Toon Boom
Harmony22 Premium

Getting Started Guide

TOON BOOM ANIMATION INC.

+1 514 278 8666

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

contact@toonboom.com
toonboom.com

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

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

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

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

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

1

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Table of Contents

2

Introduction

7

Chapter 1: Creating a Scene

8

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

11

View s11

Adding a View

12

Camera view

14

Draw ing view

15

Tool Properties view

16

Colour view

17

Timeline view

17

Draw ing Substitutions View

18

Xsheet view

19

Library view20

Node view

21

Toolbars

22

Adding Toolbars

22

Tools Toolbar

27

File Toolbar

28

Edit Toolbar

28

Playback Toolbar

28Interface Navigation

29

Touch Interface

32

Chapter 3: How to Add Layers

35

Types of Draw ing Layers

35

Art Layers

36

Renaming Layers

38

Adding Layers

38

Deleting Layers

392Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Reordering Layers

40Grouping Layers

41

Hiding and Show ing Layers

42

Locking and Unlocking Layers

42

Chapter 4: How to Draw

44

Adjusting Artw ork

46

About Art Styles, Draw ing Tools and Layer Types

56

Chapter 5: How to Paint

59

Colour Palettes

60

Painting

62

Closing Gaps

63

Chapter 6: How to Create Paperless Traditional Animation

65

Creating a Rough Animation

65

Review ing your Animation

70

Cleaning Up

72

Chapter 7: How to Morph Drawings

76

Adjusting the Morphing Velocity

78

Adding Morph Hints

79

Chapter 8: How to Import Images

82

Vectorizing Images

88

Chapter 9: How to Position and Animate Layers

95

Positioning Layers

95

Repositioning the Pivot

97

Animating a Layer

98

Chapter 10: How to Position and Animate the Camera

102

Adding a Camera

102

Adding a Parent Peg

103

Positioning the Camera

104

Animating the Camera

107

Chapter 11: How to Rig a Cut- out Character

1103

Table of Contents

Draw ing the Pieces

110

Adding Pegs

113

Creating a Layer Hierarchy

115

Master Peg

119

Chapter 12: How to Animate a Cut- out Character

122

Navigating Layers

128

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

131

Bone Deformer

131

Game Bone Deformer

132

Curve Deformer

132

Envelope Deformer

133

Free Form Deformer

134

Creating Deformers

134

Displaying Deformers

143

Animating W ith Deformers

144

Chapter 14: How to Import Sound and Add Lip- Sync

159

Importing Sound

159

Automatic Lip-Sync Detection

160

Animating Lip-Sync Manually163

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

166

About Effects

166

Adding an Effect

168

Adding an Effect w ith a Matte

170

Animating an Effect174

Creating an Effect Based on an Animated Character

184

Chapter 16: How to Use Drawing Guides

188

Chapter 17: How to Create a Multiplane

198

Chapter 18: How to Set Up Objects in 3D Space

202

Chapter 19: How to Create and Use Templates

206

Creating a Template

206

4Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Importing a Template

208

Chapter 20: How to Export a Movie

211

Glossary

215

5

Table of Contents

6Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Introduction
Harmony is a complete animation softw are allow ing you to create all kinds of creative animation projects. It
comes w ith a very w ide variety of tools and features.
In this Getting Started Guide, you w ill learn the basics of how to use the main features in Harmony Premium,w hich w ill quickly bring you up to speed. Refer to the complete Toon Boom Harmony Premium documentation
available online at docs.toonboom.com to learn about all the tools and options, as w ell as more advanced
techniques.

7

Chapter 1: Creating a Scene

Chapter 1: Creating a Scene
As soon as you launch Harmony, you are greeted w ith the W elcome screen, from w hich you can:lCreate sceneslChoose your new scene's resolutionlManage your scene resolution presetslQuickly open recently opened sceneslBrow se for and open a scene you already created.

l

W atch Harmony video tutorials on the w eb.

lAccess the support w eb page.

8

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

NOTES
l

If you are using Harmony Server, you must use theControl Center application to create yourscenes before you can open them in Harmony. Harmony Server scenes cannot be createddirectly in Harmony.
l

You can disable the W elcome screen and make Harmony launch right to the main application
w indow by unchecking the Do not show this window at startup option at the bottom.

l

You can return to the W elcome screen from the main application w indow by selecting Help >Show W elcome Screen in the top menu. If you disabled the W elcome screen, you can reenable it again by returning to the W elcome screen and unchecking the Do not show thiswindow at startup option.

How to create a scene from the W elcome screen
1. In the Name field, type the scene’s name.

NOTE
The scene name should not exceed 23 characters and cannot contain special
characters, such as *&^ %!.

2. To decide in w hich directory the scene w ill be created, click the Browse button next to the Location
field.

3. From the Camera Size menu, select a scene resolution.

9

Chapter 1: Creating a Scene

4. Click on Create Scene.
A new scene is created. The main application w indow w ill appear w ith your new scene opened init.

10Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface
Using Toon Boom Harmony Premium w ill be significantly easier if you first become familiar w ith its userinterface. The follow ing chapter gives you a basic introduction to the most important elements of the userinterface. As you go through the ensuing chapters, you w ill learn more detailed information about each ofthese elements.
W hen you start Toon Boom Harmony Premium for the first time, the default w orkspace is displayed. The
w orkspace is divided in rectangular user interfaces w hich are referred to as view s, each of w hich has its ow n
specific purpose. The top and left side of the user interface, as w ell as some view s, also contain toolbars, eachw ith specific functions.

Views
View s are small user interfaces that each have a specific purposes. They can be added to the main application
w indow , in w hich case they are “docked”, or can be opened as separate w indow s.
Each view s has a tab on top of it w hich contains its name. Not only this can be used to identify the view s you’rew orking w ith, tabs also allow you to stack several view s in the same area of the user interface. For example, inthe default w orkspace, most of the area is occupied by the Camera view . At the top of the camera view are tw otabs, one that says Camera and the other that says Drawing. This is because the Draw ing view is stacked w ith
the Camera view , and you can quickly sw itch betw een both by clicking on either tab.

11

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

Right of the tabs of each division in your w orkspace are the

Add View andClose View buttons, w hichallow you to stack more view s or to remove the currently selected view from this area of the w orkspace.

Adding a View
You can add, remove, move and stack view s all over your w orkspace to optimize your w orkflow .

How to add a view to your workspace as a tab
1. In the top-right corner of an existing view , click the12

Add View button

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

2. Select the desired view from the list.
The view appears as a new tab, in the section of your w orkspace w here you added it.

NOTE
Some view s, such as the Camera, Perspective, Library, Model and Node view s, can be opened
in multiple instances. For example, this can be useful if you w ant to have tw o instances of the
Camera view s open, each focused on different areas of your scene, to quickly sw itch betw een
w orking on these tw o areas.

How to add a view to your workspace as a window
1. Open the W indows menu.
2. In the W indow s menu, select the view you w ish to add.
The view w ill appear as a new w indow over Harmony's main application w indow .

How to dock a view window to your workspace
1. Click and drag the floating view by its tab and do one of the follow ing:lDrop the w indow over another tab to add it to that set of tabs.

lDrop the w indow above, below or beside an existing view . W hen you get close to theedge of a view , a cyan rectangle appears, indicating w here the view w ill be docked.

13

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

Here is a short introduction to each of the most commonly used view s in Harmony.

Camera view
The Camera view is the centre of operations in Harmony. In this view , you can draw , paint, animate, set up yourscene, manipulate objects, open symbols and preview your animation.
The Camera view also has a top and bottom toolbar that you can use to navigate in the view , change thedisplay mode or go up your symbol hierarchy.

14

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

For information on w hat you can do in the Camera View , see Camera View .

Drawing view
In Harmony, you can draw in both the Draw ing or Camera view s. Although the tw o view s are similar, there aresome differences w hen it comes to draw ing.
Only the selected draw ing is displayed by default in the Draw ing view . You can use features, such as the lighttable to display the current draw ing of all the enabled layers of your scene in w ashed-out colours, or theOnion Skin to display the previous and next draw ings of the currently selected draw ing layer.

15

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

For more information on the Draw ing View , see Draw ing View .

Tool Properties view
The Tool Properties view contains the most common options and operations related to the currently selected
tool. W hen you select a tool from the Tools toolbar, the Tool Properties view updates.
For example, if you choose the Select tool, the Tool Properties view w ill display the options and operations
related to it, such as Snap to Contour, Apply to All Draw ings, Flip Horizontal, and Flatten.

16Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Colour view
The Colour view is w here you create colours and palettes and import existing palettes into your project. The
Colour view is also necessary for draw ing, painting and creating colour styling.

For more information on Colour View functionality, see Colour View .

Timeline viewTo set your animation timing, you w ill mostly w ork w ith the Timeline and Xsheet view s. It's extremely useful
to become familiar w ith the Timeline view , how it w orks, and its interface.
The Timeline view is the main view used w hen adjusting the timing of draw ings, adding keyframes andordering layers. The Timeline view displays layers, effects, sounds, keyframe values, scene length, layer
names, draw ings, keyframes, timing, and frames.

17

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

The Timeline view allow s you to read your timing from left to right. It represents the scene’s elements in theirsimplest form. You can also see the layers and their names, as w ell as the draw ing’s exposure. The draw ing
name is displayed w hen you place your pointer over the draw ing’s exposure.

For more information on Timeline View functionality, see Timeline View .

Drawing Substitutions View
The Draw ing Substitutions view allow s you to view all the draw ings in the selected layer in a list of
thumbnails, as w ell as to quickly select w hich draw ing should be exposed at the current frame.

18Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

For information on Draw ing Substitution View functionality, see Draw ing Substitution View

Xsheet view
The Xsheet view lets you read the timing vertically by displaying it in a grid, w ith each draw ing layer
represented by a column, each frame of your scene represented by a row , and each exposed draw ing
displayed by its name in the cells. It is meant to w ork like a traditional animation exposure sheet.
Using the functions panel, you can also view the functions and keyframes of the motion paths for the selectedcolumn, w ith the value of those functions for each frame listed in the cells.
Contrary to the Timeline view , the Xsheet view does not display pegs, effects or layer hierarchy. Hence, it is
optimized for traditional and paperless animation, w hereas the Timeline view is optimized for digital or cut-out
animation.

19

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

For more information on Xsheet view functionality, see Xsheet View .

Library view
The Library view is used to store elements such as animation, draw ings, backgrounds and character models so
as to reuse in different scenes and projects. You can also use the Library view to create and store symbols, as
w ell as to store and import images, sound files and 3D models.
To reuse elements from a scene in other scenes, you must create a template so that you can import it into
different scenes. Templates can contain anything from a single draw ing to a w hole scene structure. You cancreate a template by creating it in a scene, then copying the elements you w ant in your template into a library.
The resulting template is structured like a mini-scene that contains only the elements you copied into it. A
template does not have any dependencies on the scene it w as originally created in. Hence, it can safely be
imported in any other scene.
Additionally, the Library view 's Draw ing Substitutions panel allow s you to quickly change the current frame's
exposure to one of the existing draw ings in a layer. This is especially useful for animating a cut-out character's
mouths, hands, eyelids and other such body parts w hich typically contain several draw ings to choose from.

20

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

For more information on Library View functionality, see Library View .

Node view
In the Node view , you can connect effects and compositing nodes to form a netw ork, also know n as a node
system. This view is very useful for rigging puppets, creating advanced effects and having a clear view ofcomplex scenes. The organization and order of the nodes determines the flow of data during the compositing
process and how your animation elements w ill be composited.

For more information on Node View functionality, see Node View .

21

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

Toolbars
The Harmony interface contains toolbars that quicky give you you access many useful tools. You can add,
move and remove toolbars in your w orkspace.
Toolbars are separated in tw o main categories:l

W orkspace toolbars are toolbars that have a general purpose. For example, the File, Edit, W orkspace,
Advanced Animation and Deformation toolbars at the top, as w ell as the Tools toolbar on the left, arew orkspace toolbars. Those toolbars can be placed at the top, bottom, left or right edge of theapplication w indow . They can also be placed at the edge of specific view s if preferred.

lView toolbars are toolbars that are useful for a specific view . For example, the Camera view has a
Camera toolbar at its top. View toolbars can only be displayed inside their respective view . They can beplaced at the top, bottom, left or right edge of their view .

Adding Toolbars
How to add or remove a workspace toolbar to the general workspace
1. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the top menu, select W indows > Toolbars and in the sub-menu, select the toolbar you
w ant to add.

l

Right-click on any toolbar that is at the top or side of the w orkspace, or in the empty spacenext to these toolbars, and select the toolbar you w ant to add in the contextual menu.

22Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to add a view toolbar to a view
1. Do one of the follow ing:lClick on the tab of the view for w hich you w ant to add a toolbar to set the focus on it. Then,in the top menu, select W indows > Toolbars and select the toolbar you w ant to add.

l

In the top area of the view to w hich you w ant to add a toolbar, to the left of its tab, right-click
and select the toolbar you w ant to add in the contextual menu.

23

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

NOTES
l

In the list of toolbars in the contextual menu of a view , the toolbars listed
above the separator are w orkspace toolbars, and the ones below the
separator are view toolbars.

l

If you select a w orkspace toolbar in the contextual menu of a view , thisw orkspace toolbar w ill be added to the view . If it w as already present in yourw orkspace, it w ill be removed from its previous location.

l

W hen a w orkspace toolbar is added to a view that is stacked w ith otherview s, that toolbar is visible in every view that is stacked in the same area.
For example, if you add the Advanced Animation toolbar to the Camera view ,it w ill also be visible in the Draw ing view .

How to move a toolbar around
1. Click and hold the handle at the left of the toolbar you w ant to move.

24

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

2. Do one of the follow ing:l

If the toolbar is horizontal, move it up or dow n to make it pop out of its row .

l

If the toolbar is vertical, move it left or right to make it pop out of its column.

3. Do one of the follow ing:l

To reorder toolbars, drag the toolbar w here you w ant it to be located and drop it.

The toolbar w ill move to its new position. Toolbars to the right (or to the bottom, if thetoolbar is vertical) w ill be offset to make space for it.

l

To move the toolbar to a new row or to a new column, simply move the toolbar w here the
new row or column should be created. For example, to create a new row of toolbars at the
top of the user interface, move it just below the existing toolbars at the top of the userinterface. A new row or column w ill appear, highlighted in cyan.

W hen you drop the toolbar, the new row w ill be created and the toolbar w ill be placed at
the left end of the row .

Likew ise, to create a new column at the left of the user interface, move the toolbar just rightof the existing toolbars at the left of the user interface.
l

To move the toolbar to another edge of the user interface, drag it all the w ay to that edge of25

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

the user interface.

How to move a toolbar over another toolbar
1. Make sure both toolbars are in the same row or column. If they are not, move both toolbars to thesame row or column using the method previously described.
l

If the toolbars are horizontal, click and hold the handle at the left of the rightmost toolbar.
Then, w ithout going outside of the toolbar’s row , slide the toolbar tow ards the left.

l

If the toolbars are vertical, click and hold the handle at the top of the bottom toolbar. Then,w ithout going outside of the toolbar’s column, slide the toolbar up.

As you slide the toolbar over the other toolbar, the other toolbar’s buttons become hidden and a
pop-up menu button appear.

2. To separate the toolbars again, simply slide the same toolbar in the opposite direction.

26

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

3. To expand a toolbar that is overlapped by another toolbar, click on the expand button at the rightof the overlapped toolbar.

Tools Toolbar
The Tools toolbar contains the main tools you need to w ork in Harmony. In the default w orkspace, this toolbar
located on the left edge of the application w indow .
Some of the buttons in the Tools toolbar have a triangle in their bottom-right corner. This is to indicate thatseveral tools are stacked on this button. To access these tools, either click and hold on the tool button, or
select the tool then click on it again.

27

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

TIP
Many toolbar buttons have a keyboard shortcut associated to them. You can check w hich keyboard
shortcut is associated to a button by leaving your mouse cursor over the button for a second. If the
button has a keyboard shortcut, it w ill be indicated in the tooltip that appears.

For more information on each of the tools in the Tools Toolbar, see Tools Toolbar.

File Toolbar
The File toolbar contains buttons for common file operations such as New , Save and Open. These commands
can also be found in the File top menu.

NOTE
The
Server,New , and

Save As buttons are only available in Harmony Stand Alone. W ith Harmony

Control Center must be used to create scenes.

Edit Toolbar
The Edit toolbar contains common operations such as Undo, Redo, Cut, Copy and Paste. These commands canalso be found in the Edit top menu.

Playback Toolbar
The Playback toolbar allow s you to play your animation as w ell as to set some playback options such as
looping, audio playback, playback range and playback speed.

28Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

For information on the playback options, see Playback Toolbar.

Interface Navigation
W ith the help of menu commands and keyboard shortcuts, some view s let you navigate their content byzooming in, zooming out, panning and rotating them. You can also reset the zoom level, pan and rotation angleof these view s as needed.
The navigation commands in the table below can be used in the follow ing view s, w ith some exceptions:lCameralDraw inglPerspectivelTimelinel

XsheetlNode Viewl

FunctionlSide and Top

l

Model

TIP
Keyboard shortcuts can be customized. You can view , search for and change keyboard shortcutsfor Harmony in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog. To access the Keyboard shortcuts dialog:l

W indows or GNU/Linux: In the top menu, select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.

lmacOS: In the top menu, select Harmony Premium > Keyboard Shortcuts.

Command

ActionAccess Methods

Zoom In

Zooms in the view .

View > Zoom In

29

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

Command

ActionAccess Methods

Press 2
Roll the mouse w heel up (except in the Timeline and Xsheet
view s)View > Zoom Out
Zoom Out

Zooms out the view .

Press 1
Roll the mouse w heel dow n (except in the Timeline and Xsheet
view s)Roll the middle mouse button up or dow n.
Zoom In or Out

Zooms in or out of theview .

Pan

Moves the viewhorizontally or
vertically.

Hold dow n the Spacebar and drag in the direction you w ant to
pan the view .

Resets the view ’s pan

View > Reset Pan

to its default position.

Press Shift + N

Reset Pan

Hold dow n the Spacebar and the middle mouse button w hile
dragging the mouse up or dow n.

View > Reset View
Reset View

Resets the view to its
default position.

Press Shift + M
TheReset Rotation

Resets the view ’s
rotation to its default
position.

Reset View button at the bottom of the Camera view .

View > Reset Rotation
Press Shift + X

Reset Zoom

Resets the view ’s zoom
to its default position.

View > Reset Zoom

Rotate View

Rotates the view left or
right.

W hile holding Ctrl + Alt (W indow s/Linux) or Ctrl + ⌘ (macOS),
click and drag the rotating disc to rotate it clockw ise orcounterclockw ise.

3D Rotate View

Rotates the view in any
direction. This is only

W hile holding Ctrl + Shift (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift(macOS), click and drag the stage to rotate it in any direction.

30

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Command

ActionAccess Methods

available in the
Perspective view .

Rotate 30 CW

Rotates the Camera
view 30 degrees
clockw ise, like ananimation table.

View > Rotate View CW

Rotate 30 CCW

Rotates the Camera
view 30 degrees
counter-clockw ise, likean animation table.

View > Rotate View CCW

Mirror View

Temporarily flips the
Camera or Draw ing
view horizontally,
allow ing you to viewand edit your artw ork
as if it w as being
mirrored.

Toggle Quick
Close-up

Instantly multiplies theview 's Zoom Factor by
4. For example, if the
Camera View 's Zoom
Factor is at 100%, thisw ill make it toggle
betw een 400% and100%.

View > Mirror View
In the Camera or Draw ing toolbar, click on the
button.

Shift + Z

Cycles through thefollow ing display
modes:
lToggle Full
Screenl

Normal FullScreen: The
mainapplication
w indow
becomes fullscreen.

View > Toggle Full Screen
Press Ctrl + F (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + F (macOS)

View Full-

31

Mirror View

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

Command

ActionAccess Methods

Screen: The
selected view
becomes fullscreen and allother view s arecollapsed.
l

Normal: The
mainapplication
w indow isrestored to its
original size andcollapsed view s
are expanded.

Touch Interface
If you are w orking w ith a touch screen, a trackpad or a tablet that supports touch input, you can also use
standard tw o-finger gestures to zoom, rotate and pan the Camera and Draw ing View s. To be able to do this,you must first enable the Support Gestures preference.

How to enable gesture support
1. From the top menu, go to Edit > Preferences (W indow s/Linux) or Harmony > Preferences (Mac OS
X).
2. Open the General tab.
3. In the Touch Interface section, check the Support Gestures check box.
4. Click on OK.
5. Restart Harmony.
You can now manipulate the Camera and Draw ing view s by dragging tw o fingers on your touch
interface.

How to use gestures
1. In the Camera or Draw ing view , press tw o fingers a short distance from each other.

32

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

2. Do one of the follow ing:l

To pan the view , drag your tw o fingers in any direction, keeping both fingers at the same
distance from each other.

l

To zoom in, drag your tw o fingers aw ay from each other.

l

To zoom out, drag your tw o fingers closer to each other.

l

To rotate, drag your tw o fingers in a curve so that they revolve in the same direction.

33

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Harmony User Interface

34

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Chapter 3: How to Add Layers
Just like w ith traditional animation, Harmony uses layers to keep elements such as characters, backgrounds
and props separate from each other, allow ing you to animate them independently.
W hen you create a new scene, your scene w ill have a default layer named Drawing, in w hich you can
immediately start draw ing.

Layers can be selected and managed in the Timeline view . A scene can have as many layers as needed. W hen
your scene has several layers, layers higher in the list appear over low er layers.

Types of Drawing Layers
Harmony supports tw o types of draw ing layers, each w ith their ow n advantages and limitations:lVector Layers: Vector draw ings are made of points and curves that compose the contours of the shapesof the artw ork, along w ith the colour or textures these shapes are filled w ith. Hence, the artw ork invector layers can be scaled up and zoomed in w ithout losing quality, unless they contain a texture.

W hen draw ing on a vector layer, each draw ing stroke and pencil line is a separate object w hich can be
manipulated individually. You can select single draw ing strokes, then move them around and transform

35

Chapter 3: How to Add Layers

them, even if draw ing strokes w ere applied over them. Additionally, because draw ing strokes are madeof points and curves, it is possible to edit their shape, making it easy to make corrections and changes toyour artw ork.
lBitmap Layers: Bitmap draw ings are composed of a grid of pixels, w hich are small points that eachhave a single solid colour. Bitmap draw ing tools allow you to lay on brush strokes onto a single flat
canvas, and to tw eak your artw ork by the pixel if needed.

W hen you draw on a bitmap layer, each brush or pencil stroke is composited into the canvas, so it
remains a single draw ing that can only be painted or erased upon, but w hich does not allow you to
tw eak individual parts of it.
Bitmap artw ork can only be scaled up or zoomed in on as much as their pixel density allow s w ithout
losing picture quality. By default, bitmap artw ork has a pixel density of 100%, w hich is only enough todisplay the artw ork w ithout zooming in on it or scaling it up, otherw ise Harmony must generate new
pixels w ithin the artw ork, w hich is liable to make it look blurry or pixelated.
Hence, you might w ant to set the required pixel density for your bitmap artw ork, based on w hether
you'll need to zoom on it or scale it up, before you start draw ing on a bitmap layer.

NOTE
Since vector layers are editable and scalable, it is recommended to start off using vector layers
w hile getting familiarized w ith Harmony. The default draw ing layer in a new scene is a vector
layer.

Art Layers
By default, each draw ing layer actually has tw o art layers: The Line Art layer and the Colour Art layer. You can
use these layers to keep the line art and colours in your draw ings separate.

36

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

At the right of the Camera and Draw ing view , you can control w hich art layer you are w orking on and w hether
only the current art layer or both art layers are displayed.

By default, the Line Art layer is selected. So if you start draw ing right aw ay, you w ill be draw ing in yourdraw ing layer's Line Art layer, unless you select the Colour Art layer first.
Using different art layers for your line art and colour art is entirely optional. If you like, you can use the Line Art
layer for both your line art and colour art.

