TOC
Toon Boom Harmony 12.1 Reference Guide
Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes255

Add Drawing Layer Dialog Box

5Create Palette Dialog Box

6

Export to QuickTime Movie Dialog Box

7

Extend Exposure Dialog Box

8Fill Cells Randomly Dialog Box

8Import Images Dialog Box

9Movie Settings Dialog Box

11

Paste Special Dialog Box

12

Preferences Dialog Box

12

Remove Dirt Dialog Box

23

Remove Hair Dialog Box

23

Scene Settings Dialog Box

24

Scripts Manager Dialog Box

27

Select Colour Dialog Box

28

Set Ease for Multiple Parameters Dialog Box

30

Sound Settings Dialog Box

31

Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box

32

Timeline Scene Marker Dialog Box

33

Toolbar Manager Dialog Box

34

Vectorization Parameters Dialog Box

34

Chapter 2: Layer Properties

43
43

Drawing Layer Properties
Chapter 3: Menus

43
47
47

Main Menus

47

Quick-access Menus

60

View Menus

61

Chapter 4: Toolbars

67

Chapter 5: Views

69
69

Layer Properties

69

Chapter 6: Windows

73
73

Export to Easel JS

73

Export to Sprite Sheets

75

Index

79

TOON BOOM HARMONY 12.1
Reference Guide

2

Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

3

Legal Notices
Toon Boom Animation Inc.
4200 Saint-Laurent, Suite 1020
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2W 2R2
Tel: +1 514 278 8666
Fax: +1 514 278 2666
toonboom.com
Disclaimer
The content of this guide is covered by a specific limited warranty and exclusions and limit of liability under theapplicable License Agreement as supplemented by the special terms and conditions for Adobe®Flash® File
Format (SWF). For details, refer to the License Agreement and to those special terms and conditions.
The content of this guide is the property of Toon Boom Animation Inc. and is copyrighted.
Any reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
Trademarks
Harmony is a trademark of Toon Boom Animation Inc.
Publication Date
7/6/2018
Copyright © 2016 Toon Boom Animation Inc. All rights reserved.

4Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes
Dialog boxes contain controls such as options and lists through which you can carry out a particular command or
task. For example, in the Scene Settings dialog box, you must indicate the resolution and alignment. A typical dialog
box looks as follows:

Add Drawing Layer Dialog Box
The Add Drawing Layer dialog box lets you add a drawing layer to your project.
By default, when you create a new scene, there is one drawing column in the Xsheet view and one corresponding
drawing layer in the Timeline view.

5Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

You can add an element for each drawing and it will appear as a column in the Xsheet view, a layer in the Timelineview.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Adding New Drawing Elements on page 1.
How to access the Add Drawing Layer dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Timeline view, click the Add Drawing Layerbutton.

‣From the top menu, select Insert > Drawing.

‣

Press Ctrl + R (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + R (Mac OS X).

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you give the new layer a meaningful name.

Line Art

Creates a vector or bitmap drawing layer in the Line Art layer.

Colour Art

Creates a vector or bitmap drawing layer in the Colour Art layer.

Add and Close

Adds the selected type of layers to the Timeline view and corresponding
column in the Xsheet view and closes the dialog box. The names of the layers/columns are automatically numbered incrementally.

Add

Adds the selected type of layers to the Timeline view and corresponding
column in the Xsheet view. The dialog box remains open for you to add as
many layers/columns as needed. The names of the layers/columns areautomatically numbered incrementally.

Close

Closes the dialog box.

Create Palette Dialog Box
The Create Palette dialog box lets you create a palette in Basic mode. For simple productions, it is recommended
to use the Basic mode. This setting stores the palettes automatically for you and saves them at the Scene level.
When you use the Advanced Palette Lists mode, you can decide at which level you want to store your palettes:
Environment, Job, Scene, or Element.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Creating a Colour Palette on page 1.
How to access the Create Palette dialog box
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.

6button.

Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

3. Click OK.
The palette appears in the drawing element’s palette list.

Parameter

Description

New Palette Name

Lets you enter a name for the new palette.

Export to QuickTime Movie Dialog Box
The Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box lets you export your animation as a QuickTime movie. To render a
QuickTime movie with transparency, you need to set the Depth to Millions of Colours +. You can set this this whenexporting a QuickTime movie.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exporting a QuickTime Movie on page 1.
How to access the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
Parameter

Description

OutputBrowseLets you select a folder in which to save your movie and give it a file name for theexport.

Export Range
All

Exports the entire frame range.

7

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

FramesLets you enter the frame range to export.

Resolution
Resolution list

Lets you select a resolution ratio. If you select Custom, you can enter the widthand height.

Width and HeightLets you specify the width and height of the resolution.

Options
Movie Options

Opens the Movie Settings dialog box in which you can set the the compression
settings for the movie you will export—see Movie Settings Dialog Box.

Extend Exposure Dialog Box
The Extend Exposure dialog box lets you extend the exposure of a selected cell in the Timeline or Xsheet.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Filling Exposure on page 1.
How to access the Extend Exposure dialog box
1. Select a cell and do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Animation > Cell > Extend Exposure.

‣Press F5.

The Extend Exposure dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Extend to Frame

Lets you enter the frame up to which you want to extend the exposure.

Overwrite

Lets you expose the drawing in the frames and replace the drawings that wereorginally there.

InsertLets you expose the drawing in the frames and move the subsequent frames
forward in the Timeline view.

Fill Cells Randomly Dialog Box
The Fill Cells Randomly dialog box lets you fill in random values over a selection. You can give a maximum and aminimum value and create a range for Harmony to choose the random values from. The selection can be over one
cell or a cell range in one column or more or an entire column or many entire columns.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Filling a Selection Randomly on page 1.
How to access the Fill Cells Randomly dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell range.

8Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

2. Do one of the following:‣

Select Animation > Cell > Fill Cells Randomly.

‣

In the Xsheet view, click the Fill Cells Randomly
display it).

button (you may have to customize the toolbar to

The Fill Cells Randomly dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Minimum Value

The lowest acceptable value.

Maximum Value

The highest acceptable value.

Hold

The exposure holding value.

Whole Numbers

If you are applying this to a drawing column, this option lets you avoid having
decimal points.

Add Key Exposure After

Inserts a key exposure after the frame following the last cell.

Import Images Dialog Box
The Import Images dialog box lets you import bitmap images and vectorize them, making the images editable. Then
you can use a variety of drawing tools to edit the image. Or you can always keep the original bitmap image as is.
Also, you can choose to import bitmap images on bitmap or vector layers depending on your project..
For tasks related to this dialog box, see How to Import Bitmap Images on page 1 and Importing Bitmap Images on
page 1.

9

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

How to open the Import Images dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

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

‣

In the File toolbar, click the Import Images‣

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

button.

The Import Images dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Files
BrowseLets you find and select images on your computer.

Create Layers(s)Lets you create layers for imported images.

Create Single Layer
Named

Creates a layer you can name.

Create Layer(s) Basedon Filenames

Creates a layer based on each unique filename prefix. For example, thefilenames a-1.tga, a-2.tga and b-1.tga will create layers name "a" and "b",where "a" has two drawings and "b" has one. When creating a single layer fromthese three filenames, all three drawings will be inserted in the new layers.

Add to Existing Layer

Lets you select an existing layer to which imported images will be added.

Layer

Vectorization
Vectorize Image
ColourImports the bitmap image as a colour image.

Black and White

Vectorizes drawings as a solid black line; creates a 100% vector-based
drawing.

Threshold

Determines what values in the scanned image will be considered as part of thedrawing, and what will be ignored and eliminated in the vectorized drawing. The
lower the value, the darker the image and vice versa.

10Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

SmoothDetermines how smooth the lines will be. The lower the value, the more detailwill be retained and vice versa.

New Preset

Lets you create a new preset.

Delete Preset

Lets you delete any preset in the list.

Custom Vectorization

Lets you set custom vectorization parameters—see Creating a Vectorization
Style on page 1.

Movie Settings Dialog Box
The Movie Settings dialog box lets you set the compression settings for the movie you will export.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exporting a QuickTime Movie on page 1.
How to access the Movie Settings dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
2. In the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box that opens, click Movie Options.
Parameter

Description

Video
Settings

Opens the Standard Video Compression Settings dialog box. This is where you
can set the video compression settings for the movie you will export—see
Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box on page 32.

FilterOpens the Choose Video Filter dialog box, where you can select from a range offilters to apply to your video export.

Size

Opens the Export Size Settings dialog box. The size settings are overridden by
the Harmony's scene settings.

Settings

Opens the Standard Video Compression Settings dialog box. This is where you

Sound

11

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

can you set the sound compression settings for the movie you will export—see
Sound Settings Dialog Box on page 31.

Paste Special Dialog Box
The Paste Special dialog box lets you determine how templates and symbols are imported in the Timeline view.
When you import a template in the Timeline view, all layers are created as well as drawings and keyframes. You
can choose to import only the keyframes without the drawings or import only the drawings that are not already inyour layers. You can adjust the behaviour using the Paste Special dialog box.When you import a symbol in yourscene, its full length is exposed by default. If you import a symbol in the Timeline view’s left side, all the frames
will be exposed. However, if you import it into an existing layer, you can use the Paste Special dialog box toadjust the import behaviour to fit your requirements.Once you set the parameters, Harmony will reuse them eachtime you import a symbol in the Timeline view’s right side until you set new parameters.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Using Paste Special on page 1.
How to access the Paste Special dialog box
1. In the Library view, select the symbol or template to import.
2. Press Ctrl + B (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + B (Mac OS X) and drag the selection to the Timeline view.

NOTE: Drop the selection in the Timeline view before releasing the keyboard shortcut key.

The Paste Special dialog box opens.

Preferences Dialog Box
The Preferences dialog box lets you adjust preferences to suit your work style, allowing you to work more
efficiently.

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

12Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

How to access the Preferences dialog box
Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences (Windows/Linux) or Stage Essentials > Preferences(Mac OS X).

‣

Press Ctrl + U (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + U (Mac OS X).

Shortcuts Tab
To speed up your work, all of the keyboard shortcuts can be customized. You can even choose other software
keyboard shortcut sets.
In Toon Boom Harmony, you can choose a set of default keyboard shortcuts you are familiar with. You can choose
between the following:•

Adobe Flash•Toon Boom Harmony•

Toon Boom Studio

You can also customize most of the shortcuts and use the search feature to find particular shortcuts.

13Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Shortcut Preferences on page 1.
Parameter

Description

Keyboard Shortcut List

Lets you choose a set of keyboard shortcuts to use, including Toon Boom
Harmony, Adobe Flash and Toon Boom Studio.

Keyboard Shortcut Categories

Each category lists all the keyboard shortcuts. Some commands may not havea keyboard shortcut assigned to it. Selecting a shortcut displays its description
on the right.

Restore All Defaults

Restores all the default keyboard shortcuts. This erases any custom shortcuts
you made.

Press Shortcut Key

Displays the keyboard shortcut assigned to a command.

