Fast Coloring complex asp-figures in flash
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 2:58 am
Hi,
maybe some of u have flash too, so in comination with ASP u can color complex figues which have outlines from asp easiliy in flash and re-import them.
Sure this is only usefull in certain cases, i will mention later on.
The process:
1. Make ur complex animated figure in ASP, whatever it may be. But dont waste time with defining any single welded shape here!
2. For shadow areas u shouldt use a different line-color than the rest of the figure. Below the whole figure make a layer with a full covering white shape.
3. Copy these figure-layers and give them a thin outline e.g. 1pt or 1.5. They shouldt be thinner then the original figure(s).
4. Make the original figure invisible by unecjecking the eye and export this as an SWF with variing outline checked.
5. Make a dokument in Flash with same Dimensions as in ASP.
6. Import the this SWF. If it is an animation, flash will change the swf to frame by frame animation.
7. Now in Flash select all and "divide" it (STR or ctr + B). Sure u also can select in from menue.
8. Now what flash has done is to melt all the dififfernt separat shapes into only one vektor-shape without loss of any sharpness.
9. But the main trick here is now u can use paint bucket and inker to color the separat areas real quick by just clicking in the different regions/areas.
This is similar to pixelbased color-Programms as e.g. Animo.
Dont care oof u distort overcrossing lines a bit in the color process. This is just the Color-dokument, nothing more. Ur outlines u have already in ASP.
10. U can choose between different gap-filling too, but if u know flash a bit i wont tell u s.th. new with that.
11. U needed to have the white-shape-layer in ASP, therefore flash understands each region as a colorable a area.
12. If u have finished with all pics or at least one pic, export it now as a png. If it is an animation flash will export it as a numbered png-sequence.
13. Now back to ASP, import the png-(sequence) with the "import image sequence" from the script-menue.
14. Now ASP imports the sequence with the thinner outlines and plz put this folder below ur original ASP-figures. Rescale with a parent folder if necessary to match the original dimension (e.g. if u export from flash with higher dimensions to keep enough sharpness, because now its pixel-based).
15. Now u have the result / shouldt have.
Some hints:
-I described many steps, but if u do it once u ll see, that it is done fast
-the cases for which I use this method sometimes is if u e.g. have only one pic to color, but which is very complex. That couldt be with ASP-oulined backrounds or a complex figur which is nevertheless just a still-image. In ASP u wpuldt normally have to combine alle the lines into shapes, a very timekilling process in case for just one frame of a still-image-vector-figure.
-It can also be usefull if u have complex movements with many different color-areas u aim for. E.g. with short body- or head turns.
- and it can also be usefull, if u plan to color an outlined backround with pixel based structures e.g. in photoshop, painter or whatever. Because if u import e.g. a png from asp into photoshop directly, u maybe wouldt loose too much time to find and click the anti-aliased and semitransparent pixels. If u color them before in flash u wont have that semi-transparent circumstance with already colored areas. And with this already easiliy colored areas u have a well prepared document for the wizard-tool in any pixel-based drawing-programm.
For sure this method is not usefull if:
-...u use an easy-shape style as it it often the case with abstract-funny
figures.
-...for longer sequences, despite the fact, that ASP and flash as well will get problems to handle high relolutions pics then (but anyway ASP is much better in handling pixel-Pics than flash)
-even if the programm wont make problems with handling longer sequences, the time-saving advantage of this methods decereases proportionally, because e.g. if u have a 50-frames long animation it is much faster to define the shapes in ASP, even if the shaped figure is very, very complex.
-if u use a style with no outlines. Maybe there is a trick u think off. I never did think about this case because i always had outlined cartoon-styles to handle so far.
Last but not least if u think about the circumstance, that a color in pixel-based animation here cant be changed with less effort for the whole sequence in one step (as it is e.g. the case with styles in ASP or color-models in Animo, Retas or whatever) a programm called flash-decompiler can handle that job very easily with an swf-sequence in just one click (which then can be converted in whatever u which or plan to do).
maybe some of u have flash too, so in comination with ASP u can color complex figues which have outlines from asp easiliy in flash and re-import them.
