Creating a Sailor Moon style cartoon with Anime Studio Pro?

[Patmals]

「消えた」

[human]

The way I do it is by using a mixture of frame-by-frame and standard AS cutout-style animation - drawing multiple versions of certain body parts and flipping between them when the character turns.

I think the phrase around here is "Holy Cow!"

Isn't this an example of what they call "full animation"=when you animate the character as a fully 3D object?

(Also, for what it's worth, I'm not big fan of the "Simpsons" but when it works, it's because of good acting in the characters... and you have good acting in your goons.)

You could monetize your work if you made an in-depth "Making of " DVD in response to the previous poster who asked for tutorials. ... I'd buy one.

(If you ever want to know best practices in teaching animation, look at the fine tutorials by Dr. Nick.)

[Rasheed]

To answer the original poster's question: Yes, you can create fanfic with Anime Studio Pro. The question is if it is the most useful tool for it. If you want an accurate representation, it is going to be hard. If you want an artist's impression, it is certainly very possible and not that difficult.

Remember, ASP's strong point is cut-out animation. This gives another effect as the cel animation used in most older anime from Japan. If you can live with the difference in look and feel, then go right ahead.

Of course, ASP will only deliver character animation. You would probably still prefer an application to do the special effects, for instance with Adobe After Effects, and do video editing in a specialized non-linear video editor. If you can afford it, that is.

My 2 cents.

[Neil]

Isn't this an example of what they call "full animation"=when you animate the character as a fully 3D object?

I wouldn't really say so. I think I'm still using too many shortcuts for it to really qualify as full animation.

You could monetize your work if you made an in-depth "Making of " DVD in response to the previous poster who asked for tutorials. ... I'd buy one.

Well, thanks, but there are really too many aspects of ASP that I don't really use (such as actions and bones) for me to really be any good at writing a tutorial. But if anyone's interested in how I made that particular animation I posted, here's a couple of screengrabs that'll give you an idea of how I planned it out:





Like you can see, it's really just a case of keeping the individual parts simple enough to be tweaked as you like...

[slice11217]

To answer the original poster's question: Yes, you can create fanfic with Anime Studio Pro. The question is if it is the most useful tool for it. If you want an accurate representation, it is going to be hard. If you want an artist's impression, it is certainly very possible and not that difficult.

From what I've seen on this forum, a LOT is possible with AS Pro! Just check out the Greykid showcases. Some of what they're doing is reminiscent of Disney feature animation. -Or check out some of Vern's stuff, or Wizaerd's. There's so much experimentation going on with this software that I'd have to say that you can probably get what you're looking for out of this software as long as your goals are within reason. I mean, this is a 2D software after all, don't go expecting to create a Pixar movie with it!

Of course, ASP will only deliver character animation. You would probably still prefer an application to do the special effects, for instance with Adobe After Effects, and do video editing in a specialized non-linear video editor. If you can afford it, that is.

I'd have to agree with this emphatically. There are far too many people that I've seen posts from who's criteria for AS Pro seems to be that it had better be all things in the production pipeline and if it isn't then they'll dump it. They want to composite, edit, do special effects, sound effects -everything with just one software!

You have to use a software for its strengths! AS Pro is a character animation software. That's what it's best at, and it does a fantastic job with it. Sure there's some rough edges in the workflow, but most of the people on this forum are REALLY helpful! I mean, I've never seen a group of people that are as willing to help out as the people here. Vern and Genete particularly are quite patient and helpful.

If you're on the fence about AS Pro I can tell you this: I've done about 5 or 6 professional spots with AS Pro, my clients have all been very happy with what I've given them, and as long as I can continue to use AS Pro I will. For the price you just can't beat it.

S

[Rasheed]

most of the people on this forum are REALLY helpful! I mean, I've never seen a group of people that are as willing to help out as the people here. Vern and Genete particularly are quite patient and helpful.

I really think that the greatest power of Anime Studio (Pro) is this forum and its dedicated members. There are people who know a whole bunch of hacks to get certain effects (like head turns, full body turns, solid arm movements, eye blinks, etc.).