Clear

Lets you remove the keyboard shortcut assigned to a command.

Default

Lets you return a keyboard shortcut to its default.

SearchLets you search for a command. The result is highlighted in the Keyboard
Shortcut Categories on the left.

Search by Name/Shortcut

Lets you search for a command by its name or keyboard shortcut keys.

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

General Tab

Parameter

Description
Auto-Save:•

Interval (minutes): This is the frequency at which the auto-savetakes place.

•

Inactivity Interval (seconds): When Auto-save is about to takeplace, it verify if you are drawing or doing anything in the application.
If so, Auto-save waits this number of seconds before attempting
another save.

•

Ask Before Saving: Before performing an auto-save, the system willprompt you with a message to confirm if you want to save or not. You
can choose to turn off this option.

•

Enabled: This enables the Auto-save feature. If you do not want thesystem to automatically save your work, deselect this option. The
auto-save is off by default.

Save

Automatically Save Workspace: This option is enabled by default. Everytime you add a view to your workspace, remove a toolbar or change a view’s
width, these modifications are saved when you quit the application. If you do
not want the system to save these modifications, disable the preference.
This preference does not require you to restart the application.
Touch Interface:•

Support Gestures: Enable the gestural touch interface for the
OpenGL views. Note, on Mac OS, this determines whether a 2 finger
drag gesture is interpreted as a zoom or a pan.

•

Invert Scroll Direction: Invert the scroll direction.

Options

15

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes•

Touch Sensitivity: Control touch sensitivity. On Mac OS, higher
numbers give a slower response to pans. On Windows, higher
numbers favour scale/rotates over pans.

Focus on Mouse Enter:
Disabled by default. In Toon Boom Harmony, for the operations or keyboard
shortcuts to work in the view in which you are working, the focus must be inthat view. When the focus is on a particular view, a red rectangle appears
around its frame. You must click in the view or on the view’s header for thefocus to be done.
If you enable the Focus on Mouse Enter preference, you will not need toclick in the view to get the focus. It will be done as soon as your mouseenters the view.

NOTE: If you enable the Focus On Mouse Enter preference, certain
operations from the top menu may not be available since the view focus
may change as you make your way to the top menu. In this case use
keyboard shortcuts and quick access menus (right-click menus).

Auto Render: Automatically enables the Auto-Render option.
Use Dark StyleSheet (Requires Relaunch): Application loads a dark skinfor the User Interface.
Stop-Motion Keyframes: New keyframes are created as stop-motion
keyframes.
Settings

Default Separate Position for Pegs: New pegs are created with separate
position functions.
Default Separate Scale for Pegs: New pegs are created with separate
scale functions.

Timeline

Add Keyframe at Beginning and End: Add keyframes at beginning andend: Select this option to copy and paste a set of frames that includes aninterpolated sequence between two keyframes, but only extracts a partial
section. Under normal circumstances, cutting and pasting a function without
either the start or end keyframe would render the function null. This option
caps the partial function with a new keyframe when you perform the paste.
Extend Exposure of Previous Drawing: When drawing on a blank frame,a new drawing is created and the timing is extended from the previous
exposed drawing.

16Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Camera Tab

Parameter

Description

Settings

Set Keyframe At Frame One With First Application of the Transform Tool:
When this option is selected, wherever you set a keyframe on a layer, a keyframe
is added on your frame 1. If this options is deselected, a keyframe is only added
to the current frame. If later on, you add a keyframe on your frame 1, it may
modify the first keyframe you added.
Small Bitmap Resolution: The size, in pixels, of the smaller bitmap version ofyour image. When you import a bitmap image into a scene, a smaller version of itis created in order to accelerate the compositing and playback processes.
Show Control Points On Selected Layers: By default, when you select anelement with the Transform tool, the motion path related to the object isdisplayed.

Control Points

Control Point Tension: The default Tension value for new keyframes and control
points.
Control Point Continuity: The default Continuity value for new keyframes andcontrol points.
Control Point Bias: The default Bias value for new keyframes and control points.

Colours

Background Colour: Lets you change the background colour.

17Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Drawing Tab

Parameter

Description

Light Table

Onion Skin Render Style:18Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide•

Normal: The onion skinned drawings are displayed in washed out
colours.

•

Enable Shade: The previous onion skinned drawings are displayed in
washed out red shades and the next onion skinned drawings are
displayed in washed out green shades.

•

Outlines Only: The onion skinned drawings are displayed as outlines
only.

Light Table: Enable Shade: When enabled, the drawings appearing on theLight Table are displayed in washed out colours in the Drawing view. When
this option is disabled, the drawings appearing in the Light Table are displayedusing normal colours. This option is for the Drawing view only.
Light Table: Shade in Camera View: When enabled, the drawings appearing
on other layers are displayed in washed-out colours in the Camera view. When
this option is disabled, the drawings appearing on other layers are displayedusing normal colours. This option is for the Camera view only.
Grid On By Default: When opening the Drawing view, the grid displays
automatically.
Select Tool is Lasso: When this option is enabled, the Select tool behaves asa lasso selector. When this option is disabled, the Select tool behaves as arectangle selector.

Options

Brush Size Cursor: When this option is enabled, the brush tool displays thebrush size as a circle around the cursor.
Auto Gap Closing in Pixel Units: Disabling this option will cause your gap tobe zoom dependent. Zoom dependent means that the more you zoom in, thesmaller the gap you can close with the Close Gap tools. By enabling thisoption, you choose to make the gap display available in pixel units, which is
not zoom dependent.
Auto Gap Closing on Startup: The values for automatic gap closing while
painting drawings are: 0 = Disabled, 1=Small, 2=Medium, 3=Big.
Background Colour: Lets you change the background colour.

Colours
Grid Colour: Lets you change the colour of the grid.
Enable Paper Zoom: Enabling this option allows you to set the 100% Zoom
level onscreen, in order to physically match the measurements of your paper
drawing.

Zoom

Number of Pixels per Inch: Enter the PPI for your monitor. To obtain the PPI
of your screen, divide the height or width of your monitor's resolution setting by
the corresponding physical height or width of your monitor screen (resolution
height divided by physical height, or resolution width divided by physical width)
in inches.
Quick Close Up Zoom Factor: Sets the zoom level for the Quick Close up
Zoom keyboard shortcut.
Maximum Zoom Factor: Sets the maximum zoom level for the paper zoom.

19

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

OpenGL Tab

Parameter

Description
Conservative Texture Management: Turns on and off conservative memory
management for bitmap texture files. Performance will improve when this isenabled. If disabled, you will have a better on-screen rendering of bitmap files
at the expense of slower performance.
Smooth Textures: Smooths out the pixels of bitmap images when zooming in;this improves bitmap image quality.
Alternate Gradient and Cutter: This is an alternative way to disable write in
the OpenGL Backbuffer, required for some video cards (i.e. GeForce FX5200).
Do not enable this option unless you are experiencing problems with gradientsand cutters in OpenGL.

Settings

Use PBuffer for Picking: This will use an off-screen buffer for picking,resulting in a quicker response. This option should not be enabled if using asmall capacity video card (32MB).
Support Triple Buffer: Enable this option for a better compatibility with
Windows Vista if your video card driver does not allow to disable the triple
buffering option. Not enabling this option may result in a dashing line whendrawing a brush stroke.
Support Desktop Effects: Enable this option for better compatibility with
Windows 7, Windows Vista and Mac OS X desktop effects. This will prevent
graphic compositing problems from happening when the full-scene anti-aliasing
option is enabled.
Maximum Texture Size: The size that the bitmap file will be reduced to whenusing the Conservative Texture Management.
Texture Memory: The amount of temporary memory used to store bitmap

20Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

texture files.
Vector Drawing Maximum Texture Size: This is the size that the .tvg file will
be reduced to for better performance when in OpenGL render mode.
The Full Scene Antialiasing is generated by your computer’s graphic card. It
provides a smooth line display in OpenGL. This antialiasing will not only
antialias your drawings but all the different views in the interface.
This option lets you see smooth lines as you draw as well as an antialiased
drawing area. You can change the value of the Full Scene Antialiasing using
the Preferences dialog box to fit the current level used in the Camera or
Drawing view.
Enable (Requires Relaunch): By default, this option is off. Select to turn on
the Full Scene Antialiasing option. You'll need to restart Toon Boom Harmony.

Full Scene Antialiasing

Number of samples (For Mac OS): Enter the number of samples you want to
be used for the antialiasing process. The number of samples is basicallyequivalent to the amount of time a pixel will be enlarged to calculate theantialiasing. This technique is called supersampling. The higher the number ofsamples, the better the antialiasing quality will be, but the longer it will take tocalculate. The recommended value is 4.

NOTE: If you are using Windows or Linux, you must enable your graphiccard’s antialiasing parameter. Refer to user guide of your graphics card. For
example, the parameters for an NVIDIA GeForce card may look like this:21

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Advanced Tab

Parameter

Advanced Options

Description
Support CMYK in PDF/Illustrator Import: Lets you import .pdf and .ai files
that were created or exported in CMYK mode. The colours of the resulting
imported image may still not look 100% faithful to its CMYK original due to the
RGB conversion. It is recommended that you convert these files to RGB
images before importing them into Toon Boom Harmony. Disabling this option
will cause all the colours of the imported image to be displayed as red toindicate that the file was not converted to RBG before import.
PDF/Illustrator Import as Separate Layers: Imports the different
groups/elements of the .pdf or .ai file as separate layers. For Illustrator files,
the import will use the top level group as separate layer names. Deselect thisoption to import pdf or .ai files as a single layer.

Tablet Support

Use Qt Wintab Tablet Support (Requires Relaunch): If you are using atablet other than Wacom, deselect this option (and relaunch) if you are having

22

Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

issues with offset or pressure sensitivity.
Allow Unicode Names: Lets you use up to 120 ASCII characters for names ofenvironments, jobs and scenes. This means you can use characters forlanguages, such as Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, and others,
characters for names in your database setup—see Advanced Tips andGuidelines on page 1.

UnicodeRemove Dirt Dialog Box
The Remove Dirt dialog box lets you select small dots and hairs on a drawing for removal.
When paper drawings are passed through a scanner, there can be some hair and dirt scattered across them. Theselines and dots need to be cleaned. Harmony provides different tools to help get rid of them quickly.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Dirt Clean Up on page 1.
How to access the Remove Dirt dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Drawing > Clean Up > Remove Dirt.

‣

From the Camera or Drawing View menu, select Drawing > Clean Up > Remove Dirt.

‣

Press Shift + D.

Parameter

Description
Lets you adjust the amount of detail removed from the layer.

SliderRaising the Remove Dirt level will select bigger dots. When selecting larger dots,
be careful not to lose small details like pupils and nostrils. Once you have chosen
the level, you can apply it to the current drawing or the entire animation sequence.
This is a quick way to get rid of most dirt and dust.
During this process, the dirt that will be removed is highlighted in red.

