drop.
The order in the Timeline view will determine the way the layers appear in the Camera view.
•

The layer on top of the Timeline view will appear in front of all the other elements in the Camera view.

•

The layer on the bottom of the Timeline view will appear behind all other elements in the Camera view.

To order layers in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layers to move.
2. Drag the selection to the new location and drop it between the layers. Be careful not to drop yourselection on a layer, this would create hierarchy.

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Ordering Layers Using the Arrange Command
You can also reorder the layers in your scene by using the Arrange menu command.
To arrange the layers:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layer you wish to reorder.
2. Select Arrange > the desired option from the Timeline View menu. You can also select Element >Arrange > the desired option:‣

Bring to Front: Moves the layer to the top of the Timeline view order. Your element is displayed in
front of everything else in the Camera view.

‣

Bring Forward: Moves the layer one step higher in the Timeline view order. Your element is displayed
one level higher in the Camera view.

‣

Send to Back: Moves the layer to the bottom of the Timeline view order. Your element is displayed
behind everything else in the Camera view.

‣

Send Backward: Moves the layer one step lower in the Timeline view order. Your element is displayed
one level lower in the Camera view.

This option will permanently reorder layers in the Timeline view. If you want to reorder the drawing
strokes, see Arrange on page 121 or if you want to animate the layer postion over time, see OrderingYour Layers on page 268 and Ordering Parented Layers on page 269.

Ordering Layer Types
In the Properties view, you can also set a layer ordering type for your elements.
•

Background: Setting your layer as a Background type layer automatically orders this element behind allothers in the Camera view. When it is set to Background, the Timeline ordering will have no effect on thislayer.

•

Normal: By default all layers are set as the Normal type layer. A layer set to the Normal type is affected by
the ordering level in the Timeline view.

•

Foreground: Setting your layer as a Foreground type layer automatically places this element in front of allothers in the Camera view. When it is set to Foreground, the Timeline ordering has no effect on this layer.

To set the ordering layer type of an element:
1. In the Timeline or Camera view, select the element for which you wish to set the ordering type.
The selected layer parameters appear in the Properties view.
2. From the Type menu, select a layer type for your element.

Your element is ordered in the Camera view.

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Positioning the Scene Elements
In Studio it is easy to position your elements. You can do this by using the Selecttool or the Properties view.

This topic is divided as follow:•

Positioning Elements Using the Select Tool below•

Positioning Elements Using the Properties View below•

Flipping Elements on the next page•

Show Outline Selection on page 283•

Locking Elements on page 283

Positioning Elements Using the Select Tool
Using the Selecttool, you can position, scale, rotate, and skew elements directly in the Camera view without

creating a keyframe.

To use the Select tool:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, click the Selecttool, select Tools > Animation Tools > Select, orpress [6].
2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the element you want to position.
3. Use one of the bounding box handles to position and transform your element.
‣

Hold down the [Shift] key as you scale to keep the ratio when using the corner handles.

‣

Hold down the [Shift] key as you rotate to lock the rotation every 15 degrees.

Positioning Elements Using the Properties View
Using the Properties view, you can position, scale, rotate, and skew elements using exact values.
To use the Properties view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layer of the element you want to position.

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The layer is displayed in the Properties view.

2. In the Properties view, set the positioning values:‣

Rotation: Enter a rotation angle value for the position of your element.

‣

Skew: Enter a skew angle value for the position of your element.

‣

Offset: Enter the X and Y values for the position of your element.

‣

Rotation Pivot: Enter the X and Y values for the position of the Rotation Pivot of your element. This is
the central point to which your rotation angle is calculated.

‣

Scale Pivot: Enter the X and Y values for the position of the Scale Pivot of your element. This is thecentral point to which the scaling is calculated.

‣

Scale: Enter the scaling value for the position of your element. 1 = 100%.

‣

Keep Proportions: Retains the proportions of the original element when scaling it down or up.

You can change the type of unit that is displayed and used in the Properties view to inches or
centimetres instead of the default Field values—see Preferences on page 338.

Flipping Elements
Sometimes you may need to flip a character element when you are positioning it. For example, if you want a face
to look in the opposite direction. This can be easily done using the Flip commands which can produce ahorizontal or vertical mirror image of your element.
To flip an element:
1. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the element you want to flip.
2. Select Element > Transform > Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User GuideShow Outline Selection
When you position many overlapping elements, use the Show Outline Selection option. This is very useful andonce enabled it displays the outline of the selected element as blue lines that appear on top of everything else.

To enable the Show Outline Selection option:
1. Select View > Show Outline Selection.

Locking Elements
When you are positioning your elements in the Camera view you can lock the layers so that they will not move.
Locking layers prevents them from being accidentally selected or moved.

Locking and Unlocking a Layer
To lock a layer:
1. In the Timeline view, select the element you want to lock.

2. In the Timeline View Menu, select Lock > Lock or right-click on the selected layer and Lock > Lock.
The name of locked layers appears in red.

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Positioning the Scene Elements

To unlock a layer:
1. In the Timeline view, select the locked element you want to unlock.

2. In the Timeline View menu, select Lock > Unlock or right-click on the selected layer and Lock > Unlock.

Locking and Unlocking All Layers
To lock/unlock all layers:
1. In the Timeline view, select a layer.
2. In the Timeline View menu, select Lock > Lock All or Unlock All or right-click on the selected layer andLock > Lock All or Unlock All.
All layers in the Timeline view are locked or unlocked depending on what you selected.

Locking All Other Layers
To lock all other layers:
1. In the Timeline view, select the element you want to keep unlocked.

2. In the Timeline View menu, select Lock > Lock All Others or right-click on the selected layer and Lock >Lock All Other.
All layers, except the selected one is locked.

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Cloning and Duplicating Elements

It's easy to create crowd scenes or reuse animation in your scene by making use of the clone and duplicate
options. The example we use here is the creation of a school of fish swimming in the sea.

Cloning Layers

Cloning a layer provides you with a copy of the selected layer that uses the same drawings as the original. If you
modify a drawing in the cloned or original layer it is updated in both layers. You can modify the layers' timing
independently one from the other, but the drawings remain linked.
This feature is useful when you want to reuse an animation but have different timings.
To clone a layer:
1. In the Timeline view or Exposure sheet, click the layer you want to clone.

2. In the Timeline View menu, select Clone Element or in the top menu Element > Clone Element or rightclick on the row header and select Clone Element.
The cloned layer appears in the Timeline view. In the Camera view, an identical element appears at thesame place as the original one.

3. Repeat step 2 until you have all the cloned layers you need.

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Cloning and Duplicating Elements

4. In the Camera view, you can reposition and transform your duplicated layers if you need by using theAnimation Selecttool—see Positioning the Scene Elements on page 281 to learn more about the
Animation Select tool.

Duplicating Layers

Duplicating a layer provides you with an independent copy of the drawings and their exposure. You can modify
anything you want in the duplicated layer without affecting the original one.
You can use duplicated layers if, for example, you want to reuse an animation of a fish to create a school of fish
but you still want to modify some of them to give them their own personality.
To duplicate a layer:
1. In the Timeline view, click the layer you want to duplicate.

2. In the Timeline View menu, select Duplicate Element or in the top menu select Element > DuplicatedElement or right-click the row header and select Duplicate Element.

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The duplicated layer appears in the Timeline view. In the Camera view, an identical element appears at thesame exact place as the original one.

3. Repeat step 2 until you have all the duplicated layers you need.

4. In the Camera view, you can reposition and transform your duplicated layers by using the Animation Selecttool—see Positioning the Scene Elements on page 281 to learn more about the Animation Selecttool.

5. In the Drawing view, modify your drawings if needed—see Drawing and Design on page 81 to learn how
to draw in Studio.

Refer to Pegs on page 305 to learn how to use cloned or duplicated fish to create a school of fish
swimming along a defined trajectory.

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Setting the Camera Frame

Setting the Camera Frame
The scene action occurs inside the camera frame, so it is really important to set it up correctly.
•

Adding a Camera Layer below•

Choosing the Active Camera Layer on the facing page•

Setting the Camera Frame Position on page 290

Adding a Camera Layer
By default, Toon Boom Studio automatically adds a camera to every new project you create, but you can also
add your own camera layer if needed.

The default Camera layer cannot be deleted.

To add a Camera layer from the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, click the Add Element

button.

The New Elements dialog box opens.

‣

In the Type drop-down menu, select Camera.

‣In the Name field, type in a name for your Camera layer. By default, the name of your Toon BoomStudio project appears in this field.

‣

In the Number field, type in the number of Camera layers you want to add. You can also use the up anddown arrow buttons to change the numbers.

‣

Click OK.

The new Camera layer appears in the Timeline view.

You can also use the Scene View toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X) to add a new Camera layer to your scene.
To add a Camera layer from the Scene View toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X):
1. In the Scene View toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Camera drop-down menu button.

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2. Select Add Camera from the drop-down menu.
A new Camera layer appears in the Timeline view.

Refer to Discovering the Interface on page 55 to learn how to customize your workspace and display
the different toolbars.

Choosing the Active Camera Layer
The Camera layer provided in your scene is the active camera by default. If you add several cameras to your scene
and want to have different settings on each, you can use the Scene View toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X)
camera list to switch from one camera to another. You can use this feature if you are still working on your scene
composition and you have different camera setups to choose from. Remember that a peg is automaticallyattached to the camera.
To select an camera:
1. In the Scene View toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Camera drop-down menu button.

2. Select a camera from the menu.

In the Timeline view, the active Camera layer is displayed in italics.

Refer to Discovering the Interface on page 55 to learn how to customize your workspace and display
the different toolbars.

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Setting the Camera Frame

Setting the Camera Frame Position
You can set the Camera Frame position by using the Animation Selecttool or the Properties view.

Setting the Frame Using the Select Tool
First, you can set the position of the camera frame.
To set up the camera frame using the Select tool:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, click the Selecttool or select Tools > Animation Tools > Select orpress [6].
2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the camera.
The frame turns red in the Camera view.
3. In the Camera view, grab the camera frame and drag it to the desired position.

As you position your camera, notice that the camera frame is moving slightly slower than your cursor. This is dueto the perspective effect because the Camera is not situated at the same depth level as the elements.
You can set your Active Camera to the Default Camera using the Scene View toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X).
This will enable a default camera frame in which you can position your Camera frame without experiencing theperspective illusion. Note that you cannot move the default camera; it is only an indication of the default camera
space.
To enable the Default camera:
1. In the Scene View toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Camera menu button and select Default.

A checkmark identifies the currently active camera in the list.

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Refer to Discovering the Interface on page 55 to learn how to customize your workspace and display
the different toolbars.
You can also set the Field of View, which is also called the Zoom level of the camera frame.

If the default camera is enabled, you can not set the Field of View angle with the Select tool.

To set the Field of View angle using the Select tool:
1. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the camera. Once it is selected, the frame will become red in the
Camera view.
2. In the Camera view, grab the FOV square at the bottom of the frame and drag it to change the zoom
level.

Setting the Frame Using the Properties View
You can also set the camera position and field of view with exact values using the Properties view.

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Setting the Camera Frame

Refer to Discovering the Interface on page 55 to learn how to customize your workspace and display
the different toolbars.

To use the Properties view:
1. In the Camera or Timeline view, select your camera.

The Camera information is displayed in the Properties view.

2. In the Properties view, set the desired positioning values:‣

Offset: Type in the X and Y position values.

‣

FOV Type:
Static: By default the Static Field of View type is enabled, this means that the zoom value will not be
animated, it will stay the same throughout the scene. Type in the desired Field of View angle value.
Dynamic: Enable this option to animate the zooming value over time—see Animating the Camera on
page 320 to learn more about animating the Field of View.

You can change the type of unit to be displayed and used in the Properties view to inches or
centimetres instead of the default Field values—see Preferences on page 338.

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Creating a Multiplane

One of the exciting features in Studio is the Multiplane. In the Multiplane you can create backgrounds in several
layers and spread them in depth along the Z-axis. This way you add depth to your project, and when you movethe camera through this environment, it creates an impressive perspective illusion.

Distributing the Elements on the Z-axis
When it is time to position elements along the Z-axis, you can do it via the Top, Side, Camera, or Properties view•

Top and Side Views on the next page•

Camera View on page 296•

Properties View on page 296

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Creating a Multiplane

Top and Side Views

The Top and Side views are representations of your scene's space viewed from the top and side.
When you move your element along the Z-axis, you will notice that it seems they are getting smaller or larger.
This is because of the perspective effect, the elements that are closer to the camera appear larger and theelements that are far away, appear smaller. Because of this, once they are positioned you might need to resize
your elements using the Animation Selecttool.
To position elements in the Top view:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the proper tool:‣

Select the Animation Selecttool if you want to set the static position of your element. The element

will be positioned without creating a keyframe.
‣

Select the Transform

tool if you want to animate the element along the Z-axis, this will create akeyframe.
2. In the Timeline or Camera view, select the elements you want to reorder.
In the Top view, the selected element is represented by a darker green line.

3. In the Top view, grab your element and drag it to a new position or use the arrow keys:‣

A vertical drag will position it along the Z-axis (Forward or Backward).

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An horizontal drag will position it on the X-axis (East or West).

As you position your elements in the Top view, you can see the position update simultaneously in the
Camera view.
To position elements in the Side view:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select a tool:‣

Select the Animation Selecttool if you want to set the static position of your element. The element

will be positioned without creating a keyframe.
‣

Select the Transform

tool if you want to animate the element along the Z-axis. This will create akeyframe.
2. In the Timeline or Camera view, select the element you want to reorder.
In the Side view, the selected element is represented by a darker green line.

3. In the Side view, grab your element and drag it to a new position or use your arrow keys:‣

A vertical drag will position it along the Y-axis (North or South).

‣

An horizontal drag will position it on the Z-axis (Forward or Backward).

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Creating a Multiplane

As you position your elements in the Side view, you can see the position updating simultaneously in the
Camera view.

Camera View
You can order your elements along the Z-axis directly in the Camera view.
To distribute elements in the Camera view:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the proper tool:‣

Select the Animation Selecttool if you want to set the static position of your element. The element

will be positioned without creating a keyframe.
‣

Select the Transform

tool if you want to animate the element along the Z-axis, this will create akeyframe.
2. In the Camera view, select the element you want, then to reorder it press and hold the [Alt].
3. Next, press the [Up Arrow] arrow key to nudge the element backward or the [Down Arrow] arrow key tonudge the element forward. As you send your element backward or forward, you can see the result in the
Top or Side view.

Properties View
You can use the Properties view to order your elements along the Z-axis using positive and negative values.
To order elements using the Properties view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layer of the element you want to order.

The layer properties are displayed in the Properties view.

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2. In the Properties view, set the desired values:‣

Offset: Type in a positive or negative value for the Z-axis position.

‣

Scale: Type in a positive or negative value to resize your element following the Z-axis position of yourelement.

‣

Keep Proportions: Retains the ratio, and resizes your element proportionally.

Instead of using the default Field value, you can change of type of unit displayed in the Properties
view to inches or centimetres—see Preferences on page 338.

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Chapter 11: Creating Motion Paths

Another step in setting your scene is to create a motion path. Once your space and camera frame it set up, you
can connect animate objects, instantly create motion, or connect elements to a peg to animate them on a
trajectory.
In this topic, you will learn about the following:•

Animating Objects on a Layer on the next page•

Instant Motion on page 301•

Pegs on page 305•

Motion Path on page 310•

Animating the Camera on page 320•

Function Editor View on page 322•

Other Options on page 330•

Preferences on page 338

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Animating Objects on a Layer
This section describes the basics of animating objects on a layer. Studio's wide range of features let you produce
accurate trajectories. However, before reaching this level you must learn how to create a simple motion.
To animate a layer:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Transform

tool.

2. In the Timeline view, go to the first frame.

3. In the Camera view, select the element to animate and move it to its first position.

4. In the Timeline view, go to the frame on which you want to set the second position.

5. In the Camera view, move the selected element to its new position.

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6. In the Playback toolbar, click the Playbutton to view your animation.

Instant Motion
With Instant Motion, creating animation could not be easier. First, you create a drawing and then you translate,scale, or rotate it. As you manipulate your drawing, small dots are created, representing keyframes. The slower
the movement, the more dots are created.
Once you release the pointer, your animation is created. It is represented on the Timeline view as a path. Your
animation can be as long or as short as you like. As you continue to move your drawing, by default, the path isautomatically extended. You can create more motion paths, one after the other. Each one is automatically
added to the end of the last one.

To create instant motion:
1. Create a drawing—see Drawing and Design on page 81.
2. In the Animation toolbar, click the Instant Motion

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A bounding box with control points and a rotation handle appear around your drawing, and the InstantMotion box opens.

3. Do one of the following to animate your drawing (only one single transformation type is possible permotion recording):‣

Translate: To move the drawing, position the pointer over your drawing and drag it to a new locationon the screen.

‣

Scale: Position the pointer at one of the bounding box points, and drag to scale your drawing.

‣

Rotate: Position the pointer on the rotation handle or rotation point at a corner of your drawing.
Drag to rotate the drawing.

As you translate, scale, or rotate your drawing, small dots are created to represent the keyframes of youranimation. When you release the pointer, the speed path of your animation is recorded.

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4. Click the Playbutton to view your animation.

5. If you want to combine different motions such as a rotation and a scale, you can record the motions
separately using parented pegs. The first peg can be used for the rotation and the second one for the
scale. In the Timeline view, select your drawing layer and click on the Add Parent Peg button to attach apeg to it. Select that peg and move it around with the Instant Motion tool like you did previously for yourdrawing layer. You can add as many parented pegs as you want to decompose your motions. It is always
better to have the main translation (trajectory) as the top parent peg to avoid a conflict with rotation andscaling motion that you affect your entire trajectory rather than the drawing only.

If you want to change a section of your animation once it is recorded, you can move the Timeline
playhead to the frame where you want to start overriding the exiting keyframes with a new recording
and move your drawing again using the Instant Motion tool.

Instant Motion Properties
The Instant Motion box lets you set the speed at which keyframes are created (the capture speed) and decide if
you want to automatically extend the drawing exposure. By default, drawing movements are always recorded.

•

Capture Speed: The speed at which keyframes are created as you manipulate your drawing. The default
value is 100. The higher the number, the faster movement recording occurs in the viewer, as indicated by
the numbers of dots in the viewer.

•

Auto Extend Drawing Exposure: By default, this option is on. This option automatically extends thedrawing exposure. This means you do not have to extend your existing drawings once the motion iscreated.

•Smoothness: Smooths the movement of the animation. The higher the value, the smooth the motion.

Orienting Animation on a Path
Once you have created your animation, you can orient the drawing to the motion path. The Orient to Path
option is available in the Properties view.
In this example, the default setting shows the fish keeping its original orientation throughout the motion path.
However, when the Orient to Path option is enabled, the fish follows the motion path.

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To orient your animation on a path:
1. Create a drawing.
2. Use Instant Motion to create the motion path.
3. In the Properties view, select the Orient to Path option.

Make sure to create your animation using Instant Motion before selecting the Orient to Path option.

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Pegs
When creating a motion path for your element, you need to add Peg layers in your scene and parent yourelements to them.
This topic includes the following:•

Adding a Peg below•

Adding a Parent Peg below•

Parenting Elements to a Peg on the next page•

Expanding and Collapsing Layers on page 307•

Peg Only Mode on page 307•

Peg Toolbar on page 308

Adding a Peg
A Peg layer is a trajectory that contains no drawing, onto which you can attach your drawings.
To add a Peg:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the top menu, select Element > Add > Peg.

‣

In the Timeline View toolbar, click the Add New Elements button and select Peg from the dialog
window.

‣

In the contextual menu in the Timeline view, select New > Peg.

The Peg layer appears in the Timeline view, on top of the selected element.

Adding a Parent Peg
Adding a Parent Peg will automatically parent the new peg with the selected element as it is created.
To add a Parent Peg:
1. In the Timeline view, select the element you want to parent to a peg.

2. Do one of the following:‣

In the top menu, select Element > Add > Parent Peg.

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In the contextual menu in the Timeline view, select New>Parent Peg.

‣

In the Timeline View toolbar, select the Parent Peg Button.

The Parent Peg layer appears in the Timeline view with the selected element already connected to it.

Parenting Elements to a Peg
If you want to connect an element to an existing peg or if you need to connect several layers to a peg at once,
here is how you can do it.
Using the school of fish example in the Cloning and Duplicating Elements on page 285 topic, we'd like to makethe fish swim together as a team. To do this, you must parent them all to the same peg.
To parent elements to a peg:
1. In the Timeline view, select the elements you want to connect to a peg. You can make a multiple selection
with [Shift] + click.

2. Click and drag your selection on the desired peg.

You can also use the Attach to Next Object and Detach from Parent commands to connect and disconnect
elements from a peg or from one another—see Other Options on page 330.

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Expanding and Collapsing Layers
To simplify the look of your Timeline view, you can collapse and expand your layers. If some layers are parented
to other ones, you can collapse the parent layer to hide its children.
To collapse a layer selection in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layers to collapse.

2. Select Arrange > Collapse/Expand from the contextual menu or click the Expand Children Arrow on theparent layer.

To expand a layer selection in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layers to expand.

2. Select Arrange > Collapse/Expand from the contextual menu or click the Expand Children Arrow on theparent layer.

Peg Only Mode
Once you start to add Peg elements in your scene you can change the selection mode in the Camera view so thatyou can only select pegs. This can be useful when you are working on your motion paths and you want to preventthe selection of elements in the Camera view.
To enable Peg Only Mode:•

Select Tools > Turn On Peg-Only Mode or press [M].

To disable Peg Only Mode:•

Select Tools > Turn Off Peg-Only Mode or press [M].

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Peg Toolbar
The Peg Toolbar provides useful peg display options. In Mac OS X, you may customize your top toolbar to add
these buttons—see Customizing Toolbars on Mac OS X on page 73.
•

Show All Pegs
Enable or disable this option to display or hide all the pegs of your scene. If you have hidden pegs, you canshow them without changing their show/hide status in the element list in the Timeline window.
You can also select View > Pegs > Show All Pegs.

•

Show Peg Ghosts
When you are creating motion paths, elements linked to a Peg element may be offset from the motion
path. This can make it difficult to visualize how an element will change position as it follows the peg. You
can display peg ghosts in the Camera view to see the path that an element linked to a peg will follow.
You can also select View > Pegs > Show Peg Ghosts.

•

Show Pivot Path
When you animated a peg pivot, you can display the resulting path in the Camera view.
You can also select View > Pegs > Show Pivot Path.

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Refer to Function Editor View on page 322 to learn how to animate a peg pivot.
•

Show Element Arms
You can show element arms when you are rotating a peg that you have attached multiple elements to.
When you show element arms, a rotation handle appears on each element attached to the peg. You canalso select View > Pegs > Show Element Arms.

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Motion Path

Once you have hooked your elements to a peg, you can start adding keyframes to create a motion path. Thisway, you can make an animation, such as an on-the-spot walk cycle or swimming cycle cross the screen.
This topic includes the following:•

Creating a Basic Motion Path below•

Displaying and Hiding a Motion Path on page 312•

Adding and Controlling Motion Points on page 312•

Switching between Keyframes and Control Points on page 315•

Adjusting the Tension, Bias and Continuity on page 316•

Previous and Next Control Point on page 317•

Orient to Path on page 318•

Constant Z on page 319•

Snap Last Keyframe on page 319

Creating a Basic Motion Path
To create a basic motion path:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion
with the Transformtool. It is also possible to create your motion pathtool.

2. Select Tools > Turn On Peg-Only Mode or press [M] to turn on the Peg-only mode. This will limit
selection in the Camera view to pegs only.
3. In the Timeline view, go to the frame on which you want the motion path to start.

4. In the Camera view, select the elements that you want to follow a motion path. Their parent peg willautomatically be selected because of the Peg-only mode.

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5. In the Camera view, click and drag your selection to the first position of the motion path trajectory.

A keyframe is automatically created in the Timeline view. This keyframe is also displayed in the Camera,
Top and Side views as a red square with an arrow.

6. In the Timeline view, go to the last frame of your trajectory.
7. In the Camera view, drag your selection to the last position of the motion path trajectory.
The trajectory appears in the Camera view and a new keyframe is created in the Timeline view.

When you create a motion path with non-constant segments, notice a series of tick marks that represent
the position of the element for each frame.
A basic motion path is created and your animation now follows the trajectory you created. In thisexample, the fish will swim across the screen in a straight line.
You can also modify the velocity of the motion path using the Function Editor view—see Function Editor
View on page 322.

You can set your preferences, so when you create a motion path, a default velocity is automaticallyapplied—see Preferences on page 338.

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Displaying and Hiding a Motion Path
By default, when you select a peg, its motion path is automatically displayed in the Camera view but as soon as
you select an element that is not related to this peg, the motion path is hidden. You can enable the peg layer toallow the motion path to be displayed at anytime in the Camera view, even when it is not selected.
To display a motion path:
1. In the Timeline view, click the peg layer arrow button to expand it.

2. In the Timeline view, enable the peg layer.

The motion path is displayed in the Camera view even when the peg is not selected.

It is important that the peg layer is NOT collapsed when enabling or disabling it or else all of theparented layers would also be enabled and disabled at the same time.

Adding and Controlling Motion Points
You can create a motion path that is not straight by adding motion points to the trajectory. Motion points canbe either keyframes or control points. Keyframes are locked to a specific frame and control points are not.
•Add keyframes when you want your element to reach a specific position on a specific frame number. A
keyframe is displayed as a red square.

