My 2nd Progress Report: OMG EUREKA!

Woah! :o

It’s been an exciting learning period! After enough experimentation, user guide reading, and support from yooz guyz, I finally understand how TBS functions in the grand scheme of things! :smiley: Now I’m ready to take things to the next level so here’s my next annoying report and batch of questions.

So I’ve finally understood the typical work process of TBS: You create your different animation elements, like a character’s walk cycle or a 6-frame element of a character picking up a ball, then after creating all those, you use sceneplanning mode to determine when and where they appear on the screen and for how long, etc. I also figured out that in order to put in a background behind the elements, you can just import a picture and set the exposure to whatever amount of frames (which is right, right?).

I’ll tell you why it took me so long to understand all this: I am in love with traditional high-action animation, and in studying my favorite movies/shows frame by frame it seemed as if the animtor(s) were animating everything in order, usually using only one element per scene. Like imagine two karate wrestling kickboxers fighting. They would be making so much contact with each other that it seems like they’d both always be a single element on the screen, otherwise it’d be annoying trying to make sure one element reacted appropriately with the other. Anyone following me? Remember, I’m talking about extremely high-quality and high-tech animation, done traditionally; not simple cute flash movies you find on the internet. And don’t tell me high-action frame-for-frame drawn animation isn’t practical with TBS, because I’ve made sure of it. :wink:

Now I’m actually ready to start creating a completed animation segment (and remember I have 2.5 Express), so here are my new questions before starting.


1. Concerning backgrounds: All I know how to do so far is import a jpeg or bitmap or something as an image element and keep it as the aft-most element, and setting its exposure to whatever amount of frames I need until it’s time to switch backgrounds since this all has to be in one “scene”. I also think I know how to move the background around in sceneplanning mode to make sure it fills up all of the camera’s view. However, one of the most basic animation principles is moving backgrounds, like if a character is walking from a side view. Assuming the background I drew in a paint program is long/big enough, how do I get the background to pan as I’d like it to in the real-time animation?

2. What is this widescreen-lookin’ black rectangle I see in the middle of the main camera view in sceneplanning mode?

3. Just for a cool added effect, how do I make sure my project is actually in widescreen mode, and how can I consistently know I’m working on something that’s going to be in widescreen mode?

4. Since I don’t yet have a recording studio, where can I get simple (and free) sound effects to use in my first completed segment? As far as implementing the sounds, I think I’ll be able to figure it out.

5. Voices! Even though I probably won’t use it in my first completed segment, what are the first steps I need to take in being able to record my own voice-acting? A cheap computer mike? Some type of sound studio software?

6. When I do acquire whatever tools and knowledge I need for implementing voice, am I going to have to turn my closet into one of those voice-acting boxes in order to avoid that cheesy muffled effect you hear from, like, a recorder?

7. What does it mean that I’m limited to two pegs? Two pegs per what? Because if panning a background requires pegs, and I get two per scene, and since I have only one scene… well, that’d just be cruel.


Hm… okay that’s all I got for now. I’m already good on managing drawings and colors (thank God for auto-gap). A million thanxes in advance to those that may help me. And look forward to my next update or aiya punch you in de stomach, eh! ;D

Hello, O Annoying One.



Put the camera on a movement peg and move the camera from one side t’t’other.



What the camera will show when you export the movie. In ‘camera view’ you can zoom in or out to see more or less than the camera sees.



Set the camera size in animation properties (File – Animation Properties, in my version of TBS)



Now you’re being lazy as well as annoying :). I posted a couple of days ago that there are lots of sound effects available by searching on “cartoon sound effects” in google. To edit those sound effects, download “audacity” (search on Google for “audacity sound editor”)



Spend all your money on the best quality mike you can find, but with a jack connector. You may also need a (cheap) adapter to plug your mike’s large jack into the computer’s small jack.

Audacity will do for your software, and its free.



Yes. Actually, a “muffled effect” is probably due to a cheap mike, and can only be fixed by buying a better mike. Your room will add some unpleasant sounds. Put pillows or carpet on your desk, and drape curtains over walls/hard surfaces, to “deaden” the room as much as possible.



This, and the scene limitation, mean that you are going to upgrade to full TBS very soon. They have a deal at the moment (or did 3 or 4 weeks ago) where the upgrade is discounted.

Steve



Are you serious that the only way to pan a background is with pegs? Can’t you, like… just have a large background and have the camera do the moving or something? How do they do it in actual proffesional studios? I mean… it should be fair that I only have to use pegs for moving drawn elements; not backgrounds.



Chuckle, chuckle.

To import a background image, then drop a camera on a peg, and set the peg to move the camera across the background would take about 90 seconds. I’m not sure I understand your objection to it.

This does “move the camera” - ie: dropping a camera on a peg and setting the start and end points is how you move a camera. In fact, how else are you going to move the camera from frame to frame? You could, as an alternative, drop the background on the peg and move the background. But it’s virtually the same technique.

To find out how to move a camera using a peg, do lesson 4, step 1 in the help file tutorial (I’m assuming your help file is the same as the current version of TBS).

Well, i guess he wants to save his precious little pegs since he only has the 2, poor True Warsaint lol.

Well you either have to deal with it or buy the full version im afraid :wink:


So it is true then that I’m limited to two moving backgrounds per project right now… grand… -_-;

What if I want to have the camera move in a shakey way for an artificial handcam effect? That require a peg also?

1 camera peg is sufficient even for multiple changes of background and handcam simulation. You use lots of keyframes on that peg.