Apply to all drawings

Applies the operation to all drawings in the layer.

Remove Hair Dialog Box
The Remove Hair dialog box lets you remove any small strokes created in the Colour Art layer from very thick lines
or filled zones. Increasing the Remove Hair level value will select larger strokes for removal from the drawing.
When paper drawings are passed through a scanner, there can be some hair and dirt scattered across them. Theselines and dots need to be cleaned. Harmony provides different tools to help get rid of them quickly.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Dirt Clean Up on page 1.

23

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

How to access the Remove Hair dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the drawing containing the drawing to clean.
2. From the top menu, select View > Show > Show Strokes to display the invisible lines or press K.
3. In the top menu, select Drawing > Clean Up > Remove Hair.

Parameter

Description

SliderLets you adjust the number of length of hairs selected.

Apply to all drawings

Applies the operation to all drawings in the layer.

Scene Settings Dialog Box
The Scene Settings dialog box lets you parameters for your scene.
When you created your new scene, you set up the resolution and the alignment. However, if you want to changethese initial settings later, you can do it using the Scene Settings dialog box. The different Scene Settings options
are separated into four tabs.

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

How to access the Scene Settings dialog box
1. From the top menu, select Scene > Scene Settings.
The Scene Settings dialog box opens.
Resolution Tab
Parameter

Description
You can select your project’s resolution (camera frame size) from this preset list.

‣ HDTV: High definition television delivers a higher quality image thanstandard television (4:3) does, because it has a greater number of lines ofresolution. To take advantage of the superior quality your output device
must be compatible with HDTV technology to make this resolution setting
useful.

‣ HDTV_Vertical: The "vertical resolution" of HDTV_Vertical refers to how

Resolution Presets

the images will be aligned in relation to the actual scene frame (default 4:3
grid). Note that the camera resolution and the scene frame are not thesame. When working with 12 or 16 field drawing grids, the grid is a different
aspect ratio from the camera frame. When you fit vertically, you fit theimages with the top and bottom of the scene grid.

‣ film-1.33: Use this resolution setting for the academy film format that
conforms to the standard 4:3 aspect ratio.

‣ film-1.66: Use this resolution setting for the widescreen film format that
conforms to the 16:9 aspect ratio.

‣ film-1.66_Vertical: This is essentially the same as film-1.66. Refers to
how the drawing is fit into the scene frame. When working with 12 or 16
field drawing grids, the grid is a different aspect ratio from the camera
frame. When you fit vertically, you fit the images with the top and bottom
25

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxesof the scene frame.

‣ NTSC: This is the standard analogue television broadcasting system usedin North America and conforms to the North American standards on how
rectangular pixels are displayed for computer and television screens.

‣ PAL: This resolution works best with the European format for televisionand computer screens, as the rectangular pixels are displayed at adifferent orientation.

‣ Low: This format is ideal for videos destined for the web, where size andfast download of a video file might take precedence over quality.

‣ Cloud Preview: This is the resolution used by Web Control Center tocreate its preview.
Selected Resolution Preset

Displays the selected resolution preset.

Save Resolution Setting

Click the Save Resolution button after you define your new resolution to save it
as a preset.
Displays the pixel dimensions for your project resolution.

Pixel Dimensions

If you decide to type in the pixel dimensions, or use the up and down arrows tochange the pixel increments, you will have to save your custom selection in orderto save it as a new preset. It will then appear in the resolution selection list. It
doesn't modify the current resolution preset.

Aspect Ratio

Displays the ratio between the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the camera
framing. Each resolution setting has a preset aspect ratio that cannot be changed.

Frame per second

Sets the frame rate for your project. The higher the frame rate, for example 30 fps,
the faster the animation will pla. The lower the frame rate, for example 12 fps, theslower your animation will play. Avoid going under 12 frames per second as youranimation will have a choppy playback. The human eye requires a minimum of 12
frames per second to perceive a fluid animation.

Field of View

Use these options to define the FOV (field of view) of the camera (angle of thecamera cone) and how the drawing elements (and drawing grid) align to the scene
grid. The drawing grid is always scaled proportionally to a 4:3 ratio (unless youchange the scene alignment), therefore changing the Field of View setting may
not show a visible difference if your project resolution is also 4:3, such as NTSC.

‣ Horizontal Fit: The camera resolution is set to fit the left and right edges ofthe scene grid.

26

Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide‣ Vertical Fit: The camera resolution is set to fit the top and bottom edges ofthe scene grid.

Scripts Manager Dialog Box
The Scripts Manager dialog box lets you link a script to a toolbar button for quick and easy access. Once you selecta script, you can add it to the toolbar, load a custom icon and add a tooltip.

27

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Linking a Script to a Toolbar Button on page 1.
How to access the Scripts Manager Dialog Box
1. In the Scripting toolbar, click the Manage Scripts

button.

The Scripts Manager dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Files

A list of the available JavaScript files.

Functions

A list of the available functions for the selected script.

In Toolbar

Adds the selected script to the toolbar.

ExecuteRuns the script you selected. Press Esc to interrupt the execution of the script.

Customize Icon

Lets you load a custom icon for the function. You can browse for a *.png,*.jpg or *.xpm file.

Customize Tooltip

Lets you type in a tooltip for the function. When you hover over the button in the
toolbar, your tooltip will appear.

Select Colour Dialog Box
The Select Colour dialog box lets you set the colour of layers and columns. Using colours for layers and columns
helps to differentiate them visually, making them easy to identify.
You can select a colour by choosing from a basic set of colours, using the colour wheel or by specifying the HSV
or RGB values. Once you have selected a colour, you can adjust its intensity and save it as a custom colour thatyou can reuse.

28Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Changing the Colour of a Layer or Column on page 1.
How to access the Select Colour dialog box in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view, click the Change Track Colour

button of the layer you want to modify.

The Select Colour dialog box opens.
How to access the Select Colour dialog box in the Xsheet view
1. In the Xsheet view, select one or more columns to modify.
2. Right-click on the column’s header and select Colour > Change Columns Colour.
The Select Colour dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Basic colours

The basic set of colours in the system?

Custom colours

Displays the custom colours you created.

Add to custom colours

Lets you add the selected colour to the Custom colours list above.

Colour wheel

Lets you select a colour by dragging the T-shaped pointer.

Value slider

Once you select a colour, you can drag the slider to change the intensity and see
it previewed in the Colour Preview window below..

Colour Preview

Displays the colour you are currently selecting. To apply the colour, click OK.

Hue, Saturation, Value

Lets you set the hue (colour), saturation (amount of colour) and brightness (value)of the colour.

Red, Green, Blue

Lets you set the red, green and blue values.

29Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Set Ease for Multiple Parameters Dialog Box
The Edit Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box lets you apply ease to multiple functions and keyframes.
You can display the function curve and modify the Bezier or Ease curve—see Adjusting the Velocity on page 1.
How to access the Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box
1. In the Timeline view, select a keyframe on one or more layers.

2. Do one of the following:‣

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

‣

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

button.

The Set Ease For Multiple Parameters dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Filters
Motion: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Position X, Position Y,
Position Z and 3D Path functions.
Rotation: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Angle functions.
Scale: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Scale functions.
MotionSkew: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Skew functions.
Morphing: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Morphing Velocity
functions. Note that it applies to the Morphing velocity function found in theLayer Properties window, not the basic morphing ease in the Tool Properties
view.
Other: Applies the easing parameters to all the other the selected functions,such as all functions created to animate effect parameters.

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Left and Right Time Ratio

Lets you type the percentage value corresponding to the length of time youwant the easing to last. Stay between 0% and 100%. If you go beyond 100%,
your motion will overshoot.

Left and Right Value Ratio

Lets you type the percentage value of how strong you want the easing out tobe. Stay between 0% and 100%. If you go beyond 100%, your motion willovershoot.

Apply/Previous

Applies the easing parameters to the selected keyframes and then selects theprevious keyframe in the timeline.

Apply

Applies the easing parameters to the selected keyframes.

Apply/Next

Applies the easing parameters to the selected keyframes and then selects thenext keyframe in the timeline.

Close

Close the dialog box. If you did not apply the modifications, they will becancelled.

Sound Settings Dialog Box
The Sound Settings dialog box lets you set the compression settings for the movie you will export.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exporting a QuickTime Movie on page 1.
How to access the Sound Settings Dialog Box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
2. In the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box that opens, click Movie Options.
3. In the Movie Setting dialog box that opens, click Settings in the Sound section.

Parameter

Description

Compressor

Lets you select a compression type. The default setting is None. This will
preserve your original sound file without the loss of information. However, an
uncompressed sound file will inevitably add “weight” to the overall size of yourvideo export.

Rate

Lets you select a rate.
It is best to check and match the original properties of your sound file. For
example, if your file has an audio sample rate of 48 kHz and you choose a conversion rate of 22.05 kHz, the sound will play at the same speed, but with higher
frequencies missing. For a standard film sound quality, choose 44.1 kHz, or 48
kHz for DVD quality. Anything less will make the sound “dull” or less bright. For
things like recorded voice, this doesn't matter so much, but for music it can makean audible difference. If file size is a consideration, such as with videos for the31

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Internet, then a lower rate might be more practical.

Size and Use

Size and Use are related. It is advisable to check your original sound fileproperties. If the file was recorded in one channel (mono), there is no point inchoosing the two channel (stereo) option. Although Mono can support a 16-bit
channel, the extra information is unnecessary. Mono is generally paired with 8-bit
and Stereo with 16-bit.

Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box
The Standard Video Compression Settings dialog box lets you set the compression settings for the movie you will
export.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exporting a QuickTime Movie on page 1.
How to access the Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
2. In the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box that opens, click Movie Options.
3. In the Movie Setting dialog box that opens, click Settings in the Video section.
Parameter

Description

Compression Type

Lets you select a codec. The availability of certain compression settings
depends on the Compression Type selected. For example, Animation is thedefault compression type and as a result the Data Rate option is greyed out.

MotionFrame Rate

Lets you select a frame rate. By default, it is set to match the frames-persecond (fps) of your Harmony project. If you choose a lower frame rate, your32

Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

export playback will be faster than your actual project. The reverse is also true
for a higher frame rate.
Automatic:
Every: Inserts keyframes. This is the option is recommended by QuickTime.
For further details, refer to the QuickTime documentation.
Key Frames

All:
Frame Rendering:
Frames: Lets you set the number of keyframes to insert.

Compressor
Depth

Lets you select a depth based on your movie’s needs. For example, Millions ofColours+ houses an alpha channel.

Quality

Lets you choose a quality setting. The higher the quality of the export, thelarger the resulting file.

Data Rate
Automatic: Lets the system automatically select the most optimal bit rate.
Date Rate

Restrict To: Lets you enter a rate to save space and allow for faster
downloading at a cost to the quality of the export.
Optimized For: Lets you select the intended viewing method.

Preview

Displays a preview of the movie to be exported.

