TBS4 User Guide

User Guide
Legal Notices
Corporate Headquarters 7 Laurier Avenue East Montreal, Quebec Canada H2T 1E4 Tel: (514) 278-8666 Fax: (514) 278-2666 www.toonboom.com
Disclaimer
The content of this manual is covered by a specific limited warranty and exclusions and limit of liability under the applicable License Agreement as supplemented by the special terms and conditions for AdobeFlash File Format (SWF). Please refer to the License Agreement and to those special terms and conditions for details. The content of this manual is the property of Toon Boom Animation Inc. and is copyrighted. Any reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. For additional copies of this manual, please contact Toon Boom Animation Inc. at the Corporate Headquarters address.
Trademarks
Toon Boom Studio is a trademark owned by Toon Boom Animation Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Credits
Documentation Development: Peter Cawthorne Content Development and Art: Tania Gray
Publication Date
August 2007
Contents
Studio Basics .................................................................................................... 9
Launching Toon Boom Studio 10 Workspace Functionality 12 Select a Workspace 12 Create a Workspace 12 Save a Workspace 13 Rename a Workspace 13 Restore a Workspace 13 Delete a Workspace 13 Display Toolbars in the Workspace 14 Customize the Workspace 14 Workspace Drop-Down Button 14 Windows 15 Full Screen 15 Extend Side Panels 16 Reset the Workspace 16 Docking and Floating Window Modes 17 Docking Windows Mode 17 Floating Windows Mode 19 Starting Your Animation Project 20 Creating A New Project 20 Opening An Existing Project 21 Opening a recently used project 22 Opening Tutorials 22 Accessing Web Resources 23 Saving Animation Projects 24 Setting the Animation Frame Rate and Camera Size 25 Selecting Preset Animation Properties 26 Adding Scenes to a Movie 27 Changing the Scene 28 Changing the Background Colour of a Scene 28 Reordering Scenes 29 Renaming Scenes 30 Showing/Hiding Scenes 31 Deleting Scenes 31
Toon Boom Studio User Guide
Drawing ......................................................................................................... 39
Creating and Navigating Drawings and Drawing Layers 40 Drawing Line Art 41 Drawing in the Drawing or Camera View 43 Drawing Straight Lines, Ellipses and Rectangles 44 Drawing with the Polyline Tool 45 Drawing Brush Strokes 47 Convert Lines To Strokes 48 Drawing Pencil Lines 48 Converting Centreline Shapes to Brush Strokes 49 Working With Text 50 Creating Text 50 Formatting Text 51 Changing Text Colour 53 Converting Text Into Separate Objects 53 Working with Selections 55 Grouping Drawing Objects 56 Ordering Drawing Objects 56 Resizing, Flipping, Rotating and Moving Drawing Objects 57 Changing the Centre of Transformation 58 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Drawing Objects 59 Deforming a Drawing Object 60 Select Drawing Tool to Include Perspective 60 Changing the Colour of Brush Strokes, Fills and Centreline Objects 61 Changing the Thickness of Centreline Objects 62 Optimizing Drawing Objects for the Web 63 Converting Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines 64 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Optimize Command 65 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Flatten Command 66 Removing Points with the Smooth Command 67 Merging Layers Using Draw Top Layer 68 Cutting and Erasing Drawing Objects 69 Using the Scissor to Cut Parts from Drawing Objects 70 Erasing Parts from Drawing Objects 71 Using the Cutter to Separate Regions in Drawing Objects 72
Setting up Your Studio Session 32 Customizing the Toolbar on Mac OS X 32 Changing the Background Colour of the Drawing and Camera View Windows 33 Assigning Keyboard Shortcuts 34 Selecting Units of Measure 36 Configuring Video Card Display Options 38
Contents
Importing Artwork ......................................................................................... 97

Importing Static Images (Bitmaps) 98 Creating Transparent Bitmaps 100 Vectorizing Bitmaps 101 Vectorization with Texture 102 Importing Illustrator and PDF Files 103 Import Illustrator Layers 103 Importing Flash Movies 104 Repositioning All Drawings 105 Importing and Vectorizing from TWAIN 105
Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines 73 Contour Points 73 Reshaping Centreline Shapes 74 Reshaping Brush Strokes 76 Adding Points to Vector Shapes 78 Deleting Points from Vector Shapes 79 Feather Edges Command 80 Setting Up Your Pens 81 Line Styles 81 Creating and Removing Pen Styles 82 Modifying a Pen Style 83 Setting Up Your Drawing Space 84 Displaying the Drawing Grid 85 Rotating the Drawing Space 86 Onion Skin: Displaying the Next and Previous Drawings 87 Setting Onion Skin Options 88 Onion Skinning with Transparency 90 Static Light Table: Displaying Selected Drawings 91 Changing the Display of Objects in the Static Light Table 92 Auto Light Table: Displaying All Images in a Frame 94 Zooming and Panning the View Window 95
Inking and Painting ......................................................................................109

Colouring Your Toon Boom Studio World 110 Swatches 111 Adding a Swatch 112 Changing the Colour Values in a Swatch 113 Creating a Gradient Swatch 114 Changing the Transparency of a Swatch 116 Naming a Swatch 117 Creating a Bitmap Swatch 118 Setting a Bitmap Swatch to Tile or Stretch 119
Adding Sound ............................................................................................. 149

Importing Sounds 150 Event and Streamed Sounds 151 Playing the Sound in Your Animation 152 Editing Sounds 153 Changing the Start or End Frame of a Sound 154 Trimming the Start and End of a Sound File 155 Looping a Sound 156 Fading the Sound In and Out 157 Viewing the Waveform in the Exposure Sheet 158 Customizing the Playback Range 159
Painting Zones in Your Drawings 120 Painting a Zone with a Solid Swatch 121 Painting Zones with Gradients and Textures 122 Editing Gradient and Texture Fills 123 Copying Gradient and Texture Fills 127 Power Painting Drawings in an Element 128 Picking a Swatch from a Line or Zone 129 Unpainting Zones/Line Art 130 Closing Gaps in Your Drawings 132 Manually Closing Gaps 132 Auto Gap Close Options 134 Inking Line Art 135 Managing Your Colours with Palettes 136 Creating a Palette 137 Copying a Palette 137 Renaming a Palette 139 Deleting a Palette 139 Creating Multiple Palette Styles 140 Renaming a Palette Style 141 Deleting a Palette Style 142 Offsetting Colours in a Palette Style 143 Blending a Colour into a Palette Style 145 Importing and Exporting Palettes 146 Importing Palettes 146 Exporting Palettes 147
Contents
Laying Out Elements in 3D Space ............................................................... 167

Basic Sceneplanning Concepts 168 Using the View Windows 169 Zooming and Panning View Windows 170 Switching Views 171 Resetting the Scene View 172 Selecting Elements 172 Repositioning Elements 175 Changing the NS/EW Position of an Element 176 Changing the FB Position of an Element 177 Defining an Elements Layering Order 178 Scaling Elements 178 Changing the Scale Pivot Point Position 181 Rotating Elements 183 Changing the Rotation Pivot Point Position 185
Lip Synching 160 Sound Scrubbing 161 Changing the Lip Assignment of a Sound 162 Automatically Mapping Lip Sync Drawings 164 Adding Lip Sync Notes 165 Recomputing the Lip Chart 166
Animating..................................................................................................... 189
Animating Elements with Pegs 190 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements 191 Building Peg Hierarchies 193 Displaying Peg Hierarchies 194 Using Keyframes and Timeline Properties 196 Adding Keyframes for Motion, Rotation, Skewing and Scaling 197 Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes 198 Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values 201 Copying and Moving Frames in the Timeline 203 Pasting Selected Frame Properties in the Timeline 205 Changing the Duration of a Peg Element 206 Stretching a Peg 206 Looping a Peg 207 Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool 208 Animating Size Changes with the Scale Tool 211 Animating Skewing with the Skew Tool 214 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool 216 Creating a NS or EW Motion Path 218 Creating an FB Motion Path 220 Adding Motion Points to a Motion Path 221 Adding Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab 223
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Using the Multiplane Camera...................................................................... 247

Camera Effects with Toon Boom Studio 248 Adding Cameras to a Scene 249 Positioning a Camera 251 Zooming the Camera In or Out 253 Zooming the Camera Over Time 255 Changing the Start Frame and Duration of a Dynamic Camera 257 Editing the Dynamic Zooms with the Function Editor 258 Panning and Trucking the Camera 260 Additive and Multiplicative Colour Changes 264 Additive Colour Changes 265 Multiplicative Colour Changes 266 Changing Colour Over Time 267 Adding/Removing Keyframes from a Colour Transform 269 Flattening a Colour Transform Effect Layer 270 Combining Multiple Colour Transforms 271 Clipping Mask Effects 272 Creating Clipping Mask Effects 272 Modifying Masks 275
Moving Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab 224 Deleting Motion Points from a Motion Path 226 Locking/Unlocking Control Points 226 Adjusting the Curve Between Motion Points 228 Defining the Default Tension, Continuity and Bias Values 229 Peg Path Orientation Feature 231 Animating with the Transform Tool 232 Bounding Box Manipulation 234 Repositioning the Pivot Point of the Transform Tool for an Operation 234 Animating Cut-out Characters 235 Building Peg Hierarchies to Animate Cut-Out Characters 235 Positioning Pivot Points on Cut-Out Characters 238 Editing Functions Using the Function Editor 239 Adding Keyframes and Changing their Values 241 Reshaping the Plotline Using the Function Editor 243 Changing Your View of the Function Editor 244
Creating Effects........................................................................................... 263
Contents
Organizing Elements and Timing ................................................................ 279

Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows 280 Showing/Hiding Elements 281 Displaying Selected Elements Only in Sceneplanning Views 283 Adding Element/Cell Notes 285 Viewing Cell and Element Notes 286 Changing the Cell Display in the Exposure Sheet 287 Resizing Columns in the Exposure Sheet 289 Changing the Colour of an Element 290 Changing the Default Colours of Elements 291 Changing the Timeline Track Colour 292 Changing the Timeline Zoom Level 293 Changing the Current Frame in the Timeline 294 Displaying Feet and Frames in the Timeline 295 Splitting the Timeline Window in Two 296 Layering Elements 297 Adding Many Elements to a Scene 298 Changing the Layering Order of Elements 300 Renaming Elements 302 Deleting Elements 302 Duplicating Elements 303 Cloning Elements 304 Sequencing and Timing Drawings and Images 306 Labelling Cells in the Exposure Sheet 307 Inserting a Range of Numbered Cells 308 Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images 309 Swapping Drawings in an Element 312 Changing an Elements Start Time in the Timeline 313 Inserting Blank Cells in an Element 314 Inserting Blank Frames in a Scene 315 Naming and Renaming a Cell 316 Renaming a Drawing or Image 317 Cutting, Copying and Pasting Cells 317 Creating Cycles 318 Creating Advanced Cycles 320 Protecting Drawings 322
Drop Shadow Effects 276 Creating Drop Shadow Effects 277
Re-using Content......................................................................................... 325

The Library Window 326 Previewing Content in the Library 328 Re-using Drawings and Images from the Current Animation 329 Creating Templates 330 Editing Templates 332 Importing Multimedia Files into the Library 333 Renaming Templates 334 Deleting Templates 334 Viewing a Templates Properties 335 Defining the Author and Copyright of a Template 336 Using Templates 337 Copying a Template into Your Animation 338 Copying Selected Template Contents into Your Animation 339 Linking Templates to Media Elements 340 Cutting, Copying and Pasting Linked Media Content 341 Using Paste Special to Update Content from a Template 342 Creating, Renaming and Deleting Catalogs 343 Creating and Renaming Libraries 344 Loading and Closing Libraries 345 Configuring Global Library Storage 346 Previewing a Scene Interactively 348 Setting the Playback Range in the Timeline 349 Real-Time Playback 350 Exporting Your Movie 351 Flash Preloader 353 Export to HTML 353 Exporting a Snapshot 353 Exporting Drawings to PDF 354
Template to Preserve Lock Flag 322 Clearing a Drawing from a Cell 322 Deleting Cells from Elements 323
Playback and Rendering.............................................................................. 347
Index ...............................................................................355
Chapter 1 Studio Basics

This chapter describes how to start a new animation in Toon Boom Studio, how to work with scenes and how to set up your windows, toolbars and other preferences. This chapter contains the following topics:
Launching Toon Boom Studio on page 10 Workspace Functionality on page 12 Docking and Floating Window Modes on page 17 Starting Your Animation Project on page 20 Saving Animation Projects on page 24 Setting the Animation Frame Rate and Camera Size on page 25 Adding Scenes to a Movie on page 27 Setting up Your Studio Session on page 32
Launching Toon Boom Studio

To get started, you need to start the Toon Boom Studio application and open a project. You have three main types of tasks you can do after you launch the program, each of these are explained in the following sections.