There are techniques described in this forum that were too advance to get included in the official guide by Kelly Murdock. Even techniques people thought to be impossible (e.g. animating the shape stacking order), by parsing and modifying the .anme file. It can get quite geeky sometimes.

[Rudiger]

About keyframing. I did some research on a small clip from Aang, The Last Airbender.


(click to view on ImageShack)

In this clip there are keyframes on 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 19, 21, 25, 27, 29, 30, 32, 35, 36. I get the idea the clip is synced on lipsync, instead of on a steady keyframe rate.

Although, strictly speaking, The Last Airbender isn't anime (because it isn't produced in Japan), it is strongly influenced by anime.

Also notice the very limited animation, which is possible to recreate with Anime Studio Pro.

Keyframed to match the lip-sync, eh? That's almost like designer-limited animation. I did a similar test on Sailor Moon animation, and the cheap bastards only animated every fourth frame! However, they often blend keyframes together to make it look a little less jerky.

As for the best tool, I've seen some excellent results (as well as some very ordinary ones) using 3D tools that have a cel-style renderer. For this approach, you can't go past Terrence Walker's work http://www.studioartfx.com/. If you particularly wanted to focus on cool looking turns and dynamic camera moves, I would definitely recommend this approach. To get the best of both worlds, you could even do the basic animation in 3d, and then import it into Anime Studio to add little details in 2D, to make it look more authentic.

By the way, the excellent "How To Draw Manga" series have a book on making anime which is an excellent introduction to this style of animation.

[Rasheed]

I did a similar test on Sailor Moon animation, and the cheap bastards only animated every fourth frame! However, they often blend keyframes together to make it look a little less jerky.

If it works, it works. Why make things more expensive if you don't need to? Especially in low-budget situations this is a great skill to have. I wonder if you have ever seen the animatics on the DVD of The Incredibles. Those are really jerky, but the voice acting and story are great, and after a while you don't notice the jerkiness of the imagery so much.

If you wonder why the animatics where done in 2D: The Incredibles was originally planned as a 2D animation. In fact, Pixar has nothing against 2D animation, and I wouldn't be surprised if they'd publish a 2D feature film one day (didn't they have one in the pipeline?).

It's all about the story, not about the medium. For instance, you can tell a great story using only hand gestures and voice. Of course, that isn't suitable for the big screen, but in front of a small audience it is a warm and intimate form of artistic expression through subtle body language.

I still think that 2D is the best medium to learn and experiment in animation, because it is so direct. I believe that is why storyboarding for animation is still done in 2D, while the final product might be in 3D.

Of course, I'm totally talking out of my butt here.

[Rudiger]

I did a similar test on Sailor Moon animation, and the cheap bastards only animated every fourth frame! However, they often blend keyframes together to make it look a little less jerky.

If it works, it works. Why make things more expensive if you don't need to? Especially in low-budget situations this is a great skill to have. I wonder if you have ever seen the animatics on the DVD of The Incredibles. Those are really jerky, but the voice acting and story are great, and after a while you don't notice the jerkiness of the imagery so much.

If you wonder why the animatics where done in 2D: The Incredibles was originally planned as a 2D animation. In fact, Pixar has nothing against 2D animation, and I wouldn't be surprised if they'd publish a 2D feature film one day (didn't they have one in the pipeline?).

It's all about the story, not about the medium. For instance, you can tell a great story using only hand gestures and voice. Of course, that isn't suitable for the big screen, but in front of a small audience it is a warm and intimate form of artistic expression through subtle body language.

I still think that 2D is the best medium to learn and experiment in animation, because it is so direct. I believe that is why storyboarding for animation is still done in 2D, while the final product might be in 3D.

Of course, I'm totally talking out of my butt here.

Oh don't get me wrong, I was just being sarcastic when I called them cheap bastards. It's always amazing how effective Anime can be, even with such limited animation. I'm trying to mimic the Anime style myself, as I think you can learn a lot about animating when you trying to convey motion with such a limited number of frames.