Timeline Scene Marker Dialog Box
The Timeline Scene Marker dialog box lets you create and manage scene markers in the Timeline view. Scene
markers are visual indicators displayed at the top of the Timeline view in the frame counter area. You can use it todenote anything relevant to your work. You can indicate the frames you want to clean up, a change in action, an
impact, or where you intend to apply an effect. You can also add a note to a scene marker, which is displayed when
you hover over the scene marker.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Setting Scene Markers on page 1.
How to access the Timeline Scene Marker dialog box
1. In the frame counter area of the Timeline view, do one of the following:‣

Drag to select the frame range to mark.

‣

Right-click and select Scene Markers > Mark Current Frame.

Parameter

Description

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Colour swatch

Opens the Mark Colour dialog box where you can select a colour for the scene
marker.

Note (Tooltip)

Lets you type in a name for your scene marker. Making the name meaningful will
help you to quickly identify scene markers especially when there are many ofthem in the frame counter area of the Timeline view.

Toolbar Manager Dialog Box
The Toolbar Manager dialog box lets you customize the toolbar in any of the views. You can add your favourite
tools to a toolbar for an efficient workflow.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Managing the Toolbars on page 1.
How to access the Toolbar Manager dialog box
1. Right-click on a toolbar in any view and select Customize.

Parameter

Description

Available Tools

Displays the complete list of tools available for customizing a toolbar.

Toolbar

Displays a list of the tools currently available on the toolbar.

Default

Restores the toolbar with its default items.

Vectorization Parameters Dialog Box
The Vectorization Parameters dialog box lets you vectorize pencil drawings, along with any red, blue or green
pencil marks you may have used to indicate highlights and shadows. The drawing will be vectorized into pure red,
blue, green and black (RGB values), while creating colour art zones wherever lines connect. After painting in yourtones and highlights, change your pure RGB colours to transparent (0 Alpha) in the Colour Picker window and
watch the indicator colour zone lines disappear.

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Custom Vectorization Parameters on page 1.
How to open the Vectorization Parameters dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Import > From Scanner.
You can also open it from any other import option that allows you to customize the vectorization parameters(i.e. from the scanner).
2. In the Scan Drawings window, do the following:‣

In the Layer section, decide on the layer options.

‣

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

Click Preview.

3. In the Vectorization section, click the Vectorization Parameters

button.

Options Tab
The Options tab contains the main vectorization settings. More settings are available in the Help tab.

35

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Parameter

Description

Input

The input filters are applied to the bitmap image before it is vectorized.
One Pass

One threshold value is applied to both the Line and Colour Art. For drawings
with distinct vector-style lines of mattes, you only need one pass.

Two Passes

Applies a different threshold value to each layer. For greyscale drawings, you
may want to perform the vectorization process twice to apply different
threshold values to the Line and Colour Art layers.

Threshold

Determines which values in the scanned image are considered part of the Lineor Colour Art layer and what will be eliminated from the vectorized drawing; 0%
is white and 100% is black. The threshold is between these two values.

Expand Bitmap

Lets you enter a value to scale the bitmap to detect small variations in the line.
Use this option if you scanned a greyscale image and want to preserve small
variations in the texture to apply to the line art.

Jag Filter

Lets you enter a value to scale back the bitmap to remove some of the line’sroughness. This is useless when you have a drawing that appears quite rough;the Jag filter will eliminate excess strokes in the final drawing.

Line Art Threshold (%)
Colour Art Threshold(%)
OutputThe output filters are applied during the vectorization process.
No Colour Art

Does not generate filling zones in the Colour Art layer.

No Texture

Does not generate texture in the Line Art layer in the final images. Select thisoption to create solid lines in the final line art.

Generate Matte in
Underlay Layer

Creates an opaque zone behind your drawing’s lines to avoid seeing throughthe layers.

Colour as Texture

Converts colour values into a texture layer.

Optical Registration

The optical registration options are used to automatically align drawings basedon the position of the peg holes on the animation paper. The peg holes must
appear in the scanned drawings for the optical registration to work.

DPI

Lets you enter the dots-per-inch value of your image. You must enter the same

36

Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guidevalue as the DPI used to scan the image.
Peg Side

Lets you select the position of the peg holes on your drawings. Identify whether
they are on the top, bottom, left or right.
Determines how exact the location of the peg holes must be for the software torecognize them. There are two values to choose from:

Strictness

Strict: The peg holes must be in a tightly defined area to be recognized.
Loose: The peg holes can be recognized somewhere in a larger area. This is
the recommended setting.

Field Chart
Post Processing

Lets you indicate the size of the animation paper, 12 or 16.
The Post Processing filters are applied to the final vector images.

Remove Holes

Removes holes of a specified value that might make painting difficult.

Remove Dirt

Removes stray marks and dirt of a specified value. Try a value around 500.

Remove Hair Size

Removes small strokes that have no line art.

Remove Hair: Number
of Passes

The number of times the drawing will be analyzed to identify hair marks.

Miscellaneous
Close Gaps

Closes gaps in the Colour Art so you can paint it.

Smooth Passes for Line The number of times the smoothing operation runs before creating the triangles
Art Before Breaking
that break lines in the drawing. If unnecessary triangles are appearing in the
Triangles
drawing, increase this value.
Smooth Passes for Line The number of times the smoothing operation is performed after the triangles
Art
have been created. This further smooths the line art.
Preview
Show Strokes

Shows the strokes in the Vectorized Image panel.

Stroke Thickness

Shows the size of the strokes.

Help Tab
The Help tab contains the most advanced vectorization settings which you type in the Advanced Option fields at thebottom of the Vectorization Parameters dialog box.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

File IO Options-file <filename (including extension)> [ options ]-infile <filename (including extension)>; same as -file-outfile <filename>; alternate output file-informat <format>; the input format. Used if reading from stdin-debug; turn on debug mode
-noforce; don't force output if image is inconsistent-version; print version information and quit
-output_version <version>; output files of this version. Valid versions can be: 0 or 604-force_unamed_palette_for_texture; will generate a texture in TVG's internal palette

Registration Options-register <dpi side strictness>; perform optical registration.
•

Side can be one of left, right, top, bottom or l, r, t, b.

•

Strictness can be either loose, strict or l, s.

-register_center_peg_holes; will use only round holes in 16 fields page-rcph; short form of register_center_peg_holes-registration_looseness_factor <factor>; registration looseness factor (default 2.000000)-rlf; short form of registration_looseness_factor-rdebug; output registration debug messages-pegpitch <inch (default 8.000000)>; distance between peg bars
-threshr < (default 0.500000)>; threshold for optical registration; range 0.0 to 1.0-rmargin <inch (default 1)>; region size where to look for peg bars
-peg_distance_from_center <inch (default 5.25)>; peg distance from centre of the image

38

Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide-pdfc; short form of -peg_distance_from_center-out_peg_position <side (default same)>; wanted position of the peg on the drawing.
•

Can be one of right, left, top, bottom (or r, l, t, b) or same.

•

A rotation will be performed if it is different from the side passed to -register.

-output_peg_matrix; output the peg transformation matrix on standard output.
-scanner_calibrate; < (default 1.0000 1.0000) > x and y scale factors to be applied to scanner image.

Filtering Options-pixel <pixel_shape (default '4x3')>; Valid values: 4x3-gap <worldUnits (default 10)>; close gaps up to this big-pencil; generate line art only
-keep_dirt; don't filter out dirt
-thresh <threshold (default 0.2)>; range 0.0 to 1.0-rmv_hairs <worldUnits (default 1)> <passes (default 1)>•

remove hairs of size smaller than "size" in "passes" passes-rmv_holes <area (default 7)>; remove holes smaller than "area"-rmv_dirt <area (default 1)>; remove dirt smaller than "area"•

try values between 100 and 500 for rmv_holes and rmv_dirt. The area is in world units squared-rmv_triangles <worldUnits (default 30.000000)>; remove triangles at "pixels"•

distance from each other. Use -no_break to remove all triangles-no_texture; don't generate textured strokes-color_as_texture; will vectorize the alpha channel and put the RGB colour in a textured colour-noclosegap; disable all gap closing algorithms-no_break; disable the breaking of line art-jag_filter <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap-expand_bitmap <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap-fit_errorc <error (default 1.000000>; fitting error for the colour art-fit_errorl <error (default 1.000000>; fitting error for the line art-smoothl <passes (default 1>; number of smooth passes for line art-smoothc <passes (default 1>; number of smooth passes for colour art-first_smooth <passes (default 0>; number of smooth passes for line art before breaking triangles-first_smoothl <passes (default 0>; number of smooth passes for line art before breaking triangles-first_smoothc <passes (default 0>; number of smooth passes for line art in colour art pass (needs -2pass)

39

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes-2pass; specify two sets of parameters; one for line art "l", one for colour art "c"(-thresh, -rmv_holes and -rmv_dirt will be overridden by -threshl, threshc, -rmv_holesl,-rmv_holesc, -rmv_dirtl and -rmv_dirtc)-threshl <threshold for line art (default 0.5)>; range 0.0 to 1.0-threshc <threshold for color art (default 0.5)>; range 0.0 to 1.0-jag_filterl <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap for line art-jag_filterc <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap for colour art-expand_bitmapl <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap for line art-expand_bitmapc <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap for colour art-rmv_holesl <area (default 7)>; remove line art holes smaller than "area"-rmv_holesc <area (default 7)>; remove colour art holes smaller than "area"-rmv_dirtl <area (default 1)>; remove line art dirt smaller than "area"-rmv_dirtc <area (default 1)>; remove colour art dirt smaller than "area"
try values between 100 and 500 for rmv_holesl, rmv_holesc, rmv_dirtl and rmv_dirtc. The values are inworld units squared-margins <inch (default 0.25)>; remove margin around bitmap-top_margin <inch (default 0.25)>; remove margin at top of bitmap-bottom_margin <inch (default 0.25)>; remove margin at bottom of bitmap-left_margin <inch (default 0.25)>; remove margin at left of bitmap-right_margin <inch (default 0.25)>; remove margin at right of bitmap-remove_peg_bars; remove the peg bar holes-field_size <fields (default 12 or use value in scan file)>; set the drawing to this field size
-fs; short hand for -field_size-peg_bar_size <inch (default 1)>; the size of the peg bar region-noframe; do not put a frame around the colour art-frame_fields <default -1.000000>; put a frame of the specified dimension around the colour art-downscale_input <default 1>; downscale the raw input by this integer factor-downscale_texture <default 1>; downscale the output texture by this integer factor-buildmatte; generate a matte on underlay for line test
-buildmatte_colourart; generate a matte on colour art for line test

NOTE: -buildmatte and -buildmatte_colourart are mutually exclusive

40

Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide-copystrokes; copy original strokes when building matte.