1.
Creating A New Project on page 20 Opening An Existing Project on page 21 Opening Tutorials on page 22 Accessing Web Resources on page 23
To launch Toon Boom Studio: Do one of the following:
Double-click on the Toon Boom Studio icon. Windows users can select Start > Programs >Toon Boom Animation > Toon Boom Studio 4.0. Mac OS X users can select Applications > Toon Boom Studio > Toon Boom Studio 4.0. Toon Boom Studio opens. The menu bar and the main toolbar are displayed.
When you first launch Toon Boom Studio, the welcome screen appears. Use the welcome screen to:
Enter a name for your new animation Select preset animation properties Set manual animation properties Open recent files Browse to open a project Open tutorials online or locally on a hard drive Access Web resources: TBS Technical Support Page TBS Product Page e-Learning Section TBS User forum
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Chapter 1: Studio Basics
Use this section to open recent projects. Create a new animation project in this section, which includes the features in the New Project dialog box. You can also click on the Browse link to select an animation in your file system.
Quick links to Toon Boom Studio on the Web
Use this section to access tutorials.
You can choose whether or not you want this screen to appear the next time you launch Toon Boom Studio. If you do not want to display it when you launch the application, select Do Not Show This Window at Startup option at the bottom of the welcome screen. You can easily switch a disabled welcome screen back on so it will appear next time you start up the application. To reactivate the welcome screen: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Edit > Preferences on Windows. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences on Mac OS X. The Preferences window opens. 2. 3. 4. Click on the General tab. Select Show Start Page from the At Startup drop-list. Click on OK. The welcome screen will display the next time you launch Toon Boom Studio.
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Workspace Functionality
Toon Boom Studio is designed to be flexible enough to adapt to your computer setup as well as your personal flair, allowing you to customize your workspace. A workspace is a collection of information from the current user interface. The workspace contains information on all of the windows and toolbars positions and states. Toon Boom Studio allows you to create, modify, and save an unlimited number of customizable workspaces in order to organize your project and optimize your work. For example, you may create a workspace that includes the Drawing View and Exposure Sheet for when you are drawing, and another workspace that includes the Camera View, Side View, Timeline and Function Editor for when you are animating. The workspaces that you create and save can be accessed no matter what project you are working on. The active workspace is always denoted by a checkmark in the list of workspaces. With Toon Boom Studio, you can:
Select a Workspace on page 12 Create a Workspace on page 12 Save a Workspace on page 13 Rename a Workspace on page 13 Restore a Workspace on page 13 Delete a Workspace on page 13 Display Toolbars in the Workspace on page 14 Customize the Workspace on page 14 Reset the Workspace on page 16
Most of these commands can also be accessed through the Workspace drop-down button.
Select a Workspace
To select a workspace: Select Window > Workspaces and click on the desired workspace. A checkmark appears next to the selected workspace.
Create a Workspace
To create a workspace: Select Window > Workspaces > New Workspace. A Layout Name dialog box opens. Name your workspace and click on OK.
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Note: When you create a workspace, it automatically takes on the layout that you were using when you created it. If you had a workspace that had already been modified (i.e., you added and moved toolbars), the new workspace will include these changes.
Save a Workspace
To save the current workspace: Make sure that the workspace that you want to save is the active workspace. Select Window > Workspaces > Save.
Rename a Workspace
To rename the current workspace: Make sure that the workspace that you want to rename is the active workspace. Select Window > Workspaces > Rename.
Restore a Workspace
If you have modified and saved on of the default workspaces, you can return to its original layout with the Restore Workspace command. To restore a workspace: Select Window > Workspaces > Restore Workspace.
Delete a Workspace
To delete the current workspace: Make sure that the workspace that you want to delete is the active workspace. Select Window > Workspaces > Delete. The default workspace is now displayed.
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Display Toolbars in the Workspace

By default, Toon Boom Studio displays certain toolbars in the main window. You can customize your session to display only the toolbars that are useful to your project. The following toolbars are available:
Drawing: allows you to access the tools used for drawing and painting. Scene Planning: allows you to select the tools used for arranging your scene. Main: allows you to start, open, or save animation projects; cut, copy and paste content; and access the online help. Interactive Playback: allows you to control the playback of your scene. Grid Control: allows you to display grids in the Drawing View window. Onion Skin: allows you to view the previous or next drawings in a sequence Peg: allows you to display/hide details about the peg path. Scene View: allows you to change what you see in the View windows. Workspaces: allows you to switch between workspaces, as well as create, save, rename, restore, and delete workspaces. Exposure Sheet: appears in the Xsheet view, allows you to add and manage elements in the exposure sheet Select Window > Toolbar or right-click on any toolbar and select Toolbar from the pop-up menu. Select the desired toolbar from the list. A checkmark appears beside the toolbars that are displayed in the workspace. Toolbars can be moved and rearranged by clicking and dragging them with the mouse. They can be docked on the left side, right side, top or bottom of the workspace.
To add or remove toolbars from a workspace:
Customize the Workspace

You can create customized workspaces that include the toolbars and views relevant to your work and animation style. You can also create a workspace that is unique to the task at hand, for example, one workspace for drawing and another for animating.
Workspace Drop-Down Button

Use the Workspace drop-down button for quick access and easy management of your workspaces. Click on the Workspace button to display a drop-down menu that lists your workspaces, including the Default and Drawing workspaces. This menu also contains commands for creating and saving a new workspace, as well as renaming, restoring, or deleting an existing one.
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If the Workspace drop-down button does not appear in your workspace, you can easily include it. Simply select Window > Toolbar > Workspaces. See Also Setting up Your Studio Session on page 32
Windows
To add or remove windows from a workspace Click on the Window menu and select the desired view. A checkmark appears beside the views that are displayed in the workspace. The views can be docked by clicking and dragging them between two existing docked views, or they can be left floating. To remove a view from the workspace, deselect it from the list, or click on the X in the views upper right corner.
Full Screen
When you are working in Toon Boom Studio, you may want to work in full-screen mode. From there, you can hide your toolbars and windows in order to focus on the drawing. Your full screen preference is saved with your workspace, so that the next time you load it, it is already displayed as you had it. It can be quite useful to save both a full screen version and a regular layout of a workspace. To turn full-screen mode on: Select View > Turn Full Screen On or use the default keyboard shortcut [Ctrl]+[F]. Select View > Turn Full Screen Off or use the default keyboard shortcut [Ctrl]+[F]. When you are using the full screen display, press [Tab] to hide all of your toolbars, menus, and windows. Press [Tab] again to have them reappear.
To turn full-screen mode off:
To display or hide all toolbars, menus, and windows:
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Extend Side Panels

This feature is available only when the Workspace mode Docking windows feature is enabled in the Preferences dialog box. and is accessed through the Windows menu. Extend Side Panels is accessed through the Windows menu. When this feature is turned ON, the side panels extend to the full height of the main window and allows the panels to be positioned in the top middle and the bottom middle of the workspace.
When this feature is OFF (default) the top and bottom panels extend to the full width of the main window leaving the sides panels in the left middle and right middle of the workspace.
Reset the Workspace

If you are ever unsatisfied with the modified layout of your workspace, you can return to the programs default layout. Simply select Windows > Workspaces > Default.
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Docking and Floating Window Modes

Toon Boom Studio allows you to easily move the various windows to create a working environment that is tailored to your own needs. You can select which windows are displayed from the Window menu. There are two ways to display windows in the user interface:
Docking Windows Mode on page 17 Floating Windows Mode on page 19
Docking Windows Mode

When you are working in the Docking Windows mode, you can have all of your windows docked, or use a combination of docked and floating windows. Windows can be docked on the left side, right side, top or bottom of the interface. A window can be positioned above, below, beside, or between existing docked windows. You can also create a staggered effect in which two or more windows occupy the same spot on the interface, with tabs to switch between them. Windows that are already docked can be repositioned to match your preferences. The program automatically adjusts the size of the docked windows to optimize the display. To set your preferences to Docking Windows mode: Select Edit > Preferences. Click on the Interface tab. Under Workspace System, set the Workspace Mode to Docking Windows.
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To dock a window: Click on the heading of a floating or docked window and drag it where you want it to dock (the left side, right side, top or bottom). Hover for a moment and Toon Boom Studio will automatically create a space for the window. Release the mouse button and the window will snap into place. Double-click on the header of a floating window and it will be docked automatically. Click on the heading of the docked window and drag it to another spot in the interface. Once your window appears to be floating, release the mouse button. Double-click on the header of a docked window and it will become a floating window Click on the heading of a floating or docked window and drag it where you want it to dock. Hover for a moment and Toon Boom Studio will automatically create a space for the window. Release the mouse button and the window will snap into place. Click on the heading of a floating or docked window and drag it on top of the window you want it to be tabbed with. Hover for a moment until the existing window is shaded. Release the mouse button and the window will be placed over the other(s) and a tab will be created. You may try to move a floating window, only to have Toon Boom Studio make it a docked window. To prevent this, hold down [Ctrl] as you click and drag the floating window to any position. Click and drag the windows borders. You may want to quickly show or hide your floating windows. Press [Tab] on your keyboard and the floating windows are hidden. Press [Tab] again, and they reappear.
To undock a window:
To position a window above, below, beside, or between other docked windows:
To create docked windows that are staggered
To avoid automatic docking:
To adjust the size of a docked window: To show or hide floating windows:
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Floating Windows Mode

The floating window system is familiar to users who have worked with other versions of Toon Boom Studio. Floating windows can be repositioned as you work. To set your preferences to floating windows: Select Edit > Preferences. Click on the Interface tab. Under Workspace System, set the Workspace Mode to Floating Windows.
To reposition a floating window: Click on the heading of a floating window and drag it where you want it. Click and drag the windows borders. Be careful not to resize a window in a way that hides any of its information. To adjust the size of a floating window:
See Also Workspace Functionality on page 12
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Starting Your Animation Project

Once you have launched Toon Boom Studio, you can create a new animation project or open an existing one.
Creating A New Project on page 20 Opening An Existing Project on page 21
Before you begin a project or if you want to refresh your knowledge of Toon Boom Studio, you can also launch the application to access additional resources.
Opening Tutorials on page 22 Accessing Web Resources on page 23
Creating A New Project

When you create a new project, you will specify the location where you want to store the animation components. You will also be able to specify animation properties, such as the aspect ratio and frames per second (these can be changed later). To create a new animation project: 1. Do one of the following: Launch the program to display the welcome screen. In the menu bar, select File > New. The New Project dialog box opens. If you are using the welcome screen, the same properties are in the upper left section.
Use this dialog box to name your animation project, and select its animation properties. 2. 3. Type in the name of the project. You can select a frame rate and camera size from the Format drop-list. To use a new one, select Custom from the list and enter a new frame rate (in frames per second) and camera size (in pixels).
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4.
Click on the Create button when you are done. The new project is created and placed in the directory you selected. Toon Boom Studio opens the default workspace based on your chosen animation properties. You can now start your production.
Other ways to open the New Project dialog box:
In the main toolbar, click on the New
button.
Mac OS X users can use the [Command]+[N] shortcut. Windows users can use the [Ctrl]+[N] shortcut.
To start a new project from the beginning, choose this option. When you begin a new project there are certain criteria which you must first set up, these criteria provide the basic setup for the new project. If you choose to start a new project, follow these steps to begin: 1. 2. 3. 4. Click on the Name text box in the new project area of the Start Page. Enter a name for the new project. Select the Animation Properties that best suit your final production output. Click on Create. The start page closes and the application displays the default workspace relative to your chosen Animation Properties. You can now start your production.
See Also Setting the Animation Frame Rate and Camera Size on page 25
Opening An Existing Project

You can continue working on an existing animation project by opening it. If you have another project open, you will be prompted to save it, and it will close after you confirm your choice. A saved project is added to the recent projects list so you can easily choose it again (See Opening a recently used project on page 22). To open an existing animation project: 1. Do one of the following: Launch the program to display the welcome screen. Click on the Browse link. In the menu bar, click on File > Open. The Open dialog box appears. 2. Browse to the folder where your project is located, select the file or bundle with the TBP (Windows) or TBPD (Mac OS X) format and click on the Open button to open it. The project opens in the Toon Boom Studio window.
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Other ways to open the Open dialog box:
In the main toolbar, click on the Open
button.
Mac OS X users can use the [Command] + [O] shortcut. Windows users can use the [Ctrl] + [O] shortcut.
Opening a recently used project

A recently saved project is added to the recent projects list so you can easily choose it again. To open a recently used animation project: 1. Do one of the following: Launch the program to display the welcome screen. In the menu bar, click on File > Open Recent.
A list of filenames of recent animation projects is listed in the Open Recent submenu. If you are using the welcome screen, the projects are listed in the Open Recent section located in the upper right part of the window. 2. Select the filename of the animation project you want to open from the list of recent animation projects.
Opening Tutorials
To learn how to use different techniques and effects, you can try the tutorials included with the software by selecting one from the tutorials list. If you want to open tutorials that you have downloaded onto your computer, you can browse using the More Tutorials folder to take you to their location.
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Accessing Web Resources

The welcome screens Web links feature allows you dynamic access to Toon Boom Studio related information on the Web. Using the Internet, these direct links rapidly connect you to information and resources that will enhance your Toon Boom Studio experience.
Button Link
TBS Technical Support Web Page

Technical support is now at your fingertips. Select your support package and link directly to the Toon Boom Studio support team.
eLearning Web Page

Access Toon Booms Animation Essentials Web page, where you can find the Workout Series, tutorials, templates, documentation, articles and other eLearning materials.
TBS Product Web Page

Read the product overview, testimonials, user stories and learn about useful plug-ins.
TBS User Forum

Connect with other registered members in the TBS user group, where you can find useful information posted by TBS users.
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Saving Animation Projects

When you are ready to build your animated production, you must create an animation project folder. It contains all of the drawings, bitmaps, sounds and effects in your animation, as well as all of the timing, layout and motion changes you build. When you create your project, the name you select becomes the name of your project folder and the Toon Boom Studio project file. Inside your project folder are subfolders for:
Sound files Local templates Scenes A scene folder contains folders for vector drawings and bitmap graphics.
On the Mac, the animation project folder appears as a single file. If you show extensions, the extension of this file is.tbdp. To see the contents of the Toon Boom Project Directory, [Control]-click on the file and select Show Package Contents. To save your changes to the project:
Select File > Save. If the project has never been saved, the Save As dialog box appears, which you can use to select the name and location of your project.
To save the animation project with another name or in another location: 1. Select File > Save As. The Save As dialog box opens. In Mac OS X, enter the new name in the Save As field and select the location using the Where drop-list.
2. 3. 4.
Type the new name of the animation project. Select a location to save the animation project. Click on Save to save it with a new name or location.
See Also Adding Scenes to a Movie on page 27 Setting the Animation Frame Rate and Camera Size on page 25 Changing the Background Colour of a Scene on page 28
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Setting the Animation Frame Rate and Camera Size

The frame rate and camera size you set for your project determines how your animation is rendered during export and playback.
The frame rate sets the speed at which the movie will play back. The higher you set the frame rate, the faster your animation will play. By default, the frame rate is set to 12 frames per second. The camera size defines the resolution of your final animation. Toon Boom Studio uses the camera you define to render the final movie. The larger the camera resolution, the larger the scene space you have.
Although you can change the size of your movie at any time, you must set the frame rate before you import any sound. If you change the frame rate after you add your sound elements, you run the risk of sound effects that are not synchronized with the animation. To define the frame rate and size of your movie: 1. Select File > Animation Properties. The Animation Properties dialog box opens
2.
Type the frame rate at which you want to play the rendered movie in the Frame Rate field. The following frame rates are commonly used: 1, 2, 12, 24, and 30 frames per second. Type the size of the final movie in the Camera Size fields. Left field: the width of the movie. Right field: the height of the movie. Click on OK.
3.
4.
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Selecting Preset Animation Properties

Preset formats are listed by name when creating a new animation project.This table shows the animation properties which are available using Toon Boom Studio. You can also set the properties manually.
Format Camera Size (pixels) Real Frame Size (pixels) Frame Rate (fps) 12 12 12 12 12 12 24 24 24 24 24 Preferred Output
Web Use Small Web Animation 160 x 120 160 x 120 Medium Web Animation 320 x 240 320 x 240 Large Web Animation 480 x 360 480 x 360 iPod and PodCasting 320 x 240 320 x 240 Windows Mobile Full Screen 240 x 320 240 x 320 Windows Mobile Browser 240 x 268 240 x 268 PC Video VGA 640 x 480 640 x 480 SGA 800 x 600 800 x 600 XVGA 1024 x 768 1024 x 768 SXGA 1280 x 1024 1280 x 1024 UXGA 1600 x 1200 1600 x 1200 DVD and Broadcasting (note the difference between the camera size and the size of DV NTSC 720 x 540 720 x 480 DV NTSC Anamorphic 853 x 480 720 x 480 DV PAL 768 x 576 720 x 576 DV PAL Anamorphic 1024 x 576 720 x 576 HDTV monitors: HDTV 720 24p 1280 x 720 1280 x 720 HDTV 1080 24p 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 HDTV 1080 25p 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 Film 2K Film 4:3 2048 x 1536 Custom
QuickTime or Flash QuickTime or Flash QuickTime or Flash QuickTime or Flash Flash Flash QuickTime or Flash QuickTime or Flash QuickTime or Flash QuickTime or Flash QuickTime or Flash
the frame shown on screen). 29.97 DV/DVCPRO NTSC 29.97 DV/DVCPRO NTSC 25 DV/DVCPRO PAL 25 DV/DVCPRO PAL 24 24 25 24 QuickTime h.264 QuickTime h.264 QuickTime h.264
See Also Creating A New Project on page 20 Camera Effects with Toon Boom Studio on page 248 Real-Time Playback on page 350 Exporting Your Movie on page 351
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Adding Scenes to a Movie