Actually, I did watch the animatics for The Incredibles. Definitely very watchable and shows you how important story-boarding is. I mean if it's not working at the story-board/animatic phase then, it won't work for the finished film.

I didn't know that Pixar were thinking about making 2D films. Wouldn't they do that through the Disney 2D animation division?

[Rasheed]

I didn't know that Pixar were thinking about making 2D films. Wouldn't they do that through the Disney 2D animation division?

Probably not. It is their story, so they want full creative control. I believe their contract with Disney states that they have this kind of creative freedom, and iirc it was Steve Jobs who stipulated this, on advice of John Laseter. Otherwise Pixar would not have been sold by Steve Jobs. You don't want to mess with Jobs; he always gets what he wants.

[Rudiger]

I didn't know that Pixar were thinking about making 2D films. Wouldn't they do that through the Disney 2D animation division?

Probably not. It is their story, so they want full creative control. I believe their contract with Disney states that they have this kind of creative freedom, and iirc it was Steve Jobs who stipulated this, on advice of John Laseter. Otherwise Pixar would not have been sold by Steve Jobs. You don't want to mess with Jobs; he always gets what he wants.

Although this wasn't the case when The Incredibles was being made, John Lasseter is now the CEO of both Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, so he would ensure creative control whether it was a Pixar or Disney produced film. I'm pretty sure that now, any 2D projects would be handled by Disney Animation studios, as they have the people with expertise in that area.

[Rasheed]

I'm pretty sure that now, any 2D projects would be handled by Disney Animation studios, as they have the people with expertise in that area.

Right, yeah, "expertise". Why then is most popular 2D coming from Japan? If they are experts in stuff, then it is in red tape. Disney has become what Walt didn't want Disney want to become, a publishing house, with many suits instead of artists. That is exactly the reason why Pixar didn't want to be integrated into Disney.

The innovative stuff is still being created by small studios (and nowadays individuals).

[Rudiger]

I'm pretty sure that now, any 2D projects would be handled by Disney Animation studios, as they have the people with expertise in that area.

Right, yeah, "expertise". Why then is most popular 2D coming from Japan? If they are experts in stuff, then it is in red tape. Disney has become what Walt didn't want Disney want to become, a publishing house, with many suits instead of artists. That is exactly the reason why Pixar didn't want to be integrated into Disney.

The innovative stuff is still being created by small studios (and nowadays individuals).

I totally agree with you and I think Bob Iger would agree with you too . He's obviously hoping that John Lasseter can turn things around for Disney. It's actually the reverse of most acquisitions. Instead of wanting to force Pixar to conform to Disney's corporate strategy they want what works about Pixar to spread to the rest of Disney.

When I said expertise, I meant technical expertise in animation, which I believe they still have, or can at least attract and nurture. It just hasn't been put to very good use lately, with execs choosing the safe option of making another straight to video Aladdin sequel instead of taking a risk with an original idea.

[Rhoel]

One of the most distinctive things about Japanese anime is the extraordinary detail put into the eyes. Getting that look is not easy as it requires multiple colour separations within the iris area - programs such as Animo were better for this than AS as it has very good colour blending tools.

However last week, I dawned on me that trying to make the iris in AS is not the simplest approach.

Making the iris in Photoshop is both better and easier. If that is then saved out as a bitmap and bought into AS as a fill image texture, the resulting look is the same. In my tests, I left the pupil as a vectored layer (so it's size is can change), as was the highlights as they need to move according to where the eye is looking). The eyebrow shadow over the eyeball was also vectored, with a 40% alpha and plenty of blur. The result looked really good.

This technique is good not only for anime but eyes in other genres too.

Might make this into tutorial and post to Techniques if there is a demand for it.


Rhoel


This might be reinventing the wheel but what the hell: I don't remember anyone else talking about it.

[jahnocli]

Go for it -- I'm always interested in how other people do things. Half the time you would never have thought of it yourself!