•

Add control points when you want your element to reach a specific position, but not at a specific frame
number. A control point is displayed as a green circle.

With the Motion

tool, you can modify motion paths by adding and moving keyframes on the peg.

When used simultaneously, the Camera, Top and Side views allow you to create motion paths that go from X, Y,
or Z.
•

In the Camera view, you can control the X and Y positions of the motion path.

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In the Top view, you can control the X, Y, and Z positions of the motion path.

•

In the Side view, you can control the Y and Z positions of the motion path.

To add motion point:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion

tool.

2. In the Timeline view, select the peg layer.
The motion path trajectory will appear in the Camera, Top and Side views.
3. In the Camera, Top or Side view, place the pointer over the trajectory while holding one these two keys:‣

Hold the [Alt] key and click to add a keyframe. The pointer will change to a black square.

‣

Hold the [Shift] key to add a control point. The pointer will change to a black diamond.

4. In the Camera, Top or Side view, place the black square where you want your motion point to be added
and click.

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A keyframe or a control point is added exactly at that place.

5. In the Camera view, click and drag the new control points to control the motion path.
‣

The keyframe is locked to a specific frame. Repositioning the new keyframe along the path will modify
the speed of the two segments.

‣

The control point is not locked to a specific frame. Repositioning the new control point will not affectthe speed of the two segment, it will remain constant throughout the motion path.

6. To delete a control point, select it from the motion path and press [Del].
To add and remove control points from the Properties view:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion

tool.

2. In the Timeline view, select the motion path peg to display it in the Camera view.
3. In the Camera view, select one of the control points on your motion path.
The control point properties are displayed in the Properties view.
4. In the bottom of the properties view, click on the Add

The Add Motion Point dialog box opens.

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5. Use the Point Type drop down menu to select between Control Point and Keyframe.

6. In the Frame field, enter the frame number where you want the new motion point to be added.

7. Click OK.
The new motion point is added to your motion path.
8. To delete a selected motion point using the Properties view, click Delete.

You can also modify the velocity between the different control points using the Function Editor view—seeFunction Editor View on page 322.

Switching between Keyframes and Control Points
You can easily switch from a keyframe to a control point or the opposite using the Properties view.
To switch between keyframe and control point using the Properties view:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion

tool.

2. In the Timeline view, select the motion path peg to display it in the Camera view.
3. In the Camera view, select one of the control points on your motion path.
The control point properties are displayed in the Properties view.

4. Select or deselect the Lock in Time option:

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If you selected a control point, the Lock in Time option is disabled. Enable it to turn your control point
into a keyframe.

‣

If you selected a keyframe, the Lock in Time option is enabled. Disable it to turn your keyframe into acontrol point.

5. You can also enable or disable the Constant Segment option:‣

By default, the Constant Segment is disabled because Studio automatically creates non-constantsegments between keyframes. Enable it to turn your segment to a constant segment.

‣

If the motion point you selected precedes a constant segment, the option will be enabled. Disable it tochange your segment to a non-constant segment.

Refer to the Animating a Puppet on page 395 chapter to learn more about keyframes and constantvs. non-constant segments.

Adjusting the Tension, Bias and Continuity
You can use the Tool Properties view to edit keyframes and control point parameters such as position,
continuity, bias, tension and lock in time.
Each time a Keyframe or a Control Point is selected in the Camera, Top or Side view, its parameters appear in
the Properties view.

You can adjust these parameters on existing Control Points and Keyframes by selecting the point in the Camera
View with the Motion tool and using the Continuity, Tension and Bias sliders in the Properties view.
•

Continuity: Controls the smoothness of a transition between the segments joined by a point.

•

Tension: Controls how sharply the path bends as it passes through a control point or keyframe.

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Bias: Controls the path slope so that it flows towards one side of the motion point or the other.

You can customize the default Tension, Continuity and Bias values in your preferences. Refer to thePreferences on page 338 topic to learn how to set your preferences.

Previous and Next Control Point
In Studio, there are shortcuts and options available for navigating between control points on a motion path.
To navigate between control points using shortcuts and menu option:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion

tool.

2. In the Timeline view, select the motion path peg to display it in the Camera view.
3. In the Camera view, select one of the control points on your motion path.
‣

To go to the previous control point, select Element > Arrange > Previous Control Point or press [,].

‣

To go to the next control point, select Element > Arrange > Next Control Point or press [.].

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To navigate between control points using the Properties view:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion

tool.

2. In the Timeline view, select the motion path peg to display it in the Camera view.
3. In the Camera view, select one of the control points on your motion path.
The control point properties are displayed in the Properties view.
4. In the bottom of the Properties view, click on the Previous and Next buttons to navigate through thecontrol points.

Orient to PathStudio has an option which forces the element connected to the path to follow the motion path.The Orient toPath option is available in the Peg layer Properties view.
In this example, the default setting shows the fish keeping its original orientation throughout the motion path.
However, when the Orient to Path option is enabled, the fish follows the motion path. You could use this option
if you wanted to make the fish leap out of the water and back in again.

To enable the Orient to Path option:
1. In the Timeline view, select the parent peg of the element you want to follow the motion path.
The properties of the selected peg are displayed in the Properties view.
2. In the Properties view, select the Orient to Path option.

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Constant Z
In the Properties view of a peg layer, you have the Constant Z option. This option is disabled by default, whichmeans that when you create a motion path along the Z-axis, the automatic interpolation calculates the X, Y and Z
axis values. When it is enabled, the interpolation calculates the X and Y axis values and will keep the Z-axis value
as constant.

To enable the Constant Z option:
1. In the Timeline view, select the peg on which you want to enable the constant Z option.
The properties of the selected peg appear in the Properties view.
2. In the Properties view, select the Constant Z option.

Snap Last Keyframe
The Snap Last Keyframe command forces the last keyframe and the keyframe before it to retain the same
position values.
To enable the Snap Last Keyframe option:
1. Select Tools > Snap Last Keyframe.

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Animating the Camera
In Studio, a peg is automatically added on a camera. This lets you animate the camera visually in the Camera, Top
and Side views, with the function curve, or by typing values in the Properties view.
Scenes are not only composed of characters moving around in a static camera field, they are also composed ofcamera movements. Although it is not always something that we think about, often it is the exact opposite, thecharacter is static while the camera moves through elements on the stage. Camera pans, jumps, cuts and zooms
are as important to storytelling as the story itself.
Studio has a camera that can move along the X, Y and Z axes. Having the camera move on the Z-axis allows you
to create truck in and truck out, as well as multiplane camera moves.
This topic is divided as follow:•

Adding a Peg to Your Camera below•

Making a Basic Camera Move below

Adding a Peg to Your Camera
If your camera layer is not attached to a peg, you can manually add one.
To add a parent peg to your camera:
1. In the Timeline view, select the Camera layer.
2. From the top menu, select Element > Add > Parent Peg.
A Peg layer appears directly above the Camera layer and the Camera layer is automatically attached to it.
The Peg layer automatically takes the name of the camera and adds the suffix -P to indicate that it is apeg layer, for example Camera-P.

Making a Basic Camera Move
Because a peg is automatically added on a camera, you are ready to animate your camera.
To animate your camera:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion

tool.

2. In the Timeline view, select the camera peg layer on the first frame where you want your camera motion tostart. It can be the first frame of the scene or any other frame.

3. Right-click and select Add Keyframe or press [l].
4. In the Top view, select the camera and move it to the desired position. You can refer back to the Camera
view to see how this camera moves the frames in your scene.

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5. In the Timeline view, click on a cell in the Camera Peg layer where you want the camera move to end.

6. Right-click and select Add Keyframe or press [l].
A keyframe appears in that cell.

7. In the Top view, select the camera and move it to the desired position.

A second keyframe appears and a line is created between the two frames to indicate that Studio createda non-constant segment, meaning that it will automatically interpolate the movement.
Related Topics•

Setting the Camera Frame on page 288•

Creating a Basic Motion Path on page 310

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Function Editor View
The graph in the Function Editor View displays the motion over the first and last keyframes set in the scene, as
well as any motion points created in between.

If the scene is 60 frames, but the motion path ends at frame 40, then the editor will only display up toframe 40.

You can use the Function Editor View to create and edit motion paths and movements as well as edit velocity.

This topic is divided as follows:•

Function Editor View - Overview below•

Adjusting the Velocity on the facing page•

Adding and Deleting Motion Points in the Function Editor View on page 325•

Changing the Values of a Motion Point on page 327

Function Editor View - Overview

1.

Function Editor View toolbar:‣

Select: Lets you manipulate the motion point and velocity Bezier handles.

‣

Grabber: Lets you pan in the Function Editor view.

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Zoom: Lets you zoom in and zoom out (hold [Alt]) in the Function Editor View.

‣

Show Grid: Shows or hides the grid.

‣

Reset: Resets the pan and zoom in the Function Editor View.

‣

Add Keyframe: Lets you add a keyframe on the curve.

‣

Remove Keyframe: Lets you delete a keyframe on the curve.

‣

Lock In Time: Lets you toggle the selected motion point between a keyframe or a control point.

‣

Function Drop-down menu: Choose the function you want to display and edit from thisdrop-down menu.

‣

Projection X: Displays the X axis values in the Fields scale of the graph.

‣

Projection Y: Displays the Y Axis values in the Fields scale of the graph.

‣

Projection Z: Displays the Z Axis values in the Fields scale of the graph.

2. Graph Area: Displays a Fields scale vertically on the left, a Frame scale on the top and the selectedfunction curves and motion points.
3.

Function Editor View Status Bar: Displays the values, frame and fields, for the currently selected motion point.

4.

Editing Panel: The Editing Panel is contextual, the fields displayed there are relative to the type of function you
selected in the function drop-down menu. Enter specific values in these fields to edit the motion points on the
curve.

5.

Function Curve: Displays the selected movement of a peg as an editable curve with visible motion points.

6.

Frames and Fields Scales Zoom: These sliders let you increase or decrease the spacing between each value on
the Frames or Fields scale.

7.

Function Editor View bottom toolbar:‣

Sync Current Frame: When this option is enabled, when you select frames in the
Function Editor view, the entire scene's views (Camera, Timeline, etc) will be in-sync and follow. When
this option is disabled and you select frames in the Function Editor view, the other scene views stay at
the current frame.

‣

Show/Hide toolbars: Shows or hides the Function Editor View toolbar.

‣

Show/Hide Editing Panel: Shows or hides the Editing Panel.

Adjusting the Velocity
The velocity, or ease-in ease-out, is used on non-constant segments to give a more natural feeling to the
movement.

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Ease-in and ease-out is the acceleration and deceleration of the movement. The speed of the motion is adjusted
between two keyframes so that the movement will start slowly, speed up and then slow down again as it reaches
the second keyframe. Adjusting the velocity will create a more natural feel to the movement.

You can set your preferences so that when you create a motion path, a default velocity is
automatically applied—see Preferences on page 338

To adjust the velocity of a movement:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion

tool.

2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the motion path peg whose velocity you want to adjust.
The selected peg properties appear in the Properties view.

3. In the Properties view, click the Edit Velocity

button.

The Function Editor view opens.
4. In the drop-down menu, select Velocity-based, to edit the velocity of the motion path.

5. In the Function Editor view, click the Curve‣

Click on a keyframe to select it.

‣

Drag the handle to adjust the curve.

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6. You can also use the default curve options to quickly adjust your velocity.
‣•

Click the Curve icon to open the drop-down menu and select the desired velocity option.

Constant: Changes a non-constant segment to a constant segment removing the automatic
motion tweening created by Studio.

•

Linear: Creates a straight line of constant speed for a more automated animation look.

•

Ease in/out: Creates a gradual acceleration at the beginning and a gradual deceleration at theend of the curve. This creates a more natural animation look.

•

Fast in/out: Creates a curve that starts quickly, slows down in the middle and ends with a final
acceleration.

•

Extreme ease in/out: Creates a more dramatic ease in, ease out effect.

•

Extreme fast in/out: Creates a more dramatic fast in, fast out effect.

•

Slow acceleration: Creates a curve that starts slowly to smoothly accelerate over time.

•

Slow deceleration: Creates a curve that starts quickly to smoothly decelerate over time.

Adding and Deleting Motion Points in the Function
Editor View
Modifications can be made to a motion path and any peg or element movement by adding and deleting motion
points in the function curve. This is done in the Function Editor View.

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Adding Motion Points
To add motion points in the Function Editor View:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion

tool.

2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the peg of the motion path you want to edit.
The selected peg's function curve will appear in the Function Editor View.
3. In the graph section, click on the frame number where you would like to add a motion point. You can also
type in the desired frame in the Editing Panel.
In the graph section, the selected frame number is indicated by a blue vertical line.

4. Click the Add Keyframes

button.

A keyframe appears on the function curve at the selected frame. This new keyframe is also visible on yourmotion path in the Camera, Top and Side views, as well as on your peg layer in the Timeline view.

‣

If you want the new motion point to be a control point rather than a keyframe, click the Lock In Timebutton to disable it.

The selected keyframe changes to a control point.

‣

To change a control point into a keyframe, select the control point on the function curve and click on
the Lock In Timebutton to enable it. The selected control point changes into a keyframe.

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Delete Motion Points
To remove motion points from the Function Editor View:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion

tool.

2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the peg of the motion path you want to edit.
The selected peg's function curve will appear in the Function Editor view.
3. In the graph section, click on the motion point you want to delete. You can also type in the desired framein the Edition Panel.
The selected motion point is highlighted in the function curve.

‣

If the selected motion point is a control point, you first need to change it to a keyframe by clicking the
Lock In Timebutton to enable it.

4. Click the Remove Keyframe

button.

The selected keyframe is deleted from the function curve. It is also deleted from your motion path in the
Camera, Top and Side views as well as on your peg layer in the Timeline view.

Changing the Values of a Motion PointYou can modify your motion paths and movements by positioning the motion points directly in the Camera, Top
or Side view, but you can also modify the value of the motion points from the Function Editor View.
To modify a motion path motion point's values:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Motion

tool.

2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the peg of the motion path you want to edit.
The selected peg's function curve will appear in the Function Editor view.
3. In the graph section, click on the motion point you want to reposition.
The selected motion point will be highlighted in the function curve.

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4. Choose with the Field Values
in the vertical value scale of the graph.

buttons which values: X, Y, or Z you want to edit and display

5. Position your motion point:‣

Keyframe: Drag your keyframe up and down to modify the Fields value of the keyframe. Since a
keyframe is locked in time, you cannot modify the Frame value. A red guide appears to help you alignthe keyframe to the right value.

You can also type in the desired value in the Editing Panel.

‣

Select the Constant Segment option if you want to change the non-constant segment following theselected keyframe to constant.

‣Control Point: Drag your control point along the curve to modify the Fields value. A control point is
not locked in time but is constrained by the curve. The frame value will automatically be changed inrelation to the fields value you are giving it. A red guide appears to help you align the keyframe to theright value.

You can also type in the desired value in the Editing panel.

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Other Options
Many features, options and tools are available to help you learn, create, and optimize your projects. Here aresome which are useful when setting up your scene and creating motion paths:•

Attach to Next Object below•

Detach from Parent below•

Changing the Start Frame on the facing page•

Changing the Duration on the facing page•

Change Loops on page 332•

Element Notes on page 333•

Show Timeline Selection on page 334•

Paste Special on page 335

Attach to Next Object
You can easily connect elements to one another using drag and drops in the Timeline view. If you prefer, you canalso use the Attach to Next Object when it is time to create a hierarchy.
The Attach to Next Object command connects the selected element to the one situated one level lower in theTimeline view order making it its child.

To attach elements using the Attach to Next Object command:
1. In the Timeline view, select the element you want to attach to the element situated immediately below it.
‣

You can also use a sceneplanning tool and select the element directly in the Camera, Top or Side view.

2. Select Element > Arrange > Attach to Next Object.
The selected element becomes the child of the element that was below it.

Detach from Parent
You can easily manipulate hierarchy connections using drag and drops in the Timeline view. If you prefer, you canalso use the Detach from Parent command to disconnect a child element from its parent from the Camera, Top
or Side view.
To detach a child element from its parent:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, click the Selecttool, select Tools > Animation Tools > Select orpress [6]2. In the Camera, Top or Side view, select the element you want to detach from its parent. You can also
select the element directly in the Timeline view.

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3. Select Element > Arrange > Detach from Parent.
The selected element is detached from its parent.

Changing the Start Frame
You can quickly offset the timing of elements in your scene. This can be useful if for instance, you realize that theplanned action would be better occurring at a later moment or if you inserted new elements or action at the
beginning of your Timeline.
To change the starting frame of an element or peg's motion:
1. In the Timeline view, select the element you want to offset.

2. Select Element > Change Start Frame.
The Change Start Frame dialog box opens.

3. In the Change Start Frame dialog box, type in the frame number where you want your element to start.

The starting frame of the selected element will be changed to the one you typed in the Change Start
Frame dialog box.

Changing the Duration
You may need to extend the duration of a peg, for example if you add content or change the exposure of theelement that is attached to it.
To change the duration of a motion:
1. In the Timeline view, select the peg element of which you want to change the duration.

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2. Select Element > Change Duration.
The Change Duration dialog box opens.

The Enter the New Duration field displays the current duration of your element.
3. In the Change Duration dialog box, type in the desired duration.

The duration of the selected element will be updated.

The duration of a peg element can also be changed by stretching the peg's motion block in the Timeline view.
To stretch a Peg element:
1. In the Timeline view, move the pointer to the edge of the peg element's motion block and drag it right orleft to increase or decrease the length of the motion.

Stretching a peg moves all of the keyframes proportionally.

Change Loops
If you want a Peg element to repeat a motion, you can loop it.
Note that each time the loop restarts, it skips the first frame of the peg. This is similar to a walk-cycle where thelast step leads naturally to the first step in the cycle; this ensures the logical continuation of the looped action.
Therefore, if you loop a 10-frame peg action three times, the entire length of the peg will be 28 frames.
To loop a peg motion using the Change Loops command:
1. In the Timeline view, click on the Peg element's motion segment you want to loop.

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2. Select Element > Change Loops or right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl] + click (Mac OS X) directly on the Peg
element's motion segment you want to loop and select Change Loops.
The Change Loops dialog box opens.

3. In the Change Loops dialog box, type the number of times you want to repeat the selected motion
segment and click OK.
The peg repeats itself for the number of loops you entered. After the first segment, the peg motion bar
representing the looped segment is displayed in light grey.

To remove the loop, go through the previous step by step once again and type the value 0 in the
Change Loops dialog box. You can also loop a motion with a click and drag.

To loop a peg motion by dragging the motion segment:
1. In the Timeline view, hold [Ctrl] Windows or [z] (Mac OS X) and drag the end of the peg's motion segmentto the desired position.

2. Release to create a loop that will repeat until the destination frame.

Element Notes
The Element Notes option lets you write notes or comments in a layer for future reference.
To create an element note:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layer in which you want to include a note or a comment.

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2. In the Timeline menu, select Add Element Note or right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl] + click (Mac OS X) on
the layer and select Add Element Note.
The Note dialog box opens.

3. In the empty text field, type in your note or comment and click OK.

The Note icon appears on the selected layer.

To open and edit an element note:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layer containing the element note.

2. In the Timeline menu, select Update Element Note or right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl] + click (Mac OS X) on
the layer and select Update Element Note. You can also double-click the Note icon of the layer.
The Note dialog opens, displaying the element's note previously entered.

3. You can edit the note if needed, and click OK.

Show Timeline Selection
Use this option if your scene becomes crowded and you want to quickly find the layer in the Timeline view that
corresponds to the selected element in the Camera view.
To show the timeline selection:
1. In the Camera view, select the element you want to find in the Timeline view.

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2. Select View > Show Timeline Selection or press [O].
The Timeline view automatically sets its focus so that the selected layer appears on top of the view.

Paste Special
Use the Paste Special command to paste a copied selection of frames in the Timeline view and to define which
properties you want to paste.
To use the Paste Special command:
1. In the Timeline view, select the frames to copy. This selection can include single or multiple frames,
drawings and keyframes.

2. Select Edit > Copy Cell or press [Ctrl] + [C] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [C] (Mac OS X)
3. In the Timeline view, select the cell in which you want to paste the copied values.
4. Select Edit > Paste Special or press [Ctrl] + [B] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [B] (Mac OS X).
The Timeline Paste Special Preferences dialog box opens.

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5. In the Pegs section select/deselect the options to choose the values of the keyframe you want to paste:‣

Create/Delete Motion Key Frames: Pastes the translation value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create/Delete Rotation Key Frames: Pastes the rotation value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create/Delete Scale Key Frames: Pastes the scale value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create/Delete Pivot Key Frames: Pastes the pivot position value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create/Delete Velocity Key Frames: Pastes the velocity value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create/Delete Skew Key Frames: Pastes the skew value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create additional key frames at beginning and end of selection: Create an additional keyframe at
the beginning and at the end of your pasted selection to block the copied values between them.

6. In the Drawings section select/deselect the desired options:‣

Create/Delete Exposure: Pastes the drawing exposure. Disabling this option will grey out the rest of
the Drawings options, as it will mean that you only wish to paste position and peg values.

‣

Overwrite existing drawings: Overwrites existing drawings in the destination layer if they have thesame name as the copied ones. When this option is disabled, new drawings will be created instead.

‣

Automatically extend the exposure: Automatically extends the exposure of the last copied frame tothe last frame of the destination layer, overwriting the existing exposure. Disabling this option will
grey out the Keyframe Mode (substitution) option.

‣

Keyframe Mode (substitution): This option is used with the Automatically extend the exposure
option. It will paste and extend the keyframe information of the copied element in the destination
layer following the same rules as the Automatically extend the exposure option.

‣

Update Colours: When pasting templates, this option updates the current animation colours to thoseused in the templates.

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Refer to the Animating a Puppet on page 395 chapter to learn how to copy and paste keyframes only
from an element using the Paste Special command.

Paste Special Again
Once you set up the proper option in the Paste Special dialog box, you can use the Paste Special Again
command to quickly paste the parameters using the same options without going through the Paste Special
dialog box.
To use Paste Special Again:
1. In the Timeline view, select the frames you wish to copy. This selection can include single or multiple
frames, drawings and keyframes.
2. Select Edit > Copy Cell or press [Ctrl] + [C] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [C] (Mac OS X).
3. In the Timeline view, select the cell in which you want to paste the copied values.
4. Select Edit > Paste Special Again or press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [B] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + [B] (Mac OS X).
Your copied selection is pasted using the same options as the last time you used the Paste Special
command.

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Preferences
You can set preferences that can help you be more efficient and comfortable when you work on your scene
setup:In Studio, you can set your own preferences to fit your work style and needs when setting up your scene andcreating motion paths.
To open the preferences panel:‣

Windows: Select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Toon Boom Studio 8.1 8.0 > Preferences.

Sceneplanning Preferences

Motion Points
In the Motion Points section, you can set the default Tension, Continuity and Bias values when adding motion
points to your motion paths—see Switching between Keyframes and Control Points on page 315.

Coordinate Units
You can choose the coordinate units used in the scene's Properties view.

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Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User GuideShow Units
This option lets you show or hide the unit type in the Properties view. Note that the unit type can only be hidden
when the unit type is set to Fields.

Coordinate Units
This drop-down menu lets you choose between the three available unit types.

Camera View
This section lets you set the selection display preferences for the Camera view.

Use Box Highlighting
When this option is enabled, the bounding box of a selected item in the Camera view is highlighted. When it isdisabled, the bounding box is a regular thin grey line box and the element itself is highlighted.

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Selection Always Visible
When this option is enabled, even when a layer is hidden in the Timeline view, it will remain visible in the Camera
view when it is selected. When the option is disabled, a hidden layer in the Timeline view will remain hidden in the
Camera view when it is selected.

Pegs
Use the Pegs section options to set your preferences related to motion paths creation.

Create Linear Spline
By default, the Create Linear Spline option is enabled, so when you animate an element with a motion, rotationor scaling, the velocity will be set to Linear. This means that the motion tweening executed by Studio will bestraight with no variation in the speed. You can disable this option so that every time you create a motion,
rotation or scaling, the velocity will be set to the default ease-in, ease-out curve—see Adjusting the Velocity on
page 323.

Create Constant Keyframes
By default, the Create Constant Keyframes is disabled so every time you create a motion, a non-constantsegment is created between every two keyframes and the motion tweening is automatically calculated by Studio.
You can enable the Create Constant Keyframes so that every time you create a motion, the segments between
the keyframes will automatically be constant. No motion tweening is calculated and the position jumps from one
to another at each keyframe—see Animating a Puppet on page 395 to learn more about constant and nonconstant segments.

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Timeline

Single Cell Selection
This option is enabled by default. This means that when you select a cell in the Timeline view, only this cell isselected. You can disable this option so that when you select a cell in the Timeline view, the entire exposure
block of this layer is selected at once.

