Week 1- Learning the Basics

This week was devoted to learning my program, AnimeStudio Debut 10 (Sorry, I put the wrong information on the last post, haha). I spent most of the week reading articles and watching YouTube videos. I found that the YouTube videos were easier to learn from, as I could watch the person introduce the program and follow along with the tutorial while my own program was open.

After doodling for a while with a program and figuring out what features it had to offer, I found that it actually was not too artist friendly, unfortunately. When I say artist friendly, I mean that there are very little tools for drawing. The key items that I’m looking for typically when it comes to certain programs is a pen tool, which it has. However, the line weight is very uneven and inconsistent, making it difficult to make fluid lines. I also look for other tools that I can use in order to color in my work. However, I found that it was incredibly complicated to get to the color section of the work, and it was difficult to make the size bigger at times. I often found that it didn’t save. As an artist, I typically look for easy access to my tools. This is something that AnimeStudio Debut 10 does not provide.

However, it does offer some options that are helpful to me as an artist. One of those things is something that is used in most programs, which is layers. There are several different layer types that you can use. Those layers can be vector layers, bone layers, and switch layers. In particular, these will probably be the most helpful when it comes to my animation.

Vector Layers- Simple layers with nothing special to them. They do not possess any special effects and work as layers would in any other art program.

Bone Layer- Bone layers serve as… well, bones. If you were to draw on top of that bone layer, and then turn the bone layer, the drawing that you put on top of it would move along with it. So if I were to draw an arm and then add a bone layer, I could move just the bone and the arm would move along with it as if it was a limb. However, considering the way I’ve decided to do my animation, I most likely will not be using the Bone Layer.

Switch Layer- The switch layer is exactly what it seems, and will be the main layer that I will be using throughout my animation. It simply makes it so that you can upload most of your key elements into that layer, and then switch which one is showing at a given point.

A lot of these are complicated to explain, so I’ll provide you with a basic tutorial that I watched.

Another key tool that I will be using is the timeline and the transform layer tool. The timeline is, well, the timeline. It represents the points that the images change over time, and shows exactly which frame it switches during the animation. (Notice: I’ve been saying frames a lot and not realizing that I haven’t defined it too well. If you’re a gamer, you’ve probably heard FPS, or Frames Per Second. However, look at it like a movie. If you’ve seen movie film, it’s like a bunch of pictures that are filtered through a feed. Basically, a frame is a picture. The more FPS that you have, the more fluid your animation can be)

The transform layer tool is simply the tool you use when you want to move the image in your animation entirely, or when you want to mark a key frame. The key frame is simply a marking that shows when something in particular will happen on the timeline. Consider it like a queue for the picture to move.

After getting used to the program, I find it incredibly helpful and I definitely will be using it. However, as my goal is for a fluid and visually appealing animation, I don’t think this program would be good for the drawing portion. However, I decided that I’ll use another program that I have and that I’m more familiar with to adjust frame-by-frame drawings. That way, I’ll have fluid line art and easier access to painting and more familiar layers.

Manga Studio 6.0 is a rather helpful when it comes to my animations. It will allow me to adjust my canvas size, switch tools quickly and easily, and gives me just more freedom with my work. Also, the familiarity will help me a lot. One of the key features that I recognized that made me decide to use Manga Studio 6.0 was that the pen pressure was very controlled, as the program itself was made for artists.

Throughout the following week, I will be testing my hand at a few animations. I will post links to my YouTube channel with these animations and time lapses so that you can observe my work as it goes along.