NOTE
You can also enable extra Art Layers: The Overlay and Underlay Art layers. The Overlay Art layer
is typically used for annotations and the Underlay Art layer is typically used for rough sketches. To
enable them, check the Support Overlay and Underlay Arts option in the Advanced tab of thePreferences dialog, w hich can be accessed by selecting Edit (W indows/Linux) or Harmony
Premium (macOS) > Preferences in the top menu.

37

Chapter 3: How to Add Layers

Renaming Layers
In a new scene, there is only one layer created by default, named Drawing. In traditional animation, it iscommon to name animation layers w ith single letters (A, B, C, etc.) and layout layers w ith acronyms (BG forbackground, OL for overlay, etc). So you can start off your scene by giving your first layer an appropriate name.

How to rename a layer in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , double-click on the name of the layer to rename.

A text-input field appears over the name.

2. Type in the new name for your layer and press Enter/Return.
The layer now has the new name.

Adding Layers
How to add a drawing element from the Timeline view
1. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline view , click theAdd Draw ing Layer button.

l

In the top menu, select Insert > Drawing.

l

Press Ctrl + R (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + R (macOS).

The Add Draw ing Layer dialog appears.

38Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

2. In the Name field, type in the name for your new layer.
3. Select:l

Vector or Bitmap for the Line Art layer.

lVector or Bitmap for the Colour Art layer

4. Select Extend Exposure for Scene Duration checkbox to automatically create an empty draw ing
exposure on each layer and expose them for the duration of the scene.
Do one of the follow ing:lClick Add to create this layer, but leave the dialog open so you can create more layers.

lClick Add and Close to create this layer and close the dialog.

A new draw ing layer is added to the Timeline view .

Deleting Layers
How to delete layers in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , select the layers to delete.

39Chapter 3: How to Add Layers

NOTE
You can select several contiguous layers by holding dow n the Shift key, clicking on thefirst layer you w ant to select, then on the last layer you w ant to select. You can also
select several layers by holding the Ctrl (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ (macOS) key andclicking on each layer you w ant to select.

2. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline’s Layer toolbar, click the

Delete Layers button.

l

Right-click on the selection and select Delete.

The selected layers are removed from the Timeline view .

Reordering Layers
How to reorder layers in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , select the layers to move.

2. Click and drag the selection, then do one of the follow ing:lDrop the selection betw een tw o layers to move it betw een those layers. A cyan line w ill
appear betw een the layers w here the selection w ill be moved.

40Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

Drop the selection onto a layer to rig the selected layers as children over that layer.

Grouping Layers
Grouping layers allow s you to keep your scene structure organized.
Additionally, you can put several layers inside a group w ith a composite, then add an effect on this group to
apply that effect on all the layers inside the group.

How to group layers in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , select the elements you w ant to group.

NOTE
Any layer betw een the selected layers w ill be grouped w ith the selected layers.

2. Do one of the follow ing:lRight-click on the highlighted layers and select Group Selection.

l

Right-click on the highlighted layers and select Group Selection W ith Composite.

lPress Ctrl +Shift + G (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift + G (macOS) to instantly group theselection w ith a Composite.

A new Group layer is added to the Timeline view .

If you click on the

Expand Group button, you w ill find the grouped layers rigged as children of

the group layer.

41

Chapter 3: How to Add Layers

Hiding and Showing Layers
You can temporarily hide layers so that they do not clutter the Camera view w hile you are w orking on otherlayers.

How to hide a layer in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , left of the layer you w ant to hide, click on the

Disable Layer button.

The layer w ill become invisible in the Camera view .
2. W hen you w ant to unhide the layer, click on the

Enable Layer button to display it again.

Locking and Unlocking Layers
You can temporarily lock layers. Locked layers can still be edited in the Timeline or Xsheet view , but you
cannot select them, draw them or manipulate them in the Camera view . This can be useful to avoid
accidentally selecting or draw ing over your backgrounds, overlays, props or characters you are not currently
w orking on.

42

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to lock a layer in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , left of the layer you w ant to lock, click on the

Lock button.

The layer w ill become impossible to select or draw on in the Camera view . The name of the layer
w ill appear in red in the Timeline view .
2. W hen you w ant to unlock the layer, click on the43

Unlock Layer button to display it again.

Chapter 4: How to Draw

Chapter 4: How to Draw
W hen you create a scene, your scene comes w ith a default Draw ing layer in w hich you can immediately startdraw ing.

NOTE
Depending on your draw ing style and w hat you are comfortable w ith, you may prefer to draw w ith
the Brush tool or the Pencil tool. For more information on the difference betw een those tools, see
W hen you create a scene, your scene comes w ith a default Draw ing layer in w hich you can
immediately start draw ing. on page 44.

How to draw with the Brush tool
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , click in the first cell of the draw ing layer.

2. If you w ant to try draw ing w ith the Brush tool, do one of the follow ing:l

In the Tools toolbar, select theBrush tool.

l

In the top menu, select Tools > Brush.

lPress Alt + B.

If you w ant to try draw ing w ith the Pencil too, do one of the follow ing:l

In the Tools toolbar, select the

Pencil tool.

l

In the top menu, select Tools > Pencil.

lPress Alt + /.

3. In the Presets list of the Tool Properties view , select a brush or pencil preset to use.
4. Use the Maximum Size slider to select the desired size for your brush or pencil.

44

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

5. To select a colour, click on the colour you w ish to use in the Colour view . For more information on
how to create and edit colours, see How to create or edit colour sw atches on page 61.

6. In the Draw ing or Camera view , start draw ing.

7. If you w ant to make changes to your brush or pencil, in the Tool Properties view , click on the arrow
button to open the Brush Properties or Pencil Properties dialog. In the Brush Properties dialog, you
can customize the size, shape, texture, feathering and smoothing of your brush. In the Pencil
Properties dialog, you can customize the size, smoothing, texture and line ends of your pencil.

45

Chapter 4: How to Draw

TIPS
You can quickly adjust the size of the selected draw ing tool by pressing and holding the Olkey, then clicking and dragging in the draw ing space. If you are using a tablet pen, doing
this w ith the eraser tip of your pen w ill adjust the size of the Eraser tool, regardless of
w hich draw ing tool is selected.
l

If you press and hold the Shift key before or w hile draw ing, you w ill draw a straight line.

l

If you press and hold the Spacebar key w hile draw ing a straight line, the angle of your line
w ill lock. If you are using a pressure-sensitive tablet, you can draw over your line to adjust
its thickness.
If you press and hold the Shift and Alt keys before or w hile draw ing, you w ill draw alstraight horizontal or vertical line.
If you press and hold the Ctrl (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ (macOS) key w hile draw ing, yourldraw ing stroke w ill turn into a closed shape.
If you press and hold Alt before draw ing a stroke, and start draw ing near existing artw ork,lthe start of your draw ing stroke w ill connect to that artw ork.
If you press and hold Alt w hile draw ing a stroke, and end your draw ing stroke nearlexisting artw ork, the end of that draw ing stroke w ill connect to that artw ork.

Adjusting Artwork
Harmony offers multiple w ays to adjust draw ings. You can undo your last draw ing stroke, erase parts of adraw ing, move, transform or delete draw ing strokes, and tw eak the points and curves of your draw ing strokes.

NOTE
You cannot manipulate or tw eak individual draw ing strokes w hen draw ing on a bitmap layer—see
How to Add Layers on page 35.

How to undo your last drawing stroke
1. Do one of the follow ing:l

From the top menu, select Edit > Undo.

lPress Ctrl + Z (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + Z (macOS).

46

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to erase
1. In the Tools toolbar, select theEraser tool or press Alt + E.

2. In the Draw ing or Camera view , draw an eraser stroke over the parts of your draw ing you w ant toerase.

How to manipulate drawing strokes
1. In the Tools toolbar, select the

Select tool or press Alt + S.

2. In the Camera or Draw ing view , select the draw ing strokes you w ant to edit by doing one of thefollow ing:lClick on a draw ing stroke to select it.

lHold Shift w hile clicking on a draw ing stroke to add it to your selection.

lDraw a lasso around draw ing strokes to select them simultaneously.

3. Do one of the follow ing to edit your selection:l

To reposition the selected artw ork, click on it and drag w here you w ant to position it.

NOTE
You can also nudge your selection using the arrow keys, and fast-nudge yourselection by holding Shift and pressing the arrow keys.

l

To rotate the selected artw ork, click and grab just outside one of the handles at the cornersof the control box and rotate it.

47

Chapter 4: How to Drawl

To scale the selected artw ork, click and drag on one of the control points at the corners or
the middle of the edges of the control box.

TIP
W hile scaling artw ork, you can preserve its proportions by pressing and holding
the Shift key.

l

To skew , drag sidew ays or up and dow n the sides or top and bottom segments, betw een thecontrol points.

48

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

To delete, press Del (W indow s/Linux) or Backspace (macOS).

How to edit lines
1. Do one of the follow ing:l

If you drew w ith the Brush tool, in the Tools toolbar, double-click on
select thelContour Editor andCenterline Editor in the pop-up menu, or press Alt + W .

If you drew w ith the Pencil tool, in the Tools toolbar, select theContour Editor tool orpress Alt + Q.
2. In the Draw ing or Camera view , click the shape, contour or pencil line you w ant to edit near thearea you w ish to change.
The shape or line's control points appear.

3. Click on one of the points to select it.
The point's Bezier handles appears, as w ell as Bezier handles for the surrounding points.

TIP
You can select several points by draw ing a lasso around the points, or by holding Shiftw hile clicking on points to add them to your selection. You can use the Contour Editor
to scale and rotate a selection of multiple points by enabling the
Editor Control option in the Tool Properties view .

49

Show Contour

Chapter 4: How to Draw

4. Do one of the follow ing:l

To move a point or a selection of multiple points, click and drag it.

l

To change the curve on both sides of a point, drag one of its Bezier handles.

l

To change the curve on only one side of a point, press and hold the Alt key, then drag one ofits Bezier handles.

l

To deform the contour, drag a part of the contour betw een tw o points.

50

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

To deform the curve betw een tw o points, hold the Shift key and drag the contour betw een
tw o points.

l

To remove a point's Bezier handles and make the lines it is connected to straight, press andhold the Alt key and click on the point.

lStraight lines have no Bezier handles at their points by default. To create Bezier handles forthese points and make their lines curved, pres and hold the Alt key, then click and hold thepoint and drag the mouse cursor aw ay from it. A new Bezier handle w ill follow your mouse
cursor until you release the mouse button.

l

To add a control point, press Ctrl (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ (macOS) and click on the contour
w here you w ant the new point to be created.

51

Chapter 4: How to Drawl

To remove a control point, select the control point and press Del (W indow s/Linux) or
Backspace (macOS).

How to cut drawings
1. In the Tools toolbar, select the Cutter

tool or press Alt + T.

2. In the Camera or Draw ing view , draw a lasso around the artw ork you w ant to cut aw ay.

The artw ork inside the lasso you drew w ill be cut from the rest of the artw ork and w ill be selected.

52

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

TIPSl

You can add another part of your artw ork to the selection by holding Shift anddraw ing another lasso.

l

By default, the Cutter tool w ill only w ork on the current layer. You can cut artw ork
from all visible layers by holding the Ctrl (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ (macOS) key.

3. Once you've cut out artw ork, you can manipulate it like w ith the Select tool. For example:l

To move the selected artw ork, click and drag it.

l

To delete the selected area, press Del.

l

To scale, rotate or skew the selection, use the controls around the selection's bounding box.

How to trim a single line
1. In the Tools toolbar, select the Cutter

tool or press Alt + T.

2. In the Tool Properties view , under the Cutter Tool Options, select the Lasso.

The Line Cutter Gesture modes are enabled.
3. Select the Single Line Cutting Gesture Mode.

4. In the Stage or Camera view , sw eep the Cutter tool across the end of a line you w ish to trim.
The line end disappears.
Before53

Chapter 4: How to Draw

After

NOTE
Even if your mouse gesture touches other lines, only the first line that the Cutter tool makes
contact w ith disappears.

54Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to trim multiple lines
1. In the Tools toolbar, select the Cutter

tool or press Alt + T.

2. In the Tool Properties view , under the Cutter Tool Options, select the Lasso.

The Line Cutter Gesture modes are enabled.
3. In the Tool Properties view , select the Multiple Lines Cutting Gesture Mode.

4. In the Stage or Camera view , sw eep the Cutter tool across the end of a lines you w ish to trim.
The line ends disappear.
BeforeAfter

55

Chapter 4: How to Draw

About Art Styles, Drawing Tools and Layer Types
The tw o main draw ing tools in Harmony are theBrush tool and thePencil tool. Depending on thedraw ing style you w ant to achieve, you may prefer to w ork w ith vector or bitmap layers.
On vector layers, it is possible to draw w ith pencil lines, textured pencil lines, vector brushes and textured
vector brushes. W hile pencil lines are vector centrelines to w hich you can add thickness, brush strokes are
solid vector shapes filled w ith a colour, and textured brush strokes are brush strokes filled w ith a bitmap
texture that filter out their colour.

56Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

On bitmap layers, you can only draw using solid or textured bitmap brushes. Hence, w hile vector layers are
more flexible because they allow you to easily manipulate and tw eak parts of your artw ork, they can also
accommodate more art styles.
How ever, if you use a textured brush on a vector layer, your brush strokes w ill have a bitmap texture. Thismeans that, just like w ith artw ork in bitmap layers, attempting to tw eak or resize a textured brush stroke w ill
require Harmony to resample the texture, w hich is liable to make it lose picture quality, unless its texture
resolution w as sufficiently increased before you started draw ing.
One pitfall of using textured brushes on vector draw ings is that, w hile bitmap draw ings are alw ays made of asingle flat canvas, vector brush strokes are kept as separate objects. This means that laying on a lot of
textured brush strokes on a vector draw ing w ill require Harmony to store the texture for each of these strokes,
and to composite them together in real time to display your draw ing. This can cause texture-heavy vectordraw ings to be heavier on application performance and in file size than bitmap draw ings. This is how ever the
only case w here a vector draw ing is likely to be heavier than a bitmap draw ing.
Though not recommended for sketching, textured pencil lines are a good compromise. Textured pencil lines
are lighter and easier to edit. This means that the texture w ill update w ith the transformation if you scale or
tw eak your pencil line. This also means that you are able to change the texture applied to an existing pencil
line or to apply a texture to a pencil line that does not already have one. Brush textures are recommended overtextured pencil lines w hen trying to achieve natural-looking brushes.

NOTE
Even if you flatten your artw ork, textured brush strokes of different colours cannot be flattened
together on vector layers.

The follow ing table compares the different approaches to draw ing available in Harmony:
Drawing Tool

Solid Pencil

Layer Type

VectorSpecifics

Advantages: Very light and easy to tw eak. Can be manipulated, recoloured
and tw eaked by the centreline. Can be zoomed in on or scaled up w ithout
losing quality.
Disadvantages: Not optimized for transparency.
Recommended Use: Clean draw ings w ith a solid and uniform outline style.

Advantages: Light and easy to tw eak. Can be manipulated, recoloured andtw eaked by the centreline. Can be zoomed in on or scaled up w ithout losing
quality.
Textured
PencilVectorDisadvantages: Not optimized for transparency. Not recommended forsketching. Does not look as natural as textured brushes.
Recommended Use: For light textured or mixed-style artw ork that demands a
lot of line manipulation.

57

Chapter 4: How to Draw

Drawing Tool

Solid Vector
Brush

Layer Type

VectorSpecifics

Advantages: Light file size. Reproduces traditional animation style. Can be
manipulated, recoloured and edited by the contour or centreline. Can bezoomed in on or scaled up w ithout losing quality.
Disadvantages: Cannot reproduce the look of natural media.
Recommended Use: Sketches, clean traditional animation-style draw ings.

Advantages: Can reproduce the look of natural media. As capable as textured
bitmap brushes, but can be manipulated, edited and recoloured like solid
vector brushes.
Textured
Vector Brush

VectorDisadvantages: Overlapping brush strokes can make the draw ing heavy on
application performance and file sizes. Brush strokes of different colours
cannot be flattened together. Tw eaking, scaling up or zooming in on artw ork is
liable to make it lose texture quality.
Recommended Use: For light bitmap-style textured artw ork or mixed-styleartw ork.

Advantages: Can reproduce the look of natural media. Better performance andlighter file size than texture-heavy vector artw ork. Can be edited pixel by pixel.
Textured
Bitmap Brush

Bitmap

Disadvantages: Brush strokes are alw ays flattened together and cannot be
modified individually. Can only be draw n or erased upon. Scaling up or
zooming in on artw ork is liable to make it lose picture quality.
Recommended Use: Texture-heavy bitmap artw ork.

58

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Chapter 5: How to Paint
Toon Boom Harmony Premium has some very pow erful painting features to add colour to your draw ings.
W hereas some other softw are only allow users to w ork w ith one colour sw atch at a time, painting in Harmony
is done by using palettes containing multiple colour sw atches that can be saved and reused as needed.

In the Colour view , you choose a different colour sw atch for each colour you w ant to paint in your draw ing. You
can add as many sw atches as you w ant. You can also rename them and modify existing ones.

W hen you modify the colour of an existing sw atch, it automatically updates all the zones painted w ith thissw atch throughout the entire scene. The colour sw atch has a unique ID number that associates it w ith thepainted zones. This w ay, you can change the look of your character at any time w ithout having to repaint it!
Another advantage of this system is that you can create complete palettes for different lighting situations. For
instance, in addition to the regular palette for a character, you could have one for that character in the rainusing colours that are duller and less vibrant than the dry daytime colours, or yet another for using in a night

59

Chapter 5: How to Paint

scene. Using palettes linked to your character in this w ay allow s you to instantly change its colouring to suitthe mood and atmosphere of the scene w ithout having to repaint each element.

Colour Palettes
In animation, specific colours are used to paint each part of each character. In order to maintain absoluteconsistency, a base colour palette should be created for each character, prop and effect in the production. Thisis referred to as a master palette.
Master palettes contain a colour sw atch for each area to colour. Each sw atch stores a colour in precise levelsof red, green, blue and opacity (the latter w hich is referred to as alpha).
Using a master colour palette has many benefits, including:lEach character consistently retains their dedicated colours.

l

You cannot accidentally use a colour w hich is not in the master palette.

lStandardization and colour consistency throughout the production.

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

Harmony uses palettes to hold all the colours needed to paint your elements, allow ing complete control andconsistency in the painting process.
A palette is created by assigning a set of colours to each character, prop or effect. You w ill create a newpalette and add a new colour, know n as a colour sw atch, for each zone of the character, such as the skin, hair,
tongue, shirt, pants, and so on.

How to create a new palette
1. From the Colour view menu, select Palettes > New or click the New Palette
The Create Palette dialog box opens.
2. Enter the palette name according to the model.

3. Click OK.
The palette appears in the palette list.

60

button.

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to create or edit colour swatches
1. If you w ant to create a new colour sw atch, click the Add Colour

button in the Colour view . If you

w ant to edit an existing colour sw atch, select the colour in the Colour view .
2. Do one of the follow ing to edit the colour sw atch:l

From the Colour view menu, select Colours > Edit.

l

Double-click on the colour sw atch.

The Colour Picker w indow opens.

3. To set your colour, do one of the follow ing:lSelect either Red, Green, Blue, Hue, Saturarion of Value to change the colour w heel's
spectrum, then click on the desired colour in the colour w heel.

lEnter the hue, saturation, value, red, green and blue values manually into theircorresponding fields. All values range from 0 to 255.

61

Chapter 5: How to Paint

NOTE
If you change a colour sw atch after having draw n or painted areas of a draw ing w ith it, all the
areas that w ere painted w ith this colour in your vector draw ings w ill update to the new colour.

Painting
You can paint the closed zones of your draw ings by using the Paint tool.

How to paint drawings
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select the draw ing you w ant to paint.
2. In the Tools toolbar, select the

Paint tool or press Alt + I.

3. In the Colour view , select your character's palette.
4. Select a colour from the palette.

5. In the Draw ing or Camera view , start painting the colours on your draw ing.

62

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

NOTE
W hen opening a scene, the scene's palettes w ill not be immediately loaded into the Colour
view . You must select a draw ing first.

Closing Gaps
W hen painting, you may find that some areas of your draw ings w ere not completely closed due to small gaps
in their outlines, w hich prevents the Paint tool from filling the area as it only fills closed shapes. To close thezone, you can draw a line over the gap w ith the Brush or Pencil tool. How ever, it is also possible to close thegap by adding an invisible line over it, w hich the Paint tool w ill treat like an ordinary line. In Harmony, invisiblelines used to define areas to colour are called strokes.

The Close Gap tool lets you close small gaps in a draw ing's outline by instantly draw ing a stroke to fill thegap. Contrary to the Stroke tool, you do not need to draw w ith precision w hen using the Close Gap tool.
Simply draw ing a crude stroke near the gap w ill automatically create a straight stroke that connects directlyfrom one end of the gap to the other.

How to use the Close Gap tool
1. Before w orking w ith strokes, it's recommended to enable the Show Strokes option so that you can
see them in the Draw ing or Camera view . You can enable the Show Strokes option by doing one of
the follow ing:l

From the top menu, select View > Show > Show StrokeslPress K.

2. Do one of the follow ing:

63

Chapter 5: How to Paintl

In the Tools toolbar, select the

Close Gap tool.

l

From the top menu, select Drawing > Drawing Tools > Close Gap.

l

Press Alt + C.

3. In the Camera or Draw ing view , trace an invisible line near to the gap to be closed.
The gap automatically closes.

NOTE
The Paint tool also has a Close Gap option w hich can be enabled from the Tool Properties
view . W hen enabled, Harmony w ill attempt to automatically find and close small gaps w hen
you attempt to fill a shape that is not closed.

64Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Chapter 6: How to Create Paperless Traditional Animation
Creating a Rough Animation
The first step to create paperless animation is the rough construction, w hich is the skeleton of your animation.
You w ould usually start by animating the most important part of a character's action. For example, to animatea w alk cycle, you w ill start w ith the torso motion and the legs. Secondary animation such as the head, arms
and clothes can be added afterw ard.

For a satisfactory animation, start by animating the main action w ith quick, rough sketches, then add thedetails w hen you're satisfied w ith the movement. If you start animating all the details right aw ay, you w ill losea lot of time if you have to make corrections, and your animation is likely to look rigid.

How to create a rough animation
1. In the top row of the Timeline view , click on

Show All Thumbnails to enable Thumbnail mode.

2. Press Ctrl + U (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + U (macOS) to open the Preferences dialog box.
3. Select the Exposure Sheet tab.
4. Select the Use Current Frame as Drawing Name option. W hen this preference is enabled, eachnew draw ing w ill be named by the frame number they are created on.
5. In the Tools toolbar, select theBrush tool or press Alt + B.

6. In the Colour view , select a colour for the brush. It is a good idea to choose a light colour for yourrough animation. This w ill make the clean up process easier as your clean dark lines w ill contrast

65

Chapter 6: How to Create Paperless Traditional Animation

w ith your light sketch lines.

7. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select the cell w here you w ant your first draw ing to appear.
8. In the Camera or Draw ing view , draw the first key draw ing.

As soon as you draw your first draw ing stroke, a draw ing is automatically created in the cell you
selected.

9. Increase the Timeline view 's zoom level until you see the thumbnails inside the cells by doing oneof the follow ing:lDrag the Timeline Zoom

slider to the right.

lClick on the Timeline view 's tab, then press 2 repeatedly.

lMove the mouse cursor in the Timeline view , then hold Ctrl (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ (macOS)
and roll the mouse w heel up.

66Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

10. W ith your first cell still selected, do one of the follow ing to mark your draw ing as a key draw ing.
This w ill help you stay organized.
lEnable the Mark Draw ing toolbar by selecting W indows > Toolbar > Mark Drawing
from the top menu, then click on thelMark Selected Draw ings as Key button.

Enable the Xsheet toolbar by focusing on the Xsheet, then selecting W indows >Toolbar > Xsheet from the top menu. Then, click on the Mark as Key Draw ing
button.

l

In the Timeline view menu, select Drawings > Mark Drawing As > Key Drawing.

11. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select the cell w here your next key draw ing w ill appear.