You can add scenes to your animation project to organize and manage the contents of your movie scenes: The Scene Manager window provides access to all of the scenes in your animation project. You can use this window to show or hide the scenes that you want to render, as well as change the order of the scenes in your movie. Alternatively, you can click on the Scene drop-down menu, located in the Scene View toolbar. The drop-down menu lists all of your scenes, and can also be used to create a new scene. The selected scene is marked by a checkmark. When you add scenes to your movie, Toon Boom Studio adds a scene folder to your animation project. All scenes in an animation project share the following:
Palettes, palette styles, and swatches Pen styles Templates Sounds Exposure Sheet/Timeline window colours Default UI colours
If you make changes to any of these traits, Toon Boom Studio updates them in all the scenes in your animation project. This allows you to maintain a consistent look throughout your movie. To add scenes to your movie using the Scene Manager: 1. Select Window > Scene Manager to display the Scene Manager window.
2.
Click on Add Scene to create a new scene. By default, Toon Boom Studio assigns a name to each new scene that you can change later. A new scene appears in the Scene Manager window and an empty exposure sheet or timeline appears in the Toon Boom Studio window.
To add scenes to your movie using the Scene View: 1. 2. 3. Make sure your Scene View is active. Select Window > Toolbars > Scene View. Click on the Scene Views arrow to display the drop-down list. Select New Scene to create a new scene. By default, Toon Boom Studio assigns a name to each new scene that you can change later.
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A new scene appears in the Scene Manager window and an empty exposure sheet or timeline appears in the Toon Boom Studio window. See Also Changing the Scene on page 28 Changing the Background Colour of a Scene on page 28 Reordering Scenes on page 29 Renaming Scenes on page 30 Showing/Hiding Scenes on page 31 Deleting Scenes on page 31
Changing the Scene

The active scene is indicated by a checkmark. You can switch between scenes using the Scene Manager or the Scene Views drop-down menu. Both the Scene Manager and Scene View can be activated through the Window menu. To change the scene using the Scene Manager: Double-click on the scene in the Scene Manager window. OR Right-click on the desired scene in the list and select Make Current. OR Select the desired scene in the list. Click on the Contextual Menu select Make Current. button and
To change the scene using the Scene View: Click on the Scene Views arrow to display the drop-down menu. Click on the desired scene.
Changing the Background Colour of a Scene

The background colour of all scenes is white by default. You can change the background colour of each scene in your movie to suit the context of the action. To change the background colour of a scene: 1. 2. Select the scene in the Scene Manager window. Click on the Contextual Menu button and select Properties.
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3. 4. 5.
Click on the Background Colour square. The Colour dialog box opens. Select a colour for the scene background or create your own by clicking on Define Custom Colours. Click on OK when you are done and Toon Boom Studio will update the scene with the new background colour.
You can show/hide the scene background colour in the Drawing View window or in the Camera View window. To show or hide the scene background colour in the Drawing View or Camera View windows:
Select View > Scene Background Colour. When this option is activated, the scene background colour will appear in the Camera View and Drawing View windows. When this option is not activated, the background colour of these windows is determined by the Drawing/Camera setting on the Interface tab of the Preferences dialog box.
See Also Changing the Background Colour of the Drawing and Camera View Windows on page 33 Changing the Colour of an Element on page 290 Changing the Timeline Track Colour on page 292
Reordering Scenes
When you play back or export an entire animation project with multiple scenes, Toon Boom Studio exports the scenes in the order in which they appear in the Scene Manager window. If you want to change the playback order of the scenes, you must resort them in the Scene Manager window. To change the order of scenes: 1. 2. In the Scene Manager window, select the scene you want to move. Drag it to its new position in the Scene Manager window. A grey bar appears between the scenes to indicate where you can drop the selected scene. The new order of the scene will also appear in the Scene Manager pop-up menu, as well as the Scene View drop-down list. See Also Renaming Scenes on page 30 Deleting Scenes on page 31
29
Renaming Scenes
When you start a new project, you always begin with one scene. By default, this scene is called Scene-1, and every scene you create after that gets a sequentially numbered default name (Scene-2, Scene-3, and so on). At any time, you can rename scenes with more descriptive names that better reflect the content. To rename a scene: 1. 2. Select the scene in the Scene Manager window. Click on the Contextual Menu button and select Properties. Alternatively, rightclick on the scene you want to rename in the Scene Manager list and select Properties. The Scene Properties dialog box opens.
3.
Type the new name for the scene in the Scene Name field and click on OK. You cannot give two scenes the same name. The new name appears in the Scene Manager window. When you select a scene from the Scene button in the Exposure Sheet window, the customized names of your scenes also appear.
See Also Reordering Scenes on page 29 Deleting Scenes on page 31 Changing the Background Colour of a Scene on page 28 Showing/Hiding Scenes on page 31
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Showing/Hiding Scenes
When you are working on a production that has many scenes, you may not want to include them all in the rendered playback or in the export. Perhaps some of those scenes were just working scenes in which you were saving some rough animation. You can use the Show/Hide checkboxes next to scene names in the Scene Manager window to hide scenes during the rendering process. To show/hide scenes in your animation:
Click on the Show/Hide checkbox next to the scene name in the Scene Manager window. When the Show/Hide checkbox next to a scene name is blank, the scene will not appear in rendered animation.
See Also Playback and Rendering on page 347 Deleting Scenes on page 31
Deleting Scenes
As you work on your animation project, you may want to remove old scenes from your project before you produce your final output. For example, you could have a few test scenes where you wanted to try certain effects, but when you are ready to record your final movie, youll want to remove these scenes from the animation project. To delete a scene:
Click on Delete in the Scene Manager window. Alternatively, right-click on the scene you want to delete in the Scene Manager list and select Delete Scene. Toon Boom Studio deletes the scene folder and all its related animation files from your system.
See Also Renaming Scenes on page 30 Adding Scenes to a Movie on page 27 Showing/Hiding Scenes on page 31
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Setting up Your Studio Session

Once you have set up your workspaces and become familiar with the basic tasks, you can further customize your workspace. This can be done by:
Changing the Background Colour of the Drawing and Camera View Windows on page 33 Assigning Keyboard Shortcuts on page 34 Selecting Units of Measure on page 36
See Also Display Toolbars in the Workspace on page 14
Customizing the Toolbar on Mac OS X

On the Mac, you can customize the toolbar to display buttons that access commands that you use most frequently. To customize the toolbar: 1. Select View > Customize Toolbar. A window opens that displays all of the buttons available for the window you are currently working in.
2.
Drag the buttons you want to the toolbar in the current window and click on Done when you are finished making your changes.
See Also Assigning Keyboard Shortcuts on page 34
32
Changing the Background Colour of the Drawing and Camera View Windows
You can set the background colour for the Drawing View and Camera View windows to improve your ability to work on the drawing objects and layout of your scene. The colour you choose for the background is not exported as the background colour of the scene. To change the background colour of the Drawing View and Camera View windows: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences on Mac OS X. Select Edit > Preferences on Windows.

2.
The Preferences dialog box opens. Click on the Interface tab.
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3.
In the Window Background Colours panel, click on the Drawing/Camera colour square. The Select colour dialog box opens.
Which colour selector you see depends on which operating system you use. 4. 5. 6. Create a colour using the options in the dialog box and close the dialog box when you are done. Click on OK in the Interface tab and Toon Boom Studio will update the default background colour of the windows. To see the colour you select in those windows, you must select the View > Hide Scene Background Colour option.
See Also Changing the Background Colour of a Scene on page 28 Setting up Your Studio Session on page 32
Assigning Keyboard Shortcuts

When you are working on your Toon Boom Studio animation, there are many commands that you can access using either toolbar buttons or menu commands. You can also access many of these commands using keyboard shortcuts. Many of these shortcuts appear next to the command in the menus. When you assign a keyboard shortcut to a command, its keyboard combination appears next to the command in the menu.
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You can create customized keyboard shortcuts for commands that do not have default shortcuts, such as those that are only accessible from contextual menus. You can also edit the default keyboard shortcuts assigned to commands to suit your particular working style. To assign a command to a keyboard combination: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences on Mac OS X. Select Edit > Preferences on Windows.

2.
The Preferences dialog box opens. Click on the Shortcuts tab.
3.
Select the type of command you want to assign from the Category drop-list. The contents of the Commands list changes depending on what you select from the Category drop-list.
4.
Select the command you want to assign from the Commands list. A description of the selected command appears in the Description panel. If the command you select already has a keyboard shortcut, the keyboard combination appears in the Current Key field.
5.
Click on the Click and press new key button.
6.
Press the keys you want to assign to the command. The buttons you press appear in the Current Key field. If the shortcut keys are already used for another command,
35
that command appears in the Currently assigned to panel. Click on the Override button to replace the current assignment. 7. Click on Reset All to reset all the keyboard shortcuts to their original shipped settings.
Selecting Units of Measure

As you work on your scene objects, you can change their position or how they appear in your scene. To be able to measure the changes in size, rotation, or position, you need to use a system of measurement to make accurate modifications. To select the measurement unit you want to use in your Toon Boom Studio session: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences on Mac OS X. Select Edit > Preferences on Windows.

2.
The Preferences dialog box opens. Select the Sceneplanning tab.
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3.
Select the unit of measure from the Coordinate Units drop-list. You have the following choices: Centimeters Inches Fields: the traditional animation industry standard for the size of a film camera (0.5" x 0.375" at a ratio of 4:3).
By default, Toon Boom Studio uses the traditional field system (measured by North/South/ East/West) to measure the distance, position, and size of your elements. 4. Choose from your other Sceneplanning options: Select the Show Units option to turn on or off the display of unit values in Sceneplanning fields. Select the Use Box Highlighting option to display selections in a bounding box. When disabled, selected elements appear faded. Select the Create Linear Spline option to force all new peg functions (motion, rotation and scaling) you create to have no acceleration. New peg functions will have a linear velocity instead. When you de-select this option, motion paths are created with a default ease-in/ease-out velocity. Select the Create Constant Keyframes option to force all new keyframes with constant rather than tweened (interpolated) segments. Select the Single Cell Selection option to select a single cell when you click on a layer track in the Timeline View, instead of an entire track. Click on OK when done or select another tab.
5.
See Also Basic Sceneplanning Concepts on page 168 Setting up Your Studio Session on page 32
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Configuring Video Card Display Options

If you are having problems with the display of Toon Boom Studio windows or tools, you can use the options on the Display tab of the Preferences dialog box to set rendering options that will work with your video card. To configure your display settings: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences on Mac OS X. Select Edit > Preferences on Windows.

2.
The Preferences dialog box opens. Click on the Display tab, select your options, and click on OK to close the dialog box.
Renderer: By default Toon Boom Studio is set to use Quartz 2D in Mac OS X, or Direct 3D in Windows, for rendering images in the View windows, but OpenGL can also be selected. Disable Hardware Acceleration: select this option if you are having problems with your display that you suspect might be related to features of your video card. Disable Overlay: select this option if the drawing tools are responding very slowly. Numerous rendering options are available including OpenGL Full Scene Antialiasing.
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Chapter 2 Drawing
This chapter explains how to use the tools in Toon Boom Studio to create your own animated drawings. This chapter includes the following topics:
Creating and Navigating Drawings and Drawing Layers on page 40 Drawing Line Art on page 41 Working With Text on page 50 Working with Selections on page 55 Optimizing Drawing Objects for the Web on page 63 Cutting and Erasing Drawing Objects on page 69 Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines on page 73 Setting Up Your Pens on page 81 Setting Up Your Drawing Space on page 84
Creating and Navigating Drawings and Drawing Layers

To draw, you must select a frame in a drawing element layer. By default, there is a drawing element and frame selected as soon as you start Toon Boom Studio so that you can draw right away. As soon as you draw, Toon Boom Studio labels the selected frame with the new drawing name which is a number by default. You can create new drawing elements to organize your character, their parts and props into separate layers. There are a number of shortcuts you can use to go to previous and next elements, frames and drawings in the Exposure Sheet or Timeline windows. To create drawing layers, do one of the following:
Select Element > Add > Drawing. Click on the Add Drawing button at the top of the Exposure Sheet or Timeline window. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) in an empty area in the left frame of the Timeline window and select New > Drawing.
As you add more element layers, you can use the keyboard shortcuts to go to previous and next elements in the exposure sheet column or timeline track. To navigate elements:
Press [F] to go to the next element. Press [Shift]+[F] to go to the next element displayed in the Exposure Sheet. Press [D] to go to the previous element. Press [Shift]+[D] to go to the previous element displayed in the Exposure Sheet.
As soon as you add a drawing element, the first frame in the element is selected and you can draw right away. You can use keyboard shortcuts to go to the next or previous frame so that you can draw there. To navigate frames:
Press [S] to go to the next frame. Press [A] to go to the previous frame.
As you add more drawings, you may want to go to the previous or next drawing, whether it is on the adjacent frame or 10 frames away. To navigate drawings:
Press [Shift]+[S] to go to the next drawing. Press [Shift]+[A] to go to the previous frame.
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Chapter 2: Drawing
For more information on working with element layers and frames, see Organizing Elements and Timing on page 279. See Also Adding Many Elements to a Scene on page 298 Changing the Layering Order of Elements on page 300 Renaming Elements on page 302 Labelling Cells in the Exposure Sheet on page 307
Drawing Line Art

Lines (also called line art) are the basis for all shapes that you draw with Toon Boom Studio vector drawing tools. As lines are the basis of all shapes, points are the basis of all lines. All lines are composed of points. It takes at least two points to define a line.
Points can run down the centre of a line, creating what is called a centreline. Or, points can run around the outside of a shape, creating a line called a contour.
The Line , Polyline , Pencil centreline shapes of a set width. A straight line drawn with the Line tool has a point at either end.
, Rectangle
and Ellipse
tools create
A line drawn with the Pencil tool is defined by a series of centreline points.
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The Brush tool creates variable-width strokes that respond to the pressure you apply with a digital pen and graphic tablet. The points that compose a brush stroke surround a zone that is filled with colour, creating a contour. A brush stroke or a painted shape is surrounded by a collection of points. The outline of the brush stroke or painted fill is called a Contour.
The tool you select depends on the type of effect you want to create as well as considerations for the file size of your final animation.
When you draw your characters, you may want to wait to draw the lip positions until after you import the sound track.
Toon Boom Studio features a powerful lip-sync generator. With this tool, you can generate a lip chart that identifies the animation phoneme that matches each frame. You can use the lip chart as a reference while you draw the lip positions of your characters.
The features of Sceneplanning Tools may change how you approach drawing with Drawing Tools.
With Sceneplanning Tools, you can create motion, scale and rotation changes over time. Therefore, you do not have to animate these changes in your drawing objects with Drawing Tools.
See Also Drawing in the Drawing or Camera View on page 43 Drawing Straight Lines, Ellipses and Rectangles on page 44 Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines on page 73 Optimizing Drawing Objects for the Web on page 63
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Chapter 2: Drawing
Drawing in the Drawing or Camera View