Options for bitmap that has no registration information-pixel_margins <inch (default 0)>; remove margin around bitmap-top_pixel_margin <inch (default 0)>; remove margin at top of bitmap-bottom_pixel_margin <inch (default 0)>; remove margin at bottom of bitmap-left_pixel_margin <inch (default 0)>; remove margin at left of bitmap-right_pixel_margin <inch (default 0)>; remove margin at right of bitmap-dpi <(default -1)>; dpi information of input bitmap

RGB Keying Options-rgb; generate separate zones for red, green and blue lines-rgb_alpha <value (default 255)>; generate red, green and blue colour with alpha of this value-no_red; ignore red colour in vectorization-no_green; ignore green colour in vectorization-no_blue; ignore blue colour in vectorization-flatten; flatten the drawing after generating colours-rmv_rgb_dirt <threshold area default 0.0>; remove red, green and blue regions smaller than area
-expand_bitmap_rgb <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap for rgb-threshrgb <value> <threshold for rgb vectorization default 0.200000>;-threshsv <saturation threshold default 0.500000> <value threshold default 0.500000>; thresholds on saturation andvalue to consider a pixel to be grey

Colour Vectorization Options-color_vectorize; perform a colour vectorization-file2 <colour art filename>; specify the colour art bitmap-penstyle <center alpha (0.0-20.0)> <edge alpha (0.0-20.0)> <gamma (0-10)><centre pressure effect (0.0-1.0)><edge pressure effect (0.0-1.0)><texture bitmap downscaling (0.2-20)> <texture bitmap file (valid filename or "" if nofile)>; generate brush texture for the line art-pressure_variation <strategy (0, 1 or 2)> <min pressure (0.0-1.0)> <max pressure (0.0-1.0)> <max variation (0.01.0)>; specify a pressure strategy for the centre line.
-blur_radius <pixels (default 0)>; blur the penstyle texture generated-color_contour_smooth_passes <times (default 3)>; perform number of smooth passes on contour before
computing texture-ccsp <times (default 3)>; short for -color_contour_smooth_passes-color_rmv_holesl <world units (default 0.000000)>; remove holes of this size when computing texture

41

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes-color_fill_holesl <world units (default 0.000000)>; fill holes of this size for colour line art

Bubble Usage (implemented only for colour vectorization's line art)-create_bubbles; add bubbles into the LineArt. Implemented for colour vectorization only
-bubble_gap <value (default 3)>; max number of colour art points between 2 bubbles-bubble_length <value (default 10)>; max number of circles in a bubble-min_radius <value (default 1.5000)>; min radius of a circle in a bubble relative to the line thickness (must be >=1.0)-max_radius <value (default 3.5000)>; max radius of a circle in a bubble relative to the line thickness (must be>= 1.0)-uniform_gap; the space between bubbles is constant

4 Colour Vectorization-4colours [key:value] ... [key:value] ; The key value list can be empty. The list of keys is:
rgbdiff:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
dark:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
grey:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
white:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
dirt:value ; dirt area. 200 is a good value
rt:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
gt:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
bt:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]

NOTE: There must be no space between the colon and the key/value. For example: -4colours rgbdiff:20 dark:20
grey:120 white:250 dirt:200 rt:240 gt:240 bt:240

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Chapter 2: Layer Properties
Intro...

Drawing Layer Properties
The Layer Properties editor or view lets you adjust the properties of a layer in the Timeline view The Layer Properties
can be viewed as a floating window or as a view (docked).
Each layer has its own set of properties that can be modified, including effect and peg layers. Display the Layer
Properties editor or view if you want to modify some of the layer’s properties, such as the name or the antialiasing
quality.
How to access the Layer Properties editor‣

Double-click on a layer in the Timeline view‣

Right-click on a layer in the Timeline view and select Layer Properties.

‣

Select a layer in the Timeline view and press Shift + E.

How to access the Layer Properties view
1. Do one of the following:‣

Select the view you want to add from Windows > Layer Properties.

‣

In the top-right corner of a view, click the Add View

By default, the Layer Properties view appears as a tab.

43button and select Layer Properties from the list.

Chapter 2: Layer Properties

Transformation Tab
The Transformation tab contains parameters for adjusting the position, scale, rotation, skew and pivots of anelement.

Parameter

Description
3D Path: Lets you use a 3D path function to animate an element.
Separate: Lets you independently edit the different coordinate fields.

Position

Path (x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (y) Axis: Lets you type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (z) Axis: Lets you ype in a new Forward/Backward coordinate
corresponding to the desired position.

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Velocity: When the 3D Path option is selected, lets you set the speed at which
Locked: Resizes the element while keeping its ratio. The X and Y axes scale
proportionally
Scale

Separate: Resizes the element allowing to modify the ratio (squash andstretch).
(x) Axis: Lets you type in the horizontal scale value.
(y) Axis: Lets you type in the vertical scale value.

RotationAngle z: Lets you type in a degree value for the rotation angle. Note that you
can enter values greater than 360 and -360 degrees. If you enter 720, the object
will rotate twice.

Skew

Skew: Lets you type in a degree value between -90 to 90 for the skew angle.
(x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

Pivot(y) Axis: Lets you ype in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Chapter 3: Menus
There are several types of menus in Harmony: main menus, quick-access menus and view menus.
•

Main Menus on page 47•

Quick-access Menus on page 60•

View Menus on page 61

Main Menus
The main menus contain most of the commands. Depending on the view you're working in and the element, somecommands are available and others not. The main menu is always located at the very top of the interface.

On Mac OS X, there is also a Stage Essentials category that contains the following commands:•

Preferences

•

About

•

Quit

Animation Menu
The Animation menu lets you access tools, adjust animation timing, set and parameters, lock or unlock layers, andselect elements in the Xsheet and Timeline views.
How to access the Animation menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Animation.

Command

Description

AnimateEnables the Animate mode which lets you keyframe drawing layers tocreate computer-generated animation. When working in the Animate
mode, you can animate a layer's position and then turn off the mode toreposition a layer for the entire scene. When the Animate mode isdisabled, keyframes are created on selected layers at the current
frame. Depending on what transformations were performed (rotation,translation, skew), the new keyframes are added on the corresponding
parameters (function curves).

Stop-Motion Keyframe

Sets a stop-motion keyframe which there is no computer-generated
motion between two keyframes. The segment is constant or flat. The
drawing remains still until the playback reaches the next keyframe,then the drawing pops to its new location.

Delete Keyframe

Deletes the selected keyframe.

Tools
Transform

Lets you create a global selection so you can reposition, scale, rotateand skew as one unit, which is useful for cut-out characters.

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Chapter 3: Menus

TranslateLets you move the selected element along the X and Y axes.

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

Increases or decreases the size of a selected element. You can scale
an object up to make it larger or down to make it smaller. Press Shift toscale the element while maintaining its proportions.

Skew

Slants the selected element.

Maintain Size

Keeps elements the same size aspect ratio in the Camera view as you
move them towards or away from the camera.

Spline Offset

Lets you reposition the visual trajectory without offsetting or modifying
your animation. By default, the trajectory is located at 0,0,0 fields. If
your elements were drawn in a different location than the centre of thedrawing area, it will look like the trajectory is not aligned with yourdrawing. Also, if you have several elements attached to one trajectory,
you might want your trajectory to be at a different location to represent
the group's motion better.

Increase Exposure

Adds one more exposure to a selected cell; repeating this action adds
an extra cell each time. This is an efficient way to extend a drawing's
exposure and is always set in Insert mode. Increasing an exposure
pushes the existing exposure forward.

Decrease Exposure

Decreases exposure of a selected cell by one; repeating this action
decreases one exposure adds an extra cell each time. This is anefficient way to shorten a drawing's exposure. Decreasing an exposure
pulls in the existing exposure.

Set Exposure toLets you set the exposure to 1, 2, 3 or a custom exposure.

Extend Exposure

Lets you enter the frame up to which you want to extend the exposure.
You can expose the drawing in the frames and replace the drawings
that were originally there or move the subsequent frames forward intime.

Add Key Exposure

Adds a key exposure to the selected cell.

Remove Key Exposure

Removes only the key exposure (key frames) not all the exposures.
The existing key exposure is replaced by the preceding exposure.

Cell

Remove Duplicate Key Exposure

When working with drawings to adjust the timing of a mouth in alipsync, for example, and forcing the use of specific key exposures,
unnecessary key exposures will be created. You can delete these
duplicates without affecting the rest of the drawing. The first drawing of
the selection will be used for the range.

NOTE: Duplicate key exposures may occur when pasting with the
Enforce Key Exposure option selected.

Fill Empty Cells

Lets you fill empty cells to extend the exposure of single frame
drawings to fill the range of empty cells after each one.When creatingdrawings on cells that are not side-by-side, the exposure of the firstdrawing no longer fills automatically. You must select the frame range

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

where you want your drawings to hold their exposure up to the next
drawing and use the Fill Empty Cells command.
Insert Blank Cell

Adds an empty cell between other cells.

Clear Exposure

Removes the exposure from the selected cell.

Clear Exposure and Pull

Replaces the exposure from the selected cell with exposures that
follow it.

Fill Selection

Lets you fill the same value over an entire selection. The selection canbe over one cell, a cell range in one column, a cell range over manycolumns, an entire column, or many columns. You can use numbers,
words, letters, or any alphanumeric value.

Sequence Fill

Lets you create a numbered sequence over a selection. The sequencecan be forward, backward, single, double or higher increment, as acycle, and so on. The selection can be over one cell or a cell range in
one column or more or an entire column or many entire columns.

Lip-Sync
Auto Lip-Sync Detection

Generates a sound detection for lip-sync.

Map Lip-Sync

Automatically maps drawings in an element to the mouth chart you
have generated for a sound. This can save time when you are lipsynching a voice track.

Flip
Flip Horizontal
Flips the selection horizontally or vertically.
Flip Vertical

Flip Scale X

Once your drawing layer is rotated, the original horizontal and verticalaxes change. The Flip Scale X and Flip Scale Y will perform a flip on
your drawing layer following its original axis.Remembers the original Xaxis of the layer and flips the element following it.

Flip Scale Y

Remembers the original Y-axis of the layer and flips the element following it.

Lock in Time
Substitute Drawing Previous
Substitute Drawing Next
Go to Previous Keyframe
Go to Next Keyframe

Indicates if the point is locked to a specific frame (keyframe) or only
locked to a specific position and the curve can flow through it freely asother points are being added, moved, or adjusted (control point).
Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the previous or next drawing.
Go to the previous or next keyframe.

Select Child

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg elementin the Timeline view.

Select Children

Lets you select all elements parented to the selected peg element in
the Timeline view.

Lock
Lock

Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.

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UnlockUnlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

Lock All

Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.

Unlock All

Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.

Lock All Others

Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Reset

Returns the value of the selected element to the initial value of theactive tool. For example, if the Rotate
tool is active, thetransformation angle will be reset to 0 and if the Transform
tool isactive, all the transformation values will be reset.

Reset All

Resets all transformations on the current frame in a selected layer.
Your keyframe will remain, but all the values will return to the default
position. All transformations are reset regardless of the tool you'reusing.

Drawing Menu
The Drawing menu lets you access many tools related to drawing, painting, dirt removal, optimizing strokes, andmore.
How to access the Drawing menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Drawing.