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Chapter 12: BonesThe Bones feature in Toon Boom Studio allows you to create a skeleton over your character by using thedifferent Bone tools and then animate it as if it were a body with the Skeleton effect. The skeleton can be used to
not only animate vector-based drawings, but also bitmaps.
This chapter is divided as follows:•

About the Skeleton Effect on the next page•

Choosing Your Character on page 349•

Adding the Skeleton on page 352•

Animating the Skeleton on page 376•

Skeleton Effect Properties on page 389•

Preferences on page 392

You can follow the different exercises of this chapter using the different bones templates provided
within the software's library!
You can find these templates inside the Library view by following this path:•

Toon Boom Templates > Bones

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About the Skeleton Effect

The Toon Boom Studio Skeleton effect is used to create an animatable bone structure in a character or design.
The structure will let you bend a limb, automatically creating a joint with a distortion of the artwork such as thearm example above. The arm is drawn straight on a single flattened drawing; the skeleton effect automaticallycreates the elbow joint.
When you animate the arm bending, a keyframe is created in the Timeline view and the motion is automaticallyinterpolated (all the drawings between the two keyframes will be created for you) if your keyframes are set tonon-constant.
Once you gain confidence, you can also use your creativity and try the Skeleton effect on other animatable
designs other than limbs to create some interesting distortion effects, like this animated smiling fish!

Related Topics•

Understanding Keyframes and Drawings on page 399•

Constant and Non-Constant Segments on page 403•

Adjusting the Velocity on page 411•

Using the Onion Skin in Cut-out Animation on page 415

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Bone Tools Toolbar

By default, the Bone Tools toolbar is located just below the Animation Tools toolbar on the left side of theapplication. Use these tools to create, set up and animate your bone structure.
There are two types of tools:•

Setup mode•

Animation mode

It is very important to understand that when selecting a Bone tool, the camera display and Skeleton effect willautomatically switch to either Setup mode or Animation mode.

Setup Mode
The Setup mode is active when you are using tools to set up the initial bone structure of the skeleton. Movingbones around with these tools will not create keyframes or animation in the Timeline view.
When in Setup mode, a large circle appears at the base of your bones.

These are the bone setup tools. Selecting any of these will switch the Skeleton Effect to Setup mode:•

Bone Setup Tool
This tool is used to position the selected bones on your drawing. Use this tool to drag, rotate and scale abone or a hierarchy of bones.
You can also select Tools > Bone Tools > Bone Setup or press [J].

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Chapter 12: Bones About the Skeleton Effect•Bone Creator Tool
This tool is used to create individual bones. Once a bone is created, it is automatically selected. When abone is selected, the next bone created will automatically be parented to it, creating a chain. If you want
to break the chain to create a freestanding bone or to start a new chain, hold down the [Shift] key as you
create.
You can also select Tools > Bone Tools > Bone Creator or press [U].

•Bone Influence Tool
The zone of influence is the area around the selected bone that determines what part of the underlying
drawing will be influenced by it. This tool is used to modify the size and shape of that area. By default, thezone of influence remains invisible, as the Influence type is set to Infinite in the Tool Properties panel. If the
Influence type is changed to Elliptical, the zone of influence will appear as a large ellipse, surrounded by abounding box, around the selected bone. You can use the Bone Influence tool to move the square points
on the bounding box to reshape the elliptical zone of influence.
You can also select Tools > Bone Tools > Bone Influence.

•

Bone Parent Tool
This tool is used to parent different bone chains to one another. You can also select Tools > Bone Tools> Bone Parent.

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Connect Character Setup Mode Tool
This tool is primarily used with the Robo-Skeleton templates. Each template has a layer named Envelope
in its Skin Group. Click the Connect character set-up mode button to see the envelope zones appear andto see the character revert to Setup mode, where its body parts are typically separated and spreadapart—see Adding Your Own Character to the Robo-Skeleton Template on page 355.
To have this command work with your own creations, create your own templates and set the layer type ofyour envelope drawing to Envelope in the Layer Properties panel.

You can also select Tools > Bone Tools > Show-Hide.

Refer to the Adding the Skeleton on page 352 topic to learn how to use these tools.

Animation Mode
The Animation mode is automatically active when you select the Bone Manipulator
Movement

tool or the Natural

tools. This means that the Camera view displays the current pose of the bone structure at the

selected frame and any manipulation you make creates a keyframe in the Timeline and is animated.
When in Animation mode, notice that the large circle at the base of the bones in Setup mode disappears.

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Chapter 12: Bones About the Skeleton Effect•Bone Manipulator Tool
This tool is used to animate the bone structure. You can drag, squash, stretch, rotate or scale a selectedbone chain, creating an animation keyframe in your Timeline view.
You can also access this tool by selecting Tools > Bone Tools > Bone Manipulator or pressing [H]—seeAnimating Bones on page 380.

•

Natural Movement Inverse and Forward Tools
These tools are used to animate the bone structure. The squash and stretch must be the same way as theBone Manipulator tool, but when rotating a bone, all children bones in the chain must also slightly rotate
along to create a smoother and more natural movement.
The Natural Movement Inverse rotates the children bone in the opposite direction of the parent, creating
resistance. The Natural Movement Forward rotates the children bone in the same direction as the parent,
creating graceful movement such as a ballerina lifting her arm.
You can also access this tool by selecting Tools > Bone Tools > Natural Movement Inverse and Natural
Movement Forward—see Natural Movement on page 383.

Refer to the Animating the Skeleton on page 376 topic to learn more about these tools.

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Choosing Your Character
Before building your skeleton, the first thing you need to do is select and prepare your character. If this is yourfirst puppet, then it is best to choose a simple character. A simple character has two legs, two arms, a head andtorso. To begin with, you should avoid a character with loose clothing such as a cloak or baggy pants. As you
progress and gain experience creating and animating skeleton puppets, you will learn what to do to optimize
your animation and workflow.
We chose a skeleton pirate character to demonstrate how to use the Skeleton effect and Bone tools.

You can also create your character from a picture or a bitmap image, however be sure to vectorize the image
when importing, otherwise it will not be editable. For more information on importing and vectorizing bitmaps
images, see Importing and Vectorizing Images on page 165.

If you plan to use one of Studio's Robo-Skeleton templates, see Robo-Skeleton Templates on
page 352 to select a template first, then follow the remaining steps to prepare your character.

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Planning and Preparing Your Character
When choosing and preparing your character, all parts of the character should be separated in space. This is toensure the cleanest movement between character pieces when animating bones affected by elliptical influence
areas. You should also group each of the separate parts and arrange the ordering of these limbs and bodygroups inside the drawing.

The limbs do not need to be on separate drawing layers. They simply need to be drawn separately
within the same drawing. If you want to have more flexibility in ordering your layers, such as having
an arm pass in front of the torso and another one behind, draw your pieces on separate drawing
layers and attach them to the same Skin layer within the Skeleton effect.

Refer to Drawing and Design on page 81 to learn about the drawing tools and options.

This is an example of what could happen if a character's limbs are overlapping during setup (Figure A), versus
one whose limbs were separated from the body during setup (Figure B).

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Since the Skeleton effect is applied to any art contained inside a bone's influence area in Setup mode, thefollowing happens:•

Figure A: The character's shoulder in this example was overlapping the body at setup. Therefore
animating the shoulder will also move any part of the torso that was included in the influence area.

•

Figure B: The character's shoulder was not overlapping the torso during setup, so no part of the torso
will be influenced by the animation of this bone.

You can draw all your character's parts on the same drawing element, or you can separate the different parts soeach is on a different drawing layer. For example, you could have five drawing elements for your character; onefor the body and head combined and one for each of the four limbs. Drawing each part on a separate element
simplifies the process of ordering the limbs later.

Refer to the Adding the Skeleton on the next page and Animating the Skeleton on page 376 topics
to learn more.

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Adding the Skeleton
When it comes to adding bones to your drawings, there are two options to choose from. You can choose one ofStudio's pre-made Robo-Skeleton templates that has an animated sequence built in, or you can build your own
skeleton. If you choose to create your own skeleton, then you will have the freedom to make your own animatedsequences.
•

Robo-Skeleton Templates below•

Building the Skeleton on page 361

Robo-Skeleton Templates

Although creating a character can be fun, the process of animating it can be a little daunting. Take away some of
the work by using Studio's pre-made Robo-Skeleton templates. You can easily add your own character artwork
to the template and watch it move within minutes.

Choosing Your Robo-Skeleton Template from the Library
All the Robo-Skeletons are available from the Library view. To access the templates, follow this path: Toon
Boom Templates > Robo-Skeleton.

If you do not see the folder Toon Boom Templates in the Library, right-click under the Local andGlobal folders and select Reload Default Templates.

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Inside the Robo-Skeleton folder are Robo-Skeleton templates of both human and animal characters. Eachcharacter has its own subfolder containing templates grouped into front, side and 3/4 poses. Refer to thefollowing table for a more detailed description of the templates:
FolderHuman

AnimalJumping
Jumping Jacks
Sitting
Stretching
Stretching
Front

Waving
Tilting Head
Dance Move 01
Walking
Dance Move 02
Dance Move 03
Jumping
Jumping
Running
Running
Squat
Sitting

Side

Walking
Sniffing
Dance Move 01
Stretching
Dance Move 02
Walking
Dance Move 03

3/4 View

Jumping

Jumping

Running

Running

Squat

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Walking
WavingStretching

Dance Move 01

Tilting Head

Dance Move 02

Walking

Dance Move 03
To see a thumbnail of the template, right-click in the right section of the Library view and select View >Thumbnails.

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Importing Your Robo-Skeleton into a Scene
You can drag a template from the Library view to the Camera or Timeline view to add it to your animation.
To import a template into a scene:
1. In the Library view, select the template you want to import.
2. Drag and drop the selected template in the Camera view or Timeline view's left side.

Adding Your Own Character to the Robo-Skeleton Template

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Now that your Robo-Skeleton appears in the Camera view, you have all the pieces necessary to create your own
humanoid or four-legged character. This means that you need not use this template as is, but you can use
elements of the template, such as the animation, for your own purposes.
The first thing you need to do is examine the layers included in your Robo-Skeleton template, specifically the Skin
Group.

Notice how there are two drawing layers attached to the Skin Group. The first layer, in this case called dog_side, contains all the artwork for the dog that you currently see in the Camera view. The envelope layer contains
drawings of zones surrounding each body part of the character.
To view the envelope layer:
1. In the Bone Tools toolbar, click the Connect Character Set-up Modebutton.

The envelope zones appear and the character is split apart as you would see it in Setup Mode.
To have the character move with the pre-made animation of the Robo-Skeleton template, you need to add yourown artwork to the Skin Group to replace the dog_side layer. You can do this in several ways: by creating a
new drawing layer, using the envelope zones as guidelines and then creating your own artwork, or by erasing theartwork from the dog_side layer and drawing your own artwork directly in that layer.
To add your own character to the Robo-Skeleton template:
1. In the Timeline view, click the Add New Drawing Layerbutton to create a new drawing layer.

2. Go to the Drawing view by clicking on the Drawing view button on the upper-right side of the Camera
view.

OR

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If you want to continue working in the Camera view, click the Connect Character Set-up Modebuttonto display the envelope zones.

Use the Erase

tool or Selecttool in combination with the [Del] key to get rid of the current

artwork on that layer.
3. If you are working in the Drawing view, turn on the Light Table by clicking the Auto Light Table

buttonin the Onion Skin toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X).
The envelope image appears in washed out colours in the Drawing view. You may notice that it does notlook as it did in the Camera view; some of the limbs of the character may be detached and spread out.

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As is the case with the dog, when the character is whole, two of the legs are partially hidden behind therest of the body. This would also happen to the image of a human character in profile; one arm and one
leg would be hidden. To fix problems like this, all the limbs are separated and then reattached to thebody in the Bone setup stage (which is already done for the Robo-Skeleton templates), so all the bodyparts can move independently.
4. If you are working in the Camera view, in the Timeline view, hide (deselect) the current Skin Group art
layer. In this case, it is the dog_side layer. Leave the envelope layer enabled.
OR
If you are working in the Drawing view, in the Exposure Sheet view, click the Toggle Element List button
and then hide (deselect) the current Skin Group art layer. In this case, it is the dog_side layer. Leave theenvelope layer enabled

Instead of hiding the Skin Group art layer, you could simply delete its contents and then create yourown artwork directly on it.

5. In the Drawing or Camera view, import and vectorize an image, or use the drawing tools to create yourown version of the chosen character type on the new layer. If you import an image, you can use thedrawing tools to cut it up, as long as it is vectorized. You must also scale the pieces and place them in the358

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correct location, over their corresponding envelope zone. In either case, be sure to stay within theenvelope zone limits.

For more information on how to create your own artwork, see Drawing and Design on page 81.

For more information on how to import bitmap images, see Importing and Vectorizing Images on
page 165.

6. In the Timeline view, rename the drawing layer to something appropriate and extend the exposure of thedrawing for the total length of the animated sequence. You can do this by:‣

Right-clicking on the frame you want to extend the exposure to and selecting Extend Exposure.

OR‣

Clicking on the frame that you want to extend the exposure to and pressing [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [1](Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + [1] (Mac OS X).

7. If you are not already there, return to the Camera view by clicking the Camera view button.

8. If you did not draw directly on the old Skin Group art layer, then in the Timeline view, select your character
artwork layer and drag and drop it over the Skin Group layer.

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9. If you did not create your new character artwork on the old Skin Group art layer, either hide the old Skin
Group art layer or delete it from the Timeline view entirely.
10. Hide the envelope by deselecting the Connect Character Set-up Modebutton from the Bone Tools

toolbar.
The envelope disappears and the Robo-Skeleton character appears reassembled. If it does notreassemble automatically, you may have one of the Bone setup tools selected. If so, click the Bone
Manipulator
tool.
As a test, click the envelope layer and take a look at the Layer Properties panel. Notice the Type is set toEnvelope. Any layer set to Envelope through the Properties panel can be controlled by the Connect
Character Set-up Mode button.

Your character is connected to the Robo-Skeleton template and appears in place of the generic envelope.
11. In the Playback toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Playanimation as it now appears, connected with your character artwork.

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If your artwork appears warped when animated, you may need to tweak the Zones of Influence or theBone Setup—see Setting the Influence Area on page 369 and Setting Up the Bones on page 366.

Building the Skeleton
Once your character design is ready, you can start building the structure of the puppet's skeleton. Here are thedifferent steps and tools:•

Adding Bones below•

Setting Up the Bones on page 366•

Setting the Influence Area on page 369•

Parenting Bone Chains on page 373

Adding Bones
There are two different ways you can add bones to artwork. The fastest and easiest way is to select the layer
with your artwork, and then select the Bone Creator tool. The last step is simply to create bones on top of yourartwork. You can also add bones through the Timeline view by adding a Skeleton effect.
To add bones to your character:
1. Make sure you are working in the Camera

view.

2. In the Timeline view, select the layer that contains your artwork.
3. From the Bone Tools toolbar, select the Bone Creator

tool or press [U].

4. Take a look at your character or object, and decide which parts will be at the back (hidden behind otherparts). These are the parts you should start creating bones for first.

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The bones and bone chains that are created first will be at the top of the Timeline layer stack when you
are finished; therefore, they will be located at the front of the visibility hierarchy.
5. In the Camera view, click and drag to create the first bone, following your design.

When creating the bone structure, think about where you want the image to bend. In this example, wewant to have two bends (one at the elbow and one at the wrist). Therefore three bones should becreated: the arm, forearm and hand.

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If you do not position the bone perfectly the first time, you can fix it later using the Bone Setup
tool—see Setting Up the Bones on page 366.

6. Once you have created a bone, it automatically becomes selected and appears in red. The next bone you
create is automatically linked and parented to the currently selected bone. This creates a chain linked by ajoint.

7. Once you have created a full bone chain for one limb, you can, for example, start a new freestanding boneor bone chain for a different part of your character or object. Hold down the [Shift] key to do this.

Be sure to let go of the [Shift] key if you want to create a connected chain, otherwise, you will createa series of unconnected bones.

8. Take a look at the Timeline view. As you create a bone chain, notice that a new bone layer is automatically
added for each bone in the chain under the Bone Group. The bones in a chain are organized in a hierarchy,
while freestanding bones are just below the main Bone Group.

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Notice also that the drawing layer with your character or object artwork is automatically connected to theSkin Group of your new Skeleton effect group. This auto-parenting occurs because you started creating
your bones with this layer selected.

Refer to the Layers and Timing on page 197 chapter to learn more about layers.

Your character's bone structure is now complete. Notice how the bones of the body parts, including the body ofthe character, are independent from each other. They are all separate bone chains, totally unconnected.

Adding Bones from the Timeline View
Another way to add bones to your artwork is to add a Skeleton effect to your Timeline view and then connect
your character's artwork to it.
To add a Skeleton effect:
1. In the Timeline view, click the Add New Elements

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The New Elements dialog box opens.

2. From the Type list, select Skeleton Effect.

3. In the Name field, give a name to the Skeleton Effect element.

4. Click OK.
The Skeleton effect appears in the Timeline view.

5. Select and drag the drawing layer containing your character onto the Skin Group. This is where youconnect any art layer that you want to be influenced by the bones. Make sure to drop the drawing layer
directly on the Skin Group to parent it to the Skin Group.

If your character's parts are drawn on different elements, make sure to parent all the drawing elements to
the Skin Group.

6. Once layers are parented in the Timeline view, you can click on the blue triangle icon at the head of agroup to collapse or expand the group. This is useful when the Timeline view becomes filled with layers.

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You can add any drawing layer to the Skin Group or remove any drawing layer from it at any time.
You can also save a bone structure in your library as a template and then reuse it with other character
designs! Refer to Library on page 182 to learn more about using the Library view.

7. From the Bone Tools toolbar, select the Bone Creator

tool or press [U].

8. Take a look at your character or object, and decide which parts will be at the back (hidden behind otherparts). These are the parts you should start creating bones for first.
The bones and bone chains that are created first will be at the bottom of the Timeline layer stack when
you are finished; therefore, they will be located at the bottom of the visibility hierarchy.
9. In the Camera view, click and drag to create the first bone, following your design.
10. Once you have created a bone, it automatically becomes selected and appears in red. The next bone you
create is automatically linked and parented to the currently selected bone. This creates a chain linked by ajoint.
11. Once you have finished creating the bone structure on a first limb, in the Timeline view, select the top layerof the Skeleton Effect; this lets you start the bone structure for the next limb. Then, repeat steps 8 and 9
until a bone structure is created for each of the body parts.

Setting Up the Bones
Once you start creating bones you can, at any time, modify them in Setup mode to optimize their positioning
without creating an animation.
To modify bones using the Bone Setup tool:
1. From the Bones Tools toolbar, select the Bone Setup

tool or press [J].

2. In the Camera view, select the bone you want to modify.
The selected bone turns red and two control handles appear.

‣

To rotate the bone, place the pointer over the bone until you see the rotation cursor. Click and dragto rotate the selected bone. You can change the rotation angle of any bone in the chain.

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To shorten or lengthen the bone, click on the round handle at the tip of the bone and either drag it
towards or away from the root of the bone. You can lengthen or shorten any bone in your chain. You
can also rotate as you scale, creating two transformations in one step.

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To reposition the bone, click the square handle and drag it to the desired position.

You should only reposition the first parent of the bone chain to avoid creating gaps in your joints that
could result in an unwanted distortion of the art.

You can also use the Properties view to define the position of a selected bone.
To modify bones using the Properties view:
1. In the Camera view or Timeline view, select the bone you want to modify.
Its position values appear in the Properties view.

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2. In the Properties view:‣

Position: Enter the X-axis and Y-axis values to set the position of the selected bone. You should not
reposition a bone that is not the first parent. This will prevent gaps from forming at the joint area,
creating an unwanted distortion of the art.

‣

Length: Lets you set the length of the selected bone. You can resize any bone from the chain.

‣

Rotation: Lets you modify the rotation angle of the selected bone. You can change the rotation angleof any bone from the chain.

Resetting the Position of a Bone
You can reset the position of a selected bone at any time using the Properties view. You can also reset the
selected bone's position and rotation values to default.
To reset the position of bones:
1. In the Timeline view, select the bone you want to reset.
2. In the Properties view, set the Position and Rotation values to 0.
3. Repeat these steps to reset the position of other bones.
You can also use the Reset option to reset both the bone positions and keyframes simultaneously.
To reset the position of bones and clear keyframes:
1. In the Timeline view, select the bone element you want to reset. You can perform a multiselection andreset the position of multiple bones at the same time.
2. In the Timeline View

menu, select Reset. You can also right-click in the right or left section of theTimeline view and select Reset.

Setting the Influence Area
The influence area is the zone that defines which art is included in the Skeleton effect and is distorted when
animated. Once you setup the bone structure, you need to adjust the influence area of your bones.
This topic is divided as follow:•

Influence Area on the next page•

Modifying the Size and Shape of the Influence Area on page 371

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Influence Area
The influence area determines the boundaries of the effect that a bone will have over artwork that lies withinthose boundaries.
Any art on a drawing layer that is connected to the Skin Group and appears inside the bone influence area, will
follow the movement of that animated bone.

When setting the influence area around bones, make sure that no unwanted art is included in the area. Any
unwanted art included in a bone influence area will follow the animated bone and become distorted.

There are two types of influence area possible for a selected bone: Elliptical and Infinite.

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InfiniteBy default, the influence area is set to Infinite. The entire art which is part of the Skin Group and which is notcontained inside the Elliptical influence area of another bone, will move with the selected bone. If two bones havean Infinite influence type, then they influence the artwork up to where they meet, in other words, up to the joint.

Elliptical
You can set the influence area type for a selected bone to Elliptical using the Properties view. When set to
Elliptical, an ellipse appears in the Camera view around the selected bone. An Elliptical influence type means that
an ellipse shape determines the boundaries inside which art will be influenced by the selected bone animation.
This area can be redefined using the Bone Influence
tool or Properties view.

Note that if two influence areas overlap, the bone that is situated lower in the Timeline view'sordering is the one that will take precedence over the other. Therefore, the influence area of thebone that is situated higher in the Timeline view's layer stack, will have no influence over theoverlapping area—see Modifying the Size and Shape of the Influence Area below.

Modifying the Size and Shape of the Influence Area
If you set the influence area of a bone to Elliptical, meaning it is bound within an ellipse shape, you can modifythat shape. To modify the size and form of the ellipse, simply manipulate the square points around its boundingbox.
To modify the influence area using the Bone Influence tool:
1. From the Bone Tools toolbar, select the Bone Influencetool.

2. In the Camera view, select the bone whose influence area you want to modify. Make sure that in theProperties view, the zone of influence is set to Elliptical.
The selected bone appears in red and a black bounding box is displayed around the influence area.

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3. Click and drag the square points to resize or reshape the influence area.

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Parenting Bone ChainsOnce you create several bone chains for your character's limbs and body, you can connect them all by parenting
them. This unifies the character and, if you want to, allows the limbs to follow the movements of your character's
body. This step is very simple, as you only use a single tool, the Bone Parent
tool.

You can only parent bone chains that are connected to the same Skeleton effect. If you haveseperate Skeleton effects for different limbs, you must parent them using pegs.

To parent bone chains:
1. From the Bone Tools toolbar, select the Bone Parent

tool.

2. In the Camera view, locate the bone which is the starting point of the limb you want to parent to anotherchain. In this example, the arm will be parented to the body of the Skeleton.

3. Click on the base of the limb bone and then drag the pointer to the bone you want to parent it to. As you
drag, a red arrow points in the direction you are dragging. When a straight line appears beside it, itmeans that it is ready to connect to the selected bone.

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4. Release the pointer to complete the connection.

5. Repeat the previous steps until all the limbs are parented to the body.

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Unparenting Bone ChainsIf for some reason you decide that you no longer want a bone or chain parented to another bone or chain, you
can easily unparent.
To unparent a bone or bone chain:
1. From the Bone Tools toolbar, select the Bone Parent

tool.

2. In the Camera view, locate the bone you want to separate from another bone or bone chain. If you want
to separate part of a chain from a larger chain, find the bone that would represent the head of the newchain.

3. Click on the selected bone, then rapidly pull away from the parent bone or bone chain.

The selected bone and any of its children are separated from its parent bone or bone chain.

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Animating the Skeleton
Once you have finished creating your character's skeleton, it is time to switch to the Bone Manipulator tool,
reconnect the limbs to the body and animate it.
•

Reassembling the Character below•

Ordering Limbs on page 378•

Hiding Bones on page 379•

Animating Bones on page 380•

Disabling a Bone Animation on page 388

Reassembling the Character
The first step is to reassemble the character so that the limbs do not appear spread apart, as in Setup mode.
To reassemble the character:
1. From the Bone Tools toolbar, select the Bone Manipulator

tool.

The Camera view changes to Animation mode display.
2. In the Timeline view, make sure the red marker is at the first frame.
3. In the Camera view, select the main bone of one of the limbs.

4. Use the square handle to drag the bone chain to the desired position.

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A keyframe is added to the limb's bone layer on the first frame, locking its position in time.

5. Repeat the previous steps for each limb you want to assemble to the body.

When your character is assembled and ready for animation, you should save it in the Library view for
future reference, and easy reuse between projects—see Library on page 182.

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Ordering Limbs
When reassembling your character, you might find a limb that does not appear in the correct order, such as thefollowing arm that appears under the body.

The ordering method will differ, depending on whether your entire character is from a single drawing layer, or if
your character's pieces are separated on several drawing layers.
•

Character with Limbs on Different Drawing Layers below•

Character on a Single Drawing Layer on the facing page

Character with Limbs on Different Drawing Layers
If your drawing layers are in the wrong order, you can easily change the order in the Timeline view within the Skin
Group.
To reorder layers in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layer you want to reorder.
2. Drag the layer to the correct position within the Skin Group. Be careful to drop it between layers, and not
on a layer as this would parent them.