When you first start drawing your characters and props, you should work in the Drawing View using the drawing tools.
After everything is drawn, you can move to the Sceneplanning view windows to lay out and animate your characters in 3D space. Sometimes drawings might require retouching or editing after you set up your animation in the Sceneplanning views. Then you can use the drawing tools to re-touch or create new drawings in the Camera View window. Because you can see all of the drawings in a frame in their relative positions in the 3D sceneplanning space, drawing in sceneplanning will help you re-touch and create drawings more easily and accurately. You can use onion skin, display the drawing grid and rotate the Camera View just like you can the Drawing View.
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See Also Creating and Navigating Drawings and Drawing Layers on page 40 Animating on page 189 Laying Out Elements in 3D Space on page 167 Drawing Straight Lines, Ellipses and Rectangles on page 44 Displaying the Drawing Grid on page 85 Rotating the Drawing Space on page 86 Onion Skin: Displaying the Next and Previous Drawings on page 87
Drawing Straight Lines, Ellipses and Rectangles

The drawing tools in Toon Boom Studio resemble standard drawing tools used in many graphic programs, including a few extras made especially for animators. You can use your mouse or graphic tablet to draw your shapes. In the Drawing Tools toolbar, you can select the drawing tool you want to use from the pop-up menu by clicking on the arrow next to the drawing tool button. The active drawing tool appears in the second button of the Drawing Tools toolbar. You can press [2] to cycle through the tools in the drawing pop-up menu.
To draw straight lines, ellipses and rectangles: 1. Select the tool you want to use from the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or the Drawing Tools toolbar. You have the following choices:

2. 3. 4.
Line
tool: draws straight lines. To draw at 15 degree angles, press [Shift].
Rectangle tool: draws rectangular or square shapes. To draw a square, press [Shift] as you drag the Rectangle tool. Ellipse tool: draws round shapes. To draw a circle, press [Shift] as you drag the Ellipse tool.
Select Window > Properties to display the Properties window. Select a pen style from the Pen tab. The width of your line is based on the Maximum Size value of the pen you select. Select a solid colour swatch from the Colour Palette tab. You cannot use a gradient or texture colour swatch.
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Chapter 2: Drawing
5.
Drag the tool in the Drawing View window until you have the shape you want. With the Rectangle and Ellipse tool, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) to draw from the centre. With the Line tool, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) to draw from the previous point. Press [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) to select the object you just drew and move, resize, or rotate it.
See Also Drawing with the Polyline Tool on page 45 Working with Selections on page 55 Setting Up Your Pens on page 81
Drawing with the Polyline Tool

The Polyline tool is great for drawing vector shapes that consist of many continuous points that form different angles. As you draw with the Polyline tool, you can be sure to close your line art so that you can fill it with colour without having to worry about gap closing.
With the Polyline tool, you can draw shapes one point at a time, forming the shape as you go.
To draw a shape with the Polyline tool: 1. 2. 3. 4. From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Polyline tool. Select a pen style from the Pen tab in the Properties window. The width of your line is based on the Maximum Size value of the pen you select. Select a solid colour swatch from the Colour Palette tab. You cannot use a gradient or texture colour swatch to draw with the Polyline tool. Click to add points to the line you draw.
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5.
After you add a point, keep the mouse button pressed, and shape the line using the handles. Press [Shift] to move the handles at 15 degree increments. Press [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) to detach the motion of one handle from the other. To close a shape so that there are no gaps: Place your pointer over a point and click. An o appears when you are adding a point that will close a shape. Place your pointer over any location on the shape you are drawing and click. A plus [+] sign will appear when your pointer is over a spot that Toon Boom Studio can use to create a closed shape. To remove a point on the line, press [Shift] and click on the point. Toon Boom Studio recalculates the shape with the point removed. When over a point that you can delete, a minus [-] sign appears.
6.
7.
See Also Setting Up Your Pens on page 81 Drawing Straight Lines, Ellipses and Rectangles on page 44 Working with Selections on page 55 Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines on page 73 Sequencing and Timing Drawings and Images on page 306 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Chapter 2: Drawing
Drawing Brush Strokes

When you draw with the Brush tool and a graphic tablet and pen, you can enjoy the effect of drawing as if you are working with pen and paper and the width of your stroke can change depending on the amount of pressure you apply. Although strokes created by the Brush tool are more natural looking, they require more memory to store than shapes drawn with the centreline tools Ellipse, Rectangle, Pencil and Polyline.
See how the line in the drawing varies just slightly throughout this drawing? The variable-width brush stroke creates a neat look in your drawings.
To draw a brush stroke: 1. 2. From Tools > Drawing Tools or Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Brush tool. Select a pen style from the Pen tab in the Properties window. If you are using a graphic tablet and pen, the width of the line you draw depends on the pressure you apply and the Minimum and Maximum Size settings on the Pen tab. 3. 4. Select a colour for your line art from the swatches in Colour Palette tab. You can select either a solid, gradient or texture swatch when you use the Brush tool. Draw your line using your mouse or pen and graphic tablet.
You can force Toon Boom Studio to connect all overlapping shapes that you draw. Select Tools > Draw Top Layer. When this command is active, Toon Boom Studio creates one object out of overlapping lines. As you draw with the Brush tool, the Draw Top Layer command will create one shape out of numerous lines you may create as you draw with a graphic tablet and pen.
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Convert Lines To Strokes

The Drawing tool can be used to convert lines to strokes. It can also draw brush strokes without having to convert them later. To transform the centreline vector art from a line to a stroke: 1. 2. Select lines to be transformed with the Select tool. Go to the Pen menu and move the slider bar for Maximum Size all the way to the left (zero).
The line is now a stroke. You can reveal all strokes by clicking View > Show Strokes in the top menu, or by pressing the keyboard shortcut K. You can also draw using strokes by setting the slider bar to zero before you draw, and by using Show Strokes to reveal your drawings. See Also Setting Up Your Pens on page 81 Drawing Straight Lines, Ellipses and Rectangles on page 44 Working with Selections on page 55 Optimizing Drawing Objects for the Web on page 63 Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines on page 73 Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280
Drawing Pencil Lines

You can use the Pencil tool to draw as you would with an ordinary pencil. The Pencil tool, which creates a tool creates a single-width centreline shape, unlike the Brush contour shape. To draw pencil lines: 1. 2. 3. 4. From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Pencil tool. Select a pen style from the Pen tab in the Properties window. The width of your line is based on the Maximum Size value of the pen you select. Select a solid colour swatch from the Colour Palette tab. You cannot use a gradient colour swatch to draw a pencil line. Draw your line using your mouse or graphic tablet pen.
See Also Setting Up Your Pens on page 81 Drawing Straight Lines, Ellipses and Rectangles on page 44 Drawing Brush Strokes on page 47 Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines on page 73
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Chapter 2: Drawing
Converting Centreline Shapes to Brush Strokes

You can convert centreline shapes, such as those you create with the Pencil, Ellipse, Polyline and Line tools, to brush lines so that you can edit them like brush lines. For example, you might want to convert an ellipse to a brush line so that you can use the Eraser tool on the shape to create a more natural eraser effect.
The circle on the left is a centreline shape that was drawn with the Ellipse tool. The circle on the right has been converted to brush lines. To convert centreline shapes to brush lines: 1. 2. 3.
Brush lines respond differently to editing than centrelines do. You can remove pieces of them or erase sections creating a more natural eraser mark than in the centreline shape.
From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Select tool. Use the Select tool to select the centreline shapes you want to convert. Select Tools > Convert Lines to Brush.
See Also Converting Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines on page 64 Working with Selections on page 55
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Working With Text

With the Text tool, you can create drawing objects based on the text you type, the font you select and text attributes you apply. Text objects are a part of a drawing, so you can manipulate them in the same way (for example, painting, scaling, skewing and transforming).
Creating Text
To add text to your drawing: 1. Activate the Text tool: From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Text tool. Press [T], the default keyboard shortcut. In the Drawing View or Camera View, click on the location where you would like the text to begin. (You can move it later, if you change your mind.) In this example, we want to include a title that appears above the trees.
2.
At this point, you can choose to open the Properties window and select a specific text font and format the text you will type. To learn more about text formatting, see Formatting Text on page 51.
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Chapter 2: Drawing
3.
Type the text you want to appear in the drawing.
4.
If you want to add a new text object, click outside the current text box. You can always re-select a text object, by activating the Text tool and clicking the text.
Formatting Text
Use the Properties window to select the font type and other attributes you want to apply to the text. To display the text objects font properties: 1. 2. Select Window > Properties to open the Properties window. Click on the Text tab.
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3.
You can use this tab to select a new font and other text characteristics. You can select all or a part of the text that has already been typed or select properties that will apply to text you are about to type. Use the first drop-list to select the font you want to apply to the text. The list will display all of the fonts on your system, however only vector fonts can be used to create a text object.
Use the Size drop-list to select the text point size, and the Bold
and Italics
buttons to change the thickness and angle of the characters. If italicized or boldface versions of this font are not installed on your system, these buttons will be disabled. Use the Kerning field to fine-tune the spacing between characters. You can select the Auto Kern option to set the kerning automatically, based on the fonts predefined standard. Negative numbers decrease spacing between each character and positive numbers increase it. Use the buttons to select the paragraph Alignment. You can left, centre, right and full justify text. Enter a value in the Indent field to decrease or increase the indentation on the first line of text. Enter a value in the Line Spacing field to decrease or increase the space between each line of text.
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Chapter 2: Drawing
Changing Text Colour

You can change the colour of your text by applying a new colour to text that is selected or about to be typed using the Properties dialog box Colour Palette tab. To display the text objects colour properties: 1. 2. 3. 4. If the Properties dialog box is not already open, select Window > Properties. If it is not selected, click on the Colour Palette tab. Select the text you want to recolour. In the palette list, select the swatch of the colour you want to apply. In this example, two swatches in the palette list were selected to recolour the text object.
Converting Text Into Separate Objects

Upon creation, text objects are treated as a single drawing object. You can easily separate each character into a unique drawing object. To separate each character into a discrete text object: 1. Use the Select drawing tool to select the text object that you want to separate into smaller text objects.
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2.
Select Tools > Break Text Apart.
3.
Deselect the text. Each character is surrounded by its own bounding box, but the objects in the original text object will remain in a grouped selection until you click outside the selection or use the Deselect All command (Use in Windows or in MacOS). Select a character.
4.
Each character can be selected as a separate object. Each character in the text below has been rotated and repositioned.
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Chapter 2: Drawing
Working with Selections

You can select and modify any drawing object. When you select a drawing object, a bounding box appears around it and you can then change its properties (colour, shape, angle) or its location in the drawing space. If you press the [Shift] key, you can select more segments and add them to what youve already selected.
You can change an objects properties interactively in the Drawing View or Camera View window or by changing its properties in the Properties window. There are several ways to select drawing objects:
To select all the objects, select Edit > Select All. To select one or more objects, click on the Select drawing tool and use one of these methods: Click on the object. To select more than one object, press [Shift] and click on the additional objects you want to select. Drag the Select tool over each object (drawing a selection square across each object). Press [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) and drag the lasso around or through each object you want to select.
As long as a selected drawing object was not created with the Text tool, you can copy it by pressing [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) and dragging the selection away from its original position. To deselect the objects, you have two choices:
To deselect an object without deselecting the others, press [Shift] and click on each object that you dont want. To deselect them all, you can select Edit > Deselect All, click on the Select tool in an empty space in the Drawing View window, or press [Esc].
See Also Ordering Drawing Objects on page 56 Resizing, Flipping, Rotating and Moving Drawing Objects on page 57 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Drawing Objects on page 59 Deforming a Drawing Object on page 60 Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280
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Grouping Drawing Objects

Grouping drawing objects helps you position, transform or deform multiple objects as one. To group drawing objects: 1. 2. 1. 2. Select the drawing objects you want to group. Select Tools > Group. Select the grouped drawing object. Select Tools > Ungroup.
To ungroup drawing objects:
Ordering Drawing Objects

The order that you draw objects determines their initial layering order. Drawing objects that are drawn last appear in the Camera View on top of drawing objects drawn earlier. Drawing 1 was drawn first and Drawing 3 was drawn last. These drawing objects will always appear in this layering order unless you change them. 3 To change the layering order of drawing objects: 1. 2. Select the drawing object that you want to reorder. From the Tools > Arrange menu, select one of the following commands: Bring to Front: moves the currently selected drawing objects on top of all other objects in the drawing. Bring Forward: moves the currently selected drawing objects forward by one layer in the layering order. Send to Back: moves the currently selected drawing objects behind all other objects in the drawing. Send Backward: moves the currently selected drawing objects backward by one layer in the layering order of the drawing. 1
If you are drawing with the Brush tool with the Tools > Draw Top Layer option enabled, drawing objects are merged to one layer. See Also Merging Layers Using Draw Top Layer on page 68
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Resizing, Flipping, Rotating and Moving Drawing Objects

When you select one or more drawing objects, a bounding box appears around the selected objects. If you take a close look at the bounding box, youll notice that there are small boxes in each corner, in the centre of each side, and on the right side of the bounding box. These boxes are called handles. One drawing can be made up of many individual lines, but when you select more than one, one bounding box appears for all the selected lines. Handles
Depending on the handle you select, you can make different types of changes to the selected object. When you pass your pointer over a handle or over the object, the pointer changes to indicate the type of change you can make.
Move : changes the current position of the selection. To nudge selected objects, you can also use the arrow keys. Press [Shift] if you want to move the object in larger increments. Resize Sides : changes the width of the selected lines/shapes. Resize Top/Bottom : changes the height of the selected lines/shapes. Resize Height/Width : changes the height and width of the selected lines/ shapes. Press [Shift], and the shape will resize proportionally. Rotate : changes the angle of the selected lines/shapes. Hold down the [Shift] key when dragging rotation handles to rotate the object in 15 degrees at a time.
If you drag a handle beyond its opposing handle on the bounding box, you will flip the drawing object either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. You can also use the following commands in the Tools > Transform menu to flip and rotate your drawing objects:
Flip Horizontal: swaps the left and right side of the image. Flip Vertical: swaps the top and bottom of the image. Rotate 90 CW: turns the drawing 90 degrees to the right (clockwise). Rotate 90 CCW: turns the drawing 90 degrees to the left (counter-clockwise). Rotate 180: rotates the image 180 degrees.
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Changing the Centre of Transformation