Command

Description
Activates a drawing tool including:Drawing Tools

Select, Contour Editor, Cutter, Smooth Editor, Perspective,
Envelope, Reposition All Drawings, Brush, Pencil, Text, Eraser,
Dropper, Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, Polyline, Paint, Ink, Repaint
Brush, Close Gap, Stroke, Edit Gradient/Texture, Hand, Zoom andRotate View.
These drawing tools are available on the Tools toolbar.

ConvertPencil Lines to Brush Strokes

Converts the selected centreline pencil strokes into contour strokes
brush lines.

Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines

Converts selected contour strokes into centreline pencil strokes.
The brush stroke thickness will be lost.

Strokes to Pencil Lines

Converts the selected invisible line to a pencil line.

Break Apart Text Layers

Text is treated as a single drawing object. This separates the text soeach character becomes an individual drawing object you can selectand modify independently.

Optimize

FlattenMerges drawing objects and brush strokes into a single layer. If you
draw new lines to fix a drawing or line with many brush strokes, it
can be useful to flatten them all into a single shape. By default, lines
are drawn one on top of each other. If you intend to repaint the lines

50Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guideor modify their shape, it will be easier if they are flattened.
SmoothSmooths selected drawing strokes and removes extra points.

Optimize

Reduces the number of layers, such as overlapping brush strokes,
in the selected drawing objects. Drawing objects will only beflattened and optimized if the selected objects do not change theappearance of the final image when they are merged.

Transform
Flip Horizontal

Flips the current selection horizontally.

Flip Vertical

Flips the current selection vertically.

Rotate 90 CW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.

Rotate 90 CCW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.

Rotate 180

Rotates the current selection 180 degrees.

Arrange
Bring to Front

Moves the selected art to the front (on top).

Bring Forward

Moves the selected art one level forward (closer to the front).

Send Backward

Moves the selected art one level lower (behind).

Send to Back

Moves the selected art behind everything (bottom / back).

Create Empty Drawing

Creates a drawing in the selected cell, replacing any drawing that
may already be exposed in that cell and the following ones until itmeets another drawing, key exposure or a blank cell.
Lets you duplicate the drawing and work on a copy of it. This lets
you modify an existing drawing but retain the original.

Duplicate Drawings

When duplicating a drawing, the selected cell is replaced with the
new drawing. The exposure of the original drawing that was on thecurrent cell is removed. The original drawing is not deleted from the
project folder or other cells in which it is exposed.

Delete Selected Drawings

Permanently removes selected drawings. Once you save yourproject, these drawings cannot be recovered.

Rename Drawing

Lets you give a selected drawing a new name.

Select Strokes with Current Colour

Lets you select drawing elements and painted areas with the same
colour as the currently selected colour in your colour palette.

Previous Drawing
Next Drawing
Previous Layer
Next Layer

Once a cell is selected in the Timeline or Xsheet view, you cannavigate between the drawings, frames, and layers.
Displays the previous drawing, next drawing, previous layer or nextlayer.

Edit Menu
The Edit menu lets you repeat and undo actions, cut/copy/paste selected objects, select and manipulate objects,
work with symbols, and access the Preferences dialog box.

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How to access the Edit menu‣

From the top menu, select Edit.

Command

Description

Undo

Removes the last change made to your project. Harmony supports
multiple undo, so you can undo changes you made in the order you
made them.

Redo

Redoes an operation you have undone. This command is active only
after you use the Undo command.

Cut

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties to another object.

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a
view.
Opens the Paste Special dialog box which lets you determine howtemplates and symbols are imported in the Timeline view.

Paste Special
There are advanced paste options for drawings, timings, keyframes,
layers, as well as palettes and symbols.
Paste Special Again

Pastes new drawings with the previous Paste Special settings.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

Selects all drawing objects in the current drawing window in the
Drawing, Timeline and Camera views. This helps you manage
multiple objects as one when moving them.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selected all other items
that were not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a
drawing, this command will deselect them and select any other lines
in the drawing that were not selected.
Not clear for me. Missing information: This however unselects thecurrently selected drawing (e.g. unselect current selected lines andselect everything else that is unselected).

Create Symbol

Creates a symbol from selected drawing elements in the Drawing or
Camera view or a layer or cells in the Timeline view.
Extracts a symbol's contents and places it on the root timeline. Its
contents will be copied and inserted into the root timeline. The
symbol will not be removed from the Timeline view once it isexpanded.

Expand Symbol
The symbol's layers will be parented to it in case you createdmotions and transformations on the drawing layer that contain thesymbol. Breaking the hierarchy could result in the loss of any scaling
and animation you may have created.
Duplicate Selected Symbol

Creates a duplicate of a selected symbol. If other symbols are nested inside the new symbol, they are not duplicated. If you modify
them, the original and other instances will also be modified.

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Clone: Drawings Only

Creates a copy of the drawings in the selected layer in the Timelineview or column in the Xsheet view. The timing it not copied.

Clone: Drawings and Timing

Creates a copy of the drawings and their timings in the selected
layer in the Timeline view or column in the Xsheet view.

Duplicate

Duplicates a layer to have a copy of the drawings that are independent from the original ones, as well as an independent timing(exposure). When you need the drawings to be modified independently, you will want to duplicate the layer instead of cloning it.

Merge

Combines all drawings. Unused columns and layers will be deleted,but the original drawing files are still accessible.

Group
Group

Groups selected drawing objects in the Camera or Drawing view.

Ungroup

Ungroups a selected group of drawing objects in the Camera or
Drawing view.

Preferences

Opens the Preferences dialog box where you can set yourpreferences for Harmony.

File Menu
The File menu lets you open, close, save, scan, print, and import and export files.
How to access the File menu‣

From the top menu, select File.

Command

Description

New

Creates a new scene while closing any scene already open. The New
Scene dialog box opens, asking for directory, name, and resolution
information.

Open

Displays the Open Scene dialog box where you can browse for a scene
file. You can open a new scene from the current one and the previous
scene will close.

Open Recent

Displays a list of the most recently opened scenes.

Clear

Clears the list of recently opened scenes.

Close

Closes the currently opened scene, but does not close the Harmony
application.

Save

Saves all changes made to the opened scene, drawings, palettes, andpalette lists.
Saves the current file with a different name and at a different location.

Save As

Saves the current state of a scene as another scene. The Save As
window prompts you for a new name and a different location for thisscene before saving it. This will create a complete scene directory forthe new scene.

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NOTE: The scene name cannot exceed 23 characters.

Save as New Version

Saves the current scene as another version. The Save Version dialog
box prompts you to give a name for this new version. This will create a
new .xstage file in your current project directory.

AcquireFrom TWAIN

Opens the Acquire from Scanner window from which you can set parameters before scanning.

ImportImagesImports bitmap images which you can choose to vectorize—see Importing Bitmap Images on page 1.

Movie

Lets you convert a QuickTime movie to an image sequence and audio
file.

Sound

Lets you import sound files into your project.

SWF, Illustrator Files to LibraryLets you import SWF files into your project.

ImagesExports a scene as a bitmap image sequence. If there is sound in yourscene, it will not be exported with the images.

Movie

Exports animation as a QuickTime movie—see Exporting a QuickTime
Movie on page 1.

ExportExports a Flash movie file.
SWF

Quit

The SWF export supports some bitmap effects (which can bepreviewed in Render View mode) and SWF Blend Modes (vector
effects which can be previewed in OpenGL View mode).
See Exporting an SWF Movie on page 1.
Closes the application.

Help Menu
The Help menu lets you display the Harmony documentation, Welcome screen and end user license agreement,
as well as access the Toon Boom website, and identify the product name and version number.
How to access the Help menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Help.

Command

Description

Online Help

Opens the Harmony Help system, complete with instructions on
how to use the system. This requires an internet connection.

Getting Started

Opens the Harmony Getting Started Guide (in PDF format) in abrowser window. Requires Acrobat Reader.

Toon Boom on the Web

Opens the Harmony website, which features a Support andCommunity > Forum section.

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Customer Experience Improvement
Program

The Customer Experience Improvement Program allows Toon
Boom to collect usage information. The data does not contain any
personally identifiable information and cannot be used to identify
you. The data will consist of a basic hardware description, a projectsummary and usage information. The information is used only forsoftware improvement purposes, as well as for sharing with third
parties for the same reason.
This program is enabled by default but is voluntary. If you prefer not
to participate, you can opt out when you first launch the software, byusing a global preference, or by a command line argument.

About

Identifies the product name and version number.

Show Welcome Screen

Displays the Harmony Welcome screen.

Show End User License Agreement

Displays the End User License Agreement.

Command

Description

Online Help

Opens the Harmony Help system, complete with instructions on how
to use the system. This requires an internet connection.

Getting Started

Opens the Harmony Getting Started Guide (in PDF format) in a browser
window. Requires Acrobat Reader.

Toon Boom on the Web

Opens the Harmony website, which features a Support andCommunity > Forum section.

Customer Experience Improvement
Program

The Customer Experience Improvement Program allows Toon Boom tocollect usage information. The data does not contain any personallyidentifiable information and cannot be used to identify you. The data willconsist of a basic hardware description, a project summary and usage
information. The information is used only for software improvement
purposes, as well as for sharing with third parties for the same reason.
This program is enabled by default but is voluntary. If you prefer not toparticipate, you can opt out when you first launch the software, byusing a global preference, or by a command line argument.

About

Identifies the product name and version number.

Show Welcome Screen

Displays the Harmony Welcome screen.

Show End User License Agreement

Displays the End User License Agreement.

Insert Menu
The Insert menu lets you create empty symbols in the Library view, different types of layers in the Timeline view,
keyframes and control points.
How to access the Insert menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Insert.

Command

Description

Create Empty Symbol in Library

Creates an empty symbol in the Library view to which you can edit (addcontent).

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Bone

Adds a new Bone layer to the Timeline view.

CameraAdds a new Camera layer to the Timeline view.

Colour-Card

Adds a new Colour-Card layer to the Timeline view.

Drawing

Adds a new Drawing layer to the Timeline view and a column in the
Xsheet view.

Game Bone

Adds a new Game Bone layer to the Timeline view.

Kinematic Output

Adds dd a new Kinematic Output layer to the Timeline view.

Peg

Adds a new Peg layer to the Timeline view.

Quadmap

Adds a new Quadmap layer to the Timeline view.

Effects

Adds a new layer in the Timeline view with the effect you select: Blur,
Brightness-Contrast, Colour-Scale, Cutter, Glow, Shadow, orTransparency.

Keyframe

Adds a keyframe to the selected cell in the Timeline view.

Keyframe and Duplicate Drawing

Adds a keyframe to the selected drawing layer cell in the Timeline viewand creates a duplicate of the drawing, which sits on top of the original
drawing.

Control Point

Adds a control point to the trajectory of the selected element or peg in
the Camera view when the element or peg is in a 3D path. Note thatyou must have a 3D path in the peg portion in order to add a control
point.