Sure this is only usefull in certain cases, i will mention later on.
The process:
1. Make ur complex animated figure in ASP, whatever it may be. But dont waste time with defining any single welded shape here!
2. For shadow areas u shouldt use a different line-color than the rest of the figure. Below the whole figure make a layer with a full covering white shape.
3. Copy these figure-layers and give them a thin outline e.g. 1pt or 1.5. They shouldt be thinner then the original figure(s).
4. Make the original figure invisible by unecjecking the eye and export this as an SWF with variing outline checked.
5. Make a dokument in Flash with same Dimensions as in ASP.
6. Import the this SWF. If it is an animation, flash will change the swf to frame by frame animation.
7. Now in Flash select all and "divide" it (STR or ctr + B). Sure u also can select in from menue.
8. Now what flash has done is to melt all the dififfernt separat shapes into only one vektor-shape without loss of any sharpness.
9. But the main trick here is now u can use paint bucket and inker to color the separat areas real quick by just clicking in the different regions/areas.
This is similar to pixelbased color-Programms as e.g. Animo.
Dont care oof u distort overcrossing lines a bit in the color process. This is just the Color-dokument, nothing more. Ur outlines u have already in ASP.
10. U can choose between different gap-filling too, but if u know flash a bit i wont tell u s.th. new with that.
11. U needed to have the white-shape-layer in ASP, therefore flash understands each region as a colorable a area.
12. If u have finished with all pics or at least one pic, export it now as a png. If it is an animation flash will export it as a numbered png-sequence.
13. Now back to ASP, import the png-(sequence) with the "import image sequence" from the script-menue.
14. Now ASP imports the sequence with the thinner outlines and plz put this folder below ur original ASP-figures. Rescale with a parent folder if necessary to match the original dimension (e.g. if u export from flash with higher dimensions to keep enough sharpness, because now its pixel-based).
15. Now u have the result / shouldt have.
Some hints:
-I described many steps, but if u do it once u ll see, that it is done fast
-the cases for which I use this method sometimes is if u e.g. have only one pic to color, but which is very complex. That couldt be with ASP-oulined backrounds or a complex figur which is nevertheless just a still-image. In ASP u wpuldt normally have to combine alle the lines into shapes, a very timekilling process in case for just one frame of a still-image-vector-figure.
-It can also be usefull if u have complex movements with many different color-areas u aim for. E.g. with short body- or head turns.
- and it can also be usefull, if u plan to color an outlined backround with pixel based structures e.g. in photoshop, painter or whatever. Because if u import e.g. a png from asp into photoshop directly, u maybe wouldt loose too much time to find and click the anti-aliased and semitransparent pixels. If u color them before in flash u wont have that semi-transparent circumstance with already colored areas. And with this already easiliy colored areas u have a well prepared document for the wizard-tool in any pixel-based drawing-programm.
For sure this method is not usefull if:
-...u use an easy-shape style as it it often the case with abstract-funny
figures.
-...for longer sequences, despite the fact, that ASP and flash as well will get problems to handle high relolutions pics then (but anyway ASP is much better in handling pixel-Pics than flash)
-even if the programm wont make problems with handling longer sequences, the time-saving advantage of this methods decereases proportionally, because e.g. if u have a 50-frames long animation it is much faster to define the shapes in ASP, even if the shaped figure is very, very complex.
-if u use a style with no outlines. Maybe there is a trick u think off. I never did think about this case because i always had outlined cartoon-styles to handle so far.
Last but not least if u think about the circumstance, that a color in pixel-based animation here cant be changed with less effort for the whole sequence in one step (as it is e.g. the case with styles in ASP or color-models in Animo, Retas or whatever) a programm called flash-decompiler can handle that job very easily with an swf-sequence in just one click (which then can be converted in whatever u which or plan to do).