You can change the centre of the rotation and scaling effects. This might come in handy if you want to rotate or scale a drawing from a corner, rather than from the centre. We rotated this drawing on the original drawing pivot in the centre of the bounding box.
We moved the drawing pivot to the corner and then rotated the drawing object to achieve different results. To change the location of the drawing pivot: 1. 2. With the Select tool, select the drawing object you want to transform. In the bounding box, drag the drawing pivot (initially in the centre of the selection) to its new position. The point starts off in the centre of the drawing object.
You can move the drawing pivot to any location. 3. Scale or rotate the drawing object. To use the new position of the drawing pivot as you scale, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) as you drag. If you dont press this key, Toon Boom Studio scales the drawing object from the opposite corner that you drag from. To rotate from the centre, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) as you rotate. If you dont press this key, Toon Boom Studio rotates from the drawing pivot. Hold down the [Shift] key at the same time for added control: you will be able to rotate drawings in 15 degree increments and maintain the relative proportions of scaled drawings.
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Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Drawing Objects

You can cut, copy, and paste drawing objects in different areas of the current drawing or place them in a completely different drawing. To cut, copy, and paste drawing objects: 1. 2. Click on the Select tool and select the drawing objects you want to cut or copy. Decide if you want to create a copy of the object or if you want to remove it. Select Edit > Copy Drawing Object to copy the selected object. Select Edit > Cut Drawing Object to cut the selected object. The original object disappears from the View window.
3. 4.
Select Edit > Paste Drawing Object to place the copied object in the View window. The pasted object appears slightly offset from the original. If you want to create a new drawing from the selected object, select another cell in the Exposure Sheet window or frame in the Timeline window, and reselect the View window before you paste the object.
If you just want to make a copy of the selected objects, press [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) and drag the select objects. Text and drawing objects can be selected simultaneously, however drawing tools will have no effect on the text. To convert text into a drawing object, use the Break Text Apart command (Tools > Break Text Apart).
See Also Grouping Drawing Objects on page 56 Ordering Drawing Objects on page 56 Resizing, Flipping, Rotating and Moving Drawing Objects on page 57
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Deforming a Drawing Object

You can use the Perspective tool to skew and distort (also known as deforming) the selected drawing object in the Drawing View window. If you drag the centre handles, you can add a slant to the selected drawing. If you drag the corner handles, you can stretch and distort the selected drawing.
For example, if you had an image you wanted to appear as viewed from an angle, you could draw the image as it looks from the front and then use the Perspective tool to distort it so that it would appear like you were looking at it from an angle. To deform a drawing object: 1. 2. 3. From the Tools > Drawing Tools > Select menu or from the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Perspective tool. Select the drawn objects you want to deform. Press [Shift] to select multiple objects. Drag the selection handles to deform the selected object. Toon Boom Studio redraws the shape with its new perspective.
Select Drawing Tool to Include Perspective

When using the Select Drawing tool, hold down [Ctrl] to apply perspective to the selected drawing object. This allows you to skew and distort the image. If you hold down [Ctrl] while dragging a drawing object, the selection will be copied. To deform a drawing object: 1. 2. Hover your mouse over the objects bounding box. A white arrow is displayed. Press [Ctrl] to apply perspective while clicking on one of the bounding boxs control points and dragging. Hover over the objects centre. A black arrow is displayed. Press [Ctrl] to copy the object while you click and drag.
To copy a drawing object: 1. 2.
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See Also Grouping Drawing Objects on page 56 Ordering Drawing Objects on page 56 Resizing, Flipping, Rotating and Moving Drawing Objects on page 57 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Drawing Objects on page 59
Changing the Colour of Brush Strokes, Fills and Centreline Objects

After you draw brush strokes and centreline objects and fill them with colour, you can modify their colour properties using the Colour Palette tab in the Properties window. In this example, we changed the colour of the lower body segment to the same green that we used on the top.
To change the colour of a brush stroke or colour fill: 1. 2. tool to select the brush stroke, centreline object or colour fill Use the Select whose colour you want to change. In the Properties window Colour Palette tab, click on the new colour swatch you want to assign to the brush stroke or colour fill. Toon Boom Studio changes the colour of the selection to match the properties of the new swatch.
See Also Working with Selections on page 55 Protecting Drawings on page 322 Inking Line Art on page 135
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Changing the Thickness of Centreline Objects

To change the properties of the line art, select the line art you want to affect and adjust the line size in the Pen tab or change the line colour using the swatches in the colour Palette tab. We drew this simple circle with the Ellipse tool, which creates centreline objects. You can change the maximum size of centreline objects by dragging the Maximum size slider on the Pen tab.
You can use the Pen and Colour Palette tabs to make the following types of changes:
To change the colour of a line or colour region, click on the Select tool, select the line or region, and select a swatch from the Properties windows Colour Palette tab. To change the width of lines, use the Select tool to select the object and adjust the sliders on the Pen tab.
See Also Changing the Colour of Brush Strokes, Fills and Centreline Objects on page 61 Working with Selections on page 55 Drawing Line Art on page 41 Drawing Straight Lines, Ellipses and Rectangles on page 44 Drawing with the Polyline Tool on page 45 Drawing Pencil Lines on page 48
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Optimizing Drawing Objects for the Web

When you design your animation for the web, you should consider taking steps to reduce the file size of your final animation. The smaller the file, the faster it downloads over the Internet, and the faster it will play on the machines of your audience. Key to the production of small-sized animation is reducing the amount of points in your drawings. The fewer points you have in a line or a shape, the smaller the file size will be because each point requires memory to store it. Shapes you draw with the Pencil , Line , Polyline , Rectangle and Ellipse tools create a minimum amount of points that run down the centre of the shape. Strokes you draw with the Brush tool require more memory to store because the points that compose it run along the outside of the shape to create the variable-width effect. There are only two points in this line, which we drew with the Line tool. There are only seven points in this line, which we drew with the Pencil tool.
This brush stroke is surrounded by a number of points. It requires more memory to store, but the extra points are necessary to achieve the variable-width of the line. Toon Boom Studio has a number of tools that you can use to reduce the number of points in your drawings, making them simpler and less heavy. You can use any of these commands to simplify your drawings and reduce the complexity and file size of your animation:
Converting Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines on page 64 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Optimize Command on page 65 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Flatten Command on page 66 Removing Points with the Smooth Command on page 67 Merging Layers Using Draw Top Layer on page 68
See Also Drawing Line Art on page 41 Cloning Elements on page 304 Creating Cycles on page 318
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Converting Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines

After you draw variable-width strokes with the Brush tool, you can convert the brush stroke to a pencil line to reduce the number of points in the line with the Extract Centre Line command. Toon Boom Studio calculates the average distance between opposing exterior points in a brush stroke to create a centreline of points. You should convert your brush strokes to pencil lines before you ink them (changing their colour). If you have brush strokes with two different widths, Toon Boom Studio calculates the average of both widths to create a smooth pencil line with one width size.
Because each point in a stroke requires memory to store, converting your brush strokes to pencil lines reduces the file size of your final movie. To convert selected brush strokes to pencil lines: 1. 2. 3. Select View > Show Strokes to display the lines that compose your drawing objects. Click on the Select tool and click on the brush strokes you want to convert. To select multiple brush strokes, press [Shift] and click on the brush strokes. Select Tools > Extract Centre Line. As soon as you activate the command, Toon Boom Studio converts the selected brush strokes to pencil lines. If the Show Strokes command is active, you can see the exterior contour line of the brush stroke move to the centre to become a pencil line. Do not use Extract Centre Line on painted zones. Painted zones are surrounded by points and then filled with colour. When you apply Extract Centre Line to a painted zone, you may get unexpected results. See Also Deleting Points from Vector Shapes on page 79 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Optimize Command on page 65 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Flatten Command on page 66 Removing Points with the Smooth Command on page 67 Merging Layers Using Draw Top Layer on page 68 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Reducing Drawing Layers with the Optimize Command

When you have two overlapping shapes with the same colour characteristics (colour value and transparency), you can use the Optimize command to reduce the number of layers in the drawing, which reduces the number of redundant points and the file size. Toon Boom Studio automatically performs this function when you export a AdobeFlash movie. Optimize will change the drawing objects only if merging the selected objects will not change the appearance of the final image. For example, if you have selected a number of partially transparent objects, which you layered to create an additive colour effect, the selected transparent drawing objects will not be merged. This is because merging the transparent drawing objects will cause them to lose the effect of the layered transparent colours. This face is made up of two round shapes painted with the same colour swatch. When you optimize the shapes, they are merged to one layer, eliminating extra points and reducing the file size of the drawing.
To reduce drawing layers with the Optimize command: 1. 2. 3. Select View > Show Strokes to display the lines that compose your drawing objects. Click on the Select tool and click on the brush strokes you want to convert. To select multiple brush strokes, press [Shift] and click on the brush strokes. Select Tools > Optimize. As soon as you activate the command, Toon Boom Studio merges all of the selected objects that it can, while preserving the look of the drawing. See Also Converting Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines on page 64 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Flatten Command on page 66 Removing Points with the Smooth Command on page 67 Merging Layers Using Draw Top Layer on page 68 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Reducing Drawing Layers with the Flatten Command

The Flatten command merges drawing layers into one, reducing the number of points in your drawings and reducing the file size of your animation. These two circles will appear on top of each other as in the final image, so there is no reason to have them on two separate layers. When they are flattened, the parts of any bottom layers overlapped by a top layer are removed because they have different colour
The Flatten command is different from the Optimize command in that it does not verify first to make sure that the merge will not affect the final appearance of the image. If the layered objects have transparencies, the cumulative effect of the transparency is not preserved when you flatten the layers. Also, the Flatten command may not preserve the layer order of overlapping centreline shapes. These circles are transparent, but when they are layered the overlapping area is less transparent because of the additive effect of the layering. This overlapping effect is not preserved when you merge the circles into one layer. All overlapping areas will assume the colour properties of the bottom shape in the selection. In this case, one shape is created out of the two because they have the same colour properties. To reduce drawing layers with the Flatten command: 1. 2. 3. Select View > Show Strokes to display the lines that compose your drawing objects. Click on the Select tool and click on the brush strokes you want to convert. To select multiple brush strokes, press [Shift] and click on the brush strokes. Select Tools > Flatten. As soon as you activate the command, all selected objects are merged.
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See Also Converting Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines on page 64 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Optimize Command on page 65 Removing Points with the Smooth Command on page 67 Merging Layers Using Draw Top Layer on page 68 Protecting Drawings on page 322
Removing Points with the Smooth Command

Excessive numbers of points in your drawings can increase the size of your web animation unnecessarily. Often you can reduce the number of points in a drawing, adjust the curve, and still maintain the same shape. This can be quite time consuming if you have a lot of brush strokes to adjust. Toon Boom Studio can automate this process for you with the Smooth command. The Smooth command removes unnecessary points from a brush stroke and adjusts the brush stroke so that the curves are maintained. You can apply the Smooth command repeatedly; however, the more times you apply the command the less definition your shape will have. This shape was drawn with the Brush tool and created a lot of points.
After applying the Smooth command a couple of times, Toon Boom Studio reduced the number of points and preserved the shape of the object. To remove points with the Smooth command: 1. 2. 3. Select View > Show Strokes to display the lines that compose your drawing objects. Click on the Select tool and click on the brush strokes you want to remove points from. To select multiple brush strokes, press [Shift] and click on the brush strokes. Select Tools > Smooth. As soon as you activate the command, Toon Boom Studio removes points and recalculates the curves of the drawing objects you select. See Also Converting Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines on page 64 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Optimize Command on page 65 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Flatten Command on page 66 Merging Layers Using Draw Top Layer on page 68 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Merging Layers Using Draw Top Layer

You can have Toon Boom Studio optimize layers automatically as you draw using the Draw Top Layer command. When you activate this command, Toon Boom Studio merges drawing layers as you draw.
With the Draw Top Layer command disabled, you can see in the second picture how the two clouds kept their original form as they are moved apart.
With the Draw Top Layer command enabled, you can see that when we drag these two objects apart, the top layer took a bite out of the bottom layer Toon Boom Studio merged the layers. To enable or disable the Draw Top Layer command:
Select Tools > Draw Top Layer. A check appears next to the command when it is enabled.
See Also Converting Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines on page 64 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Optimize Command on page 65 Reducing Drawing Layers with the Flatten Command on page 66 Removing Points with the Smooth Command on page 67 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Cutting and Erasing Drawing Objects

As you use the drawing tools to create the objects and characters in your scene, you may need to cut or erase sections of drawing objects to refine your artwork. For example, if you need only the top left quarter of an ellipse, you can draw a full ellipse and cut away the section that you need. Toon Boom Studio provides you with three tools that allow you to cut or erase parts of your artwork. You can select these tools from the floating Drawing Tools toolbar. The Scissor tool and Eraser tool both allow you to remove parts from drawing objects, but function differently. The Scissor tool allows you to create cut selections. The Eraser tool allows you to draw the shape of the section you want to erase. The Cutter tool is slightly different from the Scissor and Eraser. With the Cutter tool, you divide regions with a stroke. You can then move, delete or transform those selections with the Select tool.
Eraser tool: erases parts of your lines and shapes. Cutter tool: divides regions so that you can move, delete or modify them with the Select tool. We have displayed strokes in these two drawings to illustrate what is happening.
Scissor tool: makes rectangular or lasso selections that you can move or delete.
See Also Using the Scissor to Cut Parts from Drawing Objects on page 70 Erasing Parts from Drawing Objects on page 71 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Using the Scissor to Cut Parts from Drawing Objects

Toon Boom Studio has the Scissor tool that you can use to cut sections from shapes in your drawings. You can then move and modify these cut pieces in any way you please. The Scissor tool makes a rectangular selection that you can use to select the area you want to cut. By pressing [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS), you can use a lasso to cut the shape you want. The rectangle and ellipse are centreline shapes. When you cut a centreline object, Toon Boom Studio rounds the ends of the cut lines. Notice how the painted area is cut straight. The cyclist was drawn with the Brush tool. The Scissor tool makes clean cuts of the brush strokes
To cut parts from drawing objects: 1. 2. From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or from the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Scissor tool. Drag the Scissor tool across the section of the drawing object you want to cut. The Scissor tool creates a rectangular selection over the area. You can press [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) to create a lasso selection mark of the shape you want. Use the Scissor tool to move the cut selection away from the original drawing object. If you deselect the cut object or the Scissor tool, the cut will disappear and the object will remain uncut.
3.
When you drag the Scissor tool over an area of your drawing, a bounding box is created. You can modify the selection immediately with the bounding boxs control points. This allows you to stretch, skew, and rotate the selection quickly and easily, without having to switch tools. Or, after you cut your shapes, you can use the Contour Editor reshape them into whatever shape you like. See Also Working with Selections on page 55 Erasing Parts from Drawing Objects on page 71 Reshaping Brush Strokes on page 76 Setting Up Your Pens on page 81 Protecting Drawings on page 322 tool to
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Erasing Parts from Drawing Objects