Play Menu
The Play menu lets you play back animation and sound. Use it to scrub the sound to create your lip-sync, loop theplayback, navigate through frames, and change the playback range and speed.
How to access the Play menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Play.

Command

Description

Play

Plays and stops the animation.

Render and Play

Creates a render of your scene to play back the final result including
the effects.

Test SWF Movie

Creates a SWF format movie and a report to test your result before
proceeding to the final movie.

Stop

Stops playback.

Playback Speed

Opens the Set New Frame Rate dialog box where you can set theframe rate at which the playback plays.

Loop

Repeatedly plays back your animation indefinitely.

Enable Sound

Turns on sound during playback.

Enable Sound Scrubbing

Turns on sound scrubbing during playback.

Start Frame

Opens the Set Playback Start Frame dialog box where you can set

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the frame number on which to start playback.
Stop Frame

Opens the Set Playback Stop Frame dialog box where you can set
the frame number on which to stop playback.

First Frame

Moves the red playhead to the first frame.

Previous Frame

Moves the red playhead to the previous frame.

Next Frame

Moves the red playhead to the next frame.

Last Frame

Moves the red playhead to the last frame.

Go to Frame

Opens the Go to Frame dialog box where you can enter the frame
number on which the red playhead to be positioned in the Timeline
view.

Enable Playback
Top View
Side View

Plays back your animation in the Top, Side or Perspective views.

Perspective View

Scene Menu
The Scene menu lets you set the scene length, add frames to the scene, view different displays of the scene, setrender options, access the Scene Settings dialog box and Elements Manager window, and verify the drawing andpalette files in your project.
How to access the Scene menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Scene.

Command

Description

Scene Length

Lets you set the length of the scene in frames.

Frame
Add Frames at Start
Add Frames at End
Add Frames Before Selection
Add Frames After Selection
Remove Selected Frames

Adds the number of frames you specify to be added at the beginning or
end of the scene.
Adds the number of frames you specify before or after your selection.
Deletes the selected frames from your scene.

CameraDefault Camera
Scene Settings

Lets you select a camera. If you only add one camera to your scene,
you will only see Default Camera in your list.
Opens the Scene Settings dialog box where you can set the resolution,alignment, bitmap resolution and many other parameters.

RenderAuto Render

Automatically recalculates the preview image whenever you modify aparameter. If your scene is heavy and you do not want the preview
rendered automatically, deselect the Auto-Render option and do the pre-57

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view update manually.Note that this will slow down Harmony as it
takes resources to update every frame.
Cancel Preview Render

Cancels a render that was started.

View Menu
The View menu lets you manipulate the view by zooming, panning, or rotating. You can also display the grid andchange its size, use the onion skin feature to help with drawing, and set the preview resolution.
How to access the View menu‣

At the top of the interface, select View.

Command

Description
Enlarges the selected view to full screen which is done in threestages.

Toggle Full ScreenFirst, the selected view enlarges to the maximum width or height,
but keeps the tool views such as Colour or Tool Properties view.
Second, the view enlarges to full screen.
Third, the view returns to its original size.

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Rotate View CW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees clockwise, like an animationtable.

Rotate View CCW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees counter-clockwise, like ananimation table.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Rotation

Resets the view’s rotation to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Grid
Show Grid

Displays the grid.

Underlay

Displays the grid under the drawing elements.

Overlay

Displays the grid over the drawing elements.

Square Grid

Displays a standard square grid.

12 Field Grid

Displays a 12-field size grid.

16 Field Grid

Displays a 16-field size grid.

Onion Skin

Show Onion Skin

Lets you preview the previous and next drawings. By default, the previous drawings appear in a shade of red and the next drawings are
displayed with a shade of green. You can change these colours in
the Preferences dialog box.

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Add to Onion Skin

Adds a series of selected elements to the onion skin preview.

Remove from Onion Skin

Removes a series of selected elements from the onion skin preview.

Remove Unselected from Onion
Skin

Removes all elements except the ones selected from the onion skinpreview.

Add All to Onion Skin

Adds all of the scene's elements to the onion skin preview.

Remove All from Onion Skin

Removes all of the scene's elements from the onion skin preview.

Onion Skinning by Drawing

In Camera view, the onion skin by default is per frame, this option
lets you set it by drawing so you don't see any exposure's onion skinfrom the same drawing.

Reduce One Previous Drawing

Reduces the number of previous visible drawings by one.

Add One Previous Drawing

Adds one drawing to the number of previous visible drawings.

Reduce One Next Drawing

Reduces the number of next visible drawings by one.

Add One Next Drawing

Adds one drawing to the number of next visible drawings.

Light Table

Turns on the light table so you can see the previous and subsequent
active layers in washed-out colours. It is useful for seeing the otherlayers when designing, animating or cleaning up your animation.

Show
Safe Area

Displays the TV safety zone and the centre of the camera frame.
The safe area adapts to the scene resolution, as well as the safetyzone and frame’s centre.

Camera Mask

Displays a black mask around the scene’s frame to avoid seeing theunnecessary artwork. This option is handy when you're animating
and setting up the scene. It allows you to see your scene’s composition better.

Control

Displays the controls of the selected element.

Current Drawing on Top

Displays the selected drawing on top of everything while you draw.
By enabling this option, each time you select a drawing tool, theselected drawing is displayed in front of everything in the Camera
view. The Timeline view ordering remain unchanged.
You only need to enable this option once, it is not necessary to do iteach time you select a drawing tool.

Show Strokes
Hide All Controls

Displays the strokes in your drawings so that the invisible lines
stand out.
Hides the controls of the selected element.

Preview Resolution
Same as Scene Resolution
3/4 of Scene Resolution
1/2 of Scene Resolution

Lets you choose a resolution for previewing a scene.

1/3 of Scene Resolution
1/4 of Scene Resolution
CustomLets you select a resolution from a list of presets or enter X and Y val-

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ues for a custom preview resolution.
Bitmap File Quality

Lets you change the quality of the preview of the bitmap file in the
Camera view. It will not affect the final render.

Windows Menu
The Windows menu lets you customize your workspace to suit your working style, save it as a new workspace,and load it from the Workspace toolbar. You can also show or hide the different toolbars and views in Harmony.
How to access the Windows menu‣

From the top menu, select Windows.

Command

Description

Restore Default Workspace

Returns modified workspaces to their original default layout if you do
not like the current modifications or inadvertently closed some
windows.

Workspace
Workspace Manager

Opens the Workspace Manager where you can modify, create,delete, rename and reorder your workspaces.

Workspace

Lets you open workspaces designed specifically for animating, compositing, hand drawing, scripting and the default workspace.

Toolbars

Lets you show or hide these toolbars: Playback, File, Edit,
Advanced Animation, Scripting, Tools, Workspace, Deformation,
Xsheet View and Timeline View—see Toolbars on page 1.

CameraShows or hides the Camera view.

ColourShows or hides the Colour view.

Drawing

Shows or hides the Drawing view.

FunctionShows or hides the Function view.

Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Library

Shows or hides the Library view.

Message Log

Shows or hides the Message Log view.

Side

Shows or hides the Side view.

Timeline

Shows or hides the Timeline view.

Tool Properties

Shows or hides the Tool Properties view.

Top

Shows or hides the Top view.

XsheetShows or hides the Xsheet view.

Script Editor

Shows or hides the Script Editor view.

Quick-access Menus
A quick-access menu lets you open a list of the commands you will use most often.

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How to access a quick-access menu
1. Right-click anywhere in a view.

View Menus
A view menu contains commands specifically related to that view.
How to access a view menu
In the top-left corner of a view, click the Menu

button.

Colour Menu
The Colour menu lets you access commands related to the Colour view such as creating new palettes, adding newcolour swatches, and displaying the Tint panel.
How to access the Colour menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Colour view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Palettes
Creates a new colour palette.

New

By default, Toon Boom Harmony is set to the Basic mode. For simple
productions, it is recommended to use the Basic mode. This setting stores thepalettes automatically for you and saves them at the Scene level. When you use
the Advanced Palette Lists mode, you can decide at which level you want to store
your palettes: Environment, Job, Scene, or Element.

Link

Lets you access other palettes created in the project and link them to your scene—see Importing and Linking Palettes on page 1.

ImportImports a colour palette located on your hard drive.

RemoveDeletes the selected colour palette.

RenameLets you five the selected colour palette a new name.

Duplicate

Creates a copy of the original palette, using the same names and colour values,
but has a different ID and is independent from the original palette. This ensures

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that both the duplicate and original palettes are completely independent.
Clone

Creates a copy of the master palette. The colours in each palette have the same
properties. The colours have the same identification number pointing to the same
colour zones, but they can have different names and RGBA values.

Pencil Texture PaletteMove Up

Moves the selected colour palette up one level.

Move Down

Moves the selected colour palette down one level.

Colour Editor

Opens the Colour Editor where you can

Tint Panel

Opens the Tint panel where you can modify a series of colours to blend a tint inthem or offset their RGBA values.

Current PaletteOverrides
Display Colour Values

Display the colour values beside their colour swatches in the palette list.

Colours
Cut

Cuts the selected colour swatch from the palette.

Copy

Copies the selected colour swatch which you can paste in a different palette.

Copy Colour ID

Copies a colour swatch's colour ID so you can keep a reference file of colour IDs
or use them with custom plug-ins. Example of a colour ID: 075cf5b552401130.

Paste Colour Values

Pastes the colour value of the copied swatch over an existing colour swatch.

Paste As New Colours

Creates a new colour swatch from the colour value of the copied swatch.

Paste As Clones
New

Creates a new colour swatch from the colour swatch that was last selected.

Edit

Opens the Colour Picker window in which you can edit the selected colour
swatch.

DeleteDeletes the selected colour swatch from the palette.

New Texture

Lets you add a bitmap colour swatch to your palette. You can load photos andtextures and paint your drawings with it. The bitmap image must be a .tga or .psd
file format.

Edit Texture
Scale Down Texture

Lets you set a new maximum texture size or scaling factor.

New Default Colour
Protect Colour

Locks a selected colour, so if you ever paint over it accidentally, the work alreadydone will not be affected. You can also block the filling colours if you painted all of
the animation in Line Art and plan to repaint the lines.

Swatch Mode

Displays the colour swatches with its corresponding name inside the swatch.
When this option is not selected, the names of the colour swatches are displayed
beside the swatch.

Independent Bitmap
ColourBitmap Colour Sliders

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RGB
HSV

Function Menu
The Functions menu lets you do many things in the Camera view, including selecting and editing objects in different
views, changing the display, setting morphing parameters, accessing tools and many more.
How to access the Function menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Function view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties toanother object.

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select Next Keyframe

Selects the next keyframe.

Select Previous
Keyframe

Selects the previous keyframe.

Select Left Handle

Selects the left handle of the selected keyframe.

Select Right Handle

Selects the right handle of the selected keyframe.