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Remember that the ordering of the drawing elements in the Timeline view works as follows: The
higher the drawing element is in the Timeline ordering, the closer to the front it will appear in the
Camera view—see Ordering Layers in the Timeline View on page 279.

Character on a Single Drawing Layer
You cannot change the order of the limbs when they are all drawn in the same layer. If you want to have an arm
pass in front of the torso and the other one behind, you should draw them on separate drawing layers andattach them to the same Skin Group. At that point, you can change the order of your layers within the
Skin Group.
The ordering of the bones determines the ordering of the drawing art that is included in its influence area.
To reorder the bone elements:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layer you want to reorder.
2. Drag the Bone element to the desired position within the Bone Group. Be careful to drop it between
existing bone element hierarchies and not drop it on one as this would parent them.

Note that the ordering of the Bone elements in the Timeline view is the opposite of the otherelements. The higher the bone element is in the Timeline ordering, the further back it will appear in
the Camera view.

Hiding Bones
You might need to hide the bones from the Camera view. If so, you can simply hide the Bone Group.
To hide the Bone Group:
1. In the Timeline view, locate the Bone Group you want to hide.

2. Select the layer's check box to hide it.

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Note that hiding the Bone Group will only hide the bones and not disable the Skeleton Animation—
see Disabling a Bone Animation on page 388.

Animating Bones
Now that the Skeleton puppet is ready, you can start animating it.
To animate bones:
1. From the Bone Tools toolbar, select the Bone Manipulator

tool.

2. In the Timeline view, go to the frame where you want to set the first pose of the puppet.

3. In the Camera view, select the bone you want to animate.
4. When a bone is selected you can:‣Use the square handle to drag the selected bone to a new position. Note that this handle is only
available on the parent bone of a chain.

Repositioning a bone will create a square black keyframe marker in the Timeline view, on the layer of theselected bone.

‣

Use the circle handle to squash and stretch the bone. In the example below, notice how the parent
bone is unaffected, but the child bone becomes squashed and stretched.

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Scaling a bone with the Bone Manipulator tool will create up and down arrow-shaped keyframe
markers in the Timeline view, on the layer of the selected bone, as well as on the layer of the childbone. The reason this manipulation produces the same types of keyframe markers that you would
typically see for a scale and a rotation, is because the Bone Manipulator tool allows you to scale androtate in the same movement.

You can also use the Scaletool from the Animation tools toolbar to perform a different type of

scaling. Grab the tip of the bone to squash and stretch it. In the example below, notice that theparent and child bones are unaffected by the scaling, but the child's position changes relative to thescaling of the selected bone.

Scaling a bone with the Scale tool will create a down arrow keyframe marker in the Timeline view, on
the layer of the selected bone.

‣With the Bone Manipulator

tool, click directly on the bone and drag the cursor to rotate it.

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Rotating a bone will create a tiny up arrow keyframe marker in the Timeline view, on the layer of theselected bone.

‣

If the Skeleton Effect is collapsed, note that you will not see the keyframe marker. If you expand thepuppet's elements by clicking on the arrow next to the master peg element, notice a red square on
the parent element of the bone you moved. This indicates that a child of this bone has a keyframe.

5. In the Timeline view, go to the frame where you want to set a second keyframe.

6. In the Camera view, animate the character.

7. Repeat this process until all the poses are done.

By default, Toon Boom Studio is set to create non-constant keyframes. This means that the software
will automatically create the movement between two keyframes. This can be very handy when
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interpolation of your movement, you can set your keyframe to be non-constant—see Constant andNon-Constant Segments on page 403

Onion Skin Toolbar
You can use the Onion Skin toolbar to help you create your animation. It will let you see the previous and next
drawings of your animation as a handy reference while animating—see Using the Onion Skin in Cut-out
Animation on page 415

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Using the Natural Movement tools, you can easily animate smooth and natural actions. The Natural Movement
Forward and Natural Movement Inverse tools let you to rotate the parent bone and the rest of the children in the
chain will follow the main movement and also rotate on their own to create fluid motions. Without these little
additional rotations, the movement can be stiff and you will have to rotate the children bones on your own tosmooth out the movement and make it flow naturally.
There are two natural movement tools:•

Natural Movement Inverse

The Natural Movement Inverse

tool rotates the children bones in the opposite direction from theparent. Therefore, if you rotate the upper arm of a character upward, the forearm and hand also rotate
downward.This provides an illusion resistance in the motion as if gravity or air pressure were delaying therotation of the limbs. This animation principle is called follow through. If you animate a flower bending in
the wind, you will use the Natural Movement Inverse tool.

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Natural Movement Forward

The Natural Movement Forward

tool rotates the children bones in the same direction as the parent.

Therefore, if you rotate the upper arm of a character upward, the forearm and hand also rotate upward.
There is no illusion of resistance in this motion. The arm is deliberately bending.
To use the Natural Movement Inverse and Forward:
1. In the Bones Tools toolbar, select the Natural Movement Forward

or Natural Movement Inverse

tool. You can also access these tools by selecting Tools > Bone Tools > Natural Movement Forward or
Natural Movement Inverse.
2. In the Camera view, click the bone you want to animate and rotate it.
3. To toggle between the Natural Movement Forward and Natural Movement Inverse, hold down [Alt]before you start the motion to select the opposite tool.

Blocking the Body's Position
Once you position your puppet, you can create a keyframe for all the bone elements of your collapsed skeleton
and block the complete body at a specific frame.
To block the entire body position:
1. Make sure your Skeleton Effect layer is collapsed.
2. In the Timeline view, on the Skeleton Effect layer, select the frame at which you want to block the puppet's
position.
3. Select Element > Peg > Add Keyframe or press [l]. If you expand the Skeleton effect after adding the
keyframe, a keyframe will be added to all children layers. Do not forget to collapse your Skeleton effectbefore continuing your animation.

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Deleting Keyframes
To delete keyframes:
1. In the Timeline view, select the keyframe you want to remove.
2. Select Element > Peg > Remove Keyframe or press [Ctrl] + [R] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [R] (Mac OS X).
The selected keyframe is deleted.

If you select a keyframe on a collapsed layer, all the keyframes for all of that frame's collapsed
elements will be removed.

Removing All Keyframes
You can use the Remove All Keyframes option if you need to delete all the keyframes on one or many selectedbone elements.
To remove all keyframes:
1. In the Timeline view, select the bone elements you want to remove all the keyframes from. You can selectmany elements at once.
2. In the Timeline View

menu, select Remove All Keyframes or right-click in the right side of theTimeline view, and select Remove All Keyframes.

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Adjusting the Velocity and Functions
You can adjust the velocity to create ease-in and ease out motions or edit the movement Functions using the
Function Editor view. This greatly improves the quality and look of an animation, giving a more organic feel tothe movement. You can edit the velocity and function of your skeleton or bones in the Function Editor view.
To display the selected bone or skeleton in the Function Editor view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the Skeleton Effect master element or the bone element whose velocity you
want to edit.
2. In the Properties view, click the Function Editor

or Edit Velocity

button.

The Function Editor view is displayed and the select bone or skeleton function is selected.
To learn how to adjust the velocity and functions, see:•

Adjusting the Velocity on page 411•

Function Editor View on page 322

To learn more about the Skeleton Effect Properties view options, see:•

Skeleton Effect Properties on page 389

To learn more about the Bone element Properties view options, see:•Setting Up the Bones on page 366•

Setting the Influence Area on page 369

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Disabling a Bone Animation
At times, you may need to disable the bone animation. If so, you can simply disable the Skeleton effect.
To disable the Skeleton Effect:
1. In the Timeline view, locate the Skeleton effect top layer, it is the one with a bone icon.

2. Select in the layer's check box to disable it.

Notice that the Camera view automatically switches to Setup mode display.

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Skeleton Effect Properties
When the Skeleton effect master element is selected, many options are made available to you in the Properties
view.
Because you can animate the master element of the Skeleton effect just like the master Peg element of a puppet,
many options refer to motion paths.

To learn more about animating trajectories and motion paths, see Setting the Scene on page 277.

You can animate this element using the animation tools available in the Animation Tools toolbar—see Using theDifferent Animation Tools on page 407.

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Name: Displays the name of the selected Skeleton Effect element.

•

Start: Displays the first frame number to which a keyframe is inserted on the Skeleton Effect element.

•

Duration: Displays the duration of the animation of the Skeleton Effect element.

•

Loop Mode: Displays if the layer is looped—see Change Loops on page 332 to learn more about looping
a peg movement.

•

Edit Velocity: Click on this button to display the Skeleton Element in the Function Editor view. To learn
how to adjust the velocity—see Adjusting the Velocity and Functions on page 387 and Adjusting the
Velocity on page 411•

Skeleton Colour: Click in the colour square to open the Select Colour dialog box. Pick a colour toinstantly change the colour of the selected Skeleton Effect elements. The colour will change in both theTimeline and Camera view. You can also change the default colour for each new Skeleton Effect you will
add to your project using the Preferences panel—see Refer to Preferences on page 392.

•

Show Track: Displays the motion path of your animation in the Camera view—see Pegs on page 305.

•

Show Root: Displays the root, which is the centre point of the bone structure. Before the master elementof the Skeleton Effect is animated, the center point is situated in the centre of the Camera view.

•Show Influence: By default this option is enabled, letting you see the influence areas of the skeleton'sbones in the Camera view. You can disable this option to hide the influence areas.

•

Vector Quality: Choosing the vector quality level of your skeleton will either improve or depreciate theresult of the bone distortion effect.
HighestHigh
MediumLow•

Scale: Type in the desired width and height scaling values: 1 = 100%. You can also use the Scalein the Animation Tools toolbar.

•

Keep Proportions: Enable this option to keep proportions when scaling the skeleton.

•

Skewing: Type in the desired skewing angle value. You can also use the Skew

tool from theAnimation Tools toolbar.
•

Rotation: Type in the desired rotation angle value. You can also use the Rotate

tool from theAnimation Tools toolbar.
•

Apply Pivot to: Select to which transformation you want to apply the pivot to.
Rotation
Scaling•

Constant Z: This option is disabled by default. When you create a motion path on the Z-axis, theautomatic interpolation calculates the X, Y and Z axis values. When it is enabled, the interpolation
calculates the X and Y axis values and keeps the Z-axis value as constant—see Pegs on page 305•

Orient to Path: Forces the element connected to the path to follow the motion path—see Pegs on
page 305

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Copy Resting Position to Current Frame: Brings the skeleton and artwork back to the set-up
position only on the currently selected frame. You can then reparent and set up the bones and theircorresponding artwork in a new formation.

•

Copy Resting Position to All Key Frames: Maintains all the position information in the keyframesthat are part of an animated sequence, while restoring the puppet's bones to the set-up position andresetting all the transformation information back to zero.

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Preferences
When working with the bones feature, you can set the colour preference of the bone display from thePreferences panel.
To open the Preferences panel:‣

Windows: Select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Toon Boom Studio 8.1 > Preferences.

To change the bones colour display:
1. In the Preferences panel, select the Interface tab.

2. In the Element Colours section, double-click on the Skeletons and Bones colour swatch to display the
Select Colour dialog box.

3. Pick a colour in the Select Colour dialog box and click OK.
4. In the Preferences panel, click OK.
5. Every new Skeleton Effect you create uses colour as its default display in the Timeline and Camera view.

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You can also change the colour of an already created Skeleton effect by using its Properties view—see Skeleton Effect Properties on page 389.

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Chapter 13: Animating a Puppet

Start animating your characters with Toon Boom Studio's easy to use tools.
In this chapter, you will learn about the following:•

Getting the Character From the Library on the next page•

Understanding Keyframes and Drawings on page 399•

Creating a Simple Cut-out Animation on page 400•

Preferences on page 418395

Chapter 13: Animating a Puppet Getting the Character From the Library

Getting the Character From the Library
To use a character that was previously created and stored in the Library, you need to import it into your scene.
To import your character from the library:
1. Create your new Toon Boom Studio project—see Creating and Opening a Project on page 34.
2. In the Library view, select the template of the character you want to animate.

3. Drag the selected template to the Camera or Timeline view's left side.

The puppet appears in the Timeline view.

Refer to Animating a Puppet on the previous page to learn more about the Library view.

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Extending the Exposure
To extend the puppet exposure:
1. In the Timeline view, click the arrow beside the top layer of your puppet to collapse it.

In the Timeline view, select your puppet main layer and select Element > Cell > Extend Exposure or press [Ctrl]+ [Shift] + [1] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + [1] (Mac OS X).
The Extend Exposure dialog box opens.

2. In the Extend to Frame field, enter the planned final frame of your animation and click OK. This extends
the exposure of every element contained in your puppet.

Refer to Traditional Digital Animation on page 233 to learn more about exposure and timing.

Extending the Exposure of a Peg's Children Layers
When several layers such as drawings and pegs are parented to another layer such as a peg, you have thepossibility to expand the exposure of all parented layers at once by collapsing the main layer and using the
Extend Children Exposure function.
To extend the exposure of a puppet's children layers:
1. In the Timeline view, in the puppet layer's row, select the frame to where you would like to extend all thelayers' exposure. Make sure the main layer is collapsed.

2. Right-click on the frame and select Extend Children Exposure.

The children's exposure is indicated by a thin bar.

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When you uncollapse the Puppet Peg layer, the children's extended exposures are revealed.

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Understanding Keyframes and Drawings
Before starting to animate it is important to understand the difference between drawings and keyframes.
Keyframes lock a change in position, rotation or scale to a specific frame and store the value for thattransformation. When you add a keyframe to define the values for one or more transformations, such as motion,
scale, skew or rotation, you can use the features in Toon Boom Studio to animate the changes between them.
Just as creating a drawing element and selecting a new position over 20 frames is faster than creating 20
drawings for 20 frames, adding keyframes for a peg's transformations and letting Toon Boom Studio animate
the rest saves even more time.

Keyframes and Drawing Blocks
In the Timeline view, if you extend the exposure of a drawing, it is represented as a green block. A new green
block is displayed for every new drawing you create. These are called drawing blocks.

To change the position of a drawing over time, you do not need to create a second drawing block, just add a
position keyframe.
The position keyframes record the position of your drawing on a particular frame. They appear as black squares
in the Timeline view. Notice that the keyframes are positioned on frames independent of the beginning and endof each drawing block.

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Chapter 13: Animating a Puppet Creating a Simple Cut-out Animation

Creating a Simple Cut-out Animation
In this section, you will learn about different tools and features available in Toon Boom Studio to help you
animate your cut-out puppet.
This topic is divided as follow:•

Animating the Parts below•

Constant and Non-Constant Segments on page 403•

Navigating Inside a Hierarchy on page 404•

Using the Different Animation Tools on page 407•

Adjusting the Velocity on page 411•

Using the Onion Skin in Cut-out Animation on page 415•

Swapping Images on page 416

Animating the Parts
Once you import your cut-out puppet into your Studio project, you can start animating it.
To animate a puppet:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Transform

tool or selectTools > Animation Tools > Transform or press [7].
2. In the Timeline view, go to the frame where you want to set the first pose of your puppet.

3. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the parts to animate.
‣

If your puppet is collapsed, click the top layer arrow to expand it.

4. Use the Transform tool to rotate, skew, scale or translate the selection to its new position.

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A keyframe is created in the Timeline view. If your puppet is collapsed, note that you do not see thekeyframe on the master peg layer.

‣

If you expand the elements of your puppet by clicking the arrow next to the master peg element, youwill notice a red square on the parent element of the element you moved. This is an indication that achild of this element has a keyframe.

‣

A black square on the element you moved represents the keyframe.

5. In the Timeline view, go to the frame where you want to set a second keyframe.

6. In the Camera view, animate your character.

Blocking the Body's Position
Once you position your puppet, you can create a keyframe for all the elements of your collapsed puppet andblock the complete body at a specific frame.
To block the entire body position:
1. In the Timeline view, on the master peg, select the frame at which you want to block your puppet's
position.
2. Select Element > Peg > Add Keyframe or press [l].

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Deleting Keyframes
To delete keyframes:
1. In the Timeline view, select the keyframe you want to remove.
2. Select Element > Peg > Remove Keyframe or press [Ctrl] + [R] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [R] (Mac OS X).
The selected keyframe is deleted.

If you select a keyframe on a collapsed layer, all the keyframes for all of that frame's collapsed
elements are removed.

Copying and Pasting Keyframes
If you want to copy the value of a keyframe without copying the entire drawing contained in the selected cell, youneed to use the Paste Special command.
To copy and paste keyframes:
1. In the Timeline view, select the keyframe that contains the position values you want to copy.

2. Select Edit > Copy Cell or press [Ctrl] + [C] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [C] (Mac OS X).
3. In the Timeline view, select the cell in which you want to paste the copied position values.
4. Select Edit > Paste Special or press [Ctrl] + [B] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [B] (Mac OS X).
The Timeline Paste Special Preferences dialog box opens.

5. In the Pegs section, select or deselect the following options to choose which values of the keyframe youwant to paste:‣

Create/Delete Motion Key Frames: Pastes the translation value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create/Delete Rotation Key Frames: Pastes the rotation value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create/Delete Scale Key Frames: Pastes the scale value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create/Delete Pivot Key Frames: Pastes the pivot position value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create/Delete Velocity Key Frames: Pastes the velocity value of the copied keyframe.

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Create/Delete Skew Key Frames: Pastes the skew value of the copied keyframe.

‣

Create additional key frames at beginning and end of selection: Creates an additional keyframe at
the beginning and at the end of your pasted selection to block the copied values between them.

6. In the Drawings section, deselect the Create/Delete Exposure option. If this option is selected, thedrawing exposure is copied at the same time as the position value.

Constant and Non-Constant Segments
By default, when you add keyframes, non-constant segments are created between them. You can change thisoption to create constant segments.

Refer to the Preferences topic to learn how you can change the default behaviour of Toon BoomStudio so it creates constant segments by default.

Non-Constant Segment
A non-constant segment means that Toon Boom Studio automatically creates the interpolation between the two
keyframes, creating a motion.

A non-constant segment is represented as grey lines going from one keyframe to the other.

To switch from a constant to a non-constant segment:
1. In the Timeline view, select the first keyframe of the constant segment you wish to turn to non-constant.

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2. Select Element > Peg > Set Non-Constant Segment or press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [L] (Windows) or [⌘ ] +[Shift] + [L] (Mac OS X).
The segment turns to a non-constant segment.

Constant Segment
A constant segment means that the drawing automatically jumps from one position to the other without
creating any motion in between.

A constant segment is represented as a blank gap between two keyframes.

To switch from a non-constant to a constant segment:
1. In the Timeline view, select the first keyframe of the non-constant segment you want to turn to constant.

2. Select Element > Peg > Set Constant Segment or press [Ctrl] + [L] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [L] (Mac OS X).
The segment turns to a constant segment.

Navigating Inside a Hierarchy
To create a layer hierarchy when you build your puppet, use the hierarchy navigation command to travel up anddown the parent-children chain and to move between the children. This is useful if you want to select small parts
that are difficult to reach. You can also select different parts from the Timeline or Camera view.

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Selecting a Parent or Child Element
In a hierarchy, elements connected to one another are called parent and child.

To select the parent or child element:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Transform

tool, select Tools > Animation Tools >Transform or press [7].
2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select an element that is attached to a hierarchy.

3. Select Element > Arrange > Select Parent.
The selection changes to the parent of the selected element.

4. Once a parent peg is selected, select Element > Arrange > Select Child to select its child.

To select all children of an element:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Transform
Transform or press [7].

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2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select an element which is part of a hierarchy and is a parent of otherelements.

3. Select Element > Arrange > Select Children.
The selection changes to select all the elements that are attached to the selected parent element.

Selecting Brother Elements
Elements that are on the same hierarchy level are called brothers.

To select previous and next brother:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Transform

tool, select Tools > Animation Tools >Transform or press [7].
2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select an element that is part of a hierarchy.

3. Select Element > Arrange > Select Previous Brother or Select Next Brother.

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This option selects the previous or next brother of the selected element. Previous brother is the one
situated a level higher, while the next brother is the one situated a level lower in the Timeline view order.

Using the Different Animation Tools
The animation tool you use determines the kind of keyframe you create. In the Timeline view, each of these
keyframe types are displayed differently.
•

Transform Tool
Creates a keyframe for motion, scale, rotation and skew values at once.

•

Motion Tool
Creates a keyframe for the position values only.

•

Rotate Tool
Creates a keyframe for the angle values only.

•

Skew Tool
Creates a keyframe for the skew values only.

•

Scale Tool
Creates a keyframe for the horizontal and vertical scale values only.

Using the Transform Tool
Use the Transform tool to create a keyframes for position, scale, rotation and skew values simultaneously.

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To use the Transform tool:
1. In the AnimationTools toolbar, select the Transform

tool, select Tools > AnimationTools >Transform or press [7].
2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the element you want to transform.
3. Use one of the bounding box handles to transform your element.
‣

Hold down the [Shift] key as you scale to keep the ratio when using the corner handles.

‣

Holding down the [Shift] key as you rotate, locks the rotation every 15 degrees.

Using the Motion Tool
Use the Motion tool to create a keyframe for the position value.
To use the Motion tool:
1. In the AnimationTools toolbar, select the Motion

tool, select Tools > Animation Tools > Motion orpress [0].
2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the element you wish to reposition and drag it to the new position.
‣

Hold down the [Shift] key as you reposition your element to temporarily display a guide showing you
the starting position and the path of the motion you are creating.

Using the Rotate Tool
Use the Rotate tool to create a keyframe for the rotation angle value.

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To use the Rotate tool:
1. In the AnimationTools toolbar, select the Rotate

tool or select Tools > Animation Tools > Rotate.

2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the element you want to rotate.
3. Use the rotation handle to rotate your element.
As you rotate your element an angle guide appears, displaying the rotation angle you are creating.

‣Holding down the [Shift] key as you rotate, locks the rotation every 15 degrees.

Using the Skew Tool
Use the Skew tool to create a keyframe for the skew value.

To use the Skew tool:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Skew

tool or select Tools > Animation Tools > Skew.

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2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the element you want to skew.
3. Use the handles to skew your element.

Using the Scale Tool
Use the Scale tool to create a keyframe for the scaling value.

To use the Scale tool:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Scaletool, select Tools > Animation Tools > Scale orpress [9].
2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the element you wish to resize.
3. Use the handles to resize your element.
‣

Hold down the [Shift] key as you scale to keep the ratio when using the corner handles.

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Using the Select Tool
Use the Select tool to position, scale, rotate and skew your elements without creating a keyframe.

To use the Select tool:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select the Selecttool, select Tools > Animation Tools > Select orpress [6].
2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the element you wish to transform without creating a keyframe.
3. Use one of the bounding box handles to transform your element.
‣

Hold down the [Shift] key as you scale to keep the ratio when using the corner handles.

‣

Holding down the [Shift] key as you rotate, locks the rotation every 15 degrees.

Adjusting the Velocity
The velocity, or ease-in ease-out, is used on non-constant segments to create a more natural movement.

Ease-in and ease-out is the acceleration and deceleration of the movement. The speed of the motion
is adjusted between two keyframes so that the movement starts slowly, speeds up and then slows

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down again as it reaches the second keyframe. Adjusting the velocity creates a more natural feel tothe movement.

To adjust the velocity of a movement:
1. In the Animation Tools toolbar, select one of the animation tools, selectTools > Animation Tools > the desired tool, or use the desired tool keyboard shortcut.
2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the animated element of which you want to adjust the velocity.

The selected element's properties appear in the Properties view.

3. In the Properties view, click the Edit Velocity

button.

The Function Editor view opens.
4. In the drop-down menu, select the movement for which you want to adjust the velocity.

The curve corresponding to the selected movement is displayed.

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5. Adjust your curve:‣

Click on a keyframe to select it.

‣

Drag the handle to adjust the curve.

‣

Repeat Step 3 and Step 4 for each keyframe.

You can also use the default curve options to quickly adjust your velocity.
‣

Click on the Curve icon to open the drop-down menu and select the desired velocity option.

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Constant: Changes a non-constant segment to a constant segment, and removes the automatic
motion tweening created by Toon Boom Studio.

•

Linear: Creates a straight line of constant speed for a more automated animation look.

•

Ease in/out: Creates an acceleration effect at the beginning of the curve, speeding up middle andslowing down at the end of the curve. This creates a more natural animation look.

•

Fast in/out: Creates a curve that starts quickly, slows down in the middle and ends with a final
acceleration.

•

Extreme ease in/out: Creates a more dramatic ease in, ease out effect.

•

Extreme fast in/out: Creates a more dramatic fast in, fast out effect.

•

Slow acceleration: Creates a curve that starts slowly to smoothly accelerate over time.

•

Slow deceleration: Creates a curve that starts quickly to smoothly decelerate over time.

Refer to the Discovering the Interface on page 55 chapter to learn more about customizing yourworkspace and adding views.

Refer to the Setting the Scene on page 277 chapter to learn more about the Function Editor view.

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Using the Onion Skin in Cut-out Animation

You can use the Onion Skin option to display the previous three and the next three drawings of your character as
you animate your puppet. Being able to refer to these poses helps you accurately determine the size, angle orposition of the drawing you are working on.
By default the onion skin is displayed as the element's shape in washed-out colours. Green represents theprevious frames and red represents the next frames.
To enable the Onion Skin option:
1. In the Onion Skin toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Onion Skinbutton or selectView > Onion Skin > Turn On Onion Skin—see Customizing Toolbars on Mac OS X on page 73.
2. Select the range of previous and next frames to be displayed in the Onion Skin. Click and hold thePrevious and the Next onion skin buttons to open each drop-down menu and select the desired option.
You can also select View > Onion Skin > and one of the following choices:‣

No Previous Drawing: Does not display the content of the previous frames.