12. In the Tools toolbar, click theOnion Skin button. This w ill display the previous and next

draw ings in a light colour in the Camera or Draw ing view , behind your current draw ing, so that you
can use them as references to draw new draw ings w ith accuracy. This can be useful to draw
breakdow n poses betw een tw o key poses, or to add an in-betw een draw ing betw een tw o otherdraw ings.

67

Chapter 6: How to Create Paperless Traditional Animation

13. Ensure the onion skin displays your first key draw ing, so that you can base your second key
draw ing on it. To do this, do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline view , click and drag on the red onion skin marker to make it include
the previous draw ings you w ant to display in the onion skin, then click and drag on
the green onion skin marker to make it include the next draw ings you w ant to display
in the onion skin.

l

Use the buttons in the toolbar above the draw ing space to adjust how many previous
and next draw ings are included in the Onion Skin:l

To increase the amount of previous draw ings to display, click on theAddPrevious Draw ing button in the Camera/Draw ing view toolbar.
l

To decrease the amount of previous draw ings to display, click on the
Remove Previous Draw ing button in the Camera/Draw ing view toolbar.

l

To increase the amount of next draw ings to display, click on the

Add Next

Draw ing button in the Camera/Draw ing view toolbar.
l

To decrease the amount of next draw ings to display, click on the

RemoveNext Draw ing button in the Camera/Draw ing view toolbar.

NOTE
W hen in the Draw ing view , you can use the Onion Skin toolbar to make onion
skin display only specific types of draw ings, such as key draw ings or
breakdow ns. Keep in mind that this does not w ork in the Camera view .

14. Create a new empty draw ing by doing one of the follow ing:

68

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

In the Timeline or Xsheet toolbar, click on thelPress Alt + Shift + R.

Create Empty Draw ing button.

15. In the Camera or Draw ing view , draw your second key draw ing.

16. In the Xsheet or Timeline view , identify the draw ing as a key draw ing.

17. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select a cell betw een the tw o key draw ings.

18. Using the onion skin markers, ensure the onion skin covers both your first and last draw ings.

19. Create a new empty draw ing by doing one of the follow ing:

69

Chapter 6: How to Create Paperless Traditional Animationl

In the Timeline or Xsheet toolbar, click on thelPress Alt + Shift + R.

Create Empty Draw ing button.

20. In the Camera or Draw ing view , draw your new pose.

21. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select a new cell and repeat the previous steps for each new
draw ing.

NOTE
W hen w orking w ith overlay layers in the Camera view , you can enable theCurrent

Draw ing on Top option in the status bar below the Camera view to make the layer you're
w orking on appear over other layers.

Reviewing your Animation
Flipping through draw ings can help see if the draw ings you're w orking on connect w ell together and create
the proper illusion of movement. You can quickly flip through your draw ings using the Go to Previous Draw ing
and Go to Next Draw ing keyboard shortcuts, or use the Easy Flipping toolbar.

How to flip through drawings
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select the draw ing from w hich you w ish to flip.
2. Do one of the follow ing:lPress F to go to the previous draw ing.

lPress G to go to the next draw ing.

3. Press either shortcut repeatedly at a fast pace to flip through draw ings backw ard or forw ard.

How to use the Easy Flipping toolbar
1. Sw itch to the Draw ing view .

70

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

2. In the top menu, select W indows > Toolbars > Easy Flipping to enable the Easy Flipping toolbar.

3. In the Easy Flipping toolbar, click thePrevious or

Next button to see the previous or next

draw ing of your animation.
4. To display draw ings in the first frame after you reach the last frame of your animation, select the
Loop option.

5. Move the slider to the right to flip forw ard and to the left to flip backw ard through your draw ings.

The further you move the slider to the left or right, the faster the draw ings w ill flip.
6. In the Preroll field, enter the amount of draw ings to automatically flip through before and after thecurrent draw ing.
7. In the FPS field, enter the speed at w hich you w ould like to automatically flip through yourdraw ings, in frames per second.
8. Click on the Easy Flip button

to automatically flip through the draw ings based on the Preroll andFPS settings.
W hen your rough animation is finished, play it back to make sure it looks as expected before proceeding to thenext step.

How to play your animation
1. In the Timeline view , click on the

Solo Mode button left of each layer you w ant to see during

playback in the Timeline view to enable

Solo mode on these layers.

W hen one or more layer has Solo Mode enabled, only layers w ith Solo Mode enabled are visible,
and other layers are hidden.
2. In the Timeline view , move the red playhead to the first frame of your animation and click the Start
button on the Timeline toolbar. Then, move the playhead to the last frame of your animation and71

Chapter 6: How to Create Paperless Traditional Animation

click the Stop button.

3. In the Playback toolbar, click the

Loop button to enable looping during playback.

4. In the Playback toolbar, click thePlay button to begin playback.

Cleaning Up
W hen your rough animation is completed, it is time to clean it up and ink it. This step is also called tracing. It
consists of tracing solid and clean lines over the rough animation to close any open zones. This is the final
paperless animation step before the ink and paint step.

In traditional animation, cleaned up draw ings are usually traced on a new sheet of paper w ith the roughunderneath, made visible using the animation disk's light table. Likew ise, in Harmony, you w ill need to add a
new draw ing layer on w hich to draw cleaned up draw ings. W hen you're done cleaning up, you can simply
disable the layer containing the rough animation so that it does not appear in the final animation. Thisapproach also allow s you to keep the roughs and the cleaned up draw ings intact and to manage them
independently.
In the Camera view , you w ill see your rough animation w hile w orking on your clean up layer. If you prefer tow ork in the Draw ing view , you can enable the light table to display the rough animation w hile tracing on yourclean up layer.

How to trace your animation in a new layer
1. In the Timeline view , rename the layer on w hich you created your rough animation by doubleclicking on its name and entering its new name, for example: "Rough".
2. In the Timeline view , add a layer by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline view 's layers toolbar, click on thelPress Ctrl + R (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + R (macOS).

The Add Draw ing Layer dialog appears.

72

Add Draw ing Layer button

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

2. In the Name field, type in your new layer's name, for example: "Clean-up".
Select:l

Vector or Bitmap for the Line Art layer.

lVector or Bitmap for the Colour Art layer

3. Click Add and Close to add a new layer and close the w indow .
A new draw ing layer is added to the Timeline view .

4. In the Timeline view , click the Lockicon of the layer containing your rough animation to preventthe layer from being selected in the Camera view .

5. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select the new layer’s cell corresponding to the first key draw ing ofyour rough animation.

73

Chapter 6: How to Create Paperless Traditional Animation

6. In the Tools toolbar, select a draw ing tool such as the Pencil

tool.

7. In the Colour view , select a colour for tracing your animation. Pick a dark bold colour, such as black,to make sure it contrasts w ell w ith the light colour of your rough animation.
8. In the Camera or Draw ing view , start tracing the first key draw ing.

NOTE
If overlay layers are in the w ay, you can disable them temporarily by clicking on
their

Enable/Disable button in the Timeline view , so that only your roughanimation and your clean up layers are displayed.

9. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select the next cell corresponding to a rough draw ing.
10. In the Tools toolbar, click the

Enable Onion Skin button to enable Onion Skin.

11. Ensure onion skin displays your previous cleaned up draw ing, by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline view , click and drag on the red onion skin marker to make it include
the previous draw ings you w ant to display in the onion skin, then click and drag on
the green onion skin marker to make it include the next draw ings you w ant to display
in the onion skin.

74Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

Use the buttons in the toolbar above the draw ing space to adjust how many previous
and next draw ings are included in the Onion Skin:l

To increase the amount of previous draw ings to display, click on theAddPrevious Draw ing button in the Camera/Draw ing view toolbar.
l

To decrease the amount of previous draw ings to display, click on the
Remove Previous Draw ing button in the Camera/Draw ing view toolbar.

l

To increase the amount of next draw ings to display, click on the

Add Next

Draw ing button in the Camera/Draw ing view toolbar.
l

To decrease the amount of next draw ings to display, click on the
Next Draw ing button in the Camera/Draw ing view toolbar.

12. In the Camera view , trace your next draw ing.

13. Repeat the previous steps for each draw ing.

75

RemoveChapter 7: How to Morph Draw ings

Chapter 7: How to Morph Drawings

Hand-draw n animation requires you to spend a lot of time tracing in-betw een draw ings. Harmony's morphingfeature can help speed up the process. This pow erful feature automatically creates computer-generated
draw ings betw een your vector draw ings to save time and increase productivity. You can easily modify thetiming and velocity (ease in and ease out) of a morphing animation.
One of the main uses of the morphing feature is effects animation. For example, animating smoke or w ater canbe time-consuming because these types of effects are usually slow moving requiring a large number of closely
placed inbetw eens.
The morphing feature is used to animate similar and simple shapes such as hair or smoke. It helps you bysaving time w hen you are w orking on tedious inbetw eening and tracing tasks This, in turn, provides you w ith
more time to spend on complex animation tasks such as w alk cycles or acrobatic sequences.
To learn how to morph draw ings, it is better to start w ith basic shapes such as circles and rectangles. Onceyou are more familiar w ith the tool, you can increase your know ledge and expertise. In a very short time you
w ill be producing some remarkable effects.
It is helpful to know the pros and cons of morphing before you start. Understanding w hat you can do andw hich draw ing lines may be more useful or problematic w ill enable you to design your key draw ings so theymorph efficiently.

NOTE
The more complex the shape is, the longer it takes to morph. If it takes more time to morph adraw ing than to hand-draw it, then it is better to animate it instead of morphing. How ever, if you
spot an occasion w hen you can morph your draw ings, do it! It allow s you to fix your timing andvelocity in no time w ithout having to create any extra draw ings!

76

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to create a basic morph
1. In the Timeline toolbar, click the Add Draw ing Layerbutton to add a new layer to your project.

2. Rename the new layer ( for example, Morphing).
3. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select the first cell in the layer.

4. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Tools toolbar, select the RectanglelPress Alt + 7.

tool.

5. In the Camera or Draw ing view , draw a rectangle.

NOTE
W hen draw ing a rectangle or an ellipsis, you can hold dow n the Shift key todraw your shape w ith equal dimensions, so as to make a square or a circle
instead. You can also hold dow n the Alt key to draw the shape from its center
rather than from its corner.

6. Paint your rectangle using the Paint tool.

7. In the Xsheet or Timeline view , select the cell on w hich you w ant your morphing sequence to end.

8. Do one of the follow ing:

77

Chapter 7: How to Morph Draw ingsl

In the Tools toolbar, select the EllipselPress Alt + =.

tool.

9. Draw and paint the ellipse w ith the same outline and fill colours as the rectangle.

10. In the Xsheet or Timeline view , select the range of frames going from your first draw ing to yoursecond draw ing, including the frames containing the draw ings.

11. Do one of the follow ing:l

From the top menu, select Animation > Morphing > Create Morphing.

l

In the Xsheet or Timeline view , right-click and select Morphing > Create MorphinglPress Alt + M.

Arrow s going from the first key draw ing to the second key draw ing appear, indicating thatcomputer-generated inbetw eens have been created.

Adjusting the Morphing Velocity
W hen you look at your animation you w ill notice that the morphing motion is constant. To produce a lessmechanical motion, you w ill probably w ant to create some ease in or ease out.

78Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to add ease in and ease out to a morph
1. In the Tools toolbar, select the Morphing

tool or press F3.

2. In the Timeline view , click on a frame in the morphing sequence you w ant to adjust.
3. In the Tool Properties view , increase and decrease the Ease In and Ease Out value to adjust thesequence's velocity.

Adding Morph Hints
Harmony's Morphing tool allow s you to control your morphing sequence in many w ays. One of those w ays isto place hints to ensure Harmony morphs your draw ings the w ay you intended.

Hints are points that are placed in both the source and destination draw ings to associate zones and lines
betw een the tw o draw ings. They are used to fix errors in the w ay Harmony morphs draw ings, such as a linethat is not follow ing the colour fill zone, or w hen a part of your source draw ing doesn't morph into its
corresponding part of the destination draw ing. By default, Harmony w ill associate a corner or a point in thesource draw ing w ith the nearest corner or point in the destination draw ing. Hence, hints quickly become
necessary if the shape being morphed or its movement is complex.

How to add and hints
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select the source draw ing of your morphing sequence.
2. In the Tools toolbar, select theMorphing tool or press F3.

79Chapter 7: How to Morph Draw ings

Use your other morphing key draw ing, show n in the Draw ing view 's bottom right corner, as areference.

3. In the Tool Properties view , select the type of hint you w ant to use.

l

Select Contour Hint to correct a brush line or colour zone's contour (Contour vector).
Contour Hint points w ill behave similar to Pencil Hint points w hen used on a pencil
line. Note that you obtain better results using the Pencil Hint point on pencil line
rather than Contour Hint points.

l

Select Pencil Hint to correct a pencil line (Central vector).

l

Select Zone Hint to correct a colour zone morphing match.

lSelect Vanishing Point Hint to correct a vanishing shape's trajectory.

l

Select Appearing Point Hint to correct an appearing shape's trajectory.

4. In the Camera or Draw ing view , click on the draw ing near the problematic area.

80Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

5. Select the hint's point and move it to its correct position.

6. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select your destination draw ing.
7. Find and move the corresponding hint's point to the matching part of your destination draw ing.

8. In the Playback toolbar, press the Playbutton to see the result.

81

Chapter 8: How to Import Images

Chapter 8: How to Import Images
By default, Harmony w orks w ith vector images created w ithin its ow n interface. Vector images are primarily
composed of information about the different shapes composing the images, as w ell as their line and fillcolours. This makes them easy to edit and paint, and allow s us to resize them w ithout affecting the image
quality. In contrast, bitmap images are composed of colour information about each individual pixel composing
the image. Hence, they are more fit for very detailed or realistic pictures, but they cannot be scaled w ithout
losing image quality, and can not be edited as easily as vector images.
Typically, you w ould need to w ork w ith bitmap images if you must create some of your scene assets, such as
backgrounds or props, in a different softw are. You can then import those bitmap image files into your Harmony
scene.
W hen importing a bitmap image, you must decide how Harmony must process it. You can choose betw een thefollow ing options:l

Keep as Original Bitmap: This imports the image exactly as is and ensures that it cannot be modified
w hen w orking on the scene. This is useful for using backgrounds that w ere created in different softw arein your project.

l

Import as Toon Boom Bitmap Drawing: This imports the image as is, but allow s you to edit it using
Harmony's bitmap draw ing tools.

lImport as Toon Boom Vector Drawing: Converts a bitmap into Toon Boom vector art, w hich can easily
be painted and edited using Harmony's vector draw ing tools. This can be useful for importing line art
scanned or created using a different softw are.

How to import a bitmap image in its original format
1. Do one of the follow ing:l

From the top menu, select File > Import > Images.

l

In the File toolbar, click the Import Imagesl

In the Xsheet view , right-click anyw here in the frame area and select Import >Images.

The Import Images dialog box opens.

82

button.

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

2. In the Files section of the Import Images dialog box, click Browse to find and select one or more
images on your computer.
3. Add the bitmap image to a new layer by selecting the Create Layer(s) option and one of thefollow ing options:lCreate Single Layer Named: Creates a new layer w ith the specified name andimports the images into it.

lCreate Layer(s) Based on Filenames: Creates a layer based on each uniquefilename prefix. For example, if you import three files named a-1.tga, a-2.tga
and b-1.tga, this w ill create tw o layers, one named "a" and one named "b".
Layer "a" w ill contain the tw o first images and "b" w ill contain the third one.

l

Add to Existing Layer: Imports the images into the specified layer. Note thatyou can only import into layers that are compatible w ith your import options.
For example, if you're importing images as vector draw ings, you can only
import them into vector draw ing layers.

83

Chapter 8: How to Import Images

4. In the Import Options section, select the Keep As Original Bitmap option.
5. In the Colour Space section, it is possible to specify the colour space of the imported image. During
the import no other colour space conversion is done, simply the specified colour space is set to the
new created element. It is also possible to modify the colour space of the layer by using Layer
Properties.
The colour space could be selected form one of follow ing options:llLinear: The same primaries and w hite point as sRGB and Rec. 709, but w ith no
gamma transfer curve applied to the colour values. This colour space is useful forcompositing intermediary images that are meant to be rendered in sRGB or Rec. 709.

l

Display P3: A colour space commonly used for digital projection. It has the same
primaries as DCI-P3, the same w hite point as sRGB and the same gamma transfer
curve as sRGB.

l

Display P3 Linear: The same as Display P3, except w ith no gamma transfer curve.
This colour space is useful for compositing intermediary images that are meant to berendered in Display P3.

lRec. 709: The colour space used for HDTV. It has the same primaries and w hite point
as sRGB, but has a different gamma transfer curve.

lRec. 709 2.4: The same colour space as Rec. 709 or sRGB, except w ith a gammatransfer curve of 2.4. This colour space exists because some editing systems use agamma transfer curve of 2.4 instead of the standard gammae curve for Rec. 709.

lRec. 2020: A colour space used for Ultra High Definition TV (UHDTV). It has acomplex gamma transfer curve and primaries that cover more of the humanperceivable colour space than other colour spaces, especially in the area of humanperceivable greens.

lRec. 2020 2.4: The same colour space as Rec. 2020, except w ith a simple gammatransfer curve of 2.4. This colour space exists because some editing systems use agamma transfer curve of 2.4 instead of the standard gammar curve for Rec. 2020.

lRec. 2020 Linear: The same colour space as Rec. 2020, except w ith no gammatransfer curve. This colour space is useful for compositing intermediary images thatare meant to be rendered in Rec. 2020.

lsRGB: A colour space typically used for standard computer monitors. It has the same
primaries and w hite point as Rec. 709, but has a different gamma transfer curve.

6. In the Alignment section, decide on the size and placement of your image w ithin the camera frame.
You can choose betw een the follow ing options:84Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Parameter

Description

Adjusts the image's size to fit completely w ithin the scene's field, bothvertically and horizontally, making sure the entire image is visible.
If the image's orientation is portrait, then it w ill adjust the image's height to
fit the field's height, w ithout affecting the image's aspect ratio:

Fit
If the image orientation is landscape, then it w ill adjust the image's w idth
to fit the field's w idth, w ithout affecting the image's aspect ratio:

Pan

This has the opposite effect to the fit parameter. The image's smallest
dimension w ill be made to fit the scene frame's matching dimension, andthe image's largest dimension w ill be adjusted proportionally, making theimage fill the entire scene field, and bleed past its boundaries it if its aspectratio does not match the field's aspect ratio. This option can be used toimport a panning background image, also referred to as a pan.
If the image's orientation is portrait, it w ill adjust the image's w idth to fit
the field's w idth, w ithout affecting its aspect ratio:

85

Chapter 8: How to Import Images

If the image's orientation is landscape, it w ill adjust the image's height to fit
the field's height, w ithout affecting its aspect ratio:

Project
Resolution

Scales the image to fit the scene's resolution, making each pixel in theimage take one pixel in the scene's field. For example, if the image's
dimensions in pixels are half of the scene's resolution in pixels, then theimage's dimensions w ill appear to be half of the scene field's dimensions.

7. If your image has transparency, in the Transparency section, select how the colour values in thesemi-transparent pixels in the image w ere premultiplied w ith their alpha values. This allow s
Harmony to demultiply the values so that it can properly blend the image w ith the other elements
in your scene.
You can choose betw een the follow ing options:Parameter

Description

Premultiplied w ith W hite

The colour values of semi-transparent pixels in the image

86Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

have been encoded so that the more transparent they are, thecloser to w hite they are. W hen an image that is premultipliedw ith w hite is loaded in a softw are that does not support
transparency, it appears blended w ith a w hite background.
Select this to make Harmony reverse this premultiplication sothat the image blends properly w ith other visual elements inyour scene.

The colour values of semi-transparent pixels in the image

Premultiplied w ith Black

have been encoded so that the more transparent they are, thecloser to black they are. W hen an image that is premultipliedw ith black is loaded in a softw are that does not support
transparency, it appears blended w ith a black background.
Select this to make Harmony reverse this premultiplication sothat the image blends properly w ith other visual elements inyour scene.

Straight

The colour of semi-transparent pixels in the image is encoded
independently from their transparency. W hen an image thatis not premultiplied is loaded in a softw are that does notsupport transparency, semi-transparent pixels simply appear
fully opaque, making its edges appear pixelated.

Clamp Colour to AlphaThis is the same as Premultiplied with Black, except that it
also prevents the colour values for a given pixel from being
higher than that pixel's alpha value. This option is only useful
if you are w orking w ith images that are supposed to be
premultiplied w ith black, but w here the colour values ofpixels have been increased w ithout their alpha values being
adjusted accordingly.

87Chapter 8: How to Import Images

TIP
The transparency type for an image may depend on the softw are used to create
it. For example, images exported by Harmony in any format but PNG are
typically Premultiplied with Black, w hereas PNG images exported by Harmony
use Straight transparency.
The follow ing are transparency modes typically used by other softw are for
specific file types:lPortable Network Graphic (.png): StraightlPhotoshop Document (.psd, .psb):lImported as a single image: Premultiplied w ith W hitelImported as separated layers: StraightlTagged Image File Format (.tif): Premultiplied w ith Blackl

Truevision TARGA (.tga): Straightl

Silicon Graphics Image (.sgi): Straight

8. Click OK.

NOTE
By default, bitmap images w ill display in low resolution in the Camera view so as to avoid
affecting playback performance. You can also adjust the display quality of a bitmap image by
selecting it w ith the Transform tool, then opening the Bitmap Image Quality dialog via View >Bitmap File Quality. You can also preview your bitmap image in your scene's resolution by
activating the Render Preview

mode in the Camera view .

Vectorizing Images
Harmony allow s you to import images as vector draw ings. Vector draw ings can easily be painted and editedusing Harmony's vector draw ing tools. This can be useful for importing line art scanned or created using a
different softw are, as you can then paint it in Harmony.

How to import a bitmap image as a Toon Boom bitmap drawing
1. Do one of the follow ing:l

From the top menu, select File > Import > Images.

l

In the File toolbar, click the Import Images

88

button.

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

In the Xsheet view , right-click anyw here in the frame area and select Import >Images.

The Import Images dialog box opens.

1. In the Files section of the Import Images dialog box, click Browse to select one or more images
from your computer.
2. Select the destination for your images:lCreate Single Layer Named: Creates a new layer w ith the specified name andimports the images into it.

lCreate Layer(s) Based on Filenames: Creates a layer based on each unique filename
prefix. For example, if you import three files named a-1.tga, a-2.tga and b-1.tga, thisw ill create tw o layers, one named "a" and one named "b". Layer "a" w ill contain thetw o first images and "b" w ill contain the third one.

l

Add to Existing Layer: Imports the images into the specified layer. Note that you can
only import into layers that are compatible w ith your import options. For example, if

89Chapter 8: How to Import Images

you're importing images as vector draw ings, you can only import them into vectordraw ing layers.
2. In the Import Options section, select the Import as Toon Boom Bitmap Drawing option.
3. In the Colour Space section, the colour space of the new created layer is selected as sRGB bydefault. If “Read Toon Boom Draw ings Using sRGB Colour Space” is disabled—see Setting theW orking Colour Space for a Scene. It is possible to specify the colour space, w hich w ill be used by
new layer. If add to existing layer, the colour space of the existing layer w ill be used, and the option
is also disabled.
4. Enabling the option “Convert Image Colour Space on Import” and selecting the “Source Colour
Space” of the image allow s you to convert the image colour space to the layer’s colour space, if thecolour space of image to be imported is know n.
The colour space could be selected form one of follow ing options:lLinear: The same primaries and w hite point as sRGB and Rec. 709, but w ith no gammatransfer curve applied to the colour values. This colour space is useful for compositing
intermediary images that are meant to be rendered in sRGB or Rec. 709.

l

Display P3: A colour space commonly used for digital projection. It has the same primaries
as DCI-P3, the same w hite point as sRGB and the same gamma transfer curve as sRGB.

l

Display P3 Linear: The same as Display P3, except w ith no gamma transfer curve. This
colour space is useful for compositing intermediary images that are meant to be rendered in
Display P3.

lRec. 709: The colour space used for HDTV. It has the same primaries and w hite point as
sRGB, but has a different gamma transfer curve.

lRec. 709 2.4: The same colour space as Rec. 709 or sRGB, except w ith a gamma transfer
curve of 2.4. This colour space exists because some editing systems use a gamma transfer
curve of 2.4 instead of the standard gammae curve for Rec. 709.

lRec. 2020: A colour space used for Ultra High Definition TV (UHDTV). It has a complex
gamma transfer curve and primaries that cover more of the human-perceivable colour spacethan other colour spaces, especially in the area of human-perceivable greens.

lRec. 2020 2.4: The same colour space as Rec. 2020, except w ith a simple gamma transfer
curve of 2.4. This colour space exists because some editing systems use a gamma transfer
curve of 2.4 instead of the standard gammar curve for Rec. 2020.

lRec. 2020 Linear: The same colour space as Rec. 2020, except w ith no gamma transfer
curve. This colour space is useful for compositing intermediary images that are meant to berendered in Rec. 2020.