Select All

Selects all objects in the Function view. This helps you manage multiple objects
as one.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Function view.

Show Current Frame

Displays the current frame

Toggle Grid

Enables the display of the grid.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

View

Function List
Auto Load Selection
Clear
Load Selection
Add Selection
Remove Selection
Show

Show Motion:

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Chapter 3: Menus

Show Rotation:Show Scale:Show Skew:
Show Other:

Library Menu
The Library menu lets you access commands specific to the Library view, such as opening a Library or getting therights to modify a library folder.
How to access the Library menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Library view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

View
List

Displays the contents of the selected folder as a list.

Thumbnails

Displays the contents of the selected folder as a thumbnails.

Details

Displays the details of the selected file.

Generate Thumbnails

Creates a thumbnail to display in the preview window.

Edit
Creates a new symbol from a drawing or part of a drawing in the
Drawing or Camera view, or a layer in the Timeline view.
New Symbol

If your selection is in the Timeline , the new symbol appears in the Symbol
folder. The current selection is not replaced by the new symbol. The new
symbol only appears in the library. You must drag it into your scene to use it.
If your selection is in the Drawing or Camera view, the new symbol appears in
the Symbol folder and in the Timeline view as a new layer.

Cut

Cuts the selected file in the Library view.

Copy

Copies the selected file in the Library view.

Paste

Pastes the selected file in the Library view.

DeleteDeletes the selected file in the Library view.

Delete Thumbnails

Deletes any thumbnails that were generated for display in the preview window.
Places you inside the symbol where you can edit it.

Edit Symbol

To return to the project's timeline, click the Top
button in the Camera
view's top-left corner, press Ctrl + Shift + E (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift + E(Mac OS X).

Remove Unused Files

Removes any files not in use in the

Rename Template

Lets you rename a selected template.

Import Files

Opens the64Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Folders
New Folder

Creates a new folder in the Library view. Before you can create a new folder,
you must have the right to modify the folder in which you are creating the newfolder.

RefreshUpdates the view and its contents.

Open LibraryLets you open a library on your computer.

Close Library65Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

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Chapter 4: Toolbars
Harmony contains toolbars which, by default, are located at the top of the interface. Some views also have a toolbar
which you can reposition to suit your work style. You can show or hide toolbars, as well as customize it with thetools you use most often and hide the ones you don't.
Main Toolbars
View Toolbars

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Chapter 5: Views
Intro...

Layer Properties
The Layer Properties editor or view lets you adjust the properties of a layer in the Timeline view The Layer Properties
can be viewed as a floating window or as a view (docked).
Each layer has its own set of properties that can be modified, including effect and peg layers. Display the Layer
Properties editor or view if you want to modify some of the layer’s properties, such as the name or the antialiasing
quality.
How to access the Layer Properties editor‣

Double-click on a layer in the Timeline view‣

Right-click on a layer in the Timeline view and select Layer Properties.

‣

Select a layer in the Timeline view and press Shift + E.

How to access the Layer Properties view
1. Do one of the following:‣

Select the view you want to add from Windows > Layer Properties.

‣

In the top-right corner of a view, click the Add View

By default, the Layer Properties view appears as a tab.

69

button and select Layer Properties from the list.

Chapter 5: Views

Transformation Tab
The Transformation tab contains parameters for adjusting the position, scale, rotation, skew and pivots of anelement.

Parameter

Description
3D Path: Lets you use a 3D path function to animate an element.
Separate: Lets you independently edit the different coordinate fields.

Position

Path (x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (y) Axis: Lets you type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (z) Axis: Lets you ype in a new Forward/Backward coordinate
corresponding to the desired position.

70Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Velocity: When the 3D Path option is selected, lets you set the speed at which
Locked: Resizes the element while keeping its ratio. The X and Y axes scale
proportionally
Scale

Separate: Resizes the element allowing to modify the ratio (squash andstretch).
(x) Axis: Lets you type in the horizontal scale value.
(y) Axis: Lets you type in the vertical scale value.

RotationAngle z: Lets you type in a degree value for the rotation angle. Note that you
can enter values greater than 360 and -360 degrees. If you enter 720, the object
will rotate twice.

Skew

Skew: Lets you type in a degree value between -90 to 90 for the skew angle.
(x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

Pivot(y) Axis: Lets you ype in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Chapter 6: Windows
Intro...

Export to Easel JS
The Export to Easel JS window lets you a flattened image sequence of your animation. Even if you have a fully
rigged puppet or a single drawing layer with your animation sequence, the outcome will still be a flattened output ofeach frame, grouped together in your sprite sheet. This allows for more flexibility and freedom of work as you haveaccess to any tools or effect modules you want to use. However, this can result in heavier files depending on thelength, complexity and export size of your animation.

How to access the Export to Easel JS window
1. From the top menu, select Windows > Toolbars > Game.
The Game toolbar appears above the Camera view, to the left.

73Chapter 6: Windows

2. Click the Export to Easel JS
Parameter

button.

Description

Select Directory
Save Path

The folder path where you want to save your export.

Save Name

The folder name in which you will save your export. This will also be the nameof your asset in Unity. Your scene file name will be used as the clip name.

Existing Clips in Folder

Displays the clips in the folder.

Scene Options

Display

Here, you must select the Display of your character. This is the one that will be
used to render out all of the information attached to that Display node. If the
Unconnected_Display option is selected, all of the visual information in yourscene will be rendered out.

Sprite Sheet Preferences
Max Width
Max HeightThis is a value, in pixels, for the maximum width and height the exported sprite
sheet should be. By default, both values are set to 2048 pixels.

Expand Sprite Sheet

Uses the minimum size necessary up until it reaches the maximum resolution.

Fixed Sprite Sheet

Creates a texture of the specified size (Max Width and Max Height) even if it
does not fill it up completely by all the drawings in your scene.

Resolution Type

POT: Exports to sprite sheets with sizes that are a power of 2. For example:
1024 x 1024. This is optimized for many graphics cards, but consumes morememory.
NPOT: Some game engines are optimized specifically to render to non powersof two, so that it will avoid those numbers. Example: 1000 x 1000.

Reuse FramesThis option works in tandem with the Threshold option. The export willcompare the drawings in your project to reuse a maximum of similar drawings
and reduce the amount of information found in the sprite sheet, making it
lighter. The export will omit the creation of new drawings if the difference isless than the threshold percentage.

ThresholdCalculates the differences between multiple drawings. A 2% threshold will
prevent the creation of a new drawing if the drawing is too similar to an existingdrawing. For instance, with a 2% threshold, and my drawing is 100 pixels big,
only 2 of those pixels need to be different from my other drawing in order tocreate a new one. The higher the threshold, the fewer similar drawings you willhave.

Sprite Resolutions

Size of the render of the individual sprite, when it exports each drawing out.

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Export to Sprite Sheets
The Export to Sprite Sheets window export to multiple resolutions, generating multiple .xml files and one or multiple
sprites sheets depending how many sprite resolutions you defined.
This saves different animations of the same character into the same name. For example, if there's an idle, run, andjump animation, these should all share the same Save Name. You can think of it as the overall collection ofanimations. Inside are the different saved scene versions whose drawings you can reuse for all the animations inthat character set. Each scene version will be displayed as an item in the list.
When you export an animation, only the drawings used in that scene are exported. All the drawings are exported
individually first and then atlased together into a sprite sheet.
If you saved multiple animations to the same Save Name (i.e. SpaceDuck: run, idle), then it will reatlas the sprite
sheet to include all the drawings from all the animations in that folder, creating a new animation file, but reusing thesame skeleton.

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Chapter 6: Windows

How to access the Export to Sprite Sheets window
1. From the top menu, select Windows > Toolbars > Game.
The Game toolbar appears above the Camera view, to the left.

2. Click the Export to Sprite Sheets
Parameter

button.

Description

Select Directory
Save Path

The folder path where you want to save your export.

Save Name

The folder name in which you will save your export. This will also be the nameof your asset in Unity. Your scene file name will be used as the clip name.

Existing Clips in Folder
Overwrite Project

The folder name in which you will save your export. This will also be the nameof your asset in Unity. Your scene file name will be used as the clip name.

Clear Texture Folder

Removes any information from the texture folder within the Harmony file. This
has no incidence towards the Unity export but contributes to a lighter Harmony
file.

Project Settings

Unit Scale

Lets you change the scale when exporting to Unity to accommodate the size ofthe export without it affecting the Harmony scene. This helps you resize
assets properly for Unity without having to resize them in Harmony. The basic
scale is one Animation Field for one Unity unit.

Sprite Sheet Preferences
Max Width

This is a value, in pixels, for the maximum width and height the exported sprite
sheet should be. By default, both values are set to 2048 pixels.

Max Height

Makes linear values for interpolation. This increases the amount of memory
used but frees up the calculation so it is not done on the fly.

Expand Sprite Sheet

Uses the minimum size necessary up until it reaches the maximum resolution.

Fixed Sprite Sheet

Creates a texture of the specified size (Max Width and Max Height) even if it
does not fill it up completely by all the drawings in your scene.

Resolution Type

POT: Exports to sprite sheets with sizes that are a power of 2. For example:
1024 x 1024. This is optimized for many graphics cards, but consumes morememory.
NPOT: Some game engines are optimized specifically to render to non powersof two, so that it will avoid those numbers. Example: 1000 x 1000.

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Reuse FramesThis option works in tandem with the Threshold option. The export willcompare the drawings in your project to reuse a maximum of similar drawings
and reduce the amount of information found in the sprite sheet, making it
lighter. The export will omit the creation of new drawings if the difference isless than the threshold percentage.

ThresholdCalculates the differences between multiple drawings. A 2% threshold will
prevent the creation of a new drawing if the drawing is too similar to an existingdrawing. For instance, with a 2% threshold, and my drawing is 100 pixels big,
only 2 of those pixels need to be different from my other drawing in order tocreate a new one. The higher the threshold, the fewer similar drawings you willhave.

Sprite Resolutions

Size of the render of the individual sprite, when it exports each drawing out.

Precalculate Curves

Makes linear values for interpolation. This increases the amount of memory
used but frees up the calculation so it is not done on the fly.

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Harmony 12.1 Essentials - Traditional Animation Guide

Index
A
aspect ratio 26
F
field of view 26
custom 26
horizontal fit 26
vertical fit 26
film-1.33 25
film-1.66 25
film-1.66_Vertical 25
FOV (field of view) 26
custom 26
horizontal fit 26
vertical fit 26
fps 26frames per second 26
H
HDTV 25
HDTV_Vertical 25
L
low resolution 26
N
NTSC 26
P
PAL 26pixel
dimensions 26
projects
resolution 25
R
resolution
film-1.33 25
film-1.66 25
film-1.66_Vertical 25
HDTV 25
HDTV_Vertical 25

79IndexLow 26NTSC 26
PAL 26presets 25
S
Scene Settings dialog box 25
V
vectorization
parameters, custom 34
Vectorization Parameters dialog box
Help tab 37
opening 35
Options tab 3580