‣

Previous Drawing: Displays the content of the previous frame.

‣

Previous Two Drawings: Displays the content of the two previous frames.

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Previous Three Drawings: Displays the content of the three previous frames.

‣

No Next Drawing: Does not display the content of the previous frames.

‣

Next Drawing: Displays the content of the next frame.

‣

Next Two Drawings: Displays the content of the two previous frames.

‣

Next Three Drawings: Displays the content of the three previous frames.

Refer to Traditional Digital Animation on page 233 - Preferences on page 255 to know how tocustomize the display options of the Onion Skin.

Swapping Images

If your puppet contains extra drawings, such as extra heads, mouths, eyes or hands, you can use the image
swapping trick to animate your puppet.
For example, if your puppet contains extra drawings of eyes, such as an open eye, a half-closed eye and a closed
eye, you can easily animate a blink.
To create a blinking eye with image swapping:
1. Use a tool from the Animation Tools toolbar. You can also select Tools > Animation Tools > the desired
tool.
2. In the Camera or Timeline view, select the eye.

3. In the Timeline view, select the frame at which you want the puppet to start closing its eye.

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4. In the Cells view, use the swapper slider to select the half-closed eye drawing.

The selected drawing displays in the preview area, and the exposure is updated automatically in theTimeline view.

5. In the Timeline view, select two frames later.

6. In the Cells view, use the swapper slider to select the closed eye drawing.
7. To change back to the open eye, repeat Step 5 and Step 6.

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Preferences
In Toon Boom Studio, you can set your own preferences to fit your cut-out animation work style.
To open the Preferences panel:‣

Windows: Select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Toon Boom Studio 8.0 > Preferences.

Sceneplanning Tab Preferences
Select the Sceneplanning tab to customize the preferences relative to cut-out animation.

Create Linear Spline
When you animate an element with a motion, rotation or scaling, the velocity is set to Linear by default. Thismeans that the motion tweening executed by Toon Boom Studio is straight with no variation in the speed.
You can turn off this option by deselecting the Create Linear Spline box, so that every time you create a motion,
rotation or scaling, the velocity is set to the default ease-in, ease-out curve.

Refer to the Adjusting the Velocity on page 411 topic to learn more about velocity and ease-in,
ease-out concept.

Create Constant Keyframes
By default, the Create Constant Keyframes is disabled. When you create a motion, a non-constant segment iscreated between every two keyframes and the motion tweening is automatically calculated by Toon BoomStudio.

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You can create constant keyframes by selecting the Create Constant Keyframes option. Every time you create amotion, the segments between the keyframes are automatically constant segments. No motion tweening is
calculated and the position jumps from one to another at each keyframe.

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Chapter 14: Sound and Lip-sync

With Studio, you can import soundtracks and dialogue into your animation to make it more engaging andentertaining. Studio has many sound editing features to help you work with soundtracks and dialogue.
Studio can automatically analyze voice tracks to determine which of the eight animation phonemes (mouth
shapes) is optimal for each frame of the sound. You can then easily draw mouth shapes for your character
following the useful mouth chart that the software automatically generates. Furthermore, Studio can also
automatically apply drawings of mouth shapes to each frame of your animation based on the mouth chart.
In this chapter, you will learn about the following:•

Accessing the Sound and Lip-sync Tools on the next page•

Importing a Sound File on page 424•

Sound Display on page 425•

Sound Playback on page 428•

Sound Scrubbing in the Timeline View on page 429•

Editing a Sound File on page 430•

Adding an Empty Sound Layer on page 441•

Lip-sync on page 442

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Accessing the Sound and Lip-sync Tools

Accessing the Sound and Lip-sync Tools
Before you can import sounds and add sync them to a character`s mouth, you will need to know how to accessthe sound and lip-sync tools. There are three tools you can use:
Lip-sync View: The Lip-sync view is where you can create and map mouth charts, as well as importmouth templates for your characters.
To open the Lip-sync
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following:From the Sound toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Lip-sync
Properties panel, click the Lip-sync

button.In the

button.

Sound Element Editor: The Sound Element Editor is where you edit sounds that were created outsideof Studio and imported into your scene.
Import Sound: Lets you locate and select sound files to import.

Sound Toolbar
The Sound toolbar lets you access the Lip-sync view, Sound Element Editor view, and import sound. The Sound
toolbar is located at the top of the screen in Studio.

Sound Layer Properties
Once you have imported a sound file, you can easily access the Sound element editor and Lip-sync views fromlayer properties.

Related Topics•

Modifying the Lip-sync Detection on page 449 on page 443•

Sound Element Editor on page 430423

Chapter 14: Sound and Lip-sync

Importing a Sound File

Importing a Sound File
When you decide that you want to add sound to your movie, you must prepare this sound outside of Toon BoomStudio. Then, in Studio, you add a Sound element to organize sound files in your animation.
A sound will play in the movie until it reaches the end of the file or a stop frame created in the Sound Element
Editor. If the sound extends into multiple scenes, it will continue to play.
You can import as many sound files as you like. However, if you will be delivering your movies over the Internet,
the more sounds you add, the larger the file size of your final movie.
Toon Boom Studio imports, exports and plays sounds using QuickTime. Studio only supports the sound formats
recognized by Qt®, with one exception: Flash ADPCM format, which is supported natively.
To import a sound file:
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the Sound toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Import Soundbutton—see

Customizing Toolbars on Mac OS X on page 73.
‣

From the top menu, select File > Import File.

‣In the Exposure Sheet view, right-click on any cell and select Import Sound File.

‣In the Timeline view, click on the Add New Elements button. In the dialog box, select the Sound type,name the layer and click on OK. In the Properties view, click on the Import Sound File button.

‣

In the Exposure Sheet view, in the top toolbar, click on the Sound button. In the Properties view, clickon the Import Sound File button.

The Open dialog box displays.
2. From the Open dialog box, browse for your sound file (*.aiff, *.mp3, *.wav, or *.m4a) and click Open.
The sound layer appears in the Timeline view and is displayed as a waveform. The sound file also appears
in Exposure Sheet view.

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Sound Display
Once you import a sound file into your project, there are many ways to display it in the Exposure Sheet orTimeline view. You can use the waveform as a guide to synchronize a certain sound peak to an action in youranimation, or the Lip-sync mouth display to help you with your lip-sync animation.

Sound Display - Exposure Sheet View
The sound file can be displayed in four different ways in the Exposure Sheet view: by name, waveform, lip-sync
mouth shapes or lip-sync thumbnails.

Sound Name

By default, the sound is displayed showing the name of the sound file and the file format. For example, Line
1.wav.
A numbered exposure appears in each frame for the entire length of the sound file. Whenever there are no othersound display options enabled, this is how the sound column will look.

Waveform

Sound can be displayed vertically, divided into cells. A waveform represents the sound as it rises and falls involume, silence is shown as a straight line. Notice that the volume increases as the size of the waveform
increases. You can use the size of the waveform as a guide to sync the sound effect with the action in your scene.
To display the waveform:‣

In the Exposure Sheet View toolbar, click the Thumbnail

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Sound Display

Lip-sync Mouth Shapes - NameYou can display a sound file by letter or name, depending on the way you label the character's mouth positions,in the column's frames. Only one mouth position is allotted per frame and this position should correspond to thesound file after lip-sync detection is performed.
To turn on the mouth shapes display:‣

In the Exposure Sheet view, right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl] + click (Mac OS X) on a cell of the soundcolumn and select Show Lip-sync.

Lip-sync Mouth - Thumbnails

You can display a sound file by letter or name, depending on the way you label a character's mouth positions in
the column's frames, and as a thumbnail of the mouth shape.
To turn on the mouth shapes thumbnails display:‣

Click the Thumbnail

button. The Show Lip-sync option must already be enabled in the Exposure

Sheet View toolbar.

Refer to Lip-sync on page 442 to learn more about the lip-sync detection.

Sound Display - Timeline View
By default, the waveform of your sound file is displayed in the Timeline view, but you can choose to show or hide
it.

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To show or hide the waveform:
1. If the waveform is visible, select View > Hide Waveform.
2. If the waveform is hidden, select View > Show Waveform.

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Sound Playback

Sound Playback
There are two ways you can play back sound in a project. You can play your animation and the sound, or play
only the sound.

Playing the Sound and Animation
Before attempting to play back a sound, make sure the Sound Playback option is enabled.
To enable or disable the Sound Playback option:‣

In the top menu, select Play > Turn On Sound Playback to enable the option.

‣

In the top menu, select Play > Turn Off Sound Playback to disable the option.

You can then play your scene as usual using the Playback toolbar controls and the sound will play as well.

Playing Only the Sound
When you only play the sound, it is played for the entire length of the currently exposed sound. Unlike the regular
playback option, playing only the sound does not restrict your playback to exposed drawing cells.
To play back only the sound:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl] + click (Mac OS X) in the sound column's cell at
the point you want to start the playback, and select Play.

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Sound Scrubbing in the Timeline View
Studio uses a process known as sound scrubbing. This lets you hear the sound in real time as you move theplayback pointer forwards or backwards along the waveform. This is extremely useful for fine-tuning the lipsynching or sound synchronisation. You can scrub sounds in the Timeline view.
To scrub a sound in the Timeline view:
1. Select Play > Turn On Sound Playback.
2. Select Play > Turn On Sound Scrubbing.
3. At the top of the Timeline view, drag the red frame marker left or right along the waveform to hear thesound at each frame.

If you require finer control over the sound scrubbing, you can also enable Sound Scrubbing in theSound Element Editor—see Editing a Sound File on the next page.

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Editing a Sound File

Editing a Sound File
Now that you have successfully imported your sound file into Studio, it is time to familiarize yourself with thesound editing interface.

Sound Element Editor
The Sound Element Editor is where you edit sounds that were created outside of Studio and imported into yourscene.

The Sound Element Editor consists of three main panels.
1. Sound Element - The waveform in the top Sound Element window is the actual sample that will be heard
when the final movie is rendered. It may be shorter than the original sound sample due to length of thescene. If any edits are made to the sound sample, they can be heard here.
2. Current Sound - The Current Sound window displays the original sound file in its entirety. This is also
where you can edit its properties. This window remains empty until you click inside the Sound Element
window.
3. Lip-sync Preview - You can preview the automated detection and manually insert different mouth
positions to correspond with the sound sample—see Lip-sync on page 442.
You can do the following in the Sound Element Editor:•

Changing the Start or End Frame of a Sound on the facing page•

Trimming a Sound File on page 433•

Looping a Sound on page 434•

Mixing the Sound Volume on page 435•

Custom Playback Range on page 437

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Changing from Event to Streamed Sounds on page 437•

Sound Scrubbing in the Sound Element Editor on page 439•

Deleting a Sound on page 439•

Recomputing the Mouth Chart on page 450

To open the Sound Element Editor:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the sound element you want to edit and do one of thefollowing:‣

In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Sound‣

Click the Timeline View menu‣

From the top menu, select Element > Edit Sound.

‣

Right-click in the Timeline Sound layer or on the Exposure Sheet view sound column and select Edit
Sound.

button.

and select Edit Sound.

The Sound Element Editor opens.

Changing the Start or End Frame of a Sound
To synchronize the sound with specific images in your scene, you must set a start frame for your sound. To makesure the sound ends at a specific frame, you must set an end frame.
To change the start frame or the end frame of a sound:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element you want to edit.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Sound

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Editing a Sound FileThe Sound Element Editor opens.
3. Select a sound sample from the Sound Element panel. To distinguish one sound section from another on
the same sound layer, check the frame numbers that appear on the tabs beside the start and stop lines ofeach waveform section.

4. In the Current Sound panel, click the Playbutton (only the selected sound plays).

5. In the Sound Element panel, drag the selected clip to the frame number where you want it to start playing.

You can only move the clip to a section that does not already contain a clip; you cannot overlap two
clips in the same element.

6. To change the end frame, drag the yellow marker at the end of the waveform to the frame position where
you want it to stop playing.

7. To hear how all of the clips fit together in the element, click Play432

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8. In the Current Sound panel, click the Playbutton if you want to hear only the selected clip.

9. Click OK.
The Exposure Sheet and Timeline views display the sound clip at the start frame you selected.

Trimming a Sound FileTo play only a section of a sound file, use the Sound Element Editor to select the part you want to use. For
example, if there extraneous noise at the start of the sound, you can use the Sound Element Editor to edit out
the noise.
The Sound Element Editor does not change the original sound file; it only plays a section of it, ignoring the rest.
The complete sound file is still kept in the project. This means that the entire sound file is included on export. If
you need to consider restrictions in file size, it is better to completely edit the sound files in a third party soundeditor before bringing them into Studio.
To trim the start and end of a sound file:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element you want to edit.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Soundbutton.

The Sound Element Editor opens.
3. Select a sound from the Sound Element panel. To distinguish one sound section from another on the same
sound layer, check the frame numbers that appear on the tabs beside the start and stop lines of eachwaveform section.

4. In the Current Sound panel, click the Playbutton (only the selected sound plays).

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Editing a Sound File

5. Using the Current Sound panel, you can decide which part of the file you want to play by dragging the left
and right boundaries of the selection area.

6. In the Current Sound panel, click the Playbutton to play the trimmed sound and check that you havetrimmed the sections correctly. Use the Zoom slider at the bottom of the panel to zoom in on the
waveform so you can trim it more accurately.

7. Once you are sure that the sound is trimmed correctly, click OK.
The trimmed sound sample appears in both the Timeline and Xsheet Views at the start and end positions
that you selected.

Looping a Sound
To repeat a sound, you need to specify, in the Sound Element Editor the number of times that you want it toloop.
To loop a sound sample:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element you want to loop.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Soundbutton.

The Sound Element Editor opens.
3. From the Sound Element panel, select the sound section you want to loop.

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4. In the Current Sound panel, type the number of times you want the sound to play in the Number of Loops
field.

5. Press the [Return] key.
The looped sound appears after the current sound and is represented by grey waveforms, as opposed toblack.

When you loop a sound, the looped sections fill the cells in the Sound element (column or layer) until thenext sound sample starts or until the scene ends. This means that the looping could effectively get cut if
the next sound sample starts too soon or if the scene ends too quickly.

Mixing the Sound Volume
You can adjust the volume of an entire sound clip or modify the volume in increments by adjusting the fade-in andfade-out times. The fade edit only affects the playback; the original sound file is not affected.
To adjust the overall volume of the entire sound clip:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element you want to loop.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Soundbutton.

The Sound Element Editor opens.
3. In the Sound Element panel, select the sound that you want to work on.
An expanded version of the selected sound showing more detail appears in the Current Sound panel.

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Editing a Sound File

4. In the Current Sound panel, use the Volume slider to adjust the volume.

5. In the Current Sound panel, click the Playbutton to verify the volume.

To create a fade in/out effect on a sound clip:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element you want to edit.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Soundbutton.

The Sound Element Editor opens.
3. In the Sound Element panel, select the sound that you want to work on.
4. In the Current Sound panel, click the thin blue line above the waveform to add a volume control point.

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5. Drag the control point to adjust the volume and to create the time of the transition. The line from theedge of the clip to the control point identifies how the volume increases (fades-in) or decreases (fadesout) over time.

Dragging the control point to the bottom of the channel will mute the volume, while dragging it upwards
will increase the volume. To create an even effect, be sure to adjust the control points uniformly in boththe left and right (bottom and top) channels.
6. In the Current Sound panel, click the Playbutton to check the fade.

Custom Playback Range
To hear a specific section of the sound element, adjust the playback range in the Sound Element Editor to startor stop at specific frames. This custom playback range does not affect the actual sound in the Sound element.
To change the playback range in the Sound Element Editor dialog box:
1. In the Sound Element Editor, drag the start or end range markers in the Sound Element panel to theboundary frames you want.

2. In the Sound Editor Element panel, click the Playbutton to play only the sound between the twomarkers.

Changing from Event to Streamed Sounds
You can set up your sounds to be either streamed or event sounds when they are exported to the Adobe®
Flash® format.

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Editing a Sound File

Refer to Exporting Your Project on page 523 to learn more about exporting your movie and export
formats.

There are two major distinctions between event and stream sounds in the Adobe® Flash® file:••

Downloading•

Event sounds are downloaded by the Adobe® Flash® player before they play.

•

Event sounds are reusable. Once downloaded, the Adobe® Flash® player can play the soundrepeatedly without downloading it again. This is not possible with streamed sound.

•

Streamed sound plays as it arrives.

•

Streamed sound samples are broken into small bits and inserted between the video frame. This allows
the Adobe® Flash® player to start to play before receiving the full sound track which is helpful for along sound track (like background music).

Synchronization•

Streamed sounds are kept synchronized with the video by the Adobe® Flash® player. The player
drops frames if necessary to keep up with the sound.

•

Event sounds are not synchronized with video. After a while, an event sound may fall out of sync withthe video.

By default, the sounds are set to Event, but because streamed sounds are more likely to be synchronized with
the images in your animation, lip sync sounds and sound effects should be set to stream. If you set more than one
sound to stream, they will be mixed together and exported as one streamed sound.
To stream the sounds in an element:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element you want to edit.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Soundbutton.

The Sound Element Editor opens.
3. In the Sound Element panel, select the sound you want to work on.

4. Select the Streamed option.

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This turns streaming on or off. If the Streamed option is not selected, the sound is set as an event
sound.

Sound Scrubbing in the Sound Element Editor
Studio uses a process known as sound scrubbing. This lets you hear the sound in real time as you move the playback
pointer forwards or backwards along the waveform. This is extremely useful if you have to fine tune the lip-syncing orsound synchronisation You can scrub sounds in the Sound Element Editor.

To scrub a sound from the Sound Element Editor:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element you want to edit.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Soundbutton.

The Sound Element Editor opens.
3. In the Sound Element panel, select the waveform you want to scrub.

4. Below the Current Sound panel, select the Enable Scrubbing option. This option sets the red markers inscrub mode.

5. Drag the red playback marker left and right to hear the sound in sound scrubbing.

Deleting a SoundYou can delete a sound in the Sound Element Editor.
To delete a sound:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element you want to remove the sound file from.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit SoundThe Sound Element Editor opens.

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Editing a Sound File

3. In the Sound Element panel, select the sound you want to delete.
4. To distinguish one sound section from another on the same sound layer, check the frame numbers thatappear on the tabs beside the start and stop lines of each waveform section.

5. Click Delete.

The Sound is removed from the Exposure Sheet and Timeline views.

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Adding an Empty Sound Layer
When performing sound editing tasks, it can be useful to chop up a sound sample into different layers. For
example, when performing a lip-sync, only a single view of the various mouth positions for a character can exist
on one layer. Therefore, if you want your character to turn its head from a profile view to a three-quarter viewand have mouth position changes to fit with the sound sample from these two different views, you would need to
cut-up the sound samples needed for the profile view mouth positions on one layer and the sound samples
needed for the three-quarter view on another. For this task, you will need an empty sound layer.
To add an empty sound layer:‣

In the Exposure Sheet view, click the Add Soundbutton in the Exposure Sheet View toolbar or

select Add > Sound from the Exposure Sheet view contextual

menu.

‣

In the Timeline view, select New > Sound from the Timeline view contextual‣

Select Element > Add > Sound.

An empty sound element appears in the Exposure Sheet and Timeline view.

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Lip-sync

Lip-sync

Adding a lip-sync to a project can really enhance its quality and storytelling. However, it can be difficult to shapea character's mouth so it matches the sound at the precise frame. To solve this problem, Studio provides a lipsync feature which analyzes the content of a sound element and generates a mouth chart based (see below) on
the eight animation phonemes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and X, which is used to represent silence). You can lip-sync the
traditional way or let the Studio automatically create the basic detection.
The mouth shapes used by Studio are based on the conventional mouth chart used in the animation industry. The
letters used to represent the shapes do NOT correspond to an actual sound.
Here is an approximation of which sound each mouth shape can produce:
Mouth ShapeApproximate sound themouth shape matches toAb, m, pBd, h, i, j, k, s

C

a, e

D

A, E

E

o

F

oo, u

G

f, ph

X

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You can refer to the mouth chart positions as you draw the shape of your character's mouth.
This section explains:•

Modifying the Lip-sync Detection on page 449 below•

Creating a Lip-sync Using a Mouth Template on the next page•

Creating a Lip-Sync Using Your Own Drawings on page 446•

Lip-sync on the previous page•

Automatic Lip-sync Detection on page 448•

Modifying the Lip-sync Detection on page 449

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Lip-sync

Lip-sync View
The Lip-sync view is where you can create and map mouth charts, as well as import mouth templates for yourcharacters.

To open the Lip-sync view:
1. Select a sound layer from the Timeline view or a cell in the Exposure Sheet view.
2. Do one of the following:‣

From the Sound toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Lip-sync‣

In the Properties panel, click the Lip-sync

button.

button.

Creating a Lip-sync Using a Mouth Template
Studio comes with a variety of mouth templates that you can play and experiment with on your characters. You
can create a lip-sync and use an existing sound layer or create the lip-sync and then import the sound.
To create a lip-sync using a mouth template:
1. From the Sound toolbar, click the Lip-sync

button (Top toolbar on Mac OS X).

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2. Do one of the following to add sound:‣

Click the Import Sound‣

From the Sound list, select a sound file you have already imported.

button. From the Open dialog box, select a sound file and click Open.

3. If needed, edit the sound by clicking the Edit Sound
the Sound Element Editor.
4. Click the Import Template

button and making any adjustments inbutton.

The template dialog box opens to display the mouth templates.

5. Select a mouth template and click OK.
In the Timeline view, a Drawing layer is created containing eight mouth drawings.

6. In the Lip-Sync view, click Apply to generate the lip-sync with the sound file.
The mouth shapes are synced with the sound file.

7. In the Drawing view, use the Select toolin the Animation Tools toolbar to scale the mouth drawings

on the layer.
8. In the Camera view, place the mouth at the correct location on your character.

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Lip-sync

Creating a Lip-Sync Using Your Own Drawings
You can use your own drawings to generate a lip-sync.
To create a lip-sync using your own drawings:
1. In the Timeline view, select the drawing layer that contains your eight mouth drawings.
2. From the Sound toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), click the Lip-sync

button.

The Lip-sync view displays. Your eight mouth drawings are automatically mapped with the animation
phonemes.

3. Do one of the following to add sound:‣

Click the Import Sound‣

From the Sound list, select a sound file you have previously imported.

button. From the Open dialog box, select a sound file and click Open.

4. If needed, edit the sound by clicking the Edit Sound
Sound Element Editor.

button and making any adjustments in the

5. If needed, you can adjust the mouth mapping by clicking the Previous Drawing and Next Drawing arrows
beside any of the mouths.

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6. Click Apply to generate the lip-sync with the sound file.
The mouth shapes are synced with the sound file.

Lip-sync Detection
You can detect the lip-sync for a sound in the Exposure Sheet view or Sound Element Editor.
To detect lip-sync for a sound in the Exposure Sheet view:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, right-click on a cell of the sound column and select Show Lip-sync.
Studio analyzes the selected sound clips and assigns a lip-sync letter to each sound cell. The number ineach frame is replaced by a letter that represents the mouth shape.

You can enable the Thumbnails display option to show a preview image of the mouth shape. Onceyou enable the Show Lip-sync option, click the Thumbnail
button in the Exposure Sheet View
toolbar.

To detect lip-sync for a sound using the Sound Element Editor:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element from which you want to generate a chartof mouth shapes.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Soundbutton.

The Sound Element Editor opens.
3. In the Sound Element panel, select the waveform from which you want to generate the mouth chart andclick Lip-sync.

A progress bar appears as Studio analyzes the selected sound clips and assigns a lip-sync letter to eachsound cell.
4. Click the Playbutton to hear the sound clip.

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Lip-sync

The Lip-sync Preview area shows a preview of the result.

Automatic Lip-sync Detection
Studio can automatically map drawings in an element to the mouth chart you have generated for a sound using
the Lip-sync button in the Sound Element Editor dialog box. This can save time when lip-syncing a voice track.
This means that in the Lip-Sync Mapping dialog box, you can identify each lip drawing of a character mouthelement. Studio then automatically labels all of the cells in the character's element with the appropriate name.
To automatically map lip-sync drawings to a mouth chart:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, right-clickon the header of the sound element was already lip-synced andselect Modify Lip-sync Mapping.
The Lip-Sync Mapping dialog box opens.

‣

Source element: The Sound element from which the lip-sync mapping will be based.

‣

Destination element: Lets you select the element that contains the mouth shapes of your character.

‣

Mapping: In this section, type the destination drawing name in each field corresponding to the mouthphoneme that the thumbnail on the left represents. If your drawings are already named using thestandard phoneme letters, you do not need to change anything.

2. Click OK.
3. Click the Playbutton in the Playback toolbar to see and hear the results in the Camera view.

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4. To play back your scene with sound, enable the sound if you not already done so. From the top
menu,select Play > Turn On Sound Playback.

Modifying the Lip-sync Detection
If you think that another position would be more appropriate, you can change the mouth position that has been
assigned to a frame.
For example, you may have a character who remains silent for ten frames between two speeches. Studio would
normally assign an X image to the silence. However, if you want your character's mouth to hang open inastonishment for these ten frames, you can change the lip assignment for these frames from an X to an E.

You can modify the lip-sync from the Exposure Sheet view or Sound Element Editor.