The Eraser tool in Toon Boom Studio works as a traditional eraser works on ink and paper, it allows you to remove a section of a drawing object. With the Erase tool, you can create new shapes or erase sections completely from existing shapes. Toon Boom Studio creates new vectors lines to define the erased zones. If you create a closed zone with the Eraser tool, you can:
Fill the zone with a different colour. Reshape the zone to create a different form. In this example, we drew an eraser line through the circle, then recoloured the new drawing object that was created.
To erase a section of a shape or brush stroke: 1. 2. From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or from the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Eraser tool. Select the Pen tab in the Properties window and select a pen style to set the size of the Eraser tool. The eraser icon in the Pen tab will display next to the selected pen style. Drag your pointer through the parts of the drawing you want to erase.
3.
You can adjust the size of the erasure line using the controls in the Pen tab. The Eraser pen style allows you to create a different set of pen properties than those of all of other drawing tools. See Also Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines on page 73 Setting Up Your Pens on page 81 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Using the Cutter to Separate Regions in Drawing Objects

With the Cutter tool, you divide regions with a stroke. You can then move, delete or transform those selections with the Select tool. The Cutter tool divides regions into separate parts that you can modify.
To use the Cutter tool to separate regions in drawing objects: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select View > Show Strokes to display the lines that compose your drawing objects. Displaying the strokes helps you see the changes created by the Cutter tool. From Tools > Drawing Tools or from the Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Cutter tool. Drag the Cutter tool to create a dividing line between the regions you want to separate. Use the Select tool to select the regions created by the Cutter tool and move, delete or modify them.
See Also Working with Selections on page 55 Using the Scissor to Cut Parts from Drawing Objects on page 70 Erasing Parts from Drawing Objects on page 71
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Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines

When you draw a line or a shape in Toon Boom Studio, you can use the Contour Editor tool to modify and reshape it. You can select the Contour Editor tool from the pop-up menu on the Drawing Tools toolbar.
The Contour Editor is an important tool in the optimization of drawings for the Web.
With the Contour Editor, you can delete points from lines and shapes you draw. When you reduce the number of points in a drawing, you reduce the amount of memory required to store the file. After you delete unnecessary points, you can use the Contour Editor to reshape your drawing objects.
Using the Contour Editor tool, you can transform a simple square into more complex and sleek forms that would have taken longer to draw by hand.
The Contour Editor tool allows you to create smoother curves because you are changing the curve of an existing line instead of drawing it manually. See Also Reshaping Centreline Shapes on page 74 Reshaping Brush Strokes on page 76 Adding Points to Vector Shapes on page 78 Deleting Points from Vector Shapes on page 79
Contour Points
A corner point has two straight lines between the next frames. When using the Contour Editor, corner points are preserved even when they have been moved.
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Reshaping Centreline Shapes

Toon Boom Studio adds points down the centre of centreline shapes drawn with the following tools: Pencil, Line, Polyline, Ellipse and Rectangle. You can use the Contour Editor to move these points and change the shape of centreline shapes. To reshape centreline shapes: 1. From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Contour Editor and click on the shape you want to modify. You can now see the centreline of the shape along with the points that make up the centreline.
If you want to create closed zones as you reshape your drawing objects, use the Snap to Contour option.
2.
Select Tools > Snap to Contour to enable this option.
To change the shape of the centreline shape, drag the line between two points. You can also use the handles on each side of a control point. Click a centrepoint to display its handles. You can drag the centrepoint, line or handles in any direction to stretch or curve a centreline shape.
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3.
Drag one of the curve handles to adjust the curve of the line. You cannot drag the segment to change the curve shape. Dragging one handle automatically moves the handle pair. Dragging a pair of handles or a centrepoint directly affects the both of the line segments attached to it. To move each curve handle independently, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) and then drag the handle.
If you cant see the curve handles, click any centrepoint. Press [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS), and click a point to reset the angle of the handles.
4.
To remove the angles on the handles, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) and click on the point.
To move the entire drawing while the Contour Editor is active, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) and drag the drawing to its new position. See Also Drawing Line Art on page 41 Reshaping Brush Strokes on page 76 Optimizing Drawing Objects for the Web on page 63 Cutting and Erasing Drawing Objects on page 69 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Reshaping Brush Strokes

When you use the Brush, Toon Boom Studio creates a shape that is surrounded by points, creating what we call a contour line. Toon Boom Studio also creates contour lines when you paint an enclosed shape. You can reshape either Brush lines or painted zones with the Contour Editor. To change the shape of a brush stroke: 1. From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Contour Editor and click on the shape you want to modify. You can use the control points around the shape to change the shape and thickness of the brush stroke.
2.
To change the shape of the brush stroke, drag the control point of the line to a new position.
There are two curve handles around the point you just selected. Every point on the line has two of these curve handles.
If you want to create closed zones as you reshape your drawing objects, use the Snap to Contour option.
Select Tools > Snap to Contour to enable this option.
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3.
Drag one of the curve handles to adjust the curve of the line. You can use these curve handles to change the amount of curve in the line between the current point and the nearest points on either side. If you simply drag one curve handle, the curve of the line that passes through that control point changes on both sides of the point.
To move each curve handle independently, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) and drag the handle. 4. To remove the angles on the handles, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) and click on the point.
To move the entire drawing while the Contour Editor is active, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) and drag the drawing to its new position. See Also Drawing Line Art on page 41 Reshaping Centreline Shapes on page 74 Optimizing Drawing Objects for the Web on page 63 Cutting and Erasing Drawing Objects on page 69 Painting a Zone with a Solid Swatch on page 121 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Adding Points to Vector Shapes

All vector shapes in Toon Boom Studio are composed of points. These points mark an edge or a position where the centreline or contour changes direction. You can add more points to a centreline or contour to add a more pronounced edge to a shape or a line. For example, if you wanted a straight line to flow upwards from the start point and then turn back down sharply to the end point, you could add a point to the centre of the line and drag it upwards to the new position. You can add as many points as you like. However, the more points you add, the greater the file size will be in the final animation.
The lines shape changes to follow the new point.
To add points to vector artwork: 1. 2. 3. From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Contour Editor and click on the shape you want to modify. Press [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) and click on the centreline or contour of the shape you want to modify. A new control point now appears on the line. You can drag this new control point to a new position or use the curve handles to adjust the curve of the line as it passes through the new control point. In this example, we add two control points on the left and right sides of the square and dragged them both to the right. Notice how the curve handles appear on the top corners now that the sides of the square have changed.
See Also Drawing Line Art on page 41 Optimizing Drawing Objects for the Web on page 63 Cutting and Erasing Drawing Objects on page 69 Reshaping Centreline Shapes on page 74 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Deleting Points from Vector Shapes

All vector shapes in Toon Boom Studio are composed of points. These points mark an edge or a position where the centre line or contour line changes direction. You can delete points from a centre/contour line to remove pronounced edges from a shape or a line. Deleting points from vector artwork also reduces the file size of your final AdobeFlash movie file. To transform a square into a triangle, delete one of the four corner points. The lines in the square change direction to follow the remaining points. To delete control points from vector artwork: 1. 2. From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Contour Editor and click on the shape you want to modify. Click a point on the shape. The selected control point appears white. You can select multiple control points by pressing [Shift] and clicking the control points you want.
3.
Press [Delete] to delete the selected control point(s). The line that flowed through the selected deleted control point adjusts itself based on the remaining control points. With the centre point gone, the line straightens itself out, taking the shortest distance between two points, forming a triangle. Be careful not to delete too many control points! For example, if you delete three of the four control points on this square, the shape will disappear.
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See Also Drawing Line Art on page 41 Adding Points to Vector Shapes on page 78 Reshaping Brush Strokes on page 76 Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Protecting Drawings on page 322
Feather Edges Command

The Feather Edges command softens, or feathers, the edge of a shape (not a line). To soften means to create an effect close to a blur effect, but using a vector instead. It creates a stroke around the shape (multiple times, as defined by the properties), and each of the strokes is closer to alpha 0%. To feather edges: 1. 2. Select Feather Edges from the Tools drop-down menu. The Feather Edges dialog box appears, asking you to choose the width of each step (5-100) and the number of steps (3-30). Input your choices and click on OK.
A series of strokes will appear, surrounding your shape, depending on the number of steps you have chosen. The width of each step corresponds to the line size number in the pen window (i.e. a width of 3 is the same as choosing a line size 3).
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Setting Up Your Pens

As you design the elements of your scene, you can select different types of pens to draw and erase lines with different qualities. The lines can be thin or thick, and be smooth or rough. You can configure all this in the Pen tab of the Properties window. If you dont see the Properties window, select Window > Properties. Each pen style displays:
the name of the pen style the amount of smoothing correction that the minimum/maximum size of its line a preview of the pen style
A brush pen style applies to all drawing tools except the Eraser tool. An eraser pen style applies when the Eraser tool is activated. When you select a pen style, all lines you draw will have the properties of that pen style until you select another. You can create customized pen styles for each project you are working on. For example, if you are working on a project whose drawings use a thick outside line but use thinner lines for the detailed areas, you could create two pen styles for each type of line. Toon Boom Studio will apply when you draw with it
Line Styles
You can draw using a specialized brush tip, and can choose from squares, oblique lines or oblique oval lines among other options. To change the brush line style: 1. 2. Select the Brush tool from the Drawing menu. Go to the Pen menu and click on the round dot. A drop-down menu will appear with the various options for brush tips. Select the one you prefer.
The brush style should be selected, and you can begin drawing. See Also Drawing Line Art on page 41 Creating and Removing Pen Styles on page 82 Modifying a Pen Style on page 83
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Creating and Removing Pen Styles

Toon Boom Studio provides you with five default pen styles, but you can add your own custom-built pen styles to the Pen tab. All pen styles you create are available in every scene in the current animation project. To create your own pen style: 1. Click on the Add Pen Style button. A copy of the currently selected pen style appears at the bottom of the pen styles list. This copy becomes the active brush pen style. If the Eraser tool is active, it is the active eraser pen style. Select the minimum and maximum size of the drawing line with the Minimum size/ Maximum size sliders. The minimum value only applies when you use a pressure-sensitive pen and tablet. If you draw your lines with your mouse, the line thickness always uses the maximum value. 3. Adjust the smoothness of the line with the Smoothness slider. 0: makes a slight adjustment, allowing sharper edges 10: makes a greater adjustment, reducing the number of sharp edges and the number of points in the line (smaller file size in your exported animation) tool or the Eraser When you draw a line with the Brush tool, the Pencil tool, Toon Boom Studio makes an adjustment to the line based on the value in this panel. It smooths out any sharp edges or jagged peaks in the line. 4. 5. 6. Double-click on the new pen style. The name field for the pen style becomes editable. Type the pen styles name in the field and press [Enter] (Windows) or [Return] (MacOS). To remove a pen style, simply select the pen style and click Remove Pen Style button.
2.
See Also Modifying a Pen Style on page 83 Setting Up Your Pens on page 81 Drawing Line Art on page 41
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Modifying a Pen Style

You can modify the size, smoothness, and name of any pen style in the animation project. When you make changes to a pen style, Toon Boom Studio updates the pen styles in every scene in the animation project. Only drawings you make after the pen changes are affected. To modify a pen style: 1. 2. Select the pen style you want to modify. The selection becomes the active brush pen style. If the Eraser tool is active, it is the active eraser pen style. Modify the characteristics of that pen style by adjusting the following: Select the minimum and maximum size of the drawing line with the Minimum size/Maximum size sliders. Adjust the smoothness of the line from the Smoothness slider. Rename the pen style by double-clicking it and typing the new name in the field.
Any changes you make to pen styles only affect the lines you draw or erase afterward. If you remove a pen style, any lines you drew or erased with that pen style do not change; the line art remains unchanged even if you delete the pen style that created it. You can use the pen styles with the eraser and drawing tools to draw and erase lines with different qualities. The lines can be thin or thick, and be smooth or rough See Also Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines on page 73 Resizing, Flipping, Rotating and Moving Drawing Objects on page 57 Modifying a Pen Style on page 83 Setting Up Your Pens on page 81 Drawing Line Art on page 41 Creating and Removing Pen Styles on page 82
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Setting Up Your Drawing Space

You can customize your drawing space to suit your needs. You can:
Display a grid that you can use as a reference while you draw.
Rotate the drawing space so that you can get a better angle on your drawings.
Use the onion skin to view previous and next drawings in an element layer.
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Displaying the Drawing Grid

When you are drawing your objects, it may be difficult to draw them on a plain white surface that does not have any reference points. You can choose to display a grid that appears either behind or in front of your objects. When you have the size of your animation set to 500 x 375, the 12 Field Grid is the same size as the camera frame in the Camera View.
You can use the grid to judge the distance and size of objects in your scene. In this example, the grid measures 12 fields in size and the drawing appears above it.
The drawing grid can appear in the Drawing View window or in the Camera View window. To see the grid in the Camera View window, you must have a Drawing element and a drawing tool selected. To display the grid: 1. 2. Select View > Grid > Show Grid or click on the Grid button on the toolbar. A grid appears in the Drawing View or Camera View window. Select the type of grid you want to use from either the View > Grid menu or from the Grid View toolbar button. You can choose from the following types:
Normal 12 Field centre. 16 Field centre.
: the grid is divided into a standard set of squares of equal size. : the grid measures 12 fields in each compass direction from the grid : the grid measures 16 fields in each compass direction from the grid
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3.
Select where you want the drawings to appear in relation to the grid from the View menu. You have two choices: Underlay: the grid appears below the drawing. Overlay: the grid appears on top of the drawing. You can also use the Overlay button to switch between the Overlay and Underlay options.
See Also Rotating the Drawing Space on page 86 Onion Skin: Displaying the Next and Previous Drawings on page 87 Static Light Table: Displaying Selected Drawings on page 91 Auto Light Table: Displaying All Images in a Frame on page 94 Zooming and Panning the View Window on page 95
Rotating the Drawing Space

Short of flipping the monitor on its side, drawing on your computer presents new challenges that the traditional artists didnt have to deal with. However, Toon Boom Studio solves that problem with the Rotate commands. You may access this function by holding control and alt at the same time.
With the rotary light table, you can change your view of the drawing space so that you get the best angle to work with. Its only natural to want to rotate your drawing space while you are working. Getting the best drawing angle, while seeing all of the relevant parts of your drawing, is important for you to be able to finely craft your drawings.
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To rotate the drawing space, do one of the following:
To turn your drawing space to the right, select View > Rotate Clockwise or press [V]. To turn your drawing space to the left, select View > Rotate Counter Clockwise or press [C]. To display the Rotary Light Table, press [Control]+[Command] (MacOS) or [Ctrl]+[Alt] (Windows) and use your mouse to freely rotate your drawing space.
To return your drawing space to the original angle, select View > Reset Rotation or press [Shift] + [C]. See Also Displaying the Drawing Grid on page 85 Zooming and Panning the View Window on page 95
Onion Skin: Displaying the Next and Previous Drawings