90

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started GuidelsRGB: A colour space typically used for standard computer monitors. It has the same
primaries and w hite point as Rec. 709, but has a different gamma transfer curve.

5. In the Alignment section, decide on the size and placement of your image w ithin the camera frame.
You can choose betw een the follow ing options:Parameter

Description

Adjusts the image's size so that its height matches the scene's height,
w ithout affecting its aspect ratio.

Vertical Fit

Adjusts the image's size so that its w idth matches the scene's w idth,
w ithout affecting its aspect ratio.

Horizontal Fit

Actual Size

Imports the image in its actual size, w ithout adjusting its size relative to thescene's resolution. For example, if the image's dimensions in pixels are halfof the scene's resolution in pixels, then the image's dimensions w ill appear

91

Chapter 8: How to Import Images

to be half of the scene field's dimensions.

6. If your image has transparency, in the Transparency section, select how the colour values in thesemi-transparent pixels in the image w ere premultiplied w ith their alpha values. This allow s
Harmony to demultiply the values so that it can properly blend the image w ith the other elements
in your scene.
You can choose betw een the follow ing options:Parameter

Description

Premultiplied w ith W hite

The colour values of semi-transparent pixels in the image
have been encoded so that the more transparent they are, thecloser to w hite they are. W hen an image that is premultipliedw ith w hite is loaded in a softw are that does not support
transparency, it appears blended w ith a w hite background.
Select this to make Harmony reverse this premultiplication sothat the image blends properly w ith other visual elements inyour scene.

The colour values of semi-transparent pixels in the image
have been encoded so that the more transparent they are, thePremultiplied w ith Black

Straight

closer to black they are. W hen an image that is premultipliedw ith black is loaded in a softw are that does not support
transparency, it appears blended w ith a black background.
Select this to make Harmony reverse this premultiplication sothat the image blends properly w ith other visual elements inyour scene.

The colour of semi-transparent pixels in the image is encoded
independently from their transparency. W hen an image thatis not premultiplied is loaded in a softw are that does notsupport transparency, semi-transparent pixels simply appear
fully opaque, making its edges appear pixelated.

7. Click OK.

How to import and vectorize a bitmap image
1. Do one of the follow ing:

92

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

From the top menu, select File > Import > Images.

l

In the File toolbar, click the Import Imagesl

In the Xsheet view , right-click anyw here in the frame area and select Import >button.

Images.
The Import Images dialog box opens.

1. In the Files section of the Import Images dialog box, click Browse to select one or more images
from your computer.
2. Select the destination for your images:lCreate Single Layer Named: Creates a new layer w ith the specified name andimports the images into it.

lCreate Layer(s) Based on Filenames: Creates a layer based on each unique filename
prefix. For example, if you import three files named a-1.tga, a-2.tga and b-1.tga, thisw ill create tw o layers, one named "a" and one named "b". Layer "a" w ill contain thetw o first images and "b" w ill contain the third one.

l

Add to Existing Layer: Imports the images into the specified layer. Note that you can
only import into layers that are compatible w ith your import options. For example, if
you're importing images as vector draw ings, you can only import them into vectordraw ing layers.

3. In the Import Options section, select the Convert to Toon Boom Vector Drawing option.

93

Chapter 8: How to Import Images

4. In the Vectorization section, decide w hether you w ant to import your image in black and w hite or ingreyscale. You can also click the New Preset

button to create a custom vectorization parameter

preset.
lBlack and W hite: Vectorizes draw ings as a solid black line; creates a 100% vector-based
draw ing. The outlines of your draw ings w ill be painted w ith the Vectorized Line colour
sw atch of your scene's colour palette.

lGrey: Vectorizes your image as a mix of vector contour and greyscale bitmap filling. Lines
keep the texture from the scan, and the w hite of the paper becomes transparent.

NOTE
You can double-click on any of the presets at any time to open the Vectorization Parameters
dialog box to customize your option.

5. Click OK.
Your vectorized images w ill appear in their selected destination.

NOTE
If you have bitmap images in your Library, you can drag and drop them directly into your scene as aquick w ay of importing a bitmap image. How ever, you w ill not have access to all the importoptions.

94

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Chapter 9: How to Position and Animate Layers
Setting up your scene can be compared to building a set for a television show . This is the point w hen you
position each scene element such as the camera frame, the background elements and the characters.

Positioning Layers
The first step to setting up your scene is to place each layer in their initial position, angle and size. You canmake any kind of geometric transformations on a layer using the Transformtool.

How to pan, rotate, scale or skew a layer using the Transform tool
1. In the Tools toolbar, select theTransform tool or press Shift + T.

2. In the Tool Properties view , make sure

Peg Selection Mode is disabled.

3. In the Camera or Timeline view , click on the layer you w ant to manipulate to select it.

TIPSl

If you w ant to select multiple layers in the Camera view , hold dow n Shift and clickon each layer you w ish to select.

l

If you w ant to select multiple layers in the Timeline view , hold dow n Ctrl
(W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ (macOS) and click on each layer you w ish to select.

l

If you w ant to select a contiguous series of layers in the Timeline view , hold dow n
Shift, click on the first layer you w ant to select, then on the last layer you w ant toselect.

A manipulator control box appears around the selected layer.

95

Chapter 9: How to Position and Animate Layers

1. Do one of the follow ing:l

To move: Move the cursor over the artw ork. W hen the cursor changes into

, click anddrag on the artw ork to move it.

l

To rotate: Place the pointer outside of a corner of the bounding box. W hen the cursor
changes into,l, then click and drag to rotate.

To scale: Move the cursor over any of the yellow control points on the manipulator box.
W hen the cursor changes into

, click and drag to scale the layer.

NOTE
W hen scaling your selection, you can hold dow n Shift to preserve theproportions betw een its w idth and height.

96

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

Move the cursor over one of the vertical edges of the manipulator box. W hen the cursor
changes intol, click and drag up or dow n to skew the layer vertically.

Move the cursor over one of the horizontal edges of the manipulator box. W hen the cursor
changes into

, click and drag left or right to skew the layer horizontally.

Repositioning the Pivot
Transformations made on a draw ing layer, such as rotation, scale, skew and flip, are made relative to theposition of the draw ing's pivot point. For example, rotating a layer w ill make it rotate around its pivot point,and scaling the layer w ill make it scale as if its centre w as actually its pivot point.
W hile making transformations using the Transform tool, you can drag and drop your selection's pivot.
How ever, this has no permanent effect. It w ill only temporarily change the pivot's position to help you maketransformations at the selected frame, but the actual pivot point of your draw ing layer w ill remain the same.
You can reposition a layer's pivot point permanently by using one of the tools in the Advanced Animation
toolbar.

NOTE
W hen you permanently move the pivot point of a layer that is already animated, all thetransformations done on the layer on other keyframes w ill be recalculated according to the new
pivot point's position. Therefore, your existing animation w ill look completely different, except at
the current frame. It is recommended to alw ays make sure your pivot point is at its ideal position
before you start animating.

97

Chapter 9: How to Position and Animate Layers

How to permanently reposition the pivot point of a layer
1. In the Advanced Animation toolbar, select theTranslate ,Rotate ,Scale , or

Skew

tool.
2. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline view , select the layer for w hich you w ant to move the pivot.

l

In the Camera view , Ctrl + click (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + click (macOS) on the layer forw hich you w ant to move the pivot.

Thepivot point appears in the Camera view .

3. Move the cursor over the pivot point. W hen the mouse cursor becomes, click and drag on thepivot point to reposition it.

The layer's pivot point is now repositioned. If the layer has been animated, its position w ill be offset
across the scenes relative to how much you just offset the pivot point.

Animating a Layer
You can animate a layer by placing it in different positions, angles and sizes at different points across yourscene's timeline. To do this, you can create animation keyframes on your layer. A keyframe records thegeometrical transformations on a layer at a specific point in time. W hen tw o animation keyframes are on alayer at different points in your scene's Timeline, Harmony w ill automatically interpolate the position, angle
and size of the layer on each frame betw een those tw o keyframes, creating an animation.

98Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to animate a layer
1. In the Tools toolbar, select the
2. In the Tools toolbar, if

Transform tool or press Shift + T.

Animate Off orAnimate Onion Skin Range mode is selected, click on it

to open the Animate pop-up menu and selectAnimate Current Frame.

3. If your layer has a parent peg:l

If you w ant to animate on the peg instead of the layer, make sure thatPeg Selection

Mode is enabled in the Tool Properties view .
l

If you w ant to animate directly on the layer, make sure thatPeg Selection Mode isdisabled in the Tool Properties view .
4. In the Timeline view , go to the first frame.

5. From the top menu, select Animation and make sure the Stop- Motion Keyframe option isunchecked. This w ill make it so Harmony automatically creates the animation betw een the
animation keyframes you create.
6. Select the cell w here you w ant to create your first keyframe
7. To create your first keyframe, do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

A keyframe is created on the first frame of the Timeline view .

99

Chapter 9: How to Position and Animate Layers

8. In the Camera view , select the element to animate and move, rotate, scale or skew it so that it is in
its proper starting position.

9. In the Timeline view , go to the frame on w hich you w ant to set the second position.

10. Select the cell w here you w ant to create your second keyframe. right-click on the selection andselect Insert Keyframe.
The second keyframe appears in the Timeline view , along w ith a line going from your first keyframe
to your second keyframe. This indicates that every frame in-betw een w ill be animated by Harmony.

11. In the Camera view , move, rotate, scale or skew the element to that it is in its proper second
position.

12. In the Timeline view , select the first frame to rew ind to the beginning of your animation.

100Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

13. In the Playback toolbar, click on thePlay button to preview your animation.

NOTE
If your scene has 3D objects, or if you animate layers on the Z axis, you may w ant to preview
your animations from the Top, Side or Perspective view s during playback. How ever, playback
is disabled by default in those view . To enable them, from the top menu, select Play > Enable
Playback > Top View, Side View or Perspective View.

101

Chapter 10: How to Position and Animate the Camera

Chapter 10: How to Position and Animate the Camera
In Harmony, you can animate objects by draw ing them on their individual layer, then positioning them at
different locations on different keyframes across the timeline, creating a motion path. The same principle canbe applied to the scene's camera, since it is a layer itself.

Adding a Camera
By default, a scene does not have a camera layer. In order to be able to tw eak the scene's camera angle andposition, you must add one to your scene.

How to add a camera in the Timeline view
1. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline view , click the

Add Layer button and, in the pop-up menu, selectCamera.
l

From the top menu, select Insert > Camera.

A new camera layer is added to the scene and appears in the Timeline view .

How to add a camera in the Node view
1. In the Node Library view , select the Camera node from the Favorites or Move category.

2. Drag and drop the Camera node into the Node view .

102

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Although it is possible to have several cameras in the same scene, you can only view your scene using one
camera at a time. This can be useful if you are still w orking on your scene composition and have different
camera set-ups to try out.

How to switch between cameras
1. From the top menu, select Scene > Camera.
2. Among the listed cameras, select the one you w ant to w ork w ith.

Adding a Parent Peg
Although it is possible to position a camera w ithout rigging it under a peg, it is recommended to alw ays rig it
under a peg for tw o reasons:l

It allow s you to position, rotate and zoom the camera using the Transform tool.

l

It allow s you to animate camera movements. W ithout a parent peg, a camera's position, angle andzoom are static.

103

Chapter 10: How to Position and Animate the Camera

How to add a parent peg to a camera in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , select the Camera layer.
2. In the Layers toolbar, click the

Add Peg button.

A Peg layer appears directly above the Camera layer and is automatically attached to it.

How to add a parent peg to the Camera in the Node view
1. In the Node view , select the Camera node.

2. Press Ctrl + P (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + P (macOS).
A peg node is instantly created and attached as the parent of the Camera node.

Positioning the Camera
The scene action occurs inside the camera frame, so it’s really important to set it up correctly. You can adjust
the camera resolution as w ell as other related parameters in the Scene Settings w indow , accessible from the
Scene top menu.

104Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

To reposition camera directly, you can move it using theTransform or

using theScale tool, from the Advanced Animation toolbar.

Rotate tool and you can zoom it using the lTranslate tool, you can rotate it

Alternatively, you can type in its coordinates directly in the Layer Properties view . If you rigged the camera
under a peg, you can do all sorts of manipulations to it using the Transform tool alone. The follow ing steps
indicate how to manipulate the camera w hen it is rigged under a peg.

How to position a camera rigged under a peg in the Camera view
1. Do one of the follow ing to select the Camera's parent peg.
l

In the Timeline view , click on the Camera's parent peg layer.

l

In the Node view , click on the Camera's parent peg node.

l

In the Camera view , click on the camera frame. The camera frame is a thin rectangle aroundyour scene's stage.

A control box appears around the camera frame.

105

Chapter 10: How to Position and Animate the Camera

2. Do one of the follow ing:l

To move the camera frame: Position the cursor over any of its edges or over the centre.
W hen the cursor becomesl, click and drag on the camera frame to reposition it.

To zoom in or zoom out: Position the cursor over one of the corners of the camera frame.
W hen the cursor becomes, click and drag on the corner to resize the camera frame.

Shrinking the camera frame w ill zoom in on your scene, and expanding it w ill zoom out.

106Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

To rotate the camera: Position the cursor just outside one of its corners. W hen the cursor
becomes, click and drag to rotate the camera frame.

Animating the Camera
A scene's camera can be manipulated and animated just like any other layer. It is listed in the Timeline viewand you can use the same tools and selection modes to offset or animate it. How ever, the camera layer itself isstatic, w hich means it keeps the same position and angle throughout the w hole scene. In order to be able toanimate the camera, you need to connect it to a peg layer, w hich can be animated, and w hich w ill directly
affect the position and angle of the camera.

You can animate your camera movements directly in the Camera view .

107

Chapter 10: How to Position and Animate the Camera

How to animate the camera
1. In the Tools toolbar, if

Animate Off orAnimate Onion Skin Range mode is selected, click on it

to open the Animate pop-up menu and select
2. In the Tools toolbar, select the

Animate Current Frame.

Transform tool or press Shift + T.

3. On the right side of the Timeline view , on the Camera peg layer, select the frame at w hich you w ant
the camera movement to start.

4. Do one of the follow ing to add a keyframe:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

A keyframe appears in that cell. Any frames preceding this keyframe cell w ill hold the same camera
position as this keyframe.

5. In the Camera view , manipulate the camera so that it is in the right position at the beginning of yourcamera movement.

6. On the Timeline view , click on the cell w here the camera movement w ill end.

108Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

7. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

A keyframe appears in that cell.

8. In the Camera view , manipulate the camera so that it is in the right position for the end of yourcamera movement.

9. In the Timeline view , select the first frame to rew ind to the beginning of your animation.
10. In the Playback toolbar, click on thePlay button to preview your animation.

109

Chapter 11: How to Rig a Cut-out Character

Chapter 11: How to Rig a Cut- out Character
In Harmony, a character rig is basically a template based on your character's model, but in w hich all movableparts are broken dow n into different layers, and arranged in a hierarchy that facilitates digital animation, also
know n as cut-out animation.
To make a character rig, w e must first make sure you have a character model to build on. If you have any
draw ing of a character available, import it into a new scene, then scale and position it to your liking. Otherw ise,
you can draw your character's model directly in Harmony. Once you have a model ready, w e can start breaking
it dow n into parts to build your rig w ith.
There are many techniques you can use to break dow n a puppet. In this section, you w ill learn about one of themost common and simplest methods. For your first character breakdow n, follow these instructions to get an
idea of the w ay Harmony w orks. Once you understand Harmony's basic functions and commands, you w ill beable to create your ow n techniques to satisfy the needs of your production.

Drawing the Pieces
The main breakdow n technique show n here is to trace your model.

How to break down a character by tracing
1. In the Timeline view , add a new draw ing layer for each body part to separate. You can press Ctrl +R (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + R (macOS) to add new draw ing layers.

110Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

2. In the Timeline view , select the layer's first cell in w hich you w ant to draw the part.

3. In the Tools toolbar, select the draw ing tool of your choice. There are tw o commonly used methods
to draw ing the parts of a cut-out character model:lUsing thePencil tool, then smoothing your lines w ith the

Smooth Editor toollUsing thePolylinetool. This method allow s you to draw w ith great precision, but

may take more time.
These methods ensure each part is made w ith as few points as possible, so that they are easy tomanipulate, modify or redraw .
4. In the Colour view , select a colour sw atch. If you haven't created a palette for your character yet,see How to Paint on page 59.
5. If you prefer w orking in the Draw ing view , do one of the follow ing to display the other layers inw ashed out colours:l

In the Draw ing view toolbar, lick thelPress Shift + L.

Light Table button.

6. In the Camera or Draw ing view , draw the new part.

111

Chapter 11: How to Rig a Cut-out Character

7. If you w ant to close an open shape w ithout draw ing a visible outline, you can draw an invisible line
using theStroke tool.

NOTE
By default, strokes created w ith the Stroke tool are not visible. To see strokes in yourdraw ing, select View > Show > Show Strokes from the top menu or press K.

8. In the Tools toolbar, select the

Paint or Paint

Unpainted tool to colour your draw ing.

9. In the Colour view , create the desired fill colour if it's not already in your palette, then select it.
10. In the Camera or Draw ing view , paint your draw ing.

11. In the Tools toolbar, select thethe

Select tool. Select your draw ing and flatten the lines by clicking

Flatten button in the Tool Properties view .

12. If your lines are composed of several pencil strokes, you might w ant to combine them into one
single smooth pencil line. Using the Select tool, select the pencil lines to be merged and in the Tool
Properties view , click the

Merge Pencil Lines button.

112

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

13. Repeat the entire process for every body part that you w ish to make animatable.

Adding Pegs
Pegs are a special type of layer that do not contain any draw ing. They are used strictly to offset and transformdraw ings that are under their hierarchy, w ithout transforming the draw ings directly.
W hen rigging or setting up a scene, it is recommended to add parent pegs for each of your draw ing layers.
This allow s you to keep animation keyframes and draw ings on separate layers, making it easier to w ork on theposition and exposure of your draw ing layers independently in the Timeline view . It also makes it easier tocreate a hierarchy of w hich body parts can be animated together and independently.

113

Chapter 11: How to Rig a Cut-out CharacterIf you w ant to animate only on pegs, you can activate the Peg selection mode of the Transform tool in the Tool
Properties view . You can also disable animating draw ing layers, so that only pegs can be animated.

NOTE
It is also possible to make a draw ing layer the parent of another draw ing layer. Just like the w ay
animating a peg animates its children layers, animating a draw ing layer w ith children w ill also
animate its children layers. Both layers w ill still appear in the animation as long as they are also
connected to your scene's composite.

How to create parent pegs for your layers in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , select all the layers.

2. In the Timeline Layer toolbar, click the Add Peg

114

button to add a parent peg to all selected layers.

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

W hen creating layers or pegs in the Timeline view , your Node view may look tangled up.

3. In the Node view , select all the nodes and, in the Netw ork View toolbar, click the Order Netw ork
Dow nbutton.

How to create parent pegs for your layers in the Node view
1. From the Node view , select all the draw ing layers for w hich you w ant to create pegs.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + P (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift + P (Mac OS X)
3. Pegs are created, named and connected to their child draw ing layers. They w ill not automaticallyconnect if the top port of your draw ing layer is already connected to another node.
4. If the nodes are tangled, select all the nodes and, in the Netw ork View toolbar, click the Order
Netw ork Dow n

button.

Creating a Layer Hierarchy
Harmony lets you build your rig in an elaborate hierarchy, allow ing you to set w hich parts of your rig should
influence other limbs, and how they can move independently. For example, w hen rigging a simple character'sarm, you can make the forearm layer a child of the arm layer, and the hand layer a child of the forearm layer.

115

Chapter 11: How to Rig a Cut-out Character

This w ay, if the character moves their forearm, the hand w ill follow , and if they move their arm, the forearmand hand w ill follow .

W hen building a basic character rig, you should at least have a hierarchy for each arm and each leg. You canmake a hierarchy going from the torso, the neck and the head, and rig the arms to the torso, and you can rig thelegs to the hips. This w ould make a hierarchy like this:How to create a hierarchy in the Timeline view
1. In the left area of the Timeline view , select the layer w hich you w ant to make a child layer.
2. Drag the child and drop it over the layer w hich you w ant to make the parent layer. Make sure you
are not dropping the child layer betw een tw o layers.
3. Repeat until you've created a hierarchy that rigs all of your character's parts, w ith a master peg at
the root. W hile rigging, if you w ant several layers to have a common parent, but no existing part ofyour rig can serve as that parent, create a new peg and nest those layers under that peg.

116Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

NOTE
In the Timeline view , you can unparent layers by holding dow n Shift, dragging the selectedparent aw ay from the child layer and dropping it somew here else in the list.

How to create a hierarchy in the Node view
1. Position your nodes as if they w ere in a tree representing their intended hierarchy, w ith the highest
nodes on top and the low est nodes at the bottom.

117

Chapter 11: How to Rig a Cut-out Character

2. Drag a cable from the output port (bottom) of a node w hich you w ant to make into a parent node.
3. Connect the cable to the input port (top) of the node w hich you w ant to make into its child node.

4. Repeat until you've created a hierarchy that rigs all of your character's parts, w ith a master peg at
the root. W hile rigging, if you w ant several layers to have a common parent, but no existing part of118

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

your rig can serve as that parent, create a new peg and nest those layers under that peg.

NOTE
In the Node view , you can unlink nodes from their parent and child by holding dow n the Alt
key and moving them anyw here in the node view . This w ill delete the node's connections
instantly. If the node has both a parent and a child, this w ill automatically connect its former
parent to its former child.

W hen rigging, keep in mind that the order of the layers in the Timeline view affects the order in w hich they are
rendered. Layers on top of the list w ill be rendered over layers at the bottom of the list. Likew ise, in the Nodeview , layers that are connected to the leftmost port of a composite are rendered on top of layers connected toports to the right. Should you need to change a layer's order w hile animating, you can nudge this layer's
position on the Z-axis to override the layer order and force it to appear beneath or over other layers.

How to nudge a layer on the Z- axis
1. In the Tools toolbar, select theTransform tool.

2. In the Timeline, Node or Camera view , select the layer you w ant to nudge.
3. If you selected the layer from the Timeline or Node view , click on the Camera view tab to set thefocus on the Camera view .
4. Do one of the follow ing:l

To nudge the layer forw ard, press Alt + Dow n Arrow .

l

To nudge the layer backw ard, press Alt + Up Arrow .

Master Peg
Your character rig should alw ays have a master peg w hich connects to all of its parts. The master peg allow s
you to manipulate the entire rig from a single layer, w ithout having to manipulate each individual part. This isuseful for positioning and scaling your character relative to the scene, as w ell as to animate your character's
trajectory w hen it has to move betw een areas of the scene.

119Chapter 11: How to Rig a Cut-out Character

How to add a master peg in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , select the top layer.
2. In the Timeline view , click on the

Add Peg button.

A new peg is added to the timeline as a parent of the selected layer.
3. Name the new peg Master plus the character's name.
4. In the Timeline view , select all the layers you w ant to attach to your new peg. Remember that your
top layer is already a child of the peg, so don't include it in your selection.
5. Drag your selection ON to the peg layer to parent all your character's pieces to the peg. If yourlayers are added above the already parented layers, move that parented layer back on top of thelayer stack.