Modifying the Lip-sync in the Exposure Sheet View
To change the lip assignment of a sound in the Exposure Sheet:
1. In the Exposure Sheet view, right-click in the cell that contains the mouth position you want to change.
2. Select Lip-sync > A, B, C, D, E, F, G or X. Choose the letter that reflects the mouth position you want touse for that sound.

The drawing automatically updates in the Exposure Sheet and Timeline view.

Modifying the Lip-sync in the Sound Element Editor
To change the mouth position assignment of a sound in the Sound Element Editor:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element with the lip-sync you want to modify.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Soundbutton.

3. In the Sound Element panel, drag the red frame slider to the frame with the mouth position you want tochange.

4.

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Lip-sync

In the Lip-sync image area, the image on top represents the lip position currently assigned to the frame.

5. To change the image assigned to the frame, select a mouth position below the preview image.

The preview image changes to the mouth position image you selected. The position is also updated in the
Exposure Sheet and Timeline views.

Recomputing the Mouth Chart

Recomputing the mouth chart erases any manual modifications you made to the mouth assignmentsin the mouth chart.

When you generate the mouth chart for a sound in a sound element, you can either accept the mouth positions
assigned by Studio or assign your own lip-sync images.
However, if you change the sound's start frame, edit it or reassign its mouth position afterwards, you must
reanalyze the sound, and regenerate the mouth chart for it.
To recompute the mouth chart for a selected sound in the Exposure Sheet:
Remember that recomputing erases modifications (see warning above).
1. In a Sound column in the Exposure Sheet, right-click on a cell that contains the sound file you want torecompute and select Recompute Lip-sync.
The mouth position assignment for each frame is recomputed, erasing any modifications you made.
To recompute the mouth chart for a selected sound in the Sound Element Editor:
Remember that recomputing erases modifications (see warning above).
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, select the Sound element.
2. In the Sound toolbar or Properties panel, click the Edit Soundbutton.

The Sound Element Editor opens.
3. In the Sound Element panel, select a waveform to recompute and click Lip-sync.

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Chapter 15: Stop-motion Animation

Stop-motion animation has been around since animators first realized that all it took was a nudge to a clay
figure, puppet or object and then taking a series of snapshots to produce the illusion of motion. In this digitalage, the process has only become easier and more fun as it is now possible to mix in 2D animation.
Toon Boom Studio has an integrated image capture feature. An intuitive and easy-to-use image capture window,
which allows you to set up and capture all your images. It is as easy as plugging in your recording device — be it adigital, video or web camera, fixing the settings in the software, keying out the background and taking thesnapshots.
This chapter is divided into the following sections:•Characters and Stage on the next page•

Image Capture Settings on page 454•

Light Table and Onion Skin on page 455•

Colour Keying on page 458•

Image Capture on page 460•

Vectorization and Clean-up on page 463

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Characters and Stage

Characters and Stage
Before you begin, it is important to gather the characters that you intend to use and set up a stage on which torecord your stop-motion animation.

Gathering Your Characters

When deciding on characters, it is best to look for or create figures that have ball and socket joints for full rotary
movement. Just like a cut-out puppet, you want to be able to move your principal character at the shoulders,legs, knees and elbows if possible. If you choose to create or use characters that have less mobility, youranimation might look a little stiff, which is not necessarily a bad thing if this is the look you want.

Setting Up Your Background

Depending on whether you want a 2D or 3D environment, you have to set up your background accordingly. If
you prefer a 3D background, then you would treat the elements in the same manner that you treat your stopmotion characters. If you would like a 2D cartoon background, then you need to set up what is known as either ablue or green screen.
A blue or green screen is a solid-coloured piece of fabric that you can easily select and block out in the software.
This process is known as colour keying. You can then superimpose another background, such as a 2D drawing
created in Studio or a 3D photograph or a piece of video footage.

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An important element to consider when setting up either a green screen backdrop or a stop-motion setting, isthe lighting. In the case of a green screen, soft, flat lighting can be the key to making the material look smoothand shadowless. The fewer variations in tone, the easier it is to key out the colour later on. Lighting does notnecessarily mean a multi-lamp setup; a well-lit room with natural daylight is often best.

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Image Capture Settings

Image Capture Settings
Before you start, be sure your image recording device is plugged into your computer and turned on. Follow thecamera manufacturer's instructions on how to connect the camera to a computer. It is recommended for thestop-motion image capture process that you support your camera in a fixed position by using a tripod or someother mounting system. The camera must be rigidly fixed because any movement of the camera, such as shaking
or vibration, affects the captured images. The only items that move are the items on the stage.

Setting Up the Image Capture Options
To set up for image capture:
1. From the File menu, select Acquire > From Capture Device.
The Image Capture window appears.
2. In the Options section, select the Source tab. Find and select your recording device from the Device list.
3. From the Source list, select Full-Resolution Photo if it is available for your recording device (somedevices, such as webcams may not allow for this option). Otherwise, select Live Preview if you prefer totake faster, lighter images for a rough test.

The Capture window can be used to capture more than just live physical models with a recording
device. You can also "capture" hand-drawn images with the use of a scanner.
To learn more about scanning from TWAIN, see Importing Artwork on page 161.

4. If you are using a scanner with a WIA driver (Windows Image Acquisition), the Resolution list will beenabled. From the list, select the resolution at which you want to scan your images.

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5. If you want to smooth out some of your colours, select the Noise Reduction option. If you want tocapture more detail, leave this option deselected.
6. Click Properties.
The Camera Properties window appears.
This is an example of a typical Camera Properties window.

The Camera Properties page is different for every capture device. The information displayed on thatpage comes from the device itself and therefore contains different options for each device.

7. Most of the settings that you see in the Exposure section are set manually on your camera. If you change
a setting in the software, such as the ISO, it is changed on your camera. If you change a setting on yourcamera, it is also changed in the software.
8. In the White Balance section, play with the options from the Mode list and select the one relating to yourlighting set up, or until the colours in the preview window displays evenly balanced colours. Make fineadjustments with the colour sliders.
9. In the Focus section, use the Near and Far increments to bring the preview image into focus. For greater
focal detail, use the Left, Right, Up and Down buttons to move around the Zoom Preview rectangle in
the preview window. When you find a good section to examine, such as an area of high contrast, click
Zoom Preview to view that section in detail. Use the Near and Far increments to make finer adjustments.
10. Click Close.

Light Table and Onion Skin
The Light Table feature for stop-motion image capture can be used in two different ways: as a light table or as
an onion skin option. As a light table, it can be used to display a series of images, such as JPEGs of a walk-cycle,
behind the live image in the preview window. This can be useful if you want to use a template for the stop-motion

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Image Capture Settings

poses you need. As an onion skin option, the preview window displays the live image with the one that wascaptured just moments before.
The different uses of the light table are based on the layer selected in the Layer list. Choosing the same layer as
the one you are capturing the images on enables the Onion Skin option. Selecting any other layer serves as areference when capturing images for the stop-motion. Only image (bitmap) layers, as opposed to drawing(vector) layers, appear in the list.
To use the Light Table feature:
1. From the Layer list, select the layer that you want to see in the preview window.

2. If the images you are capturing do not have the same ratio as your Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide
project (for example 16:9 instead of 3:4) the Aspect Ratio list is enabled. Select the ratio option that suits
your needs.
3. Use the Opacity slider to control the transparency of the image being seen through the light table oronion skin.

To use the Light Table feature as an Onion Skin option:
1. Capture the first image without specifying the Layer to be used as a reference (in the Light Table section,
the Layer list is set to Disabled).

2. Once the first image is captured, go to the Layer list and select the layer on which the image has been
captured.
3. If the images that you are capturing do not have the same ratio as your Studio project (for example 16:9
instead of 3:4), the Aspect Ratio list is enabled. Select the ratio option that suits your needs.
4. Use the Opacity slider to control the transparency of the image being seen through the light table oronion skin.

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Capture Features
Auto Capture

Although some motions are easy to record by posing and reposing a figure while taking snapshots between
each movement, others are not. The Auto Capture feature allows you to automatically record movement when it
is not practical to manually press the record button in succession. For example, capturing a ball dropping, or an
event which takes place over an extended period of time, such as a time-lapse recording of a sunset.
To use the Auto Capture feature:

1. In the Auto Capture section, select a number of increments from the first drop-list.
2. From the second drop-list, select the units (msec, sec, min, hour, day).
3. When ready, click Start.

Preview Window
You can expand the preview window in the Image Capture window if it is not large enough for you to see all thedetails of the elements in your scene. Click the Show/Hide Capture Options button to expand this window.

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Colour Keying

Colour Keying

One of the ways that Studio has ensured greater flexibility for your stop-motion projects is by including a Colour
Keying feature. With this feature, you can easily remove the background around your character and instead
replace it with a hand-drawn background.
In order for the Colour Keying feature to work, it is essential to place a solid-coloured fabric behind yourcharacter so that it hides anything else that might appear in the camera frame.
To key out your coloured background:
1. If it is not already open, from the File menu, select Acquire > From Capture Device to open the Image
Capture window.
2. Select the Keying tab.

3. From the first list, select a Keying type. It is recommended that you select the type that shows the mostsensitivity to your background. This might not be obvious until you pick the colour that you want to key
out. You can gauge sensitivity by the amount of dancing pixels seen in the preview window.
‣

Chroma Keying (YUV): YUV is a colour model (like RGB or CMYK) that encodes a colour image orvideo taking human perception into consideration. It allows transmission and compression errors to458

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be more efficiently masked by human perception than when using an RGB representation. Choose YUV
if your recording device conforms to certain YUV standards.
‣

Chroma Keying (RGB): The RGB colour model is an additive colour model in which red, green, andblue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colours. RGB is a devicedependent color space: different devices detect or reproduce a given RGB value differently. Thus an
RGB value does not define the same color across devices without some kind of colour management.

‣

Luma Keying: Luma corresponds to the brightness in an image, the "black and white" portion. Lumais typically paired with chroma. Luma represents the achromatic image without any colour, while thechroma represents the colour information. Converting the output of a camera into luma and chroma
allows a video system to optimize its performance for the human visual system, since human vision ismore sensitive to luminance ("black and white") detail than colour detail.

4. Click Pick Colour.
5. Use the eye dropper to select your background in the preview window. If there are some unavoidable
highlights and shadows on your green screen, try to select a mid-tone area. The selected colour appears
in the swatch area beside the Pick Colour button.
Your preview window comes alive with dancing pixels.
6. If you selected Luma Keying as the keying type, you can also select Luma correction to help even out theimage so it is easier to extract a drawing from the background.
7. If you selected one of the chroma keying types, select the Matte option if you want to render the preview
window achromatic. This option makes the keying process visually easier by seeing the selected portion
being reduced to black and the keyed out portion being reduced to white.
8. Select the Hide Background option, if you want to see which part of the image is rendered transparent.
9. Play with the Minimum and Maximum sliders until your background disappears into a solid white (ortransparent depending on which options were selected).
10. If there are still green areas remaining, try selecting one of the effects from the drop-down menu andchose the degree of Effect Intensity until you see a clean white or near clean white background in thepreview field.
You are now ready to capture images for you stop-motion animation.

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Image Capture

Image CaptureThis is the easiest part of the stop-motion animation process. Once you start capturing, your images arerecorded on an Image Capture layer as a string of frames on the Timeline.

If you are using a video camera, it will act as a still-frame camera; it only captures the single images
within its field of view.

To perform an image capture:
1. If it is not already open, select Acquire > From Capture Device from the File menu to open the Image
Capture window.
2. Set up your first pose. Use the preview window and the recording device viewfinder to make sure that it iscorrectly framed.

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3. When you are ready, click Capture.

4. Reposition your character and/or other elements on the stage. The smaller the movement, the smootherthe animation.

5. Click Capture.
At this point, the Timeline view looks something like this. Each frame represents an image capture.

6. Repeat this process until you have completed your motion sequence.
7. When you are finished, click Close.

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Image Capture

Capturing Images in an Existing Layer
Instead of recording all the images that you need in one session, you may decide to divide the action sequences
into different recording sessions. However, if you do this, you may notice that each time you close the Capture
window and start it again, the software automatically creates a new Image Capture layer.
To add image captures onto an existing layer:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet view, right-click on the empty cell where you would like the new
captures to begin and select Import and Vectorize > From Capture Device.
The Capture window opens.
2. Continue with the capture process.

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Vectorization and Clean-up
After recording your stop-motion animation, you may notice that your character was not as cleanly keyed as you
would like. The fastest way to resolve this is to perform a clean-up. However, you cannot execute a clean-up
without first converting your bitmap image sequence into vectors with a bitmap texture fill.
To vectorize and clean up your image sequence:
1. In the Timeline view, select and right-click on one of the cells in the Image Capture layer and2. select Convert Element to Vector.
A new Drawing layer appears above the original layer with the same number of cells converted into
vectors.

3. In the Timeline view, select the first cell of the Image Capture layer.
4. In the Drawing view, use the Contour Editor

tool to delete or move vector points until you have aclean outline around the bitmap fill. To quickly reduce the amount of points to clean, using the Contour
Editor tool, select the drawing to clean and select Tools > Smooth.

5. Scrub through your animation to check for any anomalies in the contour of your character.

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Chapter 16: Enhancing with Effects

The most important part of animation is creating lifelike movement, followed by telling a good story and thecreation of memorable characters. However, when all that is done, it is nice to add a little icing on the cake.
Enhance your animation by giving it some subtle atmosphere or by turning up the wow factor. Toon BoomStudio offers eleven different pre-installed effects to choose from.
•Special Effects on the next page•

Blockbuster and Forces of Nature Effects•

Disabling All Effects on page 510

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Special Effects

Studio's special effects let you add a shadow to your character that follows its every movement, soften theedges of atmospheric elements, such as the sun and clouds, as well as create a beautiful sunset and much, much
more.
•

Previewing Effects below•

Blur Effect on page 470•

Colour Transform Effect on page 473•

Feather Edge Effect on page 477•

Drop Shadow Effect on page 480•

Clipping Effect on page 484•

Shake Effect on page 489

Previewing Effects
To see the final look of some of your effects such as the blur, the system needs to calculate and render them. The
Camera view shows a simple version of your effects so you can play back your animation quickly. Therefore, tosee your final effects as you adjust them, you need the Effect Preview view which gives you the ability to render
the current frame and display it in a window.

Toon Boom Studio will keep in memory 200MB of rendered images. (~25 frames in HD, ~100 is half
HD and ~400 in quarter HD).

To open the Effect Preview view:
1. Select Window > Effect Preview.
2. Grab the floating view and dock it beside your Camera view.

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The Effect Preview view allows you to render a single frame, a frame range or your whole scene to see youreffects. You can render the images to a quarter, half or full size of your project depending on how much memory
you want to use.
To preview a blur effect:
1. In the Special Effects toolbar, click the Blur Effectbutton.

2. In the Timeline view, parent the drawing layers that you want to blur to the Blur effect.

3. In the Effect Preview view, click Render Single Frame.
The current frame preview appears at a quarter of the project's size.

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4. For a better quality render, in the Size list, select Half Size or Full Size.

5. Click Render Single Frame to update the preview.

6. In the Properties view, increase the Radius value.

7. In the Effect Preview view, click Render Single Frame.

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8. In the Render drop-down menu, select Render Playback Range to render your whole scene or the
playback range section, if you customized it. Select Render from Current Frame if you want to render all
the frames starting from the current frame.

9. Once you have rendered a range of images, you can play them back by pressing the Playbutton in theInteractive Playback toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X). If you want to play back your scene without
playing back the rendered frames, deselect the Sync Current Frame option. This will allow you to playback only the Camera view and leave the Effect Preview window at the current frame. To play back yourrendered frames, select the Sync Current Frame option.
10. Once you have rendered a range of images, you can play them back by pressing the Playbutton in theInteractive Playback toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X). If you want to play back your scene without
playing back the rendered frames, deselect the Sync Current Frame option. This will allow you to playback only the Camera view and leave the Effect Preview window at the current frame. To play back yourrendered frames, select the Sync Current Frame option.
11. From the Render drop-down menu, select Clear if you want to delete the previously rendered frames toclear some memory. Toon Boom Studio will keep up to 200MB of images in memory. If the renderingbuffer is full, select this option to empty it.

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Blur EffectIf you are animating an image that is visible from a great distance, or through adverse weather conditions such as
fog, you can use the Blur effect to give a soft-focus look to your image. With the Blur effect, you can alter theoverall blurriness of an element and then set keyframes to animate the blurriness over time. In this way, you canboth increase and decrease the level of blurriness throughout the animation.
To create a Blur effect:
1. In the Special Effects toolbar, click the Blur Effectbutton.

You can also add the Blur effect from the Timeline toolbar.
‣

In the Timeline view, click the Add New Element

button.

The New Elements dialog box opens.
‣

From the Type list, select Blur Effect.

‣

In the Name field, rename the effect appropriately.

‣

Click OK.

A new Blur layer appears in the Timeline view.
2. In the Timeline view, select the drawing layer that you would like to attach to the Blur effect and drag it
onto the Blur effect layer.

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3. Double-click the Blur effect layer to rename it in accordance with the Drawing layer that is attached to it.
This is good practice, as you may want to add more than one Blur effect to the Timeline view. You may
want to add more than one Blur effect because as the camera approaches different elements, thoseelements in front will come into focus before those farther back. In order to create different timing
sequences, you need multiple versions of the same effect.
4. If you do not want the Blur effect to start at the first frame, you can select the effect's cells and drag themto the starting frame that you prefer.

You can also right-click anywhere on the effect's cells and select Change Start Frame.

Enter the start frame that you would like into the Enter the New Start Frame field and click OK. The entire
row of effect cells will be shifted down the Timeline view.
5. If you want the transition to be shorter or longer, select the end of the group of frames, wait until you get
the double arrow cursor and then pull towards the left or right.

You can also right-click anywhere on the effect's cells and select Change Duration.

Enter the duration that you would like the effect to last for in the Enter the New Duration field and click
OK. The exposure of the effect will be extended or shortened depending on the value entered.
6. In the Timeline view, drag the red playhead to the frame on your effect layer where you would like to add a
keyframe.

In the Tool Properties panel for the Blur effect, click the Add Blur Effect Keyframe

button.

A new keyframe is added to the chosen location.
7. In the Timeline view, drag the red playhead to a frame on your effect layer where you would like to delete
a keyframe.

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In the Tool Properties panel for the Blur effect, click the Delete Keyframe

button.

The keyframe is deleted from the chosen location.
8. In the Timeline view, go to the frame containing your first keyframe and select the Blur effect layer.

9. In the Properties view, move the Radius slider to increase or decrease the Blur Radius, or simply enter avalue directly into the field. You can enter decimal increments for more precision.
10. Deselect the Radial option if you want to create a Motion Blur. The Angle slider will automatically become
active. You can still modify the blur intensity with the Radius slider and the angle of the blur with the Angle
slider.

Choose a large Radius value, such as 200. You can enter different radius values for the start and end
keyframes of your effect to see the blur trail either increase or decrease in length. You can also enter adifferent Angle value for the start and end keyframes to have the direction of the Motion Blur rotate
around the object. Obviously, the Motion Blur will look more natural if you apply this effect to a moving
object.

It is important to play with and animate the effect to ensure a convincing result. For example, in thisexample, the school of fish flip abruptly and start swimming upwards in the opposite direction. Now the
30 degree angle no longer looks good. It would be better to key a new angle at the point of the flip in theTimeline. Also, as the fish slow down before the flip, their motion blur would inevitably shorten, thenlengthen again when they speed up.

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A trick that you could do is to create a solid version of your object over a blurred version. You can achieve
this effect by duplicating the original object. If the object contains multiple drawings and keyframes, then
you could create a template of it in the Library first. Be sure that the timing is aligned in the Timeline, as
templates often start at frame 0. Add a Motion Blur to the version lower in the Timeline layer stack.

The only way to preview the Blur effect is to export a render of your scene. To minimize render time,
export only the frames that contain the effect and not the entire scene—see Export Movie on
page 525.

Colour Transform EffectIf you animate a sunrise, a distant object moving closer to the camera or something appearing and disappearing
etc., you can use the Colour Transform effect to animate a colour or transparency change.
With the Colour Transform effect, you can change the overall colour or transparency of an element and set keys
on different frames. Toon Boom Studio will animate the colour change between these frames. This way, while thesun rises, you can change the colour of the sky from apple green to azure blue, or change a ghost transparency
level from fully transparent to completely opaque.
The Colour Transform effect also works with the Drop Shadow effect. Any colour changes you make can be
confined to the object, applied to an object`s shadow, or both—see Drop Shadow Effect on page 480.

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To create a Colour Transform effect:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Special Effects toolbar, click the Colour Transform Effect‣

In the Timeline view, click the Add New Element

button.

button. In the New Elements dialog box that

opens, select Colour Transform Effect from the Type list. Rename the effect appropriately and clickOK.

A new Colour Transform layer appears in the Timeline view. By default, the effect has a 20 frame transition
with two keyframes, one at the beginning and one at the end. No values are entered in these keyframes.
2. In the Timeline view, select the layers you want to apply the colour transformation on and drag them
ONTO the Colour Transformation layer.

3. If you do not want the colour transformation to start at the first frame, select the transition cells and dragthem to the desired starting frame.

4. To make the transition to be shorter or longer, select the end of the transition, wait until the doublearrow cursor appears, then pull or push it to adjust the length.

5. In the Timeline view, go to the frame containing your transition first keyframe and select the Colour
Transform layer.

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6. In the Properties view, adjust the colour parameters using the Additive or Multiplicative settings. You canadjust the Red, Green, Blue and Alpha (transparency) parameters.

‣

The more you increase the Multiplicative values, the more washed-out your colours will be. The more
you decrease it, the darker your colours will be.

‣

The more you increase the Additive values, the more red, green or blue will be mixed in your original
colours. The more you decrease the Additive values the more red, green or blue will be removed fromyour colours. You can end up with a white, black, red, green, yellow or blue drawing using theseparameters.

7. In the Timeline view, go to the last frame of the transition and select the Colour Transform layer.

8. In the Properties view, adjust the colour parameters for the second colour keyframe.

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9. If you want to add a new keyframe in your Colour Transformation effect, in the Timeline view, go to thedesired frame and select the Colour Transform layer.

10. In the Properties view, click the Add Keyframe‣

You can use the Delete Keyframe

button.

button to remove a keyframe you may have added earlier. Notethat you cannot delete the first and last keyframes.

In the Properties view, adjust the colour parameters.
11. If you are creating your own custom drop shadow effect or any other effect involving transparency andseveral drawing layers, you may want to flatten the final result.
12. Because the shapes become semi-transparent, the zone becomes darker when two drawings overlap.

‣

In the Properties view, select the Flatten option for a uniform result.

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13. Play back your scene to see the final result.

Feather Edge EffectIf you have a drawing of something such as the sun or a flame, you may want to soften or blur the edges. Toon
Boom Studio has a Feather Edge effect that you can use for this. This effect is not done in the Timeline view;
rather a transformation is applied directly onto your drawing. If you decide to add feather edges to yourdrawing, it will most certainly appear transformed.
The Feather Edge effect is different from the Blur effect. A Blur effect transforms your image into a bitmap
image. The Feather Edge effect remains vector-based.

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If you zoom in very close to your drawing, you will see that several rims of different transparency are added
around your drawing, creating the soft edge illusion.

It is not recommended to apply the Feather Edge effect on an entire animation sequence because it can be heavy
to handle and export. Apply this effect on single drawings, such as the sun or a cloud.
To create a feather edge:
1. In the Timeline view, select the cell containing the drawing on which you want to apply a feather edge.

2. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Selecttool.

3. In the Camera or Drawing view, select the drawing area you want to apply a feather edge on.

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4. Select Tools > Feather Edges.
The Feather Edges dialog box opens.

5. In the Width of Each Step field, enter the width of each rim around the drawing edge.
6. In the Number of Steps field, enter the number of rims around the edge of your drawing.
7. Click OK.

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Drop Shadow EffectTo really improve the look of your scene, you can use the Drop Shadow effect. It is easy and efficient to use. If you
have a light source such as the sun or a lamp in a scene, use the Drop Shadow effect to give a more convincing
look to your scene. The shadow you create will follow your animation, even if you make some modifications
afterward.
To create a Drop Shadow effect:
1. In the Special Effects toolbar, click the Drop Shadow Effectbutton.

You can also add the Drop Shadow effect from the Timeline toolbar.
‣

In the Timeline view, click the Add New Element

The New Elements dialog box opens.
‣

From the Type list, select Drop Shadow Effect.

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In the Name field, rename the effect appropriately.

‣

Click OK.

2. Drag the selected layer ONTO the Drop Shadow layer.

The shadow appears in the Camera view.

3. In the Timeline view, select the Drop Shadow effect.

4. In the Camera view, click on the shadow's anchor points and position the drop shadow.

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5. In the Properties view, click the colour swatch and adjust the colour.

If you`re using the Colour Transform effect, the colour changes you make can be applied to thedrawing, shadow, or both. You can select these options from the Parent Colour Transform Options
list.

6. In the Properties view, adjust the Opacity slider to modify the shadow's transparency.

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7. In the Properties view, select the Hide Elements option if you want to temporarily hide the original
drawing while you reposition its shadow.

8. In the Properties view, click Reset Position if you want to cancel any position modifications you made to
the shadow.

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Clipping Effect

The Clipping effect can also be called a mask effect. This effect allows you to cut and hide part of your animation.
For example, if your background is a picture of the seabed with seaweed in front, you may want your animation
to pass between the seaweed and the rest of the images instead of passing in front.