As you develop your scene elements, it can be very helpful to see drawings that will appear before or after the current drawing. You can use these drawings as a reference to figure out the size, angle or position of the drawing you are working on. In Toon Boom Studio, the onion skin allows you to display the other drawings in the same element that appear either before or after the current cell. You can display up to three previous and three next drawings in the onion skin.
In this example, we can see two previous drawings and the two next drawings. The current drawing is on top of all the other drawings in the display.
Use the Onion Skin
button to turn the onion skin feature on and off.
In the Drawing View, Toon Boom Studio displays previous and next drawings in the onion skin in a different colour so that you can distinguish them. You can also use the onion skin in the Camera View to display drawings in the previous and next frames.
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To set the Previous Onion Skin depth, select one of the following options from the Show Previous toolbar button:
No Previous Drawings cell. Previous Drawing Previous Two Drawings selection. Previous Three Drawings selection
: displays only the drawing in the currently selected
: displays the drawing before the current selection. : displays the two drawings before the current : displays the three drawings before the current
To set the Next Onion Skin depth, select one of the following options from the Show Next toolbar button:
No Next Drawings Next Drawing Next Two Drawings Next Three Drawings selection.
: displays only the drawing in the currently selected cell. : displays the two drawings after the current selection. : displays the three drawings after the current
: displays the drawing after the current selection.
You can also select the onion skin depth by selecting it from the View > Onion Skin submenu.
Setting Onion Skin Options

By default, onion skin drawings:
are displayed as filled shapes display previous drawings in shades of red display next drawings in shades of green
You can also display these drawings as outlines and change how drawing objects are coloured and shaded in the onion skin to suit your working style.
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To display onion skin drawings as outlines: 1. 1. 2. 3. Select View > Onion Skin > Show Outline on Onion Skin. Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Toon Boom Studio > Preferences (MacOS). The Preferences dialog box opens. Click on the Light Table tab. Select your colour shading option. If you want previous and next drawings to appear in their original colour and faded, de-select the Enable Colour Shading option. If you want previous and next drawings to appear as different colours, select the Enable Colour Shading option. To set onion skin shading and colour preferences:
4.
If the Enable Colour Shading option is selected, you can choose colours for previous and next drawings. Click on the Previous Drawing Colour or Next Drawing Colour square and select a new colour from the colour picker. Click on OK when you are done.
5.
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Onion Skinning with Transparency

When you have previous and next drawings, they are shaded but not transparent. This can cause problems with complex animation as not all content is visible. Alpha Onion Skinning allows you to see through the drawings and this will help position them in relation to other content.
Here is an example of onion skinning without transparency.
Here is an example of onion skinning with transparency.
To enable Alpha Onion Skinning, do the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. Go to the Preferences window. Select the Light Table tab. Select Enable Transparency. Click on OK.
See Also Displaying the Drawing Grid on page 85 Setting Up Your Drawing Space on page 84 Rotating the Drawing Space on page 86 Onion Skin: Displaying the Next and Previous Drawings on page 87 Static Light Table: Displaying Selected Drawings on page 91 Auto Light Table: Displaying All Images in a Frame on page 94 Zooming and Panning the View Window on page 95 Setting Onion Skin Options on page 88
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Static Light Table: Displaying Selected Drawings

As you create your drawings, you may need to see drawings from other elements in your scene so you can figure out how to draw the new drawing. While you can use the Onion Skin to see next and previous drawings in the same element, you cant use them to see drawings in other element columns. To display specific drawings from other elements in the Drawing View, you can place them in the Static Light Table. The Static Light Table displays a paler version of the selected drawing in the Drawing View window while you work on other drawings. The Static Light Table appears just below the exposure sheet when you click on the Toggle Static Light table button.
If you change the drawings that appear in the Static Light Table panel, the Static Light Table panel updates its contents immediately. To add a drawing to the Static Light Table: 1. 2. Click on the Static Light Table button in the Exposure Sheet window.
The Static Light Table panel appears at the bottom of the Exposure Sheet window. Drag the cell that contains the drawing or image you want to display into the Static Light Table panel. A thumbnail of the selected drawing appears in the Static Light Table and the drawing appears slightly dimmed in the Drawing View window (unless you have it currently selected, in which case it appears in full colour).
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3.
To remove drawings in the Static Light Table, you have two options: To remove selected drawings, [Control]-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) the selected drawing and select Delete from the pop-up menu. To remove all the drawings, [Control]-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) anywhere in the Static Light Table and select Delete All from the pop-up menu.
See Also Displaying the Drawing Grid on page 85 Rotating the Drawing Space on page 86 Onion Skin: Displaying the Next and Previous Drawings on page 87 Auto Light Table: Displaying All Images in a Frame on page 94 Zooming and Panning the View Window on page 95 Changing the Display of Objects in the Static Light Table on page 92
Changing the Display of Objects in the Static Light Table

When you load drawings into the Static Light Table, you can modify their display properties so that they appear differently in the Drawing View window. These properties only affect how the drawings appear while they are in the Static Light Table; they do not affect the original drawings. For example, if you had a drawing in the Static Light Table panel and it was hiding another drawing you wanted to work on, you have two choices:
You can hide it from view (while keeping it in the Static Light Table). You can change the layering order so that it no longer hides the drawing you want to see. Click this button to change the front/back position of the drawing in the Static Light Table. Select this checkbox to show/hide the drawing in the Static Light Table.
To change the display properties of the objects in the Static Light Table, do any of the following:
To show/hide a drawing, select the Display checkbox above the thumbnail. When you select the Display checkbox, the drawing appears in the Drawing View window. When you deselect the Display checkbox, the drawing disappears from the Drawing View window, although it still appears in the Static Light Table. To show/hide all the drawings in the Static Light Table, [Control]-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) in the Static Light Table panel and select one of the following commands from the pop-up menu: Show All: displays all the drawings in the Static Light Table.
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Hide All: hides all the drawings in the Static Light Table. To change the layering order of a drawing, click on the layering icons above the drawings thumbnail. Overlay : places the currently selected Static Light Table image above the currently selected drawing in the Exposure Sheet window. Underlay : places the currently selected Static Light Table image below the currently selected drawing in the Exposure Sheet window. To change the layering order for all the drawings in the Static Light Table panel, [Control]-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) the Static Light Table panel and select one of the following options from the pop-up menu: Overlay All: places all the drawings in the Static Light Table above the currently selected drawing. Underlay All: places all the drawings in the Static Light Table below the currently selected drawing.
To enable/disable the shading of objects that appear in the Static Light Table: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences in MacOS. Select Edit > Preferences in Windows. The Preferences dialog box opens. 2. 3. Click on the Light Table tab. In the Static Light Table panel, select Enable Shade. When this option is selected, the colour of objects in the Static Light Table is paler than the original. When this option is de-selected, objects in the Static Light Table have the same colour shading as the original.
See Also Onion Skin: Displaying the Next and Previous Drawings on page 87 Static Light Table: Displaying Selected Drawings on page 91 Auto Light Table: Displaying All Images in a Frame on page 94
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Auto Light Table: Displaying All Images in a Frame

In the Drawing View, you can use the Auto Light Table when you want to see all of the images in a frame. Only the elements that are selected to show in the Element List will appear in the Auto Light Table. The Auto Light Table can help you draw objects in relation to each other. For example, if one character is grabbing something from another, you will need to see all of the drawings together to get a sense of how to position the characters hands. In the Auto Light Table, the selected element appears on top of all other elements, and the rest of the elements are displayed based on their layer order in the Exposure Sheet window. With the Auto Light Table activated, you can see all of the drawings at the selected frame.
To activate the Auto Light Table:
Click on the Auto Light Table button or select View > Turn Auto Light Table On. All the drawings from the elements in the exposure in the current frame appear in the Drawing View window.
See Also Displaying the Drawing Grid on page 85 Rotating the Drawing Space on page 86 Onion Skin: Displaying the Next and Previous Drawings on page 87 Static Light Table: Displaying Selected Drawings on page 91 Zooming and Panning the View Window on page 95
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Zooming and Panning the View Window

As you work on your scene in the View windows, you can change the zoom factor so that you can zoom in closer to see some parts of your drawings in more detail or zoom out to see the entire frame. There are three ways to change the zoom factor on your drawing:
You can use the Zoom In and Zoom Out commands in the View menu. You can use the Zoom tool to zoom in and out of a specific point or a selected zone. You can zoom in and zoom out on all four main views by using the mouse scroll wheel.
To zoom in on a specific part of your drawing: 1. 2. Click on the Zoom tool in the Drawing Tools toolbar or select Tools > Zoom. The pointer becomes a magnifying glass. Decide which part of the drawing you want to see in greater detail. You have two choices: If you want to see a general area, click once on that area. If you want to zoom in closer, click on the area again. If you want to see a specific region in greater detail, drag the Zoom tool to create a selection region. To zoom out, press [Option] (MacOS) or [Alt] (Windows) and click on the Zoom tool on the window. The zoom factor decreases, displaying more of the drawing. To reset the zoom level, select View > Reset Zoom.
3. 4.
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To zoom in/out using the commands in the View menu:
Select View > Zoom In to increase the zoom factor. You can also press [X]. Select View > Zoom Out to decrease the zoom factor. You can also press [Z]. Select View > Reset Zoom to reset the zoom level. You can also press [Shift]+[Z].
To pan a window:
Use the Grabber button or press [Spacebar] and move the view of the Drawing View window. To return to the centre of the Drawing View window, select View > Recentre or press [Shift]+[Spacebar].
You can hold down the [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (Mac OS X) button to affect the way that you zoom and pan with your mouse. Using the mouse and [Ctrl] to zoom: 1. 2. 1. 2. Pressing and holding [Ctrl] while scrolling down the mouse wheel allows you to zoom out. Pressing and holding [Ctrl] while scrolling up the mouse wheel allows you to zoom in. Click on the Zoom tool in the Drawing Tools toolbar or select Tools > Zoom. The pointer becomes a magnifying glass. To zoom out, hold down [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (Mac OS X) and click on the Zoom tool on the window. The zoom factor decreases, displaying more of the drawing. To zoom in, simply click on the Zoom tool on the window without holding down [Alt] or [Option]. To reset the zoom level, select View > Reset Zoom. Click on the Zoom tool in the Drawing Tools toolbar or select Tools > Zoom. The pointer becomes a magnifying glass. To pan up and down, scroll with the mouse wheel. To pan left and right, hold down [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (Mac OS X) and scroll with the mouse wheel. To reset the zoom level, select View > Reset Zoom.
Using the mouse and [Alt] to zoom out:
3. 1. 2. 3. 4.
Using the mouse and [alt] to pan:
See Also Displaying the Drawing Grid on page 85 Rotating the Drawing Space on page 86 Onion Skin: Displaying the Next and Previous Drawings on page 87 Static Light Table: Displaying Selected Drawings on page 91 Auto Light Table: Displaying All Images in a Frame on page 94
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Chapter 3 Importing Artwork

This chapter explains how to import visual content, such as bitmaps and movies, that were created in another application. This chapter includes the following topics:
Importing Static Images (Bitmaps) on page 98 Vectorizing Bitmaps on page 101 Importing Illustrator and PDF Files on page 103 Importing Flash Movies on page 104 Repositioning All Drawings on page 105
Importing Static Images (Bitmaps)

Bitmaps might be larger in file size than vector drawings, but they do create a different visual effect that is often desirable in animated movies. As you are setting up your scene, you may want to use a background image for your characters to act against. You can import any bitmap supported by the version of QuickTime installed on your computer, including BMP, JPEG, PNG, GIF, PSD and PICT, as well as other file formats. In this shot, our vector character is positioned in front of a bitmap (TGA) file.
You must import bitmap images into Image elements. When you place a background image in your scene, make sure you place the element column at the extreme right (the bottom layer) of the Exposure Sheet. If you activate the Auto Light Table and you place a background element to the left of other elements, you may hide other elements or only see the background element in your Drawing View window. Graphic formats like PNG and TGA support an alpha channel, which allows you to make certain parts of an imported image transparent.
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To import a bitmap image into an element in your scene: To add an Image element to your scene:

1.
Select Element > Add > Image to add an image element to your animation. You can also click on the Add Image Element window. button in the Exposure Sheet
Select the cell in the Image element in which you want to import the bitmap image.
2.
Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the cell where you want to place the bitmap image and select Import Images > From File from the pop-up menu. The Open dialog box opens. Select the bitmap you want to import and confirm your selection.
3.
The bitmap you selected appears in the selected cell. Youll probably want to extend this images exposure time so that it appears for the necessary length of your scene. To add a new Image element and import a bitmap image: 1. 2. Select File > Import File. The Open dialog box opens. Select the bitmap you want to import and confirm your selection.
A new Image element is created and the bitmap you selected appears in the cell at the current frame. See Also Importing Flash Movies on page 104 Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309 Creating Transparent Bitmaps on page 100
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Creating Transparent Bitmaps

Bitmap graphics are shaped like rectangles, regardless of the shape of the image within them. For example, if you have an image of a dog that you want to place on top of some other elements, the area around the dog must be transparent so that the background image appears behind the dog, and the dog appears in the scene. The area around the dog transparent so that the background shows through and the dog blends into the scene.
If you have a bitmap you want to use within the layering order of your elements, make the non-image portion of your graphic transparent so that you can see elements behind the bitmap and that other elements can appear to pass by the bitmap in the action of your scene. There are a some of the bitmap file formats that save transparency in an alpha (matte) channel, including the 32-bit TARGA format (TGA), TIFF, SGI and PSD. To create an image that has transparent areas: 1. 2. 3. 4. Open the graphic in a third-party graphics application. Add an alpha channel to the image and create a transparent shape that will reveal the rest of the channels in the image. Save the graphic in a file format that preserves the alpha channel. Import the transparent graphic. Toon Boom Studio assumes that the alpha channel is straight (not pre-multiplied). If you can see around the object in the image, then you have successfully created a transparent graphic. Refer to your graphic applications documentation for instructions on how to define transparent areas. See Also Importing Flash Movies on page 104 Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309
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Vectorizing Bitmaps
As you develop your animation, you may want to integrate hand-drawn pictures. You can scan these pictures and import them as bitmaps into image elements. However, you cannot edit bitmap images in Toon Boom Studio. In addition, bitmap images are not as flexible as vector drawings when it comes to resolution and file size. Rather than importing your scanned drawings as bitmaps, you can transform the scanned images into vector drawings so that you can benefit from Toon Boom Studio vector technology. When you import and vectorize bitmap images, you must select an appropriate image filter and threshold. You may have to experiment with different settings to achieve the best results for your drawings. All colour bitmaps are transformed into grayscale during the vectorization process. Any pure colour (with an RGB value of 255) will be converted to white and ignored during the vectorization process. If you are vectorizing colour bitmaps, you should recolour pure colour regions that you want to be vectorized, with another colour. To vectorize bitmap images: 1. 2. 3. Select a cell in a Drawing element in the Exposure Sheet or Timeline. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the cell and select Import and Vectorize > From File from the pop-up window. The Open dialog box opens. Select the bitmap image you want to import and vectorize, and click Open. You can select multiple files. Press [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) to select image files in any order. Press [Shift] to select image files in a series. The Import and Vectorize Settings dialog box opens. Black and white vectorization uses the filters listed below to transform the bitmap into vector art. Vectorization with texture applies the bitmap as a texture on the drawing shape.
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4.
Select a bitmap filter. You may have to experiment with these settings based on the qualities of the images you are vectorizing. If the lines in your bitmap are thin, select Smoothing + Loss of Sharpness. This filter blurs the lines in the bitmap slightly so that thin lines are picked up in the vectorization process. If the lines in your bitmap are very fine, select Smoothing + Greater Loss of Sharpness. This filter blurs the lines in your bitmap more so that more lines are transformed in the vectorization process. If the lines in your bitmap are thick, select Edge Enhancement. This filter merges fine lines (noise) into larger lines to create cleaner objects. If the lines in your bitmaps are thick and include a lot of fine detail, select Sharpening With Clearness. This filter sharpens edges to enhance details in your images. Select a Threshold percentage. The Threshold value filters out noise in your bitmaps. Noise can be dirt or faint smudges on your scanned images. For example, if your value is set to 70%, all colour values below 70% are converted to white and ignored in the final image.
5.
6.
Click on OK when you are done.
A progress dialog box opens while Toon Boom Studio imports and vectorizes your images. You can modify these vector drawings like you would any other vector drawing. See Also Linking Templates to Media Elements on page 340 Creating Transparent Bitmaps on page 100
Vectorization with Texture