120

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to add a master peg in the Node view
1. In the Node view , hold Ctrl (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ (macOS) and select each node that you w ant to
attach to your new peg.
2. Do one of the follow ing:l

From the Node view menu, select Insert > Peg.

lPress Ctrl + P (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + P (macOS).

3. Rename the new peg Master plus the character's name.

121Chapter 12: How to Animate a Cut-out Character

Chapter 12: How to Animate a Cut- out Character

Harmony provides very useful tools for animating cut-out character models. Using the Transform or the
Inverse Kinematics tool, you can move your character's parts to make your key poses, and let Harmony create
the in-betw eens. The timing of the movement can be adjusted to make life-like motion, and the draw ings forthe character's parts can be sw apped at any point in your animation, allow ing you to combine movement anddraw ing changes to create frame-perfect cut-out animations.

How to create a simple cut- out animation
W e w ill create a simple cut-out animation by making your character's first pose on the first frame, its
second pose on a later frame, and letting Harmony interpolate them.
1. In the Timeline view , collapse your character using the Expand/Collapse arrow .

2. Select the first frame of the scene.

3. To ensure your model doesn't disappear after 1 frame, open the Extend Exposure dialog by doing
one of the follow ing:lRight-click on the first frame in the Timeline and select Extend Exposure.

lPress F5.

122

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

4. In the Extend Exposure dialog, type in the amount of frames in your scene and confirm. This w ill
make your model exposed (visible) throughout your w hole scene.
5. Now , w e w ill make your character's first pose. First, make sure there is a keyframe on the first
frame of every layer of the model. This ensures that w hen you make the second pose later, yourfirst pose w ill not be affected. To do this do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

A keyframe is added on the current frame.

6. In the Tools toolbar, select the
7. In the Tools toolbar, if

Transform tool or press Shift + T.

Animate Off orAnimate Onion Skin Range mode is selected, click on it

to open the Animate pop-up menu and selectAnimate Current Frame.

8. In the Camera view , select the parts to animate. The Transform tool's control box w ill appear
around the selected layer. Each part of the Transform tool control can be used to make different
kinds of transformations:

9. Use the Transform

tool to rotate, skew , scale or translate the selection to its new position.

123

Chapter 12: How to Animate a Cut-out Character

10. Repeat for other parts of your character model until your first pose is complete.
11. In the Tools toolbar, enable theOnion Skin feature.

12. In the Timeline view , select the frame w here you w ant to have your second pose.

13. Create keyframe for your second pose by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

Your second keyframe appears, along w ith a line going from your first keyframe to your second
keyframe. This indicates that every frame in-betw een w ill be interpolated by Harmony.

If no line appears, it means your first keyframe w as created as a stop-motion keyframe. To fix this,do one of the follow ing.
lRight-click on the first keyframe and select Set Motion Keyframe.

lSelect the first keyframe and press Ctrl + K (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + K (macOS)

To make sure your new keyframes are set to Motion by default, select Animation from the top
menu and make sure the Stop- Motion Keyframe option is unchecked.

124Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

NOTE
Each keyframe can be a Motion keyframe or a Stop-Motion keyframe. The frames
betw een tw o keyframes are interpolated by Harmony if the first of the tw o keyframes
is a Motion keyframe.

14. In the Camera view , change your character's pose again.

15. Repeat this process for all the poses you w ish to add to your animation.

How to adjust the ease of the animation
1. In the Timeline view , collapse the hierarchy of the rig (or of the part of the rig) to w hich you w ant toapply an ease.

NOTE
W hen you apply an ease to a layer w ith children, and this layer’s hierarchy is collapsed,the ease is applied to that layer and all of its children.

125Chapter 12: How to Animate a Cut-out Character

2. Select one of your animation keyframes.

NOTE
You should only select one keyframe. The Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog canonly edit the ease on one keyframe at a time, but it also allow s you to quickly jump
betw een keyframes in your timeline.

3. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline view , right-click and select Set Ease For Multiple Parameters.

l

In the Timeline toolbar, you can click the Set Ease For Multiple Parameters

button.

The Set Ease For Multiple Parameters dialog box opens.

4. In the Bezier editor, click and drag on the Bezier handle to adjust the ease for the selected
keyframes.

126Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

5. You can also adjust the easing by typing values in the Time Ratio and Value Ratio fields below theBezier editor. The values are calculated in percentage.
l

In the Left Time Ratio and Right Time Ratio fields, type the percentage value
corresponding to the length of time you w ant the easing to last. This w ill move the Beziers
horizontally, aw ay from their keyframe. The value must be betw een 0% and 100%.

l

In the Left Value Ratio and Right Value Ratio fields, type the percentage value of how
skew ed you w ant the ease to be. This w ill move the Bezier vertically, tow ards their nearest
keyframe if the value is positive, or aw ay the nearest keyframe if their value is negative. The
value must be betw een 0% and 100%.

6. To apply these easing parameters to a certain type of function only, such as Rotation or Scale, in
the Filters section, deselect the function types you do not w ant to affect.
l

Motion: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Position X, Position Y, Position
Z and 3D Path functionslRotation: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Angle functions.

l

Scale: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Scale functions.

l

Skew: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Skew functions.

lMorphing: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Morphing Velocity
functions. Note that it is applied to the Morphing Velocity function in the Layer
Properties w indow , not to the basic Morphing ease in the Tool Properties view .

lOther: Applies the easing parameters to all the other selected functions, such as allfunctions created to animate effect parameters.

7. Click one of the follow ing buttons:lApply/Previous: Applies the ease parameters to the selected keyframe and thenjumps to the previous keyframe in the timeline so that you can adjust its ease next.

lApply: Applies the easing parameters to the selected keyframe.

127

Chapter 12: How to Animate a Cut-out Characterl

Apply/Next: Applies the ease parameters to the selected keyframe, then jumps thenext keyframe in the timeline so that you can adjust its ease next.

lClose: Closes the dialog box. If you did not apply the modifications, they w ill becancelled

Navigating Layers
Since cut-out animation often involves complex models w ith extensive hierarchies, learning shortcuts to easily
navigate betw een layers can save a lot of time.
One very useful trick to learn is the Centre on Selection command, along w ith its keyboard shortcut. This
command allow s you to navigate directly to the selected layer in the Timeline or Node view . Hence, you can
use the Camera view to visually select the layer you w ish to w ork on, then use the Centre on Selection
shortcut to find the layer in the Timeline or Node view , instead of going through the scene structure to locateit.

How to centre on the current selection in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , collapse all your layers.
2. In the Tools toolbar, select theTransform tool.

3. In the Camera view , select any layer.
4. Do one of the follow ing:lClick on the Timeline view 's tab to set the focus on it, then press O.

l

In the Timeline view toolbar, click theCentre on Selection button.

The Timeline view is now centred on the selected layer, and all its parents have been automatically
expanded.

How to centre on the current selection in the Node view
1. In the Node view , navigate to the Top level of your node netw ork.
2. In the Tools toolbar, select the Transformtool.

3. In the Camera view , select any layer.
4. Do one of the follow ing:lClick on the Node view 's tab to set the focus on it, then press O.

l

In the Node view toolbar, click theCentre on Selection button.

The Node view is now inside the group w here your layer is located, centred on the selected layer.

128

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

If you w ant to use the keyboard shortcut frequently, you might find that having to click on the Timeline orNode view tab every time is tedious. To remedy this, you can enable the Focus On Mouse Enter preference.
This w ill set the focus on a view as soon as your mouse cursor enters it, instantly making all of this view 's
keyboard shortcuts functional.

How to enable the Focus On Mouse Enter preference
1. From the top menu, go to Edit > Preferences (W indow s/Linux) or Harmony > Preferences(macOS).
2. Open the General tab.
3. In the Options section, check the Focus On Mouse Enter check box.
4. Click on OK.
Keyboard shortcuts for specific view s w ill now w ork as soon as your mouse cursor enters theintended view .
Harmony also has commands and keyboard shortcuts to quickly change your selection from the currently
selected layer to its parent, its child or to one of its siblings, allow ing you to quickly navigate your character'shierarchy from one layer to one of its related layers.

How to select the parent or child of the selected layer
1. In the Tools toolbar, select theTransform tool.

2. In the Transform Tool Properties view , make sure the Peg Selection

mode is deselected.

3. In the Camera or Timeline view , select a layer or object attached to a hierarchy.

4. Do one of the follow ing:lSelect Animation > Select Parent or press B to select the parent layer.

lSelect Animation > Select Child or press Shift + B to select the child layer.

129

Chapter 12: How to Animate a Cut-out CharacterlSelect Animation > Select Children to select all child layers at the same time.

NOTE
W hen going up or dow n your node hierarchy, these keyboard shortcuts skip any effect node in
the hierarchy and only select either peg or draw ing nodes. This is because these shortcuts are
optimized for cut-out animation. In the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog, under the General section,these shortcuts are named Select Parent Skipping Effects and Select Child Skipping Effects.
If you w ant to use keyboard shortcuts to navigate the hierarchy w ithout skipping effect nodes,
you can assign custom keyboard shortcuts for the Select Parent and Select Child commands
instead.

How to select the siblings of the selected layer
1. In the Timeline view , select a layer that has at least one sibling and do the follow ing:l

To select the previous sibling in the family, press /.

l

To select the next sibling in the family, press the question mark (?) key.

130

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers
Deformers give the ability to animate objects and parts of a character model using computer generated
deformations. Deformations w ork by creating control points on a draw ing and, w hen you move those points,
the draw ing is bent or distorted so that the parts of a draw ing that are bound to a control point follow that
control point w herever you position it.
Deformers can substantially increase the range of movements and animations a cut-out character rig is able toperform w ithout having to draw new poses for it or resorting to frame-by-frame animation. A cut-out
character rigged w ith deformations can be animated in a w ay that likens the fluidity and flexibility of
traditional animation. Additionally, deformers can be used to tw eak, enhance or facilitate frame by frame
animation w hen needed.
Deformers w ork by rigging them on the body part you w ish to deform, building the deformation structure, thenanimating it. This can be done easily using the

Rigging tool.

There are five types of deformers available in Harmony Premium:
l

Bone

l

Game Bone

l

Curve

l

EnvelopelFree Form

Bone Deformer
The Bone deformation allow s you to create a bone-like structure in w hich each part is solid, but w ith
articulations that are flexible. This is mostly useful for animating a character's limbs, such as the arms or legs,
or other parts that can be articulated such as torsos or fingers.
For example, a Bone deformation can be used to articulate an arm that is made of a single draw ing, so that theupper arm and forearm can be moved independently, w ithout having to draw the upper arm and the forearmon different layers. Harmony w ill deform the draw ing to make it look articulated. The different parts of a Bonedeformation can be rotated around their joint, extended and shortened, giving you the same capabilities asanimating articulations on different layers, w ithout having to w orry about parts detaching, pivot points, orclipping outlines.

131

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

Game Bone Deformer
The Game Bone deformation is very similar to the Bone deformation. It allow s you to create structured
comprised of points, w hich represent the articulations, and straight line segments linking those points
together, representing the bones. The Game Bone deformation is different in that it is optimized to be exported
to game engines such as Unity. Hence, it is usually only used to animated characters destined to be imported
to Unity games, rather than for animation productions.
Contrary to the Bone deformations, Game Bone deformations do not have Bias and Region of Influence
properties. The articulation folds also look slightly more rounded.

Curve Deformer
The Curve deformation allow s you to deform parts of a character using a Bezier curve. It is different from theBone deformation in that the lines connecting the points are curvilinear. Hence, Curve deformations are
typically used to deform parts of a character that are flexible, such as hair, mouths, eyebrow s, or torsos. They132

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

can also be useful to animate limbs in a rubber hose style, w here arms and legs are animated like extensible,
flexible tubes rather than articulated bone structures.
By manipulating the curve's points and their Bezier handles, you can change the curve's direction, shape andlength. A draw ing rigged w ith a curve deformation does not merely bend, it w ill deform along its entire length
to match the curve deformation's shape.

Envelope Deformer
The Envelope deformation allow s you to create an envelope around a draw ing, then deform the entire
draw ing by manipulating the envelope's points and curves. They can be used to deform parts of a characterw ith a fluid shape, such as hair, cloaks, shoulders, chins and so on. Envelope deformations can also be used todeform rigid parts of a characters so as to make them look like they are seen from different angles. This iscommonly done to make character rigs rotate w ithout sw apping draw ings, and using this technique makes it
possible to animate a character rig going from one angle to another w ithout having to sw ap draw ings orcharacter models.

Envelope deformations are very similar to Curve deformations, except that their last point connects to theirfirst point to make a closed shape. Also, contrary to Curve deformations, all points move independently fromone another, w hereas the first point of a Curve deformation offsets all its other points.

133

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

Free Form Deformer
The Free Form deformation allow s you to deform draw ings by creating points anyw here, either on theircontour or inside their surface, and moving them around freely. It w orks a bit like laying dow n a piece of clothw ith a pattern on a surface, then pulling on parts of this cloth to w arp its shape and its pattern.
The Free Form deformation's main purpose is to deform textured shapes and complex draw ings. Contrary to
the Envelope deformation, w hich merely bends the contours of a draw ing w ithout deforming the texture
inside it, the Free Form deformation stretches and squashes all the artw ork betw een its control points.
Moreover, since the Free Form deformation allow s you to create points anyw here on a draw ing, including
inside its contour, you can actually control precisely how the texture is deformed.

Creating Deformers
The most simple w ay of creating deformers is to use theRigging tool, available in the Deformation toolbar.

W ith this tool, all you need to do to create a deformer is to select the layer you w ish to deform, then placeeach point of your deformer in the Camera view .
Deformers exist in your scene as a hierarchy of deformation nodes. W hen you create a new deformer, the firstpoint you set is the deformer's root, and each new point you create is a child of the previous point. Deformers
are hence created in a chain, and should be created w ith your character's hierarchy in mind. For example, w hen
you create a deformer for an arm, the root should be the shoulder joint, the second point should be the elbow
and the third should be the w rist.

134

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

TIP
Since every deformation point is a separate node, creating long deformation chains is likely to add
bulk to the Timeline and Node view s. It is recommended to make sure that the

Automaticallycreate a group w hen creating a new deformation rig option is enabled in the Tool Properties view
before building a deformer. This option is enabled by default. W hen enabled, deformation nodes
that are part of the same chain are automatically grouped together.

A deformer affects all the layers under its hierarchy. W hen you create a new deformer using the rigging tool, it
is automatically created as a parent of the selected layer, and w ill affect the selected layer and all its children.
Hence, it's important to select the right layer before attempting to create a deformer.
For example, if you w ish to create a deformer for an arm, and the arm is broken into several layers, you could
rig the arm in a hierarchy w here the upper arm is the root, the forearm is the upper arm's child and the hand is
the forearm's child. Then, if you create your deformer on the upper arm, it w ill be created as a parent of theupper arm, and w ill hence affect the w hole arm.

You can also group several layers under a peg, and create your deformer w ith this peg selected. W hen you
create a deformer on a peg, the deformer is created as a child of the peg, but as a parent of all of this peg's
children. This is because a peg is likely to be more useful over a deformer than under. If you move layers thatare under a deformer, they w ill exit the intended deformation zone, and may appear severely w arped anddistorted. Hence, it's better to create deformations under pegs as much as possible, and pegs under deformers
should only be animated if the deformer is left untouched. Since the deformer w ill be created as a parent of all
the peg's children, it w ill affect all the layers under the peg.

135

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

How to create a Bone deformer
1. Once your element is selected, select the

Rigging tool in the Deformation toolbar.

2. In the Tool Properties view , enable theBone mode.

3. In the Tool Properties view , enable theAutomatically create a group w hen creating a new

deformation rig option so that your deformation chains are created inside groups. Every point in a
deformation chain is an individual layer, so creating deformers w ith this option disabled is liable toclutter your Timeline and Node view .
4. Click w here you w ant to create the root articulation of the bone structure. The root articulation
should be the one that is bound to the remainder of the body. For example, for an arm, the root
articulation w ould be its shoulder.

5. Click w here you w ant the second articulation to be created.
A bone w ill be created betw een the first and second articulation.

136

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

6. Click w here you w ant the next articulation to be created.

Observe that, as you create a new point, the previous point now has a circle around it. This is theradius of the articulation, w hich allow s you to determine how much of the draw ing should be partof the articulation. Every point in a bone deformer, except for the first and the last one, has a radius.
7. Click and hold the previous articulation's radius control point and adjust the articulation's radius sothat it properly covers the articulation.

8. Repeat this until you are finished creating the Bone chain. Make sure you build each articulation in
the right order going from the root to the extremity.

How to create a Curve deformer
1. Once your element is selected, select the

Rigging tool in the Deformation toolbar.

2. In the Tool Properties view , enable theCurve mode.

3. In the Tool Properties view , enable theAutomatically create a group w hen creating a new

deformation rig option so that your deformation chains are created inside groups. Every point in a
deformation chain is an individual layer, so creating deformers w ith this option disabled is liable toclutter your Timeline and Node view .
4. Place the cursor w here you w ant to create the root of your deformation chain. The root of thedeformation chain should be w here the body part is bound to the remainder of the body. For
example, if you're creating a deformer for a w hole arm, you should create its root point at theshoulder joint.
5. Press and hold dow n the mouse button to create the point, then drag to tow ards the direction
w here you w ant your curve to bend to set the position of this curve's Bezier handle.

137

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

6. Press and hold dow n the mouse button at the location w here you w ant the curve to end, then dragbackw ards and release the mouse button to create the Bezier handle before that point.

NOTE
The Bezier handle after the point w ill be symmetrical to the Bezier handle before thepoint.

7. Repeat this process until you have finished building the Curve chain.

8. As you go, you click and drag on the Bezier handles to adjust the curves of the deformation chain.

TIP
W hen manipulating a Bezier handle, by default, the opposite Bezier handle for thesame point w ill rotate in the same direction, keeping the point curved. If you w ant tomake the point into a corner, press and hold the Alt key, then click and drag on one of
the Bezier handles to rotate it w ithout affecting the opposite handle.

138

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to create an Envelope deformation rig
1. Once your element is selected, select the

Rigging tool in the Deformation toolbar.

2. In the Tool Properties view , enable theEnvelope mode.

3. In the Tool Properties view , enable theAutomatically create a group w hen creating a new

deformation rig option so that your deformation chains are created inside groups. Every point in a
deformation chain is an individual layer, so creating deformers w ith this option disabled is liable toclutter your Timeline and Node view .
4. Place the cursor w here you w ant to start creating your envelope.
5. Press and hold the mouse button to create the point, then drag to tow ards the direction w here you
w ant your curve to bend to set the position of this curve's Bezier handle.

6. Press and hold dow n the mouse button to create another point, then drag backw ards and release
the mouse button to create the Bezier handle before that point.

NOTE
The Bezier handle after the point w ill be symmetrical to the Bezier handle before thepoint.

139

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

7. Repeat to create other points.

8. As you go, you can click and drag on the Bezier handles to adjust the curves of the envelope.

TIP
W hen manipulating a Bezier handle, by default, the opposite Bezier handle for thesame point w ill rotate in the same direction, keeping the point curved. If you w ant tomake the point into a corner, press and hold the Alt key, then click and drag on one of
the Bezier handles to rotate it w ithout affecting the opposite handle.

9. Create every other point needed, until you're ready to close the envelope.

140

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

10. W hen you're ready to close Envelope deformer, hold dow n the Alt key and click on the first point of
your deformation chain.

How to create a free form deformation rig
1. Select the draw ing w hich you w ant to deform.
2. In the Deformation toolbar, select the

Rigging tool.

3. In the Tool Properties view , enable

Free Form Mode.

4. In the Camera view , click w here you w ant to create your first deformation point.

141

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

5. Repeat for each point you w ant to create.

6. If you w ant to reposition a point, simply click and drag on it. If you move a point w hile the Rigging
tool is selected, it w ill change the resting position of the point w ithout deforming the draw ing.

7. If you w ant to delete a point, click on it to select it, then press Del.

142

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Displaying Deformers
Harmony lets you control w hich deformers are displayed in the Camera view independently from the current
selection. W hen you create a deformation chain, its deformation controls are displayed in the Camera view .
How ever, if you select an existing deformer or a layer that's connected to existing deformers, its deformation
controls w on't display automatically. Likew ise, deselecting a deformation chain w ill not hide its deformation
controls.
Before you can animate or modify an existing deformation chain, you must manually display it.

How to display deformation controls
1. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Camera, Timeline or Node view , select one of the draw ing layers linked to thedeformation chain you w ant to display.

l

In the Timeline or Node view , select the deformation group or any part of the deformation
chain you w ant to display.

2. In the Deformation toolbar, either:lClick theShow the Selected Deformation Chain and Hide All Others button to show theselected element's deformation chain and hide any other deformation chain that is currently
displayed.
lClick theShow Selected Deformers button to show the selected element's deformation

chain along w ith any other deformation chain that is currently displayed.
The selected deformation controls appear in the Camera view .

NOTE
The Show the Selected Deformation Chain and Hide All Others button w ill display all
deformation chains that are in the hierarchy of the selection. For example, if the master peg ofa character model is selected, all of its deformation chains w ill be displayed. Likew ise, if
multiple layers linked w ith different deformation chains are selected, all of their deformation
chains w ill be displayed.

How to hide deformation controls
1. Do one of the follow ing:

143

Chapter 13: How to Use DeformerslClick in the negative space of the Camera view , Timeline view or Node view to discard
the current selection, then click on theShow Selected Deformation Chain and

Hide All Others button in the Deformation toolbar.
lSelect a layer that is not linked to any deformer, then click theShow the Selected

Deformation Chain and Hide All Others button in the deformation toolbar.
l

In the Camera toolbar, click the

Hide All Controls button.

l

From the top menu, select View > Hide All Controls.

lPress Shift + C.

Animating W ith Deformers
Just like w ith animating pegs and draw ing layers, you can animate your deformers by creating keyframes on
their corresponding layers in the Timeline. Animating deformers w orks exactly like making modifications to a
deformer, except it requires using theTransform tool instead of the Rigging tool. W hen the Transform tool

is selected, deformation controls in the Camera view display in green, w hich means they are in animationmode, w hereas w hen the Rigging tool is selected, they display in red, meaning they are in rigging mode.

How to animate Bone and Game Bone deformations
1. In the Timeline view , collapse your character using the Expand/Collapse arrow .

2. Select the first frame of the scene.

3. To ensure your model doesn't disappear after 1 frame, open the Extend Exposure dialog by doing
one of the follow ing:lRight-click on the first frame in the Timeline and select Extend Exposure.

lPress F5.

4. In the Extend Exposure dialog, type in the amount of frames in your scene and confirm. This w ill
make your model exposed (visible) throughout your w hole scene.

144Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

5. Now , w e w ill make your character's first pose. First, make sure there is a keyframe on the first
frame of every layer of the model. This ensures that w hen you make the second pose later, yourfirst pose w ill not be affected. To do this do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

A keyframe is added on the current frame.

6. In the Tools toolbar, select the
7. In the Tools toolbar, if

Transform tool or press Shift + T.

Animate Off orAnimate Onion Skin Range mode is selected, click on it

to open the Animate pop-up menu and selectAnimate Current Frame.

8. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Camera, Timeline or Node view , select one of the draw ing layers linked to thedeformation chain you w ant to animate.

l

In the Timeline or Node view , select the deformation group or any part of the deformation
chain you w ant to animate.

9. In the Deformation toolbar, either:lClick theShow the Selected Deformation Chain and Hide All Others button to show theselected element's deformation chain and hide any other deformation chain that is currently
displayed.
lClick theShow Selected Deformers button to show the selected element's deformation

chain along w ith any other deformation chain that is currently displayed.
The selected deformation controls appear in the Camera view .
10. In the Camera view , do the follow ing:l

To rotate the w hole limb, click and drag on the first bone. This w ill rotate the firstbone and all subsequent bones.

145

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformersl

To bend the limb, click and drag on another bone. This w ill rotate the bone and all
subsequent bones, but w ill leave the bones before it in their current position.

l

To reposition an articulation, click and drag on its control point. This can be used torotate, shorten or extend the bone, and w ill offset all subsequent bones.

l

To shorten or extend a bone w ithout rotating it, press and hold the Alt key, then click
and drag on its control point.