To do so, you will need to create a drawing of the zone where you want your animation to appear and connect it
to a Clipping effect. This drawing is called a mask. The Clipping effect hides any portion of your animation
outside of the mask drawing you did. It will hide it, not delete it. Your animation remains intact.

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To create a Clipping effect:
1. In the Timeline view, click the Add Drawing Element

button to add a new layer for your mask drawing.

2. Double-click on the new layer and rename it Mask Drawing.

3. In the Tools toolbar, select the Brush

tool.

4. In the Colour Palette view, select any bright colour.

5. In the Camera view, trace the section that you want to remain visible in your animation.

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6. In the Tools toolbar, select the Paint

tool.

7. In the Camera view, paint the closed zones of your mask drawing.

8. In the Effects toolbar, click the Clipping Effectbutton.

You can also add the Clipping effect from the Timeline view.
‣

In the Timeline view, click the Add Element‣

The New Elements dialog box opens.

‣

In the Type list, select the Clipping Effect layer.

‣

In the Name field, rename the effect appropriately.

button.

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Click OK.

9. In the Timeline view, select your Mask drawing and drag it ONTO the Clipping's Mask layer.

10. Select your image or animation and drag it ONTO the Clipping Effect layer.

11. Play back your animation. You should now see only the portion you want to be visible.

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If you feel that your Timeline view is too crowded with the effects that you are adding, you can hide the maskelements of your Clipping effects. This will hide the mask layers in the Timeline view without disabling the effect.
To hide the mask elements of a selected Clipping effect:
1. In the Timeline view, select the Clipping effect.

2. From the Timeline view's contextual

menu, select Display > Hide Effect Parameters. You can also

select View > Effects > Hide Effect Parameters.

To hide the mask elements of all Clipping effects:
1. From the Timeline view's contextual

menu, select Display > Hide All Effects Parameters. You canalso select View > Effects > Hide All Effects Parameters. Once you chose to hide the effect parameters,
you can easily display them again.
To show the hidden mask elements of a selected Clipping effect:
1. In the Timeline view, select the Clipping effect whose mask elements are hidden.

2. From the Timeline view's contextual

menu, select Display > Show Effect Parameters. You can also

select View > Effects > Show Effect Parameters.

To show the hidden mask elements of all Clipping effects:
1. From the Timeline view's contextual

menu, select Display > Show All Effects Parameters. You canalso select View > Effects > Show All Effects Parameters.

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Shake EffectWith the Shake effect, an animated drawing or static element, such as a character or landscape, can be made to
shake. This effect can be used to imitate earthquakes, camera shakes, or a character who is freezing on a cold
winter day.
In the image above, the hula girl and air freshener were animated in the cut-out style because their shaking
involves rotating from a pivot. However, the entire car, including the dashboard, windshield, hula girl and air
freshener, all shake up and down and side to side together, due to the bumps on the road.
To create a Shake effect:
1. In the Effects toolbar, click the Shakebutton.

2. In the Timeline view, select the Drawing or Peg layer that you would like to attach to the Shake effect anddrag it onto the Shake effect layer.

3. Double-click on your Shake effect layer to rename in accordance with the Drawing or Peg layer that is
attached to it. This is good practice, as you may want to add more than one Shake effect to your timeline.
You may want to add more than one Shake effect in order to have a shake occur on the x-axis and anotheron the y-axis. In order to create different timing sequences, you need multiple versions of the same effect.
4. If you do not want the Shake effect to start at the first frame, you can select the effect's cells and dragthem to the starting frame that you prefer.

You can also right-click anywhere on the effect's cells and select Change Start Frame.

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Enter the start frame that you would like into the Enter the New Start Frame field and click OK. The
entire row of effect cells will be shifted down the Timeline.
5. If you want the transition to be shorter or longer, select the end of the group of frames, wait until you get
the double arrow cursor and then pull towards the left or right.

You can also right-click anywhere on the effect's cells and select Change Duration.

Enter the duration that you would like the effect to last for in the Enter the New Duration field and click
OK. The exposure of the effect will be extended or shortened depending on the value entered.
6. In the Timeline view, drag the red playhead to a frame on your effect layer where you would like to add a
keyframe.

In the Tool Properties panel for the Shake effect, in the Dynamic Parameters tab, click the Add Keyframe
button.

A new keyframe is added to the chosen location.
7. In the Timeline view, drag the red playhead to a frame on your effect layer where you would like to delete
a keyframe.

In the Tool Properties panel for the Shake effect, in the Dynamic Parameters tab, click the Delete
Keyframebutton.

The keyframe is deleted from the chosen location.

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8. In the Timeline view, go to the frame containing your first keyframe and select the Shake effect layer.

9. In the Properties view, adjust some of the following parameters, according to your preferences.

Shake effect icon (drop-down menu)•

Mini Shake: Default Amplitude is 0.1•

Great Earthquake: Default Amplitude is 2.

Static Parameters•

Axis: Decide whether you want your object to shake from left to right (X), up and down (Y) or forward
and backward (Z). You can parent an X-axis Shake effect, along with its Drawing/Peg layer, to another
Shake effect whose Axis is set to Y. This way, your object can shake both side to side and up and
down.

•

Wave Time: This indicates the length of a cycle. The smaller the number, the shakier the effect will be,as the effect needs to reach a certain amplitude in a smaller time frame, but could reach this amplitude
more often as its cycle length is so short.

•

Half Life: This refers to the number of frames for the movement to be half its amplitude. If you enter avalue of 0, the amplitude is cut to half right away and the shake is less intense. If you want to keep thefull intensity of the shake for the complete duration of the effect, make the half-life the duration of the
Shake effect. This way, the amplitude drops to half when the effect is finished. If you want the shake togradually taper off, make the half-life smaller than half the duration (in number of frames) that yourshake effect lasts in the Timeline. For example, if your Shake effect lasts for 30 frames, make the halflife less than 15 frames.

Dynamic Parameters•

Amplitude: The maximum displacement from a zero value during one shake cycle. This value ismeasured in fields.

You can always turn on the 12 x 12 field grid to get a better understanding of the system ofmeasurement. Remember that the grid is only visible in the Camera view if both a Drawing layer anda Drawing tool are selected.

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Blockbuster and Forces of Nature Effects

With Toon Boom Studio, you can easily create breathtaking effects. The software comes loaded with preset
particle effects that you can customize as you wish and even add your own drawing to it. There are two maincategories of preset effects. The Blockbuster effects allow you to add glitter, sparkles, stars, wall shatter,
explosions. super-nova and other great Hollywood themed effects. The Forces of Nature effects are all aboutrain, storm, crazy precipitations of gummy bears, diamond, water, heavy fog, clouds and much more.

The playback speed of the preset effects is linked to the frame rate of your scene.

This section is divided as follows:•

Forces of Nature Effects below•

Blockbuster Effects on page 499•

Customizing Your Effect on page 505

Forces of Nature Effects
Effects that are the result of natural phenomenon can be among the hardest create in an animation, as they
involve drawing and animating hundreds of tiny particles or fluctuating organic shapes. Toon Boom Studio helps
you bypass this labour-intensive process by providing six Forces of Nature Effects.
•

Rain Effect on page 494•

Snow Effect on page 495•

Hail Effect on page 496•

Fog Effect on page 496492

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Cloud Effect on page 497•

Volcano Effect on page 498

To add a Forces of Nature effect:
1. In the Special Effect toolbar, click the Forces of Nature Effectbutton.

A Forces of Nature effect layer, as well as its child, a Sprite-Drawing layer, is added to the Timeline view. A
Sprite is the particle multiplied and generated by the Forces of Nature effect. In the example below, adrawing of a raindrop is used as the Sprite.

By default, the Rain effect is selected and visible in the Camera view.

2. Create your own Sprite on a Drawing layer, or import an image to use as a Sprite. In the case of theForces of Nature effects, Sprites animated using keyframes and/or pegs lose their animation. Only theoriginal image is used.

Traditionally animated drawings are treated as multiple versions of the same particle type. For example, a
traditionally drawn walk-cycle appears as a series of frames on the same layer. Each frame contains aslightly modified version of a character's legs and arms moving. If this layer were to be used as a Sprite, allthose different drawings would be randomized and appear as non-sequential, static, singular particles inthe effect.
However, you can use this behaviour to your advantage. For example, if you want to create five types ofsnowflakes to be multiplied and generated, you could simply create five different drawings on the samelayer. Each drawing is on their own frame.

3. Drag your newly created Sprite layer onto the Sprite-Drawings layer to parent it. The Forces of Natureeffect Sprite (unseen in the Timeline view) is automatically overridden by your custom Sprite.

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If no Sprite is created for a Forces of Nature effect, the default Sprite will be visible.

Rain Effect

The Rain effect produces a simulation of water droplets falling from the sky in nine various presets:•

Rain: The default setting.

•Tropical Storm: The rain drops are bigger and greater in number, producing a more intense effect.

•

Mist: The rain drops are smaller and fewer for a less intense effect.

•

Straight: The rain falls on a diagonal, suggesting a driving rain shower.

•

Bubble: The rain falls in large, rounded drops of water.

•

Droplets: The rain falls in droplets of water.

•

Gummy Bears: A sweet shower of red and yellow gummy bears.

•

Rays: Sun rays caught by particles of light illuminate your scene.

•

Stars: Your scene is showered by stars, both near and far.

Notes
Parameters such as Bounciness and Floor Height are less applicable to this effect. However, Max Amount of
Objects and Direction are good parameters to modify and animate for the Rain effect.

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Snow Effect

The Snow effect produces a simulation of snowflakes falling from the sky in ten various presets:•

Snow: This is the default setting.

•Snow Flurries: Fewer snowflakes produced than with snow for a less intense effect.

•

Snow Storm: The snowflakes are bigger, falling faster and are greater in number, thereby creating amore intense effect.

•

Simple Snowflakes: These are soft, light paper cut-out snowflakes.

•

Shiny Snowflakes: Large, shiny snowflakes, great for an icy winter scene.

•

Sun Dust: Soft snow raised by a gust of wind and lit by a bright winter's sun.

•Ashes: Light ashes fall, gently filling your scene.

•

Leaves: Brown, last-to-fall autumn leaves float gently downwards.

•

Cotton Candy: Fluffy pink cotton candy for a sweet, playful scene.

•

Dandelion Puffs: Fluffy dandelions, ideal for lazy summer scenes and making wishes.

Notes
The Floor Height can play a role as snow can land and accumulate on the ground. While Bounciness does little tochange this effect, as it is not a natural property of snow, the Intensity and Min Speed can make the difference
between Snow Flurries and a Snow Storm. If you are looking to produce an effect where the snow melts before it
hits the ground, you can lower the Floor Height so that it is not visible in the Camera, as well as check off theFade box to have your snowflakes lightly melt away.

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Hail Effect

The Hail effect produces a simulation of ice pellets falling from the sky in nine various presets:•

Hail: This is the default setting.

•Light Hail: There are fewer ice pellets produced for a less intense effect.

•

Hail Storm: The ice pellets are bigger, falling faster and in greater in number, creating a more intense
effect.

•Crystallized Hail: Sparse, gentle flecks of crystal fall steadily throughout your scene.

•

Baseball Hail: Heavy, large, quick-falling hailstones, to be avoided by all windshields.

•

Diamonds: A different kind of ice, these yellow, pink and blue diamonds fall hard and fast.

•

Candy: Colourful bonbons populate your scene to create a candyland effect.

•

Coins: Bright pennies (and more) from heaven enrich your scene with a little fun.

•Gears: Rust, gold and grey gears tumble from top to bottom; great for gear heads.

Notes
The Floor Height and Bounciness play a big role in identifying the effect, as ice pellets bounce when they hit asurface or ground. Subtle differences in the Dynamic parameters determine the difference between a Light Hailand a Hail Storm, as well as the Max Amount of Objects and Max Visibility values.

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The Fog effect produces a simulation of a gaseous vapour hanging in the air in nine various presets:•

Fog: This is the default setting.

•

Misty: There are fewer particles produced in a smaller region for a less intense effect.

•

Thick Fog: There are a greater number of particles in a larger region, creating a more intense effect.

•

Curly Fog: A cluster of fog tendrils floats and expands to cover the majority of your scene.

•

Smokey Fog: A dark fog that expands ominously across your scene.

•

Sumi-e Fog: In various shades of grey, this fog has a classic Japanese ink wash sensibility.

•

Balloons: Red, yellow and blue balloons radiate, then float, from the center of your scene.

•

Fireflies: Growing green fireflies evoke a balmy summer evening.

•

Bushes: A row of lush bushes rises, gently expanding and rustling, from the bottom of the screen.

Notes
The Region dimensions, including the Floor Height, play a role in the intensity of this effect. The smaller theregion, the less intense the effect, as you can see some sky in the background.
The Max Amount of Objects contributes to the fog's density, which can also make it more or less intense. It is
recommended that you explore the parameters for this effect, as they are a little less obvious than the othereffects.

Cloud Effect

The Cloud effect produces a simulation of a condensed gaseous vapour floating through the sky in nine various
presets:•

Cloud: This is the default setting.

•Fluffy Clouds: There are fewer particles produced, with lower visibility at a slower speed, thereby
creating a less intense effect.

•

Storm Clouds: There are a greater number of particles produced, with higher visibility, thereby creating amore intense effect.

•

2D Puffy Clouds: Dense fairweather clouds in various shades of blue.

•

2D Stylized Clouds: Swirling, curly-Q clouds in shades of blue and cafe au lait.

•

Shape Clouds: Fluffy clouds in the shape of a duck , a dragon and an elephant. Perfect for daydreaming.

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Forest: A dense forest of trees and foliage sweeps through your scene.

•

2D Storm Clouds: Enormous, ominous clouds sweep past, filling your scene from front to back.

•Candy Clouds: Swirling clouds in shades of candy pink.

Notes
The Cloud effect is one of the most complicated Forces of Nature effects, due to the number of parameters thatneed to be adjusted in order to make both subtle and dramatic differences to this effect. Some of the key
parameters to look out for are Start of Simulation, Max Amount of Objects, Max Visibility (including Fade), as
well as Intensity and Speed.

Volcano Effect

The Volcano effect produces a simulation of flowing lava bubbles from a single source in nine various presets:•

Volcano: This is the default setting.

•Puff: There are fewer particles produced, with a lower intensity for a less intense effect.

•

Volcano Eruption: There are a greater number of particles produced, with higher intensity, creating amore intense effect.

•

Deformed Lava: Lava flows, radiating outward towards the floor of your scene.

•

Popcorn: Popped kernels of corn bubble from the center of your scene.

•

Petroleum: Dark petroleum gushes and oozes outward from the center of your scene.

•

Fountain: A fountain of water emanates up and out in a wash of blues.

•

Colour Candy: Pink, gold and blue candies spring up and out for a visual sugar rush.

•

Steam: Droplets of steam and wispy vapour rise from the bottom of your scene, emanating outwards.

Notes
The Volcano effect is a unique effect in that it is the only effect that is produced from a single source. You canmove the position of the source by changing the value of the Floor Height. The number of particles (Max Amountof Objects), as well as the size of the particles (Scale) are important factors. The Start of Simulation value
determines whether you see the lava erupt from the source (either 0, or a positive value), or if it will already be
flowing when the scene starts.

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Blockbuster Effects
The Toon Boom Studio Blockbuster effects allow you to add some glamour and bang to your animation!
This section is divided as follows:•

Shatter Effects on the next page•

Magic Effects•

Explosion Effects on page 503•

Splash Effects on page 503•

Fire Effects on page 504•

Celestial Effects on page 505

To add a Blockbuster effect:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Special Effect toolbar, click the Blockbuster Effect‣

Select Element > Add > Blockbuster Effects.

‣

In Timeline View toolbar, click the Add New Elements

button.

button and select Blockbuster Effect fromthe Type list.
A Blockbuster effect layer, as well as its child, a Sprite-Drawings layer, is added to the Timeline view. A
sprite is the particle multiplied and generated by the Blockbuster effect. In the example below, a drawing
of a brick is used as the sprite.

By default, the brick wall shatter effect is selected and visible in the Camera view.

2. You have the possibility to create your own effect and customize it as you want. Create your own particle
on a drawing layer, or import an image to use as a sprite (particle to multiply in the effect). Then you can
attach that drawing to the existing Blockbuster effect and it will override the default content.
In the case of the Blockbuster Shatter effects, the first image will be used as the image to break to pieces
and the second drawing will be used as the pieces and area to break in the first drawing—see Shatter
Effects on the next page.

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For the Magic and other Blockbuster effects, traditionally animated drawings will be treated as multiple
versions of the same particle type. For example, a traditionally drawn walk cycle appears as a series offrames on the same layer. Each frame contains a slightly modified version of a character's legs and arms
moving. If this layer were to be used as a sprite, all those different drawings would be randomized andappear as non-sequential, static, singular particles in the effect. Therefore, if you draw a glitter particle in
the first cell, a different colour glitter particle in the second cell and a different one of another colour in thethird frame, you will obtain a multicolour glitter effect.
You can use this behaviour to your advantage; for example, in the event that you want to create five typesof stars to be multiplied and generated. Simply create five different drawings on the same layer, but
drawing each on their own frame.
3. Drag your newly created Sprite layer onto the Sprite-Drawings layer to parent it. The Blockbuster effect
Sprite (unseen in the Timeline view) is automatically overridden by your custom Sprite.

If no sprite is created for a Blockbuster effect, the default sprite will be visible.

Shatter Effects

The Shatter effect produces a simulation of a solid pane breaking to pieces in nine various presets:•

Wall Destruction: This is the default setting.

•Wall Breach: Only a portion of the wall breaks apart.

•

Wall Breakthrough: A character shape breaks away from the wall giving the illusion a character ran
through.

•Bottle Explosion: A bottle explodes completely breaks apart .

•Bottle Break: A bottle breaks apart.

•

Bottle Fragment: A bottle cracks and breaks.

•

Shattered Glass: A glass pane is shattered to pieces.

•

Broken Glass: A portion of a glass pane is broken to pieces.

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Peak-a-glass: A character shape breaks away from the glass pane giving the illusion a character ran
through

To create your own shatter sprite, draw your pane in the first cell of a drawing layer.

In the second cell, draw the pieces in which you want the pane to break apart. The areas where there will not be
any drawing will remain untouched. If you want your pane to break in pieces without leaving a gap between thepieces, draw your pieces separately.

With the Select tool, move them together so that they overlap. If you want to make sure that the outline remains
with the painted zone and that your pieces do not get mixed up, you should group them (outline and colour fill)
together before overlapping your pieces.

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Once your sprite is ready, you can drag your sprite drawing layer onto the Sprite-Drawings layer of your Shatter
Blockbuster effect.

Magic Effects

The Magic effect produces a simulation of shiny sparkles and particles in nine various presets:•

Glitter Shower: This is the default setting.

•

Glitter Mist: A light glitter rain falls down.

•

Glitter Fall: A string of glitter falls down as from a fairy or magic wand.

•

Ocean Bubbles: A large amount of bubbles float up.

•

Sea Bubbles: A series of bubbles float up.

•

Aquarium Bubbles: A few little bubbles float up.

•

Omni Star Storm: A series of multicolour stars rush toward the screen.

•

Omni Star Mist: A few multicolour stars float toward the screen.

•

Omni Star Spin: Stars spin in the scene to similate dizziness.

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Explosion Effects

The Explosion effect produces a simulation of smoke and fire explosions in nine various presets:•

Blast: This is the default setting.

•

Blowup: A big smoke cloud explosion.

•

Bang: A small cloud explosion.

•

Long Electrical Circuit: A long lightning bolt between two electrodes.

•

Medium Electrical Circuit: A medium lightning bolt between two electrodes.

•

Short Electrical Circuit: A short lightning bolt between two electrodes.

•

Dazzling Fireworks: A series of multicolour fireworks.

•

Brilliant Fireworks: A few multicolour fireworks.

•

Glittery Fireworks: One multicolour firework.

Splash Effects

The Splash effect produces a splash of water, goop or mud in nine various presets:•

Water Splash: This is the default setting.

•Water Spray: A medium water splash.

•

Water Squirt: A small water splash.

•Goop Splatter: A big goopy splash.

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Goop Blob: A medium goopy splash.

•Goop Dab: A small goopy splash.

•

Mud Splatter: A big muddy splash.

•

Mud Blob: A medium muddy splash.

•

Mud Dab: A small muddy splash.

The Splash effect custom sprite does not work like other Blockbuster effects. The sprite must be a
traditional splash animation.

Fire Effects

The Fire effect produces a simulation of fire and smoke in nine various presets:•

Inferno: This is the default setting.

•

Fire: A medium size fire.

•

Flame: A small size fire.

•

Smoke Screen: A big smoke chimney.

•

Smoke Fog: A medium smoke chimney.

•

Smoke Cloud: A small smoke chimney.

•Blaze: A huge spark.

•

Ignite: A medium spark.

•

Spark: A small spark.

The Fire effect custom sprite does not work like other Blockbuster effects. The sprite must be a
traditional fire animation.

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Celestial Effects

The Celestial effect produces a simulation of space explosions in nine various presets:•

Brilliant Supernova: This is the default setting.

•Bright Supernova: A big and bright supernova explosion.

•

Glimmer Supernova: A small and faraway supernova explosion.

•

Intense White Nova: A gigantic white nova explosion and its large smoke ring.

•

Luminous White Nova: A big white nova explosion and its smoke ring.

•

Light White Nova: A small white nova explosion and its smoke ring.

•

Meteor Storm: An intense and large meteor shower.

•

Meteor Shower: An medium meteor shower.

•

Meteor Mist: An small meteor shower.

Customizing Your EffectTo customize and animate your Forces of Nature and Blockbuster effects, you must adjust the parameters in theProperties panel. Use the Static Parameters to customize the general settings for the effect. Any frame of theeffect layer can be selected in the Timeline view when modifying values in this tab. If you want to animate theproperties of the effect, add keyframes accordingly, then change the keyframe values in the Dynamic Parameters
tab.

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Effects
From the top row of icons, click the button corresponding to the Forces of Nature or Blockbuster effect that you
want to use. It will turn dark grey to indicate that it is selected. If you are unsure as to which Forces of Nature orBlockbuster effect is depicted on a given button, hover your pointer over the button and a tooltip will appear.

The effect will change in the Camera view depending on which effect you choose. Click on the effect you want touse; the corresponding sub-menu appears with its associated parameters.
In the above example, Clouds is the general option that has been selected. Every effect has a sub-menu featuring
numerous options, ones that vary in density, shape and character. To determine what each effect does, hover
your mouse over the effect icon. The tool tip appears, indicating the name of this particular effect. To activate
the effect, click on the icon. A dark grey box surrounds the icon, indicating that it is activated.
The six different Nature effects are discussed in more detail in their own individual sections below.

General Properties Buttons•

Reset to Default Values: After you have made adjustments to the parameters in the Static or
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the default values in both tabs.
•

Add Fill: Use this button to divide an effect on the Timeline. Once divided, a different effect can beapplied to one of the two halves. This allows for two different effects to exist on the same layer in theTimeline.

•

Delete Fill: Use this button to delete all the cells of a single effect, in a layer where multiple effects
exist.

Static Parameters Tab•

Background: Choose from one of three background colour options: Dark Gradient Blue Sky, Light
Gradient Blue Sky, or Transparent.

•

Start of Simulation: The frame number where you want the generation of particles to start. If you want
the effect to be in progress beginning at the start of your scene, keep the default value of -1. This number
is relative to the First Frame value.

•First Frame: The frame number where you want the effect to start. You could have your effect start onframe 20, but not have the particle generation start until four frames in.

•

Duration: The number of frames that you want the effect to last.

•

Max Amount of Objects: The maximum number of particles (copy of the sprite) that can be generated at
one time in the Camera view. These particles are not all created at the same time, but eventually fill the
Camera view with their number. For example, if a value of 2 is entered, then only two particles are
generated until they disappear from the Camera view (finish their life span). At that time, another two orless particles are generated to replace the two that disappeared from view.

•

Max Visibility: The maximum number of frames that a particle exists in the Camera view, otherwise known
as the particle life span. For example, even if the Max Amount of Objects is set to 3000, if the Max
Visibility is set to 10, then most particles disappear well before 3000 particles can be created. In addition,

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if it takes 60 frames for a particle to fall from sky to ground, then most of these particles will never touch
the ground, as they will die or disappear before the 10th frame.
•

Fade: Select this option if you the particles to slowly fade out as they reach the end of their life spaninstead of disappearing abruptly.

•

Region: Think of the region where the particles are generated, live and die as a 3D cube. Use the sliders
to select a value between 0 and 36 for the Width, Height and Depth of this 3D region. Although you
cannot see the depth of the region, you may notice that some particles appear larger or smaller thanothers, even though they are all generated from the same sprite. This is because some are closer orfurther back in depth.

•

Floor Height: The value in this field represents the height of an invisible floor. This floor is where thesimulation ends. With the example of snow, if you want to see snow hitting and covering the ground, raise
the height of the floor to be visible in the Camera view.

Dynamic Parameters Tab
The parameters in this tab only become active when a frame with a keyframe is selected in the Timeline view.

•

Intensity: This value determines the strength of the simulation. For example, if the first keyframe has an
Intensity of 1 and the second keyframe has an Intensity of 25, then only a few particles will be produced at
the start of the animation, producing progressively more and more.

