9.5 crop canvas

[piko]

Hello

I'm new to anime studio, and I would like to know if there is a way to change the canvas size while keeping the exact size of my animated PNGs.
I've read from others post that there is no crop tool (like in photoshop). Maybe it could be an option when you change projet size to crop or change objet size ?
Of course I can change the canvas size and scale the animated PNGs, but I would like to keep the exact same size maybe there is a way in 9.5.

Thanks in advance for any advise.

[slowtiger]

"Exact size" doesn't have any meaning with digital files. Do you mean "dimensions by pixels"?

AS treats all imported images as 72 dpi in the moment of importing and scales these proportionally to the project size. Say your project is 1920 x 1080, and your image is of exact the same dimensions: so it will exactly fill the project (indicated by blue rectangle).

If you, after importing, change the project dimensions, to 1280 x 720, the already imported image will still perfectly fit the blue frame. However, if you now import the same image again, it will appear larger than the project frame.

Why do you want to do this anyway? Usually you decide upon a project's dimensions before you start anything, and stick to it to the end.

[piko]

Hello

thanks for the answer.

"Exact size" doesn't have any meaning with digital files. Do you mean "dimensions by pixels"?

Yes

Why do you want to do this anyway? Usually you decide upon a project's dimensions before you start anything, and stick to it to the end.

Well, I don't create story, I create motion design. Then I conbine them, in a video editor. When I start animate a logo, I'm not shure, the final size (it can be smaller than the video it will be imported in).

Let's say I create an animated logo for a 1024X768 movie. I create a 1024X768 canvas, but finally during creation process, I find a very good idea for an animation using only 300X300 in size. I can export my animation, but I get a 1024X768 avi file for only 300X300 pixels animation.I would prefer a 300X300 movie file.

In fact, croping works well... but only for "width".
Using anime studio 9.5 pro 64bit, when I start with a 300X300 pixels canvas fully filled with a picture :


then change canvas width to 150 (no constraint proportion). I get a croping effect.


If instead, I then change canvas heigth to 150 (no constraint proportion). I get a resize effect.


To get the image I use file>preview, then I save picture

I would love an option to choose between crop or resize when change canvas size.

[Pinesal]

There is a blue rectangle that represents the camera, Use that to frame your image, Your output will look like what ever is within that rectangle. You can use the camera zoom function or layer translation tool to make the image appear larger.

Also ctrl+J changes your view to output only and that might help you a bit.

[heyvern]

In my opinion you don't need to resize anything if you are using an external video editor. Just use the large size and scale it down in the video editor. That's what is so convenient about using another video editor you can just scale the layers, move things around. etc. As long as I don't scale UP in the external editor I don't bother resizing renders from ASP. I would go crazy if I constantly had to rerender everything each time I changed the size or moved something in the external compositor or video editor.

[piko]

hello

Firstly I really want to sincerely thanks people who take on their free time to answer forum questions. I really think that "half the value" of a software is a good comunity and this one seems very good.

Secondly, I think Anime studio 9.5 is really a good software, and I really don't want to criticize this software.

Considering croping, I understand that I can crop my animation in a video editing software. But I think it is more logic to resize the original file.
Doing so, I can create 3 differents colored versions of my logo, and only resize once (instead of 3 resizes in a video editor software). But most of all, I really feel that anime studio is not logic (from my point of view) when changing the canvas size.

When you change width you get a cropping effect.
When you change heigth you get a resize effect.

Check by yourself :


I feel this is not logic but maybe I don't understand something, so do not hesitate to explain me.

I'm not a programmer, but as Anime Studio already have croping effect, I think I would be a very little change in programming to add an option to crop animation when changing height.

Once again, my aim is not to criticize this very good software, not at all. I just think that this software may not be perfect (for me width and height change should result in the same effect). Cropping option may be an improvement (I'm not the only one asking for a way to crop animation).

Thanks again for every advise and opinions.

My english is not perfect, so if anithyng in my post seems impolite or rude, it is really not intentionally, and I apologise in advance.

PS : I don't use tinypic because I get (when trying to upload a video):
Error 503 Service Unavailable
Service Unavailable
Guru Meditation:
XID: 2618309637
Varnish cache server

[Danimal]

Your English is fine and nothing you've said is rude. In fact, this is interesting. I just tried it on my copy and the same thing happened! Is this a bug or is there some kind of design reason for this?

[slowtiger]

The logic behind AS' way of cropping is that it internally uses the height of the project as reference for everything else. Screen height is always "1" in the value text boxes for position and scaling.

And there's a good use for this behaviour: Quite often you need to deliver the same film in different screen ratios. Last year I did a trailer which was intended to be shown on the big screen in 16:9 as well as on TV in 4:3. I produced in 16:9, then for the final versions I duplicated the project and changed its dimensions, cutting off stuff a the sides as intended.

[heyvern]

Doing so, I can create 3 differents colored versions of my logo, and only resize once (instead of 3 resizes in a video editor software).

The difference here is only where you resize not the amount of work involved. It's the same amount of effort if you resize in Anime Studio or in the video editor. It's "six of one, half dozen of the other".

Anime Studio has many features of a drawing application and sometimes it is easy to forget it is an animation tool intended to work with non linear video editing applications. By working this way it can integrate more easily with other video editing applications that work the same way. As Slowtiger says, if it didn't work this way it would make exporting video at different resolutions very difficult. That is the primary use of Anime Studio, for video export.

I use Anime Studio as an illustration tool as much as animation tool. I use it to export extremely high resolution single frames as artwork for posters and illustrations all the time. I learned a long time ago that "cropping" is VERY different and not like other drawing tools. It doesn't have "inches" or "page" default settings. When exporting for print, I set my print resolution in the project settings and then scale and move the layers afterwards to fit that space. I've used it like this for years to create artwork for posters and other print artwork, exporting to PSD or Flash and EPS vector. I've done many illustrations using artwork exported from Anime Studio in this way (I just did another one a week ago because I got frustrated using Adobe Illustrator ). I agree, it is very odd and different if you are use to a more traditional "cropping" in other applications. But it isn't a bug. It would be more a "feature request" if you wanted different behavior.

If cropping based on height is a problem, then try using width instead of height. If you maintain proportions in the project settings it will still change the pixel dimensions and you won't get the cropping effect. You may end up with a lot of extra "white" space around your elements but if you render with transparent background you can crop in the video editing tools.

[edit] This could be an optional setting added to project settings as a feature request. In the project settings an additional option could be added to use width instead of height to calculate the resizing of layers. This must be an ALTERNATE option so that those of us who rely on the current resizing don't have to do a lot of extra work when resizing animations for different resolutions. Or a menu script could be created to scale the layers based on width instead of height.

[slowtiger]

For getting rid of unnecessary transparent space around images I use an action in Photoshop which crops everything. An action can be applied automatically to a folder of files.

[piko]

This could be an optional setting added to project settings as a feature request. In the project settings an additional option could be added to use width instead of height to calculate the resizing of layers. This must be an ALTERNATE option so that those of us who rely on the current resizing don't have to do a lot of extra work when resizing animations for different resolutions.

An additional option would be a great idea, this way it would be easier for people coming from other software to start with Anime Studio.
Now I understand the logic. Thanks everyone, for your precious time and advises.