146

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

To offset the w hole limb, click and drag on its root point.

TIP
You can also nudge an articulation in any direction by selecting it, thenpressing on the arrow keys.

11. In the Timeline view , go to the frame on w hich you w ant to set the next key pose.
12. Add a keyframe on the current frame by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the Add KeyframelRight-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

button.

13. Transform your deformer's points to make your new key pose.
14. Repeat the previous steps until your animation is complete.

How to animate Curve deformations
1. In the Timeline view , collapse your character using the Expand/Collapse arrow .

147

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

2. Select the first frame of the scene.

3. To ensure your model doesn't disappear after 1 frame, open the Extend Exposure dialog by doing
one of the follow ing:lRight-click on the first frame in the Timeline and select Extend Exposure.

lPress F5.

4. In the Extend Exposure dialog, type in the amount of frames in your scene and confirm. This w ill
make your model exposed (visible) throughout your w hole scene.
5. Now , w e w ill make your character's first pose. First, make sure there is a keyframe on the first
frame of every layer of the model. This ensures that w hen you make the second pose later, yourfirst pose w ill not be affected. To do this do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

A keyframe is added on the current frame.

6. In the Tools toolbar, select the
7. In the Tools toolbar, if

Transform tool or press Shift + T.

Animate Off orAnimate Onion Skin Range mode is selected, click on it

to open the Animate pop-up menu and selectAnimate Current Frame.

8. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Camera, Timeline or Node view , select one of the draw ing layers linked to thedeformation chain you w ant to animate.

l

In the Timeline or Node view , select the deformation group or any part of the deformation
chain you w ant to animate.

148

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

9. In the Deformation toolbar, either:lClick theShow the Selected Deformation Chain and Hide All Others button to show theselected element's deformation chain and hide any other deformation chain that is currently
displayed.
lClick theShow Selected Deformers button to show the selected element's deformation

chain along w ith any other deformation chain that is currently displayed.
The selected deformation controls appear in the Camera view .

10. In the Camera view , do the follow ing:lClick and drag on one of the control points to shorten or extend the body part.

TIP
You can also nudge a deformation point in any direction by selecting it,then pressing the arrow keys.

lClick and drag on one of the Bezier curve handles to deform the curve of the body
part.

149

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformersl

By default, if you rotate a Bezier handle for a point, the opposite Bezier handle for thesame point w ill rotate along w ith it, influencing the curve on the other side of it. To
rotate a Bezier handle independently from its opposite handle, click on this Bezier
handle to select it. Then, w hile pressing and holding the Alt key, click and drag on thishandle to rotate it.

l

By default, transforming a point in a Curve deformation chain does not offset
subsequent points. To offset a point and all its subsequent points, press and hold theCtrl (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ (macOS) key, then click and drag on the first point you
w ant to offset.

150

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

To rotate a point and all subsequent points, click on the Bezier handle after the pointaround w hich w ant subsequent points to rotate to select it. Then, w hile pressing andholding the Ctrl (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ (macOS) key, click and drag on that handle torotate it. All the subsequent points w ill rotate around this handle's point.

lClick and drag on the root point to offset the entire limb.

151

Chapter 13: How to Use DeformerslClick and drag on the rotation handle behind the root pivot point to rotate the entire
limb.

11. In the Timeline view , go to the frame on w hich you w ant to set the next key pose.
12. Add a keyframe on the current frame by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the Add KeyframelRight-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

button.

13. Transform your deformer's points to make your new key pose.
14. Repeat the previous steps until your animation is complete.

How to animate Envelope deformations
1. In the Timeline view , collapse your character using the Expand/Collapse arrow .

2. Select the first frame of the scene.

3. To ensure your model doesn't disappear after 1 frame, open the Extend Exposure dialog by doing
one of the follow ing:

152

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

Right-click on the first frame in the Timeline and select Extend Exposure.

lPress F5.

4. In the Extend Exposure dialog, type in the amount of frames in your scene and confirm. This w ill
make your model exposed (visible) throughout your w hole scene.
5. Now , w e w ill make your character's first pose. First, make sure there is a keyframe on the first
frame of every layer of the model. This ensures that w hen you make the second pose later, yourfirst pose w ill not be affected. To do this do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

A keyframe is added on the current frame.

6. In the Tools toolbar, select the
7. In the Tools toolbar, if

Transform tool or press Shift + T.

Animate Off orAnimate Onion Skin Range mode is selected, click on it

to open the Animate pop-up menu and selectAnimate Current Frame.

8. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Camera, Timeline or Node view , select one of the draw ing layers linked to thedeformation chain you w ant to animate.

l

In the Timeline or Node view , select the deformation group or any part of the deformation
chain you w ant to animate.

9. In the Deformation toolbar, either:lClick theShow the Selected Deformation Chain and Hide All Others button to show theselected element's deformation chain and hide any other deformation chain that is currently
displayed.
lClick theShow Selected Deformers button to show the selected element's deformation

chain along w ith any other deformation chain that is currently displayed.
The selected deformation controls appear in the Camera view .

153

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

10. In the Camera view , do the follow ing:lClick and drag on any of the control points located along the envelope to deform yourdraw ing.

TIP
You can also nudge a deformation point by selecting it, then pressing thearrow keys.

l

Use the envelope's control point handles to modify the draw ing's curves154Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

By default, if you rotate a Bezier handle for a point, the opposite Bezier handle for thesame point w ill rotate along w ith it, influencing the curve on the other side of it. To
rotate a Bezier handle independently from its opposite handle, click on this Bezier
handle to select it. Then, w hile pressing and holding the Alt key, click and drag on thishandle to rotate it.

11. In the Timeline view , go to the frame on w hich you w ant to set the next key pose.
12. Add a keyframe on the current frame by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the Add KeyframelRight-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

button.

13. Transform your deformer's points to make your new key pose.
14. Repeat the previous steps until your animation is complete.

How to animate Free Form deformations
1. In the Timeline view , collapse your character using the Expand/Collapse arrow .

2. Select the first frame of the scene.

155

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

3. To ensure your model doesn't disappear after 1 frame, open the Extend Exposure dialog by doing
one of the follow ing:lRight-click on the first frame in the Timeline and select Extend Exposure.

lPress F5.

4. In the Extend Exposure dialog, type in the amount of frames in your scene and confirm. This w ill
make your model exposed (visible) throughout your w hole scene.
5. Now , w e w ill make your character's first pose. First, make sure there is a keyframe on the first
frame of every layer of the model. This ensures that w hen you make the second pose later, yourfirst pose w ill not be affected. To do this do one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

A keyframe is added on the current frame.

6. In the Tools toolbar, select the
7. In the Tools toolbar, if

Transform tool or press Shift + T.

Animate Off orAnimate Onion Skin Range mode is selected, click on it

to open the Animate pop-up menu and selectAnimate Current Frame.

8. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Camera, Timeline or Node view , select one of the draw ing layers linked to thedeformation chain you w ant to animate.

l

In the Timeline or Node view , select the deformation group or any part of the deformation
chain you w ant to animate.

9. In the Deformation toolbar, either:lClick theShow the Selected Deformation Chain and Hide All Others button to show theselected element's deformation chain and hide any other deformation chain that is currently
displayed.
lClick theShow Selected Deformers button to show the selected element's deformation

chain along w ith any other deformation chain that is currently displayed.
The selected deformation controls appear in the Camera view .

156

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

10. In the Camera view , do the follow ing:lClick and drag on the centre of a control point to reposition it.

TIP
You can also nudge a deformation point by selecting it, then pressing the arrow
keys.

l

Click and drag on the purple handle right of a control point to rotate it.

11. Repeat for all the other control points until the draw ing is deformed as intended.

157

Chapter 13: How to Use Deformers

12. In the Timeline view , go to the frame on w hich you w ant to set the next key pose.
13. Add a keyframe on the current frame by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the Add KeyframelRight-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

button.

14. Transform your deformer's points to make your new key pose.
15. Repeat the previous steps until your animation is complete.

158

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Chapter 14: How to Import Sound and Add Lip- Sync

Importing Sound
If you w ish to add sound to your animation, it is recommended to edit and mix your sound files in a soundediting softw are. Having full-length pre-mixed soundtracks ensures the audio preserves its timing, mixing andquality should you use third party softw are for post-production. Another good practice is to keep yoursoundtrack separated in tracks for music, sound effects and characters to make it easier to sync your animation
w ith voices and sounds. Otherw ise, it is possible to clip sound effects and adjust their volume directly inHarmony w hen needed.
If you create your project in Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, you can export all of your project's scenes as separate
Harmony scenes. The storyboard's sound track w ill be cut up by scene and each piece w ill be inserted into theexported scenes, allow ing you to save time on splitting and importing your sound track.
Harmony can import .w av, .aiff and .mp3 audio files.

NOTE
Importing a soundtrack longer than your scene w ill not extend your scene's length. Sound
playback w ill stop at the end of your scene's length.

How to import a sound file
1. Do one of the follow ing:l

From the top menu, select File > Import > Sound.

l

In the Xsheet view , right-click anyw here in the frame area and select Import >Sounds.

l

From the Xsheet menu, select File > Import > Sounds.

l

From the Timeline menu, select Import > Sounds.

The Select Sound File dialog box opens.
2. From the Select Sound File dialog box, find and select a sound file.
The sound file appears as a layer in the Timeline view . Its w aveform is displayed in the track to help
you visualize at w hich frames the sound effects in your soundtrack occur.

159

Chapter 14: How to Import Sound and Add Lip-Sync

Your soundtrack also appears as a column in the Xsheet view , but w ill not display a w aveform by
default. If you w ish, you can display a sound column's w aveform by right-clicking on it, thenselecting Sound Display > W aveform.

Automatic Lip- Sync Detection
Adding a lip-sync to your animation is essential to making your characters seem alive. How ever, it is also aparticularly tedious part of the animation process.

To solve this problem, Harmony provides an automatic lip-sync detection feature. This feature analyzes thecontent of a sound track in your scene and associates each phoneme it detects w ith one of the mouth shapes
in the follow ing mouth chart, w hich is a standard mouth chart in the animation industry.

NOTE
The letters assigned to these mouth shapes are standard identifiers, they do NOT correspond to
the sound they are meant to produce.

This is an approximation of the English phonemes each mouth shape can be used to represent:160

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

A: m, b, p, hl

B: s, d, j, i, k, tl

C: e, al

D: A, E

l

E: o

l

F: u, ool

G: f, phl

X: Silence, undetermined soundW hen performing automatic lip-sync detection, Harmony does not create mouth draw ings. It simply fills thedraw ing column of your character's mouth layer w ith the generated lip-sync, by inserting the letter associatedw ith the right mouth shape into each cell of the column. Therefore, for the automatic lip-sync detection to
w ork, your character's mouth layer should already contain a mouth draw ing for each draw ing in the mouth
chart, and these draw ings should be named by their corresponding letter.

How to generate a sound detection for lip- sync using the Layer Properties view
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select the sound layer.
The options for that layer w ill appear in the Layer Properties view .
2. In the Layer Properties, click Detect.

Harmony analyzes the selected sound clips and assigns a lip-sync letter to each sound cell.
3. Click the Map button to open the Lip-Sync Mapping dialog box.

161

Chapter 14: How to Import Sound and Add Lip-Sync

4. From the Destination Layer menu, select the layer that contains the mouth positions for thecharacter's voice track.

NOTE
If the selected layer contains symbols, you can map the lip-sync using draw ings locateddirectly on the layer or use the symbol's frames. In the Symbol Layer field select Don't
Use Any Symbol if you w ant to use the draw ings or select the desired symbol from thedrop-dow n menu.

5. In the Mapping section, type the draw ing name or Symbol frames in the field to the right of thephoneme it represents. If your draw ings are already named w ith the phoneme letters, you can skip
this step.
6. Click OK.
7. In the Playback toolbar, enable the8. Press the

Enable Sound option.

Play button in the Playback toolbar to see and hear the results in the Camera view

If you need to make adjustments to the automatically-generated lip-sync, see Animating Lip-Sync
Manually on page 163.

162

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Animating Lip- Sync Manually
You can manually create the lip-syncing for your scene by selecting w hich mouth draw ing should be exposedat each frame of your character's d ialogue. For this process, you w ill be using the Sound Scrubbing
functionality, w hich plays the part of your sound track at the current frame w henever you move your Timeline
cursor, allow ing you to identify w hich phonemes you should match your character's mouth to. You w ill also beusing draw ing substitution to change w hich mouth draw ing is exposed at every frame.

How to animate lip- sync using the Timeline view
1. In the Playback toolbar, toggle theSound Scrubbing button on.

2. In the Timeline view , drag the red playhead along the sound layer w aveform.
3. W hen you reach a frame w here a mouth position should go, for example, an open mouth w ith
rounded lips for an "oh" sound, click on that frame on your mouth shapes layer.
4. In the Parameters section, staying on your mouth shapes layer, place your cursor on top of thedraw ing name (often a letter) until it changes to the sw apping

pointer.

5. Pull the cursor to see the list of mouth shape names and choose the one you w ant. The current
draw ing automatically changes to the new selection.

How to animate lip- sync using the Library view
1. In the Playback toolbar, toggle theSound Scrubbing button on.

2. In the Timeline view , drag the red playhead along the w aveform of your sound layer.
3. W hen you reach a frame w here a mouth position should go, for example, an open mouth w ith
rounded lips for an "oh" sound, click on that frame on your mouth shapes layer.
4. In the Draw ing Substitution w indow of the Library view , drag the slider to choose a mouth shape.
The current draw ing is sw apped for the one in the preview w indow .

163

Chapter 14: How to Import Sound and Add Lip-Sync

How to swap drawings using the Drawing Substitutions view
1. Add the Draw ing Substitutions view to your w orkspace by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the top-right corner of any existing view , click on the

Add View button and selectDrawing Substitutions.
l

In the top menu, select W indows > Drawing Substitutions.

2. In the Playback toolbar, toggle theSound Scrubbing button on.

3. In the Timeline view , drag the red playhead along the w aveform of your sound layer.
4. W hen you reach a frame w here a mouth position should go, for example, an open mouth w ith
rounded lips for an "oh" sound, click on that frame on your mouth shapes layer.
5. In the Draw ing Substitutions view , click on the mouth pose you w ant to expose at the current
frame.

164

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

TIP
You can also press [ to substitute the selected draw ing w ith the previous draw ing and ] tosubstitute it w ith the next draw ing.

165

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene
W hen creating a scene, rigging a character or once your animation is finished, you can add effects such as
blurs, glow s, shadow s, colour filters and transparency filters and to enhance your project's quality. Effects
change the w ay layers or groups of layers are rendered in your scene.

About Effects
Effects are special types of nodes that you can add to your scene's structure. For an effect node to w ork, it
must be connected under a draw ing, a composite, another effect, or any other node that outputs an image.
Effect nodes alter the image information sent to their input port, and output the processed image through their
output port. This gives you flexibility in deciding w hich elements of your scene are affected by an effect.
Some effects need to be linked to another layer, referred to as a matte layer, w hich is used to define the area
they should affect. A good example of this is the Tone effect, w hich is used to add a shadow of a given shape
to a layer. Alone, the Tone effect has no impact on the draw ing it is connected to. Once combined w ith a mattelayer, the Tone effect w ill use the matte's shape to apply a shadow to the draw ing. Even if the matte's shape
bleeds outside of the draw ing's outlines, the shadow w ill only be applied w ithin the draw ing's outlines.

166Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

A matte layer is simply a regular draw ing layer that is connected to an effect as its matte. The effect takes theshape of the draw ing in the matte layer to determine the area of the draw ing it affects. The colours and details
in the matte layer are ignored by the effect, only its shape is taken in account.
In the Node view , an effect must be connected to the draw ing or composite it is meant to affect by its input(top) port, and its output (bottom) port must be connected to the scene's main composite.

If the effect can use a matte layer, it w ill have a matte port on its left to w hich the matte layer can beconnected.

The matte port has a

Matte icon underneath it. You can invert the matte by double-clicking on this icon,

w hich w ill make the effect use the negative space of the matte draw ing rather than the matte draw ing itself as
its matte. W hen an effect's matte is inverted, the Matte appears black on w hite instead of w hite on black:.

Once your effect is connected, you can adjust its parameters by selecting it, then adjusting its parameters
using the Layer Properties view . You can also click on a node's

Layer Properties icon to open its layer

properties in a dialog. If desired, you can even animate the parameters of your effect by converting their values
to functions.

167

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

TIP
If you need to use the uncut version of your draw ing layer anyw here else in your scene, you can
bypass the effect it is connected to by connecting the draw ing layer's output port to other input
ports of your composite, or to other effects or composite, as needed. This w ill create new cables,
leaving your layer's connection to its effect unaffected.

Adding an Effect
In Harmony, you can add effects by dragging them from the Node Library view to the Node view andconnecting them as an intermediary betw een their draw ing layer and their composite. Then, you can achieve
the intended effect by adjusting its parameters in the Layers Properties view , and connecting it to a matte orother types of input layers it might require.
To add effects or other types of nodes to the Node view , you must first find them in the Node Library view .

W hen you create a new project in Harmony, the default node system that appears in the Node view looks
similar to the one below .

168

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Notice how layers are connected to your scene's composite. For an effect to w ork, it must be connected as anintermediary betw een a layer and its composite, as if it w as made to filter the layer's draw ing information
before it reaches the composite.

How to add effects in the Node view
1. In the Node Library view , select an effect and drag it to the Node view . You can use the Search
toolbar to find nodes quicker.

2. For the effect to w ork, it must w ork as the intermediary betw een a draw ing and its composite. You
can add a node to the middle of an existing connection by pressing and holding the Alt key, then169

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

dragging the node over the connection, like so:

3. Click on the Layer Properties

icon just left of the node's name to open its Layer Properties

dialog.

The effect's Layer Properties dialog appears.

NOTE
Once you have set the parameters for the effect, you can store it in the Library view as atemplate, so you can quickly reuse it w ithout resetting the parameters again—see How toCreate and Use Templates on page 206.

Adding an Effect with a Matte
The follow ing tutorial demonstrates how to use the Cutter effect w ith a matte. Several effects in Harmony use
mattes to determine the area of the image they affect.

170

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

The Cutter effect cuts out a portion of an image. To do this, it needs to be connected to the draw ing it isintended to cut as w ell as to a matte layer. The cutter w ill take the shape of the draw ing in the matte layer andcut this shape out of the draw ing layer. This is especially useful if you w ant to make a character disappear
betw een a background element, or if you w ant to cut out a hole in the middle of a character.
Like all effects that use a matte, the Cutter's effect has an Inverted parameter, w hich is disabled by default.
W hen enabled, the Cutter w ill have the reverse effect: Instead of cutting the matte's shape out of the draw ing,
it w ill cut everything outside of the matte's shape out of the draw ing, leaving only the parts of the draw ing
that are covered by the matte.
You can quickly toggle an effect's Inverted parameter by double-clicking on its Matte icon in the Node view .

How to use the Cutter effect
1. Select a draw ing layer and do one of the follow ing:l

From the Node Library view , select the Cutter effect and drag it to the Node view .

lIn the Node view , right-click and select Insert > Combine > Cutter.

171

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

TIP
You can also create Cutter nodes by pressing a keyboard shortcut. To be able to do this,you must assign a keyboard shortcut to the Create Cutter command in the Node View
section of the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog. To access the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog:l

W indows or GNU/Linux: In the top menu, select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.

lmacOS: In the top menu, select Harmony Premium > Keyboard Shortcuts.

2. W hile holding the Alt key, move the Cutter node over the cable connecting the draw ing to yourscene's main composite. The Cutter node w ill become connected as an intermediary betw een thedraw ing and its composite.

1. In the toolbar above the layer list in Timeline view , click on

Add Draw ing Layer .

2. In the Add Draw ing Layer dialog, give your new draw ing layer a relevant name for a matte layer,such as "Matte-Draw ing", then click on Add and Close.

3. In the new matte draw ing layer, draw a matte for your effect. Your matte can be a simple shape,
but should be filled w ith a colour, as only parts of the matte that are opaque w ill be taken inaccount.

172

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

NOTE
Mattes can also have semi-transparent areas. Areas of the draw ing that are covered bysemi-transparent areas of the matte are partially affected by the effect.

4. In the Node view , connect the output port of the matte draw ing node to the Cutter node's left input(matte) port.

At this point, areas of the draw ing layer that intersect w ith the artw ork in the matte draw ing node
are hidden.
5. If you w ant to invert the Cutter's effect, so that the artw ork that intersects w ith the artw ork in thematte layer is visible and that everything else is hidden, double-click on the Cutter node's

Matte

icon to toggle its Inverted parameter. W hen an effect's matte is inverted, its matte port also
appears inverted.

Tw o other examples of effects that w ork w ith mattes are the Tone and Highlight effects. The Tone effectapplies a shadow to its draw ing based on its matte, and the Highlight effect applies a highlight to a draw ing
based on a matte. These effects are not applied outside of the draw ings they are connected to, so you cansimply draw your character's highlights and shadow into your matte layers w ithout w orrying about draw ing
outside of their outline.

173

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

Adding these effects to a draw ing w orks exactly the same w ay as adding a cutter to a draw ing, except thatthey have extra parameters to configure the colour, intensity and rendering of the effect.

Animating an Effect
You may need to animate some effects to obtain the expected results. For example, you may w ant the radiusof a Glow effect to slow ly increase and decrease to make it pulsate throughout a scene, or you may w ant thetransparency of a Transparency effect to increase from 0% to 100% to make a draw ing vanish.
Almost all numerical parameters in an effect can be attached to a function. A function allow s you to set a
parameter to different values at different points in the scene by adding keyframes to it, and setting each
keyframes to a specific value. Betw een keyframes, the value of the parameter w ill progress from the value ofthe previous keyframe to the value of the next keyframe. Draw ing layers are animated by having theircoordinates associated to functions. Likew ise, effects can be animated by associating their parameters tofunctions.
Some effect parameters can be animated directly in the Timeline view , but not all. W hen you expand an
effect's parameters in the Timeline view , some of its parameters may be hidden to avoid cluttering theTimeline view . You can animate those parameters from the Layer Properties view or the Layer Properties
dialog, w hich display all of a layer's parameters.

174

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to animate an effect parameter in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , locate the effect you w ant to animate, and click on the

Expand button rightof its name.

The list of parameters that effect's paramaters that are available in the Timeline view appears.

2. In the right area of the Timeline view , in the same row as the parameter you w ant to animate, selectthe frame w here you w ant to create the first animation keyframe for the effect.

3. Create a keyframe by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

4. In the left area of the Timeline view , under the Parameters column, adjust the value of theparameter for this keyframe by doing one of the follow ing:

175

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scenel

Click and hold on the value of the parameter, then drag it tow ards the left to reduce its
value, or tow ards the right to increase its value.

lClick on the value of the parameter. A text field w ill appear. Type in the new value of theparameter, then press Enter.

5. In the right area of the Timeline view , click on the frame w here you w ant to create the second
animation keyframe for the effect.

6. Create the second keyframe for your effect's animation by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Timeline toolbar, click the

Add Keyframe button.

l

Right-click and select Add Keyframe.

lPress F6.

7. In the Parameters column, adjust the value of the parameter at the current keyframe.
8. Repeat the steps to create as many animation keyframe for your effect as needed.
9. To adjust the timing betw een the keyframes of your animation, select the first keyframe.

176

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

10. In the Timeline toolbar, click on the

Set Ease for Multiple Parameters button.

The Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog appear. The function graph in this dialog w ill befocused on the first

keyframe in your animation, w hich should have a

Bezier handle right next

to it, pointing to the right.

11. Click on the

Bezier handle and drag it tow ards the right, at any angle, to adjust the ease-in of theanimation.

12. Click on Apply/Next.
The Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog w ill focus on the second keyframe. If this is the last
keyframe in the animation, it w ill only have one Bezier handle, pointing tow ards the left. If there are
more animation keyframes after this one, it w ill have tw o Bezier handles, one pointing in eachdirection.

177

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

13. Click on the left

Bezier handle and drag it tow ards the left, at any angle, to adjust the ease-out of

the animation betw een the previous keyframe and the current keyframe.