•

Scale: This value determines the size of the particles as a percentage. For example, a value of 1.5 would
be 1.5 times the size of the original particle or Sprite. Remember that all the particles are the same size; itis just that some are further back or closer in space.

•

Bounciness: This value determines the height of a particle's bounce, or in other words, how bouncy theparticle is. The greater the value, the higher the bounce, hence the more bouncy the particle. Thisparameter is important for the Hail and Shatter effects.

•

Min Speed: The minimum speed at which the particles can move.

•

Max Speed: The maximum speed at which the particles can move.

•

Direction: These parameters can be used to push the particle movement at an angle, giving the illusionthat they are being blown in a certain direction by the wind. Use the sliders in this section to manipulate
the following:
East-West: Direction along the X-axis.

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North-South: Direction along the Y-axis.
Back-Front: direction along the Z-axis.
You can use both positive and negative values, as well as decimal increments.
•

Add Keyframe: Add a keyframe on the Forces of Nature layer in the Timeline view. The keyframe will
be added to whichever frame is selected in the Timeline view, indicated by the position of the red
playhead. Once the keyframe is created, modify the values in the Dynamic Parameters tab to have thoseparameters recorded in the keyframe.

•

Delete Keyframe: Delete a selected keyframe from the Forces of Nature layer in the Timeline view.

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Chapter 16: Enhancing with Effects Disabling All Effects

Disabling All Effects
You can disable all the effects in your scene in order to preview it without them. Doing so will hide all effects fromthe Camera view, but the effects elements remain visible in the Timeline view.
To disable all effects:
1. Select View > Disable All Effects.
Once you have disabled the effects in your scene, you can easily re-enable them.
To enable all effects:
1. Select View > Enable All Effects.

Your project will be exported with the effects visible, regardless if the Disable All Effects option is on.

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Chapter 17: Scenes and Transitions

With Studio, you can work in the Storyline view to arrange your scenes, and then add transition effects tosmoothly move from one scene to the next.
In this chapter, you will learn about the following:•Working with Scenes and Transitions on the next page•

About the Storyline View on page 513•

Working with Scenes on page 514•

Applying Transitions on page 517

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Working with Scenes and Transitions
In animation, a scene is the action happening in front of the camera while the camera does not change angle. Aslong as the camera does not stop "filming" , you are in the same scene. To create scenes in a Studio project, youwill use the Scene Manager where you can select scenes, create and delete scenes, as well as reorder scenes.
When you are satisfied with your scenes, you can add transitions to them.
A transition is a change, like a fade, wipe, or cross dissolve, that you can apply between scenes on the Storyline
view. You can apply transitions to the beginning or end of a single scene, or between two scenes.
In this chapter, you will learn the following:•

About the Storyline View on the facing page•

Working with Scenes on page 514•

Applying Transitions on page 517

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About the Storyline View
The Storyline view is where you can manage your scenes, view scenes in a sequence, and add transitions between
scenes.

To access the Storyline view:
1. Do one of the following:‣

At the bottom of the Studio screen, click on the Storyline view tab.

‣

Select Window > Storyline.

‣

Press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [M] (Windows) or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + [M] (Mac OS X)

The Storyline view is displayed.
To zoom the Storyline view:
1. In the upper-left corner of the scene area, drag the zoom control right zoom in on the scene area. Dragright to zoom out.

Playing a Sequence
A group of scenes occurring in the same location about the same action or event is called a sequence. Once you
have constructed your scenes into a sequences and inserted transitions, you can preview your sequence to see
the result.
To play a sequence:•In the Storyline view, click the Play Storyline

button.

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Working with Scenes
In animation, a scene is the action happening in front of the camera while the camera does not change angle. Aslong as the camera does not stop "filming" , you are in the same scene. To create scenes in a Studio project, youwill use the Scene Manager section of the Storyline view.
To create scene:
1. In the Storyline view, go to the Scene Manager section and do one of the following:‣

In the top area, click the New Scene‣

Click the Menu‣

In the Scene list, right-click on a scene and select New Scene.

button.

button and select New Scene.

The new scene appears in the scene list.

2. To open a scene from the list, double-click on the scene's name.
To select a scene:
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the Storyline view, select a scene.

‣

In the Scene Manager, select a scene from the list.

‣

From the Scene View toolbar (Top toolbar on Mac OS X), select a scene from the drop-down menu.

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The scene`s properties are displayed in the Properties panel.
To change the background colour of a scene:
1. Select a scene.
The scene`s properties are displayed in the Properties panel.

2. Click the Colour Picker swatch.

The Colour Picker opens.

3. Select a colour and click OK.
To rename a scene:
1. Select a scene.
The scene`s properties are displayed in the Properties panel.
2. Type in a new name in the Name field.

To delete a scene:
1. Select a scene from the Scene Manager.
2. Do one of the following:‣

Click the Delete Scene‣

Click the Menu

button.

button and select Delete Scene.

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Right-click a scene and select Delete Scene.

The selected scene is removed from your list.
To reorder a scene:
1. In the Scene Manager, select a scene and drag it to a new location.

The reordered sequence is displayed in the scene area of the Storyline view.
To showing or hide a scene:
1. In the Scene Manager, select the scenes you want to appear in the Storyline view. Deselect the scenes you
want to hide.

The selected scenes are displayed in the scene area of the Storyline view. The deselected scenes are
hidden.

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Applying Transitions
A transition is a change, like a fade, wipe, or cross dissolve, that you can apply between scenes on the Storyline
view. You can apply transitions to the beginning or end of a single scene, or between two scenes.
For example, you can use a one-sided transition to fade into a scene at the beginning of your sequence. You canthen apply wipes, slides, and cross dissolves between other clips in the Storyline view to move smoothly fromone scene to the next.

The default transition between scenes is fade in and out.

To apply a transition:
1. In the Storyline view, select the transition to modify between the scenes. If you removed the existingtransition, select the edit point at the beginning or end of the scene, or between two scenes.

The edit point is highlighted and red playhead snaps to the location you clicked.
2. In the Properties panel, select a transition from the Type list. By default, Fade is the default setting.

3. In the Properties panel, edit the transition properties.
4. Enter the Duration (in frames) for the transition. If you select the Fade transition, you must enter the Left
Duration, Blank Duration, and Duration Right.
5. The transition appears in the Storyline view.

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6. In the Storyline view, click the Play Storyline

button.

To remove a transition:
1. Select a transition.
The transition's properties are displayed in the Properties panel.
2. From the Type list, select No Transition.

Transitions
There are six different transitions to choose from in Studio. Once you apply a transition, you can edit its
properties to get just the right look for your project.
•

Fade below•

Wipe on the facing page•

Slide on the facing page•

Clock Wipe on page 520•

Checker on page 520•

Cross Dissolve on page 520

Fade
The Fade transition lets you adjust the video levels to fade in or fade out a clip. You can also specify the colour
from which the scene fades in or to which it fades out.

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Left Duration: The number of frames at the beginning of the transition.
Colour: Opens the colour picker so you can select the colour of the transition.
Blank Duration: The number of blank frames at the end of the transition.

Wipe
The Wipe effect transition lets you create a transition between two scenes, such that the second clip is revealed
according to a specified pattern.

Duration: The number of frames the transition lasts.
Colour: Opens the colour picker so you can select the colour of the transition.
Angle: Let you set the angle at which the transition starts, from 0° to 359°.
Direction: The direction the transition is moving towards: In or Out. In the In direction, the transition moves
towards the left. In the Out direction, the transition moves towards the right.

Slide
The Slide transition lets you show the outgoing scene moving upwards to reveal the incoming scene.

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Duration: The number of frames the transition lasts.
Colour: Opens the colour picker so you can select the colour of the transition.
Angle: Let you set the angle at which the transition starts, from 0° to 359°.

Clock Wipe
The Clock Wipe transition lets you create a wipe transition that moves clockwise or counterclockwise.

Duration: The number of frames the transition lasts.
Colour: Opens the colour picker so you can select the colour of the transition.
Angle: Let you set the angle at which the transition starts, from 0° to 359°.
Direction: The direction the transition is moving: Clockwise or Counterclockwise.

Checker
The Checker transition lets you create a transition that resembles a checkerboard. You can change the size andcolour of the checkerboard tiles.

Duration: The number of frames the transition lasts.
Colour: Opens the colour picker so you can select the colour of the transition.
Size: Lets you adjust the size of the checkboard tiles. Drag left for smaller tiles and drag right for larger ones.

Cross Dissolve
The Cross Dissolve transition lets you between scenes in which the image from one scene gradually becomes lessdistinct as the image from the other scene replaces it.

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Duration: The number of frames the transition lasts.

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Chapter 18: Exporting Your ProjectStudio supports several formats for all your rendering needs; it all depends on what you want to do with yourfinal output. You could, for instance, create a flip book or produce a video to post directly to the web or iPod.
In this chapter, you will learn how to do the following:•

Export Drawing to PDF on the next page•

Export Movie on page 525•

Export to YouTube and Facebook on page 528•

Export Snapshot on page 527•

Print on page 533

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Chapter 18: Exporting Your Project Export Drawing to PDF

Export Drawing to PDF
Exporting a frame of your animation to PDF is useful if you need a vector-based image from your movie.
To export a drawing to PDF:
1. Select the frame of your project that you want to render. It must be from a drawing (vector based) layer
and not an image (bitmap) layer.
2. Select File > Export Drawing to PDF.
The Save As dialog box appears.
3. Browse to the location where you want to save your file.
4. In the File name field, enter a name for your file.
5. Click Save.
6. Browse to the location where you saved your file and double-click on it to view the results. It is also
possible to open this file in a vector-based, third-party software, such as Adobe Illustrator.

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Export Movie
The format and settings that you decide upon when wanting to export your animation often depends on what
you intend to do with it next. Do you plan to bring your project into a third-party software for post-production
editing or put it up on the web?
To export your movie:
1. Select File > Export to Movie.
The Export dialog box appears.

2. In the Save As section, click on the Browse button at the end of the path field and browse for the location
where you intend to save your rendering.
3. In the Export Format list, select a format. The Export Settings Options changes depending on the format
selected from this section.

4. Click Options to customize the format settings.
5. In the Export Type section, choose from the following options:‣

Full Movie: Renders all scenes and all layers that are enabled, from the first to last frame, including all
effects.

‣

Current Scene: Camera View: Renders all layers that are enabled in that specific scene that can beseen in the Camera view with the option to choose a frame range.

‣

Current Scene: Drawing View: Renders only what exists on a single layer in that specific scene. Thiscan be a good option for running tests on a specific character or object's motion, or to bring one
animated element into a third party software.

6. From the Export Range Section, choose from the following options:‣

All: Renders your entire project.

‣

All No Transitions: Renders the entire project without transitions.

‣

Frame Range: Allows you to select a specific section of your project to render by frame number.

‣

Selection: Renders whichever layer or element that you selected before starting the export process.

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Chapter 18: Exporting Your Project Export Movie

1. Free Playback Range: In the Timeline view, right-click on the timeline ruler (top) and select Playback
Range > Free. Two black diamonds appear at the start and finish of your project. Drag these markers to
select a range. Note: This must be done before you open the Export Dialog window.

2. Select or deselect the Launch Player After Export option.
3. Click Publishing Options.
The Publishing dialog box appears.

4. From the Publishing dialog box, select the option to Export to HTML if your project is destined for the
web and/or if you would like to send a copy to your iTunes Library.
5. When you are finished, click OK.
6. In the Export dialog box, when you are through, click OK.
A progress bar appears.

7. Browse to the location on your computer where you saved your movie and double-click on the file to view
your export.

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Export Snapshot
Sometimes you may want to digitally save one specific shot of your animation, perhaps rough sketches for yourworkflow or a polished scene for promotional purposes. The best way to produce this render is by exporting asnapshot.
To export a snapshot:
1. In the Timeline or Exposure view, select the location in your animation where you are able to frame theimage that you want render perfectly in the Camera view.
2. Select File > Export Snapshot.
The Snapshot dialog box opens.

3. From the Snapshot dialog box, browse to the location on your computer where you want to save yourwork and rename your image accordingly.
4. Click Save.
5. In the Snapshot dialog box, click Options.
The Export Image Sequence Settings dialog box opens.

This is the same dialog box that would appear if you were rendering an Image Sequence through the
Export Movie process, however only the format option applies as you are only rendering one image.
6. From the Format list, select the format type.
7. Click OK.
8. Browse to the location on your computer where you saved your snapshot and double-click to view it.

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Chapter 18: Exporting Your Project Export to YouTube and Facebook

Export to YouTube and Facebook

Toon Boom Studio simplifies the upload of your animated projects to these two popular websites: YouTube andFacebook. Using the Export Movie command, you can choose an option to export your movie directly to one ofthese sites. Toon Boom Studio automatically redirects you to your YouTube or Facebook profile where yourvideo will automatically be uploaded.

You require an active account on YouTube or Facebook before you can upload your videos.

Exporting to YouTube
To export your movie to YouTube, you must already have a YouTube account. If you do not have an account,create one at www.youtube.com.
To export your movie to your YouTube account:
1. Select File > Export to Movie.
The Export dialog box opens.

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2. In the Save As section, click the Browse button at the end of the path field and browse for the location
where your render will be saved.
3. From the Export Format list, select YouTube.

4. In the Export Type section, choose from the following options:‣

Full Movie: Renders all scenes and all layers that are enabled, from the first to last frame, including all
effects.

‣

Current Scene: Camera View: Renders all layers that are enabled in that specific scene that can beseen in the Camera view with the option to choose a frame range.

‣

Current Scene: Drawing View: Renders only what exists on a single layer in that specific scene.

5. From the Export Range Section, choose from the following options:‣

All: Renders the entire project.

‣

All No Transitions: Renders the entire project without transitions.

‣

Frame Range: Allows you to select a specific section of your project to render by frame number.

‣

Selector: Renders whichever layer or element that you selected prior to launching the export process.

‣Free Playback Range: In the Timeline view, right-click on the timeline ruler (top) and select Playback
Range > Free.

Two black diamonds appear at the start and finish of your project. Drag these markers to select a range.
6. Click OK.
A progress bar appears, showing you the rendering process, followed by the YouTube upload
information dialog box.

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Chapter 18: Exporting Your Project Export to YouTube and Facebook

7. Fill in the information.
General Information: The information that appears on your YouTube account.
•

Title: Type in the name of your video•

Category: Use the drop-down menu to select the category that best fits your video.

•

Description: Type in a description of your video.

Login Information: Fill in this information to automatically login to your YouTube account.
•

Login: Type in your YouTube account username.

•

Password: Type in your YouTube account password.

8. Click OK.
A progress bar appears, showing you the uploading process, followed by a dialog box notifying you thatyour video has been successfully uploaded.

9. Click OK.

Exporting to Facebook
To export your movie to Facebook, you must already have a Facebook profile. If you do not have a profile,create one at www.facebook.com. Once it is done, upload your creations to your profile to share with yourfriends on Facebook.
To export your movie to your Facebook profile:
1. Select File > Export to Movie.
The Export dialog box opens.

2. In the Save As section, click the Browse button at the end of the path field and browse for the location
where your render will be saved.
3. In the Export Format drop-down menu, select Facebook.

4. In the Export Type section, choose from the following options:530Toon Boom Studio 8.1 User Guide‣

Full Movie: Renders all scenes and all layers that are enabled, from the first to last frame, including all
effects.

‣

Current Scene: Camera View - Renders all layers that are enabled in that specific scene that can beseen in the Camera view with the option to choose a frame range.

‣

Current Scene: Drawing View - Renders only what exists on a single layer in that specific scene.

5. From the Export Range Section, choose from the following options:‣All - Renders the entire project.

‣

Frame Range - Allows you to select a specific section of your project to render by frame number.

‣

Selector - Renders out whichever layer or element that you selected prior to launching the export
process.

‣

Free Playback Range - In the Timeline view, Right-click on the timeline ruler (top) and from the pop-up
menu select Playback Range > Free. Two black diamonds appear at the start and finish of yourproject. Drag these markers to select the range that you desire.

6. Click OK.
A progress bar appears, showing you the rendering process, followed by the Facebook upload
information dialog box.

7. Fill in the information that appears on your Facebook account.
‣

Title: Type in the name of your video‣

Description: Type in a description of your video.

8. Click OK.
The Facebook wizard dialog box opens and your internet browser is launched and automatically directedon the Facebook login page.

9. In your internet browser, log into your Facebook account.

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Although you are not on the Facebook website you are now logged into Facebook. To log out you
need to go onto your account on the Facebook website.

10. In the Facebook wizard, click Next.
The Facebook wizard checks for permissions.

11. The first time you go through these steps, when the Facebook wizard asks for permissions, the internet
browser is automatically directed to the Facebook confirmation page, where you need to give yourauthorization.
The next time you export a video to your Facebook account, the wizard automatically uploads the video
to your account.

•In the Internet browser, click Allow Video Uploads.
The Facebook page notifies you that the permissions have been saved.

•

In the Facebook wizard dialog box, click Next.
The wizard finishes the upload and a dialog box opens notifying you that your video has been successfully
uploaded

12. Click OK.

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Print
Although you may want to print out part or all or your finished or unfinished animation for reasons such as for amodel sheet or storyboarding, a fun project you could make with this feature is a flip book.
To print a flip book or a from your project:
1. Select File > Print.
The Printing dialog box opens.

2. From the Printer section, look through the Name list to select a printer, which is connected to yourcomputer.
3. Click Page Setup.
The Page Setup dialog box opens.

4. Customize your page setup and click OK.
5. In the Printer section, if you want to print your file digitally and have it saved somewhere on yourcomputer, select the Print to File option and browse to the location where you would like to save this fileon your computer. Select the As PDF if you so desire.

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As you want to print a flip book, do not select this section.
6. In the Copies section, select the number of copies of each individual page from the drop-down. For
example, if you chose the number two, the printer prints two copies of page 1, two copies of page 2, etc.
7. In the Layout section, decide how many frames you would like per page. Selecting the Flip book option
automatically places either 6 to 8 frames per page and leaves a margin for binding purposes.
Once the images are printed, you have to cut your images to create your flip book. If you put only one
image per page, it is difficult to quickly flip through the drawings as the pages are too big to handle.
Smaller sheets are much easier to flip.
8. In the Export Type section, decide on one of the following options:‣

Full Movie: By default prints the entire frame range of your project, including all scenes and all enabledlayers.

‣Current Scene: Camera View: Prints all elements, from all enabled layers, for a specific scene,including all transformations visible in the Camera view and allows for the selection of a frame range.

‣

Current Scene: Drawing View: Prints all elements on a selected layer visible through the Drawing
view, as well as other layers visible with the aid of the Light Table tool.

‣

Selected Level: Drawing View: Prints all elements on only one selected layer and offers the option of
printing individual drawings only.

9. In the Export Range section, decide on one of the following options:‣

All: Renders the entire project.

‣

Frame Range: Allows you to select a specific section of your project to render by frame number.

‣

Selector: Renders whichever layer or element you selected before starting the printing process.

‣Free Playback Range: In the Timeline view, right-click on the timeline ruler (top) and select Playback
Range > Free.

Two black diamonds appear at the start and finish of your project. Drag these markers to select therange that you desire. Note: This must be done before you open the Export Dialog window.

‣
10. In the same section, decide on one, both or none of the following options:‣

Keyframes only: Prints drawings on a frame with a keyframe in the Timeline view.

‣

Individual drawings only: Prints the first instance of a drawing. For example, if a drawing on a cell orframe is extended for 10 exposures in either the Xsheet or Timeline view, these extended exposures
are not printed. In other words, you receive only one printout of this drawing instead of ten.

11. From the Decoration section, decide whether or not you want to select the Print Camera Frame option.
12. Click OK.
You now have a frame-by-frame printed copy of your animation that is ready to be cut and bound into aflip book.

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Chapter 19: Keyboard Shortcuts forToon Boom StudioThis document lists the default keyboard shortcuts for Toon Boom Studio. To use a shortcut, press the key(s)and the character simultaneously. The plus sign (+) is not part of the sequence.

Commands without shortcuts are left blank in these tables.

The Custom column is provided so you may write down the shortcuts you customize.

In Toon Boom Studio, you can create your own keyboard shortcuts.
To assign your own keyboard shortcuts, select Edit >Preferences > Shortcuts from (Windows) or Toon BoomStudio > Preferences > Shortcuts (Mac OS X).

COMMAND
COMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Centre on Mouse

[N]

[N]

Next Drawing[Shift] + [S][Shift] + [S]Next Element

[F]

[F]

Next Element in Exposure
Sheet[Shift] + [F][Shift] + [F]

Next Frame

[S]

[S]

Previous Drawing[Shift] + [A][Shift] + [A]Previous Element

[D]

[D]

Previous Element in
Exposure Sheet[Shift] + [D][Shift] + [D]Previous Frame

[A]

[A]

Select Skeleton Root

[Y]

[Y]

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EDIT MENUCOMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Copy[Ctrl] + [C][⌘ ] + [C]Cut[Ctrl] + [X][⌘ ] + [X]

Cut Special[Ctrl] + [Shift] +[X][⌘ ] + [Shift] +[X]Delete

[Del]

[Del]

Deselect All[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [A][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [A]Paste[Ctrl] + [V][⌘ ] + [V]Paste New Object[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [V][⌘ ] + [O]Paste Special[Ctrl] + [B][⌘ ] + [B]Paste Special Again[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [B][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [B]Redo[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Z][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [Z]Select All[Ctrl] + [A][⌘ ] + [A]Undo[Ctrl] + [Z][⌘ ] + [Z]COMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Close[Ctrl] + [W][⌘ ] + [W]Exit[Ctrl] + [Q][⌘ ] + [Q]New[Ctrl] + [N][⌘ ] + [N]Open[Ctrl] + [O][⌘ ] + [O]Print[Ctrl] + [P][⌘ ] + [P]Save[Ctrl] + [S][⌘ ] + [S]Save As[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [S][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [S]COMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Toon Boom Studio Help

[F1][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [?]What's This? Help

[Shift] + [F1][Alt] + [Shift] + [?]CUSTOM

FILE MENUCUSTOM

HELP MENU

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LIBRARY MENUCOMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Refresh

[F5]

[F5]

COMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Play

[P]

[P]

Preview Exposure Sheet[Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Enter][⌘ ] + [Alt] + [Enter]

Preview Exposure Sheet
Selection[Shift] + [Enter][Shift] + [Enter]

Preview Movie[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Enter][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [Enter]

Preview Scene[Ctrl] + [Enter][⌘ ] + [Enter]

Quick Preview[Return][Return]

COMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Bone Creator Tool

[U]

[U]

Bone Manipulator

[H]

[H]

Bone Setup Tool

[J]

[J]

Brush

[@]

[@]

Cycle Brush Tools

[2]

[2]

Cycle Eraser Tools

[4]

[4]

Cycle Paint Tools

[3]

[3]

Cycle Rotate Tools

[8]

[8]

Cycle Select Tools

[1]

[1]

Cycle Zoom Tools

[5]

[5]

CUSTOM

PLAY MENUCUSTOMTOOLS MENU

Dropper (when Brush, Paint[Alt]
or Pencil tool is selected)[Alt]

Eraser[$][$]Grabber[^][^]Group Selection[Ctrl] + [G][⌘ ] + [G]Motion[0][0]Nudge Backwards (when[Alt] + Up Arrow][Alt] + Up Arrow]

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TOOLS MENUCOMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Nudge Forwards (whenTransform tool is selected)[Alt] + [Down Arrow][Alt] + [Down Arrow]

Paint

[#]

[#]

Paint Multiple Drawings[Shift] + [Alt][Shift] + [Alt]Peg-Only Mode

[M]

[M]

Scale

[9]

[9]

Select Drawing Objects

[!]

[!]

Select Elements

[6]

[6]

CUSTOM

Transform tool is selected)

Start New Bone Chain(when Bone Creator Tool is [Shift]selected)[Shift]

Text

[T]

[T]

Transform

[7]

[7]

Ungroup Selection[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [G][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [G]

Zoom

[%]

[%]

VIEW MENUCOMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Toggle Floating Windows
Visibility

[Tab]

[Tab]

Grid Display Toggle

[G]

[G]

No Next Drawings[Shift] + [W][Shift] + [W]

No Previous Drawings[Shift] + [Q][Shift] + [Q]Onion Skin Next Drawing
Cycle

[W]

[W]

Onion Skin Previous Drawing
Cycle

[Q]

[Q]

Recentre[Shift] + [Space][Shift] + [Space]

Reset Rotation[Shift] + [C][Shift] + [C]Reset View

[Shift] + [V][Shift] + [V]Reset Zoom

[Shift] + [Z][Shift] + [Z]Rotate Clockwise

[V]

[V]

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VIEW MENUCOMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Rotate Counterclockwise

[C]

[C]

Show/Hide Strokes

[K]

[K]

Switch Active View

[B]

[B]

Turn Auto Light Table On/Off [L][L]

Turn Full Screen On/Off[Ctrl] + [F][⌘ ] + [F]Zoom In[X][X]

Zoom Out[Z][Z]CUSTOM

WINDOWS MENUCOMMAND

WINDOWS

MAC OS X

Colour Palette[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [C][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [C]Exposure[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [E][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [E]Function Editor[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [F][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [F]Minimize[⌘ ] + [M]Pen View[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [N][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [N]Properties view

[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [P][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [P]

Scene Manager[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [M][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [M]Timeline[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [T][⌘ ] + [Shift] + [T]541

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