14. If there is a

Bezier handle pointing tow ards the right, click on it and drag it tow ards the right, at

any angle, to adjust the ease-in of the animation betw een the current keyframe and the next
keyframe.

15. Repeat the previous steps until the timing for your animation is adjusted throughout the entire
scene.

178

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

How to animate an effect in the Layer Properties dialog
1. Open the effect's Layer Properties by doing one of the follow ing:l

Add the Layer Properties view to your w orkspace, then select the effect in the Timeline orNode view .

lIn the Timeline view , double-click on the effect layer, but not on its name.

l

In the Node view , locate the effect node and click on its Layer Properties

button.

2. In the effect's layer properties, locate the parameter that you w ant to animate and click on the
Function button to its right.

The parameter's input field w ill be greyed out. This is because you cannot directly edit a parameter
once it is attached to a function. The field w ill indicate the name of the function that w as created forit, in this format:
Name of node: Name of function: Value at current frame
3. Click on the parameter's Function button again.
The Bezier Editor dialog opens.

179

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

This dialog w ill allow you to animate the function. The function graph at the bottom is made torepresent the values of the function throughout each frame in the scene.
4. In the function graph, click and drag on the red cursor

to move it to the frame w here you w ant tocreate your first animation keyframe.

5. Click on the
A keyframe

Add Keyframe button to create the first animation keyframe for the effect.
is created and should be visible in the function graph. If you do not see it, that is

because the function graph is not positioned to include the keyframe w ithin its frame. To move thefunction graph to view the function's keyframe, click on the
Vertically button.

180

Reset View or

Reset View

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

6. Adjust the value of the parameter at the current frame by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Value field over the function graph, type in the desired value for the parameter.

l

In the function graph, click and drag on the

keyframe , and move it up to increase its value,or dow n to decrease it.

TIP
If you w ant to set the keyframe to a value that is outside of the function graph's
frame, you can press the 1 key to zoom out. You can also press the 2 key to zoom
back in.

181

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

7. Click and drag on the red cursor to move it to the frame w here you w ant to create your second
animation keyframe.

8. Click on the Add Keyframe

button to create the second animation keyframe for the effect.

9. Adjust the value of the parameter at the current frame by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the Value field over the function graph, type in the desired value for the parameter.

l

In the function graph, click and drag on theor dow n to decrease it.

182

keyframe , and move it up to increase its value,Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

10. If you w ant to adjust the timing of the animation betw een the first and second keyframes, do thefollow ing:lClick and drag theBezier handle of the first keyframe tow ards the right, in any direction,

to affect the ease-in of the animation.

lClick and drag theBezier handle of the second keyframe tow ards the left, in any direction,

183

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

to affect the ease-out of the animation.

11. Repeat these steps until you created and timed every animation keyframe required to animate youreffect.

Creating an Effect Based on an Animated Character
The follow ing tutorial demonstrates how to combine Effects w ith other Harmony functionalities to easily
create a drop shadow for an animated character. By follow ing these steps, you can create a drop shadow thatw ill automatically follow your character's animation, even if you change the animation afterw ard.

How to create a drop shadow for an animated character
1. In the Node view , make sure your character's rig is in a group w ith a composite. If it is not, select all
the nodes making your character's right, and do one of the follow ing:lRight-click on the selection, then select Group > Group Selection with Composite.

l

In the top-left corner of the Node View , open the View Menu

, then select Nodes >Group Selection with Composite.
lPress Ctrl +Shift + G (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift + G (macOS).

184

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

2. Using the Node Library, add a Peg, an Apply- Peg- Transformation, and a Shadow node to yournode system.

3. Connect the output port of your character rig to the input port of the Shadow node.

4. Connect the output port of the Shadow node to the right-most input port (Image) of the ApplyPeg-Transformation node.

185

Chapter 15: How to Add Effects to a Scene

5. Connect the output port of the peg to the leftmost input port (Transformation) of the Apply-PegTransformation node.

6. Connect the output port of the Apply-Peg-Transformation node to your scene's main composite,
just right of the connection for your character rig. This w ay, the shadow w ill appear behind yourcharacter rig.

7. Select the Apply-Peg-Transformation's Peg node.
8. In the Tools toolbar, select the Transform

tool.

186

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

9. In the Camera view , scale and skew the selection so that it looks like a drop shadow .

187

Chapter 16: How to Use Draw ing Guides

Chapter 16: How to Use Drawing Guides
Draw ing guides are draw ing aids that you can add to your scene to help you draw backgrounds and objects
w ith straight lines, square angles and graphic projection effects such as isometric projection, straightperspective or curvilinear perspective. In traditional art, this is often done w ith tools such as rulers, T-squares,
set squares and vanishing points. Guides allow you to simulate the use of such tools in combination w ith thedraw ing tools in Harmony.
Harmony supports different types of draw ing guides, each designed for a different kind of draw ing task. Mostof Harmony's draw ing guides w ork by adding a horizon line and vanishing points to your draw ing space.
W hile using a draw ing guide, dotted guide lines appear through your mouse cursor. These guide lines areeither parallel or perpendicular to the horizon line, or are going from one of the guide's vanishing points toyour mouse cursor. W hen you start draw ing a stroke, your draw ing tool instantly becomes locked to one of theguide's axes, as if you w ere draw ing against a ruler. Optionally, you can use draw ing guides as mere visualreferences, w ithout locking your draw ing tool against their axes.
Harmony supports the follow ing types of draw ing guides:l

The Ruler allow s you to position and rotate a simple axis, then draw a line along that axis, like a regularruler.

l

The Square Grid helps you draw lines that are either parallel or perpendicular to a horizon line.

188Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

The Isometric Perspective guide helps you draw lines that are parallel to one of three axes: The x-axis,
the y-axis and the z-axis. The angle of each axis can be customized as needed.
This type of pseudo-perspective, also referred to as parallel projection, is often used in 2D games,
computer graphics and schematics to depict 3D objects and environments w ithout using any actual
perspective, foreshortening or 3D rendering. In 2D animation, it is often used to draw long panningbackgrounds from a low or high angle.

l

The 1- Point Perspective guide helps you draw lines coming from a single vanishing point in the middleof the horizon. It also helps you draw lines that are either parallel or perpendicular to the horizon line.
This is useful for draw ing cuboid structures that are facing the camera.

l

The 2- Point Perspective guide helps you draw lines coming from one of tw o vanishing points, w hichare placed on the horizon line outside the camera field. It also helps you draw lines that areperpendicular to the horizon line.
This is useful for draw ing cuboid structures from a specific horizontal angle.

189

Chapter 16: How to Use Draw ing Guidesl

The 3- Point Perspective (Bird's Eye View) guide helps you draw lines coming from one of threevanishing points. Like w ith the 2-Point Perspective guide, tw o vanishing points are placed on thehorizon line, w hich are used to draw horizontal lines on either the x-axis or the z-axis. The othervanishing point is placed below the horizon line to help draw lines on the y-axis.
This is useful for draw ing cuboid structures from an elevated point of view .

l

The 3- Point Perspective (W orm's Eye View) guide helps you draw lines coming from one of threevanishing points. Like w ith the 2-Point Perspective guide, tw o vanishing points are placed on thehorizon line, w hich are used to draw horizontal lines on either the x-axis or the z-axis. The othervanishing point is placed above the horizon line to help draw lines on the y-axis.
This is useful for draw ing cuboid structures from a low point of view .

190

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidel

The 3- Point Perspective (Horizontal Pan) guide helps you draw horizontally panoramic backgrounds,
w ith curvilinear horizontal lines. A vanishing point is placed in the middle of the horizon line, to help
draw lines on the z-axis, and tw o vanishing points are placed on the horizon line outside of the camera
field, to define the curve of the horizontal lines. Vertical lines are made perpendicular to the horizon line.
This is useful for draw ing backgrounds meant to be panned over horizontally. Panning the camera
horizontally over a background draw n w ith a 3-Point Perspective (Horizontal Pan) guide w ill simulate arotation of the camera on the y-axis.

l

The 3- Point Perspective (Vertical Pan) guide helps you draw vertically panoramic backgrounds, w ith
curvilinear vertical lines. A vanishing point is placed in the middle of the horizon line, to help draw lines
on the z-axis, and tw o vanishing points are placed above and below the horizon line, outside of thecamera field, to define the curve of the vertical lines. Horizontal lines are made parallel to the horizon
line.
This is useful for draw ing background meant to be panned over vertically. Panning the camera verticallyover a background draw n w ith a 3-Point Perspective (Vertical Pan) guide w ill simulate a verticalrotation of the camera on the x-axis.

191

Chapter 16: How to Use Draw ing Guidesl

The 4- Point Continuous Perspective guide is very similar to the 3 Point Perspective (Horizontal Pan)
guide, except that it is designed to help draw full 360° panoramic backgrounds.
This guide uses 5 vanishing points. W hen draw ing a horizontal line, it is curved by arching over one ofthe vanishing points and reaching dow n to the tw o surrounding vanishing points. This creates aperspective effect w here each vanishing point represents one of the cardinal points, except that theleftmost and the rightmost points represent the same cardinal point, effectively creating a looping
background. Backgrounds made w ith the 4-Point Continuous Perspective guide can be looped
horizontally to simulate a full rotation of the camera on the y-axis.

l

The 4- Point Perspective (Vertical Pan) is a lot like the 2-Point Perspective guide, except that its
vertical lines are curvilinear, so it can be used to make vertically panning backgrounds. Tw o vanishingpoints are on the horizon line, outside of the camera field, to help draw lines on the x-axis and the zaxis, and tw o vanishing points are placed above and below the camera field to define the curve of thevertical lines.

192

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

This is useful for draw ing backgrounds meant to be panned over vertically, in w hich cuboid objects areseen from an angle.

l

The 5- Point Perspective (Fish Eye) guide helps you draw backgrounds that are curvilinear on both thex-axis and the y-axis. It has one central vanishing point on the horizon line, from w hich lines on the zaxis are draw n, tw o vanishing points at the extremities of its horizon line, to define the curve of thehorizontal lines, and tw o vanishing points above and below the horizon line, to define the curve of thevertical lines.
This guide can be used to draw backgrounds w ith a fisheye-style w ide angle lens effect. It can also be
used to draw backgrounds that are meant to be panned in various directions.

In order to use a draw ing guide, you must first add it to your scene's guides list. To help yourself get
familiarized w ith guides, you can start by adding 1-Point Perspective draw ing guide to the guides list.

193

Chapter 16: How to Use Draw ing Guides

How to add a 1- Point Perspective drawing guide to your scene
1. In the Tools toolbar, select either theBrush,

Pencil,Stroke orLine tool.

NOTE
Draw ing guides are only visible in the Camera or Draw ing view w hen one of thesetools is selected.

2. Add the Guide view to your w orkspace by doing one of the follow ing:l

In the top-right corner of any view in your w orkspace, click on the

Add View button andselect Guides.
l

In the top menu, select W indows > Guides.

3. In the Guides view , click on the

New Guide button and selectThe new guide appears in the guides list.

194

1- Point Perspective.

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

W hen a new guide is added, it is configured w ith a preset position and angle for its horizon line and a preset
position for its vanishing points. In many cases, you have to make adjustments to your guide so that you candraw backgrounds and objects from the right point of view .

How to adjust a 1- Point Perspective guide
1. In the Tools toolbar, select either theBrush,

Pencil,Stroke orLine tool.

NOTE
Draw ing guides are only visible in the Camera or Draw ing view w hen one of thesetools is selected.

2. In the Guides view , make sure that the
3. In the guides list, select the

Enable Guides option button is toggled on.

1- Point Perspective guide that you w ish to make adjustments to.

The selected guide appears in the Camera or Draw ing view .

4. Do one of the follow ing:l

To reposition the guide w ithout rotating it, click and drag on its vanishing point .

l

To rotate the guide, click and drag on its horizon line.

TIPSl

W hen the mouse is positioned over the horizon line, the mouse cursor w illchange tolto indicate that you are about to rotate the guide.

W hen rotating a guide, its angle displays in the top-left corner of the Camera
or Draw ing view .

5. Once you are done making adjustments to the guide, you can click on the

Lock Guides button in

the Guides view so as to avoid accidentally modifying your guide w hile draw ing.
Once your guide is selected and properly positioned, you can start draw ing w ith it.

195Chapter 16: How to Use Draw ing Guides

How to draw with a drawing guide
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view , select a draw ing, or select an empty cell and create a new draw ing
by doing one of the follow ing:lRight-click on the cell and select Drawing > Create Empty Drawing.

l

Press Alt + Shift + R

2. In the Tools toolbar, select either theBrush,

Pencil,Stroke orLine tool.

NOTE
Draw ing guides are only visible in the Camera or Draw ing view w hen one of thesetools is selected.

3. In the Guides view , select the guide you w ish to use.
4. To avoid accidentally editing your guide w hile you're draw ing, click on the

Lock Guides buttonin the Guides view to toggle it on.
5. If you w ant your draw ing strokes to be locked against the axes of your guide, make sure the
Align w ith Guide option of the Guides view if toggled on. Otherw ise, toggle it off to be able to draw
freely and only use the guides as references.
6. Move the mouse cursor around the draw ing space. Observe that guide lines are going through yourmouse cursor, one for each of the axes of the draw ing guide.

7. Start draw ing a stroke roughly at the same angle as one of the axes.
If theAlign w ith Guide option is enabled, the draw ing stroke aligns to the axis that is the closest

to its angle, as if you w ere draw ing against a ruler.

196

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

TIPS
You can also manually select w hich axis to lock onto by pressing the Left Arrow and Rightl

Arrow keys to cycle through each axis. The selected axis w ill appear bolder than the otherones. If you cycle through all the axes, no axis w ill be bold, meaning the axis your draw ing
tool locks against is determined by the angle of your draw ing stroke again.
W hether you're draw ing or not, you can lock the position and angle of the guide lines bylpressing and holding the Alt key. The guide lines w ill stop follow ing the mouse cursor,
allow ing you to keep them at a specific angle and position. This can be used to draw overthe same line several times over so as to adjust its length and thickness.

Once you are done w orking w ith guides, you can disable them. W hen draw ing guides are disabled, they are
not displayed in your draw ing space and do not affect the behaviour of your draw ing tools.

How to enable and disable drawing guides
1. To enable or disable Draw ing Guides, do one of the follow ing:l

In the Guides view , click on the Enable Guidel

Press Shift + G.

button.

NOTESlGuides are automatically enabled w hen you add a new guide or w hen you select a guide in
the guides list.

l

The guide that w as selected w hen you disabled guides w ill be selected again w hen you
re-enable guides.

lDraw ing guides only w ork w ith theBrush,

Pencil,Stroke andLine tools

tools. If any other tool is selected, draw ing guides w ill behave as if they are disabled.

197

Chapter 17: How to Create a Multiplane

Chapter 17: How to Create a Multiplane
In live action, w hen the camera moves around in a scene, objects near the camera w ill appear to move by agreater distance than objects far from the camera. In 2D animation, a similar effect can be achieved by creating
a multiplane.

In Harmony, you can easily set-up a multiplane by creating a background over several layers, spreading themon the Z-axis to add depth, and then moving the camera through the resulting environment to create an
impressive perspective illusion.
In the follow ing example, the background is made of 6 different layers, each picturing an object that is at adifferent distance from the camera. On the left, you can see how each object is positioned relative to thecamera, as if you w ere looking at them from the side. On the right, you can see how layers are positioned
relative to each other as if you w ere looking at the scene from a corner. Below , you can see the scene from thecamera's point of view .

198

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Using the Maintain Size tool, you can easily turn a normal multi-layered background into a multiplane. This
tool allow s you to move a layer closer to or further aw ay from the camera all the w hile automatically adjusting
the layer's size proportionally to its distance from the camera, preserving its a apparent size from the camera's
point of view . Hence, you do not have to w orry about the size and position of your layers w hen you design yourbackground.
In a new Harmony scene, draw the different elements of a background on separate layers. Then, follow thesteps below to turn your background into a multiplane.

How to set up a multiplane using the Maintain Size tool
1. Make sure the No Z Dragging option in the Animation top menu is disabled.
2. Do one of the follow ing:l

In the Advanced Animation toolbar, select thelFrom the top menu, select Animation > Tools > Maintain Size.

l

Press Alt + 6.

199

Maintain Size tool.

Chapter 17: How to Create a Multiplane

3. In the Side or Top view , select one of the layers in the thumbnails section. You can also select alayer from the Timeline view .
The selected layer is highlighted in the Top, Side and Camera view s.

4. Drag the layer along the Z-axis inside the camera cone.

Your element w ill move on your scene's Z-axis, but it w ill keep the same apparent size in the
Camera view .
You can view your multiplane from different points of view using the Perspective view .

How to view your multiplane in the Perspective view
1. Enable the Perspective view by doing one of the follow ing:lClick on the Add view

button next to the Camera and Draw ing view tabs, thenselect Perspective.
l

From the top menu, select W indows > Perspective.

2. To rotate the Perspective view in all 3 dimensions, hold Ctrl + Shift (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift(macOS), then click and drag.

200

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

201

Chapter 18: How to Set Up Objects in 3D Space

Chapter 18: How to Set Up Objects in 3D SpaceIn Harmony Premium, you can not only move layers on Z-axis, you can also enable full 3D manipulations on
draw ing layers, allow ing you to rotate them on the X and Y axes. W ith this, you can simulate a 3D space bylaying out 2D layers at different depths and angles in your scene's stage. This can be used to add realism toscenes w ith complex camera movements w ithout requiring you to make an actual 3D model of your scene's
environment.
In the follow ing example, you w ill learn how to lay out layers making the different surfaces of a room to build
an actual 3D room. Before you begin, create a layer for each surface in a simple rectangular room. Then, ineach of these layer, draw a large colour-filled rectangle to make the surfaces of the w alls, floor and ceiling.
Feel free to add details such as tiles, textures, w all decorations or w indow s if you w ish, and make sure toname each layer according to the part of the room they represent.

How to position layers in 3D space
1. Next to the Camera and Draw ing view tabs, click on the Add View

button and selectPerspective.
The Perspective view appears in the same section of your w orkspace as your Camera and Draw ing
view s. This view allow s you to view your scene from any angle and point of view , rather than fromyour Camera's point of view . In this view , the usual navigation keyboard shortcuts w ork the same,
but you can also press Ctrl + Alt (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + Alt (macOS) to rotate the view in any
angle and on any axis

202Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

2. In the Timeline view , double-click on the new layer to open the Layer Properties dialog box.
3. In the Transformation tab, select the Enable 3D option.

4. In the Rotation section, select the Euler Angles option.

5. In the (x) Axis field, type 90 to flip the floor so it is flat on the ground.

203

Chapter 18: How to Set Up Objects in 3D Space

6. To position the height of the floor, type values in the Position section of the Layer Properties, use
the Translate

tool or Transformtool.

7. Repeat the process for the other pieces to position.
8. If you have parallel w alls, once you have positioned one, select the W all layer in the Timeline view .
9. Do one of the follow ing to duplicated the layer.
lFrom the top menu, select Edit > Duplicate.

l

Right-click and select Edit > Duplicate.

10. Once the layer is duplicated, use the Layer Properties w indow to enter the positioning values or
use the Translate or Transform tool. If you w ant to position your layer visually, consider using the
Camera, Top or Side view so as to be able to position it w ith precision.

204Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

11. If your w alls are touching each other, you should make them intersect by extending one end of the
w all through the other w all. This prevents accidentally leaving small gaps betw een them.

You now have a complete 3D room.

NOTE
The Transform tool as w ell as the Advanced Animation tool can be used w ith 3D layers as
w ith 2D layers. The Transform tool allow s you to reposition, rotate and scale 3D layers on any
axis, but does not allow you to skew 3D layers. You can use these tools on 3D layers in the
Camera, Perspective, Top and Side view s.

205Chapter 19: How to Create and Use Templates

Chapter 19: How to Create and Use Templates
You can create a template from a layer or from cells. You can store anything available in the Timeline or Nodeview as a template.

Creating a Template
How to create a template from the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view , select some cells or layers.
You can create a template from a w hole hierarchy of layers by collapsing the hierarchy andselecting its root layer. This can be useful for creating templates based on character rigs or scene
backgrounds.
2. In the Library view , select a folder to store the template. By default, you w ill have a library named
Harmony Premium Library , w hich is stored on your computer, in the Toon Boom Harmony
Premium Library subfolder of your Documents folder.
3. If the library folder islocked , right-click and select Right to Modify.

4. Drag the selection to the chosen library folder.

5. In the Rename dialog box, give the new template a name.
6. Click OK.
The Timeline view and the Node view display different information about a scene and its structure. To makesure a character's main template, also called the master template, is rigged exactly the w ay it w as meant to be

206Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guidew hen it's imported into a scene, it should be created w ith all the connections, effects, composites, nodes, pegs,
groups, draw ings, timings, as w ell as all the other information in the scene it w as originally created in.
Because the Node view is the most faithful representation of a rig's structure, it is recommended to create
master templates from the Node view rather than the Timeline view . Templates created from the Timelineview may lose the extra connections, effects and groupings that are visible in the Node view but w hich aren't
properly connected to its main structure.

How to create a template from the Node view
1. In the Library view , select the folder in w hich you w ant to store the template.
2. If the library folder islocked , right-click and select Right to Modify.

3. In the Node view , select the nodes for creating the template and group them. It is very important togroup your cut-out character rig before storing it in the Library, so your files are organized.
4. From the top menu, select Edit > Group > Group Selected Layers or press Ctrl + G(W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + G (macOS). Make sure you have a composite under the connections
before grouping, otherw ise there w ill be numerous connections going outside the group.

5. In the Node view , click on the group node's yellow button to open the Layer Properties w indow .

6. In the Node view , select the group node and copy and paste it inside the template folder in the
Library view or press Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V (W indow s/Linux) or ⌘ + C and ⌘ + V (macOS).

207

Chapter 19: How to Create and Use Templates

7. In the Rename dialog box, give the new template a name and click OK.

TIP
To rename a template once it is created, right-click on it and select Rename.

Importing a Template
How to import a template into the Timeline or Camera view
1. In the Library view , select the template you w ant to import.
2. Drag the selected template to the Camera view or to the left side of the Timeline view .

208

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

If you drop the template in the Camera view , its layers w ill be added at the top of your layers list. If
you drop a template in the layers list in the Timeline view , it w ill be inserted betw een the layers
w here you dropped it.
If your template has the same layer structure as a part of your scene, you can drop the template
directly onto the frames on the right side of the Timeline view . Instead of inserting new layers into
your scene, this w ill replace the draw ings and keyframes in your scene w ith the ones from thetemplate. This is useful for importing pose or animation templates for characters that are already inyour scene.

How to import a template into the Node view
1. In the Library view , select the template or symbol you w ant to import.
2. Drag the selected template to the Node or Camera view or the left side of the Timeline view .

209

Chapter 19: How to Create and Use Templates

3. In the Node view , connect your template to your scene's Composite node. To do this, click its outport and drag the connection to the Composite node until an in-port appears.

210Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Chapter 20: How to Export a Movie
Using the Export Movie dialog, you can export your animation as a video file. By default, Harmony w ill export
your entire scene in its full resolution. If you prefer, you can choose to export only a specific frame range inyour scene, or to export in a smaller resolution, w hich can be useful if you need to save on time or disk space.
Depending on the format in w hich you export your movie, you can also customize the video and audio
compression settings for quality or for disk space.

How to export a movie file
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
The Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box opens.

2. In the Output section, open the Video Format drop-dow n and select the desired format for yourmovie file:lQuickTime ProRes Movie (*.mov): The Apple QuickTime format. This is the default
export format and is recommended for its portability, and also because it allow s you
to choose among several video codecs.

211Chapter 20: How to Export a Movie

NOTES
l

On W indow s, Apple QuickTime must be installed to allow Harmony
to export QuickTime movies. You can configure the export of
QuickTime movies to use any codec that is compatible w ith QuickTime,
including H.264, MPEG-4 and Animation.

l

On macOS, Harmony uses Apple AVFoundation to export QuickTime
movies, w hich allow s you to export using codecs such as H.264,
Apple ProRes 422 and Apple ProRes 4444, among others.

l

If you are looking to export a QuickTime movie w ith transparency, besure to choose a codec that supports encoding w ith an alpha channel.

l

On GNU/Linux, Harmony uses the OpenQuickTime library to export
QuickTime movies. This only allow s you to export videos in nonproprietary formats such as Motion-JPEG, Photo JPEG, PNG or
Uncompressed (RGB).

l

H.264/MPEG- 4 (*.mov) : A simple movie format that uses the H.264 codec, w hich is
supported by most w eb brow sers.

NOTES
l

Using this format does not require additional softw are. How ever, if
this is the first time you export a movie in H.264/MPEG-4 format, you
w ill be prompted to dow nload the OpenH264 library from Cisco.
Simply click Yes w hen prompted, and Harmony w ill automaticallydow nload the library, then export the movie.

lThere are no encoding options for this format.

lThis format supports resolutions of up to 4096×2304. Each dimension
must be a multiple of 16 pixels.

l

Audio exported in this format is encoded in PCM 16-bit stereo, 22.05
kHz.

l

W indows Media Video (*.wmv): The native format for W indow s Media Player.

212

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

NOTES
l

W indow s Media Video (.wmv) files can only be exported on W indow s.

lVideo players and editors on non-W indow s systems can generally notopen W indow s Media Video (.wmv) files.

3. Click on the Browse button.
4. In the Save dialog that appears, brow se to the location w here you w ant to export the movie file.
5. In the File name field, type in the file name you w ant the movie file to have.
6. Click on Save.
7. From the Export Range section, do one of the follow ing:lSelect All if you w ant to render the entire scene.

l

Select Frames if you w ant to render a part of your scene. Then, in the field to the right, typein the first frame of the sequence you w ant to export, and in the other field, the last frame ofthe sequence you w ant to render.

8. Open the Resolution drop-dow n and do one of the follow ing:lSelect Same as Scene Resolution if you w ant to export a movie w ith the same resolution as
your scene.

l

Select 3/4 of Scene Resolution, 1/2 of Scene Resolution, 1/3 of Scene Resolution or 1/4 of
Scene Resolution if you w ant to export a movie that is smaller than the resolution of yourscene.

213

Chapter 20: How to Export a Moviel

Select Custom if you w ant to manually set the export resolution. Then, in the W idth andHeight fields, type in the desired resolution for your movie, in pixels.

9. In the Colour Space drop-dow n, select the colour space in w hich you w ant the movie to beexported.

10. Click OK.
11. In the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box, click OK.
A progress bar appears.

12. Brow se to the location on your computer w here you exported your movie file, and double-click on it
to view it in your video player.

214Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

Glossary
3D stereoscopic

Images or movies that actually output tw o different images, each from thepoint of view of one of the human eyes. W hen view ed or projected throughspecial devices, such as a 3D display or virtual reality goggles, this creates
the illusion that the elements in the image are actually in front of the view er.

alpha channel

An image channel that carries transparency information. An image alreadyhas three channels: red, green and blue (RGB). The alpha channel is the
fourth channel (A). The matte, or the transparency information, is stored inthis fourth channel. An image w ithout an alpha channel is alw ays opaque.

animatic

A movie made by sequencing the panels in a storyboard, and timing eachpanel for the rough duration of the action they represent, and in sync w ith
the soundtrack. Animatics are used to convert the storyboard into a very
rough draft of the final movie, to determine the time alloted to each scene
and each action and to synchronize the action w ith the sound track.

animation

anime

arc

The simulation of movement created by draw ing or editing individual frames.

Japanese animation.

Action rarely occurs in a straight-forw ard manner; rather it typically unfolds
in w hat storytellers refer to as an arc. The purpose of a story arc is to move acharacter or situation from one state or scenario to the next.

aspect ratio

The ratio betw een the w idth and height dimensions for any scene, frame orfilm format. Currently, the most popular aspect ration is 16:9. Legacy
displays w ould use an aspect ratio of 4:3.

auto- feed

An automated method of feeding draw ings into a scanner in w hich multiple
draw ings are stacked into a sheet feeder. W hen the scanner is activated, thedraw ings are scanned consecutively, w ithout further user intervention.

automatic lip- sync
detection

axis

Automatically mapping draw ings in an element to the mouth chart
generated for a sound. This can save time w hen lip-syncing a voice track.

An imaginary line around w hich an object rotates. For 2D graphics, there are
tw o axes: X (horizontal and Y (vertical). For 3D graphics, there are three axes:

215

Glossary

X (horizontal, Y (vertical) and Z (depth). In animations that constantly rotate,
the axis element specifies w hat axis the object rotates around. A negative
number causes an animation to rotate counter clockw ise w hereas a positive
number causes an animation to rotate clockw ise.

background

The artw ork that fills the camera field and w hich is behind the characters andprops. Typically, this artw ork represents the decor or stage in w hich theaction occurs.

Bézier

A method of defining curved lines invented by French mathematician Pierre
Bézier. A Bézier curve is a mathematical or parametric curve. Bézier curves
are defined by control points. In Harmony, Bézier curves have a starting
point, an ending point and tw o inner control points that influence the curve
betw een the starting and ending points.

bitmapAn image defined by a mesh of pixels, as w ell as the individual colour of eachone of its pixels. Bitmap graphics are know n for being preferable to vector
graphics for highly detailed or photorealistic artw ork. How ever, bitmap
graphics cannot be scaled, rotate or skew ed w ithout losing picture quality.

breakdown

In cut-out animation, breakdow n is the action of breaking a character into
pieces to create a puppet w ith articulations. To break dow n a character, theartist cuts parts, such as the hands and arms, from the character's model andpastes them in separate layers. Next, the joints are fixed and the pivots set.
In traditional animation, a breakdow n is an animation pose generally foundbetw een tw o key poses. The key poses are the main poses in an animationand the breakdow ns are secondary poses, ones that help describe themotion and the rotation curve (usually referred to as an arc).

camera shake

Camera shake occurs in a scene w hen the camera moves slightly and quickly
in several directions. This gives the impression of an impact, vibration or, forexample, bumps on the road.

captionA text field containing dialogue, effects, sound or slugging information in astoryboard.

cel

In traditional animation, a cel (also know n as celluloid) is a transparent sheet
on w hich the animation is inked and painted before being sent to the camera.
The picture's outline is draw n on the front of the cel and then coloured along216

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

the back.

character design

Each character in an animated film is draw n from multiple angles in posterstyle format, called a model sheet, w hich serves as a reference for the
animators.

chromatic

In optics, chromatic aberration (CA), achromatism or chromatic distortion, is aaberration

type of distortion in w hich there is a failure of a lens to focus all colours to
the same convergence point.

clean up

After rough draw ings have been tested and approved, all the noise in theimage (excess lines, notes, etc.) is removed to create final draw ings w hichcan be inked, painted and shot. The clean up process refers to either tracing aclean line over a rough draw ing to achieve the final version or removing dirt
and extra lines left by the scanning process.

CMYK

Acronym for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow , Black. These colours are the standard
model used in a process called offset printing.

colour card

A colour card is a card containing one solid colour that is the same size as thecamera. The colour card fills the background w ith a solid colour w hen there
is no background image included.

colour model

The official colour design that must be used to paint the animation. A modelis the definitive character, prop or location design that each artist must
follow for the production.

colour wheel

A display of the colour spectrum in the form of a circle.

compositing

Compositing is the action of incorporating all of a scene's elements to create
the final result prior to rendering. For example, the compositing artist w ill
import all the animation sequences, background, overlays and underlays inthe scene and position them correctly. The artist w ill then set the camera
frame and animate it, if needed. Finally, the animator w ill create all thecomputer-generated effects for the project.

cross dissolve

W hen one scene transitions to the ensuing scene by fading out at the sametime as the ensuing scene fades in.

217

Glossarycut

W hen one scene transitions to the ensuing scene from one frame to the next,
w ithout any visual effect.

cut- out animation

The process know n as cut-out animation is the action of animating charactersmade out of several pieces by moving them around frame by frame. Cut-out
animation can either be computer generated or done traditionally using
paper.

cycle

A series of animation frames that can be repeated to simulate a continuous
movement. For example, a character is often made to w alk by animatingthem taking tw o steps forw ard, one w ith each foot, then cycling thisanimation.

dialogue

dope sheet

The text spoken by a character in a movie or animation.

Used by animators, directors and other members of a crew to track thesequence and timing of images, dialogue, sound effects, sound tracks andcamera moves. Also know n as an exposure sheet.

dopingdouble bouncewalk

To assign a particular draw ing to a range of frames.

In the key frames and passing positions in a double bounce w alk, the body is
low er than a reference line draw n in the upright position. During the inbetw eens, the body is above this line giving the appearance of a bounce.

dpi

Dots per inch is the standard measure of resolution for computerized
printers. It is sometimes applied to screens, in w hich case it should moreaccurately be referred to as pixels per inch. Either w ay, the dot is thesmallest discrete element making up the image.

dragAn operation w hich consists of clicking and holding the item, then moving it
around by moving the mouse cursor. This can be done w ith the left mousebutton or w ith the pen tip.

ease

In animation, the ease, also know n as velocity, is the acceleration anddeceleration of a motion. It can be a motion created by a function curve, or aseries of animated draw ings. Other common terms for ease-in and ease-out
are slow -in and slow -out.

218

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

ease- in

Gradual acceleration in the action. Also know n as slow -in.

ease- out

Gradual deceleration in the action. Also know n as slow -out.

establishing shot

A scene in w hich the view er can see the w hole area in w hich a sequence ishappening. For example, if a child is playing on the ground in front of his
house, the establishing shot w ould be a scene w here the view er can see thehouse, the ground, a part of the street and the buildings around the central
point of action. This helps the view er understand the story location andscene orientation.

exposure

In animation, an exposure is the number of cels on w hich a draw ing appears
in the scene. For a draw ing to appear longer, the exposure must be extended
over a greater number of cels.

exposure sheet

A sheet w ith several vertical columns and horizontal frames used to indicate
a scene's timing. Each column represents a scene layer. The draw ing
numbers in each column are indicated and repeated over the particularamount of frames they need to appear. The exposure sheet is used byanimators, directors and other members of a crew to track the sequence andtiming of images, dialogue, sound effects, sound tracks and camera moves.
Also know n as a dope sheet.

fade in/fade out

Fade in or fade out is a transition effect used to open or close a sequence. A
fade in occurs w hen the first scene appears progressively, from complete
transparency to its complete opacity. A fade out occurs w hen the last scene
progressively disappears, going from complete opacity to complete
transparency.

fast- inDramatic acceleration at the start of the action.

fast- out

Dramatic acceleration at the end of the action.

field

A measurement unit used in traditional animation to record and track theposition of the camera as w ell as its proximity to the stage.

field chart

A guide containing all the field units that animation and layout artists use todefine the size of the camera field as w ell as the camera movements.

219

Glossaryfilm- 1.33

A resolution that is ideal for the w idescreen film format that conforms to thestandard 4:3 pixel aspect ratio.

film- 1.66

A resolution that is ideal for the w idescreen film format that conforms to the
16:9 pixel aspect ratio.

flipping

In traditional animation, flipping is the action of going through the draw ings
of an animation sequence very quickly in order to see the animation in
motion. Flipping can also be the action of creating a mirror transformation ofan object.

follow- throughThe secondary motion caused by the main action. For example, a characterw earing a cloak is running. The main action is the body running. This w illcause the cloak to follow the motion, although it w ill not move at the sametime, but react a few frames later and follow the main motion curve.

forward kinematics

Forw ard kinematics is a feature used to animate principally 3D charactersand cut-out puppets w ith hierarchy. It is used to animate a puppet from oneof parent parts, such as a shoulder, and make the rest of the arm move w ith it
as a single piece.

frame

An animation frame is a single photographic image in a movie. In traditional
animation, the North American standard generally contains 24 frames per
second, w hile in Europe the standard is 25 frames per second.

frame rate

The frame rate is the speed at w hich the frames are played. They are
generally calculated by frame per second. For example, a scene could beplayed back at 12, 24, 25, 30 or 60 frames per second or any other number.
This is the measurement of the frequency (rate) at w hich an imaging device
produces unique consecutive images, called frames. The term applies
equally to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion
capture systems. Frame rate is most often expressed in frames per second(fps) and in progressive-scan monitors as hertz (Hz).

function

A computer-generated motion, trajectory or path on w hich elements, othertrajectories and effects parameters can be attached. The function can becontrolled by adding keyframes and control points on the function curve.

gamut

The range of colours that a particular device can represent.

220

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

HDTV

The acronym for High Definition Television, w hich is the current resolution
standard for television productions. The resolution of HDTV productions iseither 1280×720 (HD ready) or1920×1080 (full HD) and their frame rate
generally range from 23.976 to 30.

hold

A frame in the animation in w hich the character maintains its position
w ithout moving. A hold can be created betw een any tw o keyframes.

HSV

Hue, Saturation and Value. A method of defining colours in terms of hue(tint), saturation (shade) and value (tone or luminance).

in- between

The draw ings that exist betw een the key poses. These are draw n to create
fluid transitions betw een poses.

ink and paint

The ink and paint process is the action of painting the empty zones andcolouring the lines on the final animation draw ings, w hile follow ing a colour
model.

interpolation

The computer-generated motion created betw een tw o keyframes. You havethe choice to create interpolation, or not, betw een your keyframes.

inverse kinematics(IK)

A feature used mainly to animate 3D characters and cut-out puppets w ith
hierarchy. Inverse kinematics w ill animate a puppet from one of theextremities, such as a hand, and make the rest of the body follow naturally.

jump cut

A jerky cut betw een tw o scenes. Typically, a jump cut is not visually pleasing.
It is generally caused by one scene ending, and a second one starting, w ith asimilar image. The lack of difference causes the eye to see a little jump
betw een the tw o scenes.

key pose

Important positions in the action defining the starting and ending points ofany smooth transition. Keys, or key poses, are the main draw ings in an
animation sequence describing the motion. For example, if an arm is w aving,
the keys w ill be of the arm at one extremity of the w ave motion and the otherextremity. By flipping those draw ings, the animator can see the skeleton of
the motion w ithout having all the draw ings.

keyboard shortcuts

A keyboard key, or a combination of keyboard keys, that is assigned toperform a specific command in the application w hen pressed.

221

Glossary

keyframe

Important positions in the action defining the starting and ending points ofany action. A keyframe is a computer-generated position at a specificmoment (frame) on a given trajectory.

layer

In animation, a layer is an individual column, level or character. A scene's
layers are superimposed to form the final image.

layout

The communication step betw een the storyboard and the animation. It is theaction of putting the storyboard on model. That is, draw ing the character byfollow ing the design in the model pack, so the animator can start w orking.
The layout artist draw s the background, creates the camera and field guidematching the scene and camera motion. Lastly, the animator draw s on model
the main action poses.

layout and posing

The action of putting on model (at the right scale) the storyboard for the
animator to start w orking.

layout artist

The artist w ho draw s the background, and creates the camera and field
guide to match the scene and camera motion. They w ill draw on model themain action poses.

layout planning

Draw ing of the main features of the scene used as reference w hen planning
the animation and executing the initial stages of it.

layout process

library

The communication step betw een the storyboard and the animation.

A storage area containing templates and assets that can be reused in any
project or scene.

light table

A device that allow s you to see other layers in transparency w hile you are
w orking on a particular layer.

line of action

The main centreline in an action pose. W hen draw ing action poses, minding
the line of action ensures the pose is dynamic and that its silhouette fits the
direction of the action.

lip- sync

The process of synchronizing a character's mouth to sounds in the dialogue
sound track. The mouth is adjusted frame-by-frame to match the sound of222

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

the dialogue and provide the illusion that the character is speaking. Lip-sync
can be used for any sound sequence, not only speech, you could for instancehave a bird chirping or a w olf how ling at the moon.

low resolution

A format that is ideal for videos destined for the w eb, w here size and fast
dow nload of a video file take precedence over quality. A low -resolution
image is one that lacks fine detail.

manual lip- sync
detection

The manual sw apping of mouth position draw ings to match a voice track. For
this process, both sound scrubbing (listening to a sound w ave broken up
frame-by-frame) and draw ing substitutions are used.

master palette

A group of colours attributed to a character or prop. The palette is usedthroughout the entire production to maintain consistency in the look and toensure that the same colours are used throughout the production. Also
know n as palette.

model/colour

The definitive character, prop or location design each artist must follow for a

model

production. A colour model is the official colour design that must be used topaint the animation.

morphing

A feature for creating computer-generated draw ings betw een a source
draw ing and a destination draw ing. Animation created w ith the morphingfeature can be reused in different projects.

motion keyframe

mouth chart

A keyframe w ith computer-generated interpolation.

A chart based on the eight animation phonemes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and X,
w hich is used to represent silence) used for lip-sync.

multiplane

The effect of passing through multiple levels of draw ings to create a sense of
depth in a shot. A multiplane is a scene in w hich the layers are placed at
different distances from the camera so that w hen the camera moves, a depth
illusion occurs. W ith a multiplane, all the perspective and scale is calculated
automatically.

NTSC

The legacy standard analogue television broadcasting system used in North
America.

223

Glossarynudge

A small push (left, right, up, dow n, forw ard or backw ard) done w ith the
keyboard arrow keys on a selected element. Nudging is used to move aselection very slightly and precisely.

onion skin

A feature that lets you see the previous and next draw ings of a sequence.

overlay

A part of the scene environment, such as a chair or a bush, that is placed in
front of the main animation.

PAL

A resolution that w orks best w ith the European format for television andcomputer screens, as the rectangular pixels are displayed at a different
orientation.

palette style

A palette style is a second version of an existing palette w ith a slight change
in the tint and value. A palette style can be used to create the night version ofa palette. It may also be called a clone palette.

palette/master
paletteA palette or master palette is a group of colours attributed to a character or aprop. The palette is used throughout the entire project to maintain aconsistency in the look and avoid the colour changing during the animation.
Also referred to as a master palette.

pan

panel

To move the camera across the scene in any direction.

In a storyboard, a panel is a frame in a shot. A shot can be composed of one
or several panels.

paperless

The paperless animation process is the action of animating digitally. The

animation

main paperless animation process is to draw , frame by frame, the animation
directly in the softw are.

passing position

W hen draw ing a w alk sequence for a character, the passing position is thepoint at w hich one leg passes the other.

path of actionpeg

The path that the action follow s.

In traditional animation, a tool used to ensure accurate registration of action
as cel layers move. In digital animation, in w hich you are doing a more

224

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guideadvanced puppet rigging, you can use peg layers. Peg layers are trajectory
layers that do not contain draw ings. They are motion paths that you can use
to add path articulations. For the latter, you can also use an inverse
kinematics tool.

phonemeA unit of sound in a language.

pivot

The point around w hich a peg or draw ing rotates.

pixel

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 a small
sample of an image, a dot, a square, or a very small section made out ofsmooth filtering. If you zoom in close enough on a digital image, you w ill see
the pixels, w hich look like small squares of different colours and intensity.

pose- to- poseanimation

The pose-to-pose animation process is the action of creating all the main
action poses, called key poses, and then placing the secondary poses
betw een the keys. The secondary poses are called breakdow n. Finally, theanimator fills the gaps w ith the in-betw een draw ings to achieve a smoothanimation.

rendering

The final step w hen animating by computer. During rendering, the computer
takes each pixel that appears on screen and processes all of the components,
as w ell as adding motion blur before it produces a final image. The processof calculating the final images after the compositing process.

resolution

The size of a scene, generally calculated in pixels. For example, the NTSC
resolution is 720 x 480. The resolution should match the final output: HDTV,
film-1.33, film-1.66, NTSC, PAL, low .

RGBRed, Green, Blue. A method of defining colour by specifying amounts ofthese three colour components.

rigging

rotary table

The process of attaching the various parts of a cut-out puppet.

Equivalent to the animation disk/table, a device that allow s you to rotate thew orkspace for greater comfort w hile draw ing.

225

Glossaryrotoscoping

An animation technique in w hich animators trace over live-action film
movement, frame by frame, for use in animated films. The act of sketchingover live-action footage to create an animated sequence.

roughsRough is a common name in an animation movie for a draw ing that is used asa reference but w hich does not form part of the final image. A layout is arough. The skeleton sketch of an animation or design. Roughs mainly consistof sketch lines and shapes, but can also contain design details.

safe area

The zone at the center of a scene's frame that is safe from being cropped by
the TV frame. As a TV frame cuts a margin off the original frame size,
maintaining a safe area ensures that the scene's main action w ill remain
clearly visible once the film is screened on television.

scene

A shot in a movie or show . A sequence is composed of several scenes. A
scene changes to another scene by a simple cut or transition.

scriptThe original text containing all the movie or show information. In animation,
the script contains all of the location descriptions, dialogue, time and more. A
project starts w ith a script.

sequence

A series of scenes or shots forming a distinct part of the story or movie,
usually connected by unity of location or time.

shot

A scene in a movie or show . A sequence is composed of several shots. A shotchanges to another shot by a simple cut or transition.

slow- in

The gradual acceleration in the action. Also know n as ease-in.

slow- out

The gradual deceleration in the action. Also know n as ease-out.

slugging

To indicate the start and stop times of dialogue and relevant actions.

sound scrubbing

A process that lets you hear sound in real time w hile you move the playhead
forw ard or backw ard. This is very useful for finely-tuning a lip-sync.

stop- motion

A keyframe w ith no computer-generated interpolation.

keyframe

226

Harmony 22 Premium Getting Started Guide

storyboard

A visual plan of all the scenes and shots in an animation. The storyboard
indicates w hat w ill happen, w hen it w ill happen and how the objects in ascene are laid out.

straight- ahead
animation

A technique in w hich an entire sequence is draw n from the first position to
the last, in order. There is very little planning in this methodology. W here thecharacter ends up and how it gets there can be a surprise for both theaudience and the animator. W hile this approach is spontaneous and creative,
it can create inaccurate results.

strokesW hen not referring to actual brush or pencil strokes, strokes are invisible
outlines that are used to define colour zones, or to close open colour zones.

symbol

A symbol combines animation, artw ork or layers into a single object that you
can control in one layer. You can also create symbols out of each body part inyour cut-out puppets. You can place w hatever you w ant in a symbol. You can
use symbols to animate a puppet or create reusable animations such as
blinking.

tablet/pen

A device used in conjunction w ith, or instead of, a mouse to move a mousepointer (sometimes referred to as the cursor) around the computer screen.

template

An asset stored in the library that can be reused in any project. A template
can be a draw ing, a series of keyframes, a sound file, a panel, a cut-out
character, an effect, a trajectory, an animation, or anything else used in the
animation.

thumbnailA very small image used as a reference or indicator.

timecode

The timing information printed on a movie clip to indicate the scene, hour,
minute and second that is currently displayed on the screen.

timeline

A horizontal representation of a scene's elements, timing and keyframes.

trace and paint

After the rough animations have gone through cleanup and a final line or
pencil test, each draw ing is traced and painted for the final animation. In
today's digital w orld, this may be done in a variety w ays other than the
traditional celluloid or acetate methods.

227

Glossarytrack breakdown

The break dow n of an animated film's soundtrack into individual sounds to
produce the precise frame-by-frame position of each sound.

traditional

A type of animation process w hereby all the animation sequences are draw n

animationby hand on paper before scanning or inking them on cels.

trajectory

A computer-generated path or trajectory that elements can follow . The
trajectory can be controlled by control points, keyframes and velocity.

transition

An effect placed betw een tw o scenes as they pass from one to the other.
Common transition effects are cross-dissolve and w ipe.

underlay

In animation, an underlay is a specific part of the decor placed behind themain animation.

vector

A vector-based image is composed of points and Bézier curves. The
computer reads the points and traces the segments, linking them toreproduce 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 thesystem w ill simply recalculate the segments and rebuild the shapes. Vector
images are translated and displayed in pixels once the calculation is done.

velocity

In animation, the velocity, also know n as ease, is the acceleration or
deceleration of a motion. This can be achieved by a function curve, or via aseries of animated draw ings. Other common terms for ease-in and ease-out
are slow -in and slow -out.

walk cycle

A series of draw ings "on the spot" that describe the w alk for a character. The
illusion of movement is created by the use of background pans. To avoid
making innumerable draw ings, animators routinely make a w alk cycle for acharacter.

zone

An area w hich can be painted w ith colour.

228