When the Vectorization type is set to With Texture, Toon Boom Studio will import the bitmap and apply it as a texture on a vector shape. A new colour palette is created to hold the new texture. This allows for direct manipulation of bitmap images within Toon Boom Studio. To import and vectorize: 1. 2. From the Import and Vectorize Settings menu, click on With Texture under Vectorization Type. Click on Preview to see the image as it will appear once imported. Click on OK. Your image is imported.
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Importing Illustrator and PDF Files

You can import Adobe Illustrator vector drawing files or PDF files into a Toon Boom Studio drawing element. Toon Boom Studio supports Adobe Illustrator files from version 5. You must create a PDF compatible file when you save Adobe Illustrator CS files to be able to import them into Toon Boom Studio. When you import Adobe Illustrator or PDF files, Toon Boom Studio:
Converts CMYK colours to RGB. You can convert the colour space of your Adobe Illustrator or PDF files when you save them. See Adobe Illustrator documentation for instructions. However, to ensure the colour results you want, you should develop your web colours in the web-safe RGB palette. Displays objects that were hidden in the Adobe Illustrator file. Does not import text. You must convert text to outlines to import it. Does not import global colour swatches from V8 and under. Does not convert transparent objects drawn with the brush tool.
If your Adobe Illustrator file contains bitmaps, be sure those bitmaps are copied into the file. If they are linked, Toon Boom Studio can not import them. To add a Drawing element to your scene:
Select Element > Add > Drawing to add an image element to your animation. You can also click on the Add Drawing Element Sheet or Timeline window. button in the Exposure
To import Adobe Illustrator and PDF files into your scene: 1. 2. 3. Select a cell in a Drawing element in the Exposure Sheet or Timeline. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the selected cell and select Import Illustrator. The Open dialog box opens. Select the file you want to import and confirm your selection. You can modify this drawing just like you would modify vector drawings you created in Toon Boom Studio.
Import Illustrator Layers

When importing an Illustrator or PDF file, you have the choice of flattening the layers or importing each layer into separate elements. If you choose to import each layer separately, each page appears in its own frame. Once you have selected the AI or PDF file to import, The Import Illustrator Files dialog box opens. Click on Yes to flatten the layers. Click on No to import the layers separately.
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A new Drawing element is created and the Illustrator or PDF file you selected appears in the cell at the current frame. If the PDF has multiple pages, they will each appear on a different frame. See Also Importing Flash Movies on page 104
Importing Flash Movies

If you import an Adobe Flash file into your scene, Toon Boom Studio expands the contents and lays it out as a collection of elements. Toon Boom Studio creates pegs to manage any scaling, rotation or motion animated in the file. To import a Adobe Flash movie: 1. Select File > Import File. The Open dialog box opens.
2.
Browse to the path that contains the SWF file you want, select it and confirm your selection. Toon Boom Studio expands the artwork within the SWF file and creates a series of elements, preserving the original animation layout.
You can also import SWF files that are saved as templates into your Library window. You can also link SWF files into media elements. See Also Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309 Adding Many Elements to a Scene on page 298 Drawing Line Art on page 41 Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines on page 73 Using Templates on page 337
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Repositioning All Drawings

When you hand-draw animation, you dont always draw in the centre of your paper. Sometimes you might draw more to the right so that you can see images better as you are flipping through them. Or, if you are preparing work for a traditional process, you may draw your images relative to their final placement in the composited film. When you import and vectorize bitmap images you may find that they are too far from the centre for you to work on them with ease in Toon Boom Studio. Especially when you can work in a Sceneplanning view window to layout entire elements, it makes more sense to draw images in the centre of the Drawing View window. You can reposition all drawings in a vector element in one move to correct drawings that might be too far from the centre to work with easily. To reposition all drawings in an element: 1. 2. 3. Select a drawing element. Select Tools > Drawing Tools > Reposition All Drawings. The vector drawings in the drawing element become selected in the Drawing View window. Use your mouse to reposition the drawing. Toon Boom Studio moves all drawings in the element in the same way you moved the drawing in the cell.
See Also Importing Flash Movies on page 104 Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309 Linking Templates to Media Elements on page 340 Creating Transparent Bitmaps on page 100 Adding Many Elements to a Scene on page 298 Repositioning All Drawings on page 105
Importing and Vectorizing from TWAIN

Rather than importing images from files, you can use Toon Boom Studio to get images from any TWAIN device (such as scanners and cameras). You can either load them as bitmaps into your scene or convert them into vector images that you can edit in Toon Boom Studio. You must install a TWAIN driver for your device in order to access its contents. See the manufacturer of your device to get a TWAIN driver. To select the device you want to use: 1. Do one of the following: Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) a cell in an Image element in the Exposure Sheet or Timeline and select Import Images > Select TWAIN Source. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) a cell in a Drawing element and select Import and Vectorize > Select TWAIN Source.
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2.
Use the Select Source dialog box to select the device you want to acquire content from and click OK. Select a cell in an Image element. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the cell and select Import Images > From TWAIN.
To scan or get a bitmap from a TWAIN device: 1. 2.
3.
A dialog box with your devices options appears. Use the options in this dialog box to select your options and then scan or load the drawings into Toon Boom Studio. Select a cell in a Drawing element in the Exposure Sheet or Timeline. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the cell and select Import and Vectorize > From TWAIN.
To vectorize a bitmap retrieved from a TWAIN device: 1. 2.
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The Import and Vectorize Settings dialog box opens. Black and white vectorization uses the filters listed below to transform the bitmap into vector art. Vectorization with texture applies the bitmap as a texture on the drawing shape.
3.
Select a filter. You may have to experiment with these settings based on the qualities of the images you are vectorizing. If the lines in your image are thin, select Smoothing + Loss of Sharpness. This filter blurs the lines in the image slightly so that thin lines are picked up in the vectorization process. If the lines in your image are very fine, select Smoothing + Greater Loss of Sharpness. This filter blurs the lines in your image more so that more lines are transformed in the vectorization process. If the lines in your image are thick, select Edge Enhancement. This filter merges fine lines (noise) into larger lines to create cleaner objects. If the lines in your images are thick and include a lot of fine detail, select Sharpening With Clearness. This filter sharpens edges to enhance details in your images. Select a Threshold percentage. The Threshold value filters out noise in your images. Noise can be dirt or faint smudges on your scanned images. For example, if your value is set to 70%, all colour values below 70% are converted to white and ignored in the final image. Click on OK to close the dialog box and continue the process. A dialog box with your devices options appears. Use the options here to select your options and then load and vectorize the drawings into Toon Boom Studio.
4.
5.
See Also Importing Static Images (Bitmaps) on page 98 Vectorizing Bitmaps on page 101 Importing Illustrator and PDF Files on page 103 Importing Flash Movies on page 104 Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309
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Chapter 4 Inking and Painting

Learn how to produce a vibrant, colourful animation using Toon Boom Studios powerful inking and painting tools. This chapter contains the following topics:
Colouring Your Toon Boom Studio World on page 110 Swatches on page 111 Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Closing Gaps in Your Drawings on page 132 Inking Line Art on page 135 Managing Your Colours with Palettes on page 136
Colouring Your Toon Boom Studio World

After you create the line art for your drawing elements, you need to complete your artwork by adding colour. Toon Boom Studio features a full inking and painting suite that allows you to add spectacular and vibrant colours to your drawings.
Toon Boom Studio makes the inking and painting process lightning fast by featuring simple, yet powerful painting tools designed specifically to create high-quality animation. Toon Boom Studio also provides a number of colour palette management tools that can help you track, organize and update colour swatches. See Also Swatches on page 111 Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120
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Chapter 4: Inking and Painting
Swatches
A swatch lets you define specific colours and textures that you can use to paint zones or line art in your drawings. You can use swatches to store solid and gradient colours, as well as textures, which allow you to paint with bitmap images. You can add your own set of swatches to a colour palette to define the colours in your animation. If you use swatches to colour zones consistently throughout your movie, you can easily update the colours of your drawings when the colour model changes. The Toon Boom Studio colour management system updates all zones and line art you paint when you make changes to the colour properties of the swatch. For example, if you have a light green stripe on a pair of pants and you want to make the stripe appear darker on all of the pant drawings, all you have to do is change the properties of the swatch and Toon Boom Studio updates all zones that use that swatch with the new colour properties. Shirtsleeve zone Skintone zone Pants zone Pantstripe zone Shirt zone
Frame zone Use the swatches in the colour Palette tab to paint the corresponding zones. See Also Colouring Your Toon Boom Studio World on page 110 Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Closing Gaps in Your Drawings on page 132 Inking Line Art on page 135 Managing Your Colours with Palettes on page 136
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Adding a Swatch
When you add a swatch to your palette, the properties of the new colour swatch are based on the values of the selected swatch. If you select an existing swatch with properties close to the new colour, it will reduce the time you spend defining the new properties. A colour swatch consists of the following:

1. 2.
RGB and HSB values: define the colour of the swatch. Alpha (Opacity) value: defines the amount of transparency in the swatch. Name: labels the swatch and can indicate where to apply the swatch.
To add a swatch to your scenes palette: Select the Window > Properties and click on the Colour Palette tab. Click on the New Colour button. A copy of the selected swatch appears in the palette style called New 1. If there is already a swatch named New the latest swatch will appear as New 2 and so on.
See Also Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Changing the Colour Values in a Swatch on page 113 Creating a Gradient Swatch on page 114 Creating a Bitmap Swatch on page 118
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Changing the Colour Values in a Swatch

Use the colour picker to change the colour value of a swatch. To change the colour values in a swatch: 1. Double-click on the colour swatch you want to change. The colour picker opens.
The look of your colour picker is dependent on your operating system. 2. Use the tools in the dialog box to change the colour values of the swatch. You can leave the dialog box open and click another swatch to change its colour values.
You can choose between RGB or HSV colour models if you are using Windows. The RGB and HSV panels represent different colour models from which you can select your colours.

1. 2. 1.
RGB panel: a colour model based on a Red, Green, or Blue value. HSV panel: a colour model based on Hue, Saturation, Value (brightness). By entering specific values Visually, using the colour panel
You can edit the RGB or HSV values of an existing swatch in one of two ways:
To enter specific RGB or HSV values: Double-click on the colour swatch you want to change. The Colours dialog box opens displaying the values for the currently selected swatch. Type the exact RGB or HSV values in the appropriate fields. Double-click on the colour swatch you want to change. The Colours dialog box opens displaying the values for the currently selected swatch.
To visually determine the RGB or HSV values:
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2. 3.
Select the type of colour model you want to use from the RGB and HSV panels. Use the Colour Slider and the Colour panel to select the colour you want to use. As you drag the pointer around the Colour panel, notice how all the other values in the RGB and HSV fields change. Colour Slider
Colour panel Hue active Saturation active Value active
For example, to pick a colour based on its hue, select the Hue radio button. The range of colours in the Colour Slider will change to display all the hues available. You can then select the remaining S and V values from the area at the top of the Colour panel. See Also Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Creating a Gradient Swatch on page 114 Creating a Bitmap Swatch on page 118
Creating a Gradient Swatch

You can add a colour swatch to your palette that paints a zone with more than one colour. The painted zone displays multiple colours that blend smoothly from one to another. This is called a gradient swatch. You can create some spectacular effects using a gradient. For example, you can use a gradient swatch to create a setting Sun. In this example, the gradient swatch has four transition colours:
yellow red purple fuscia

You can see the transition colours at these points.
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You can define up to eight different transition points within one swatch. You can then adjust where the transitions take place by dragging transition markers to the appropriate place. In the setting sun example, we used a Linear gradient (the colours change in a straight line), but you can also use a Radial gradient (the colours change in a circular motion). To create a gradient: 1. Double-click a colour swatch on the colour palette tab. The colour picker opens.
The look of your colour picker is dependent on your operating system. Transition markers (circled) are located below the gradient bar. 2.
Select the type of gradient you want from the Direction panel. You have two choices: Radial: the colours blend in a circular pattern Linear: the colour blend along a straight line Define the transition colour for each marker by clicking a marker and selecting a colour from the Colour panel. A small square appears on the selected marker. When you choose a colour for a transition marker, Toon Boom Studio adjusts the colours on either side of it based on the colours of the nearest transition markers.
3.
4.
Drag the transition markers to where you want the colour to be completely changed.
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5.
To add more colour transitions, click directly below the gradient bar. A transition marker appears (you can add a maximum of eight markers).
Start colour End colour Transition colour To remove a transition marker, drag it up until it disappears. The gradient colours readjust to the remaining transition markers. You must always have at least two transition markers. See Also Adding a Swatch on page 112 Painting Zones with Gradients and Textures on page 122
Changing the Transparency of a Swatch

The Alpha or Opacity value of a colour controls its transparency. You can use transparency to produce a foggy scene on a waterfront. For example, if you have two circles: a blue circle with a yellow circle on top. Changing the Opacity or Alpha value of the yellow circle lets you control how much of the blue circle you see or hide.
No transparency: the yellow circle blocks out the blue beneath it.
Partial transparency: the yellow circle lets some of the blue show through.
To change the transparency of a colour swatch: 1. Double-click on the colour swatch you want to alter, on the Colour Palette tab. The colour picker opens.
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2.
Change the transparency by doing one of the following: Drag the slider to the desired value. Type a value of opacity or the alpha channel in the adjacent field. At 0, the swatch is completely transparent.
See Also Adding a Swatch on page 112 Offsetting Colours in a Palette Style on page 143
Naming a Swatch
Although Toon Boom Studio gives the current swatch a default name you can change it to one that describes where you intend to use the colour. The swatch name is more than just a label: its a way of defining a colour zone in your drawing. For example, lets say you use a swatch called Skintone and you use this swatch in all of your characters skin zones. If you decide you want to darken a characters skin colour, you only need to adjust the Skintone swatch. If you applied the Skintone swatch on only the characters skin zones, Toon Boom Studio updates all the drawings accurately. To change the Name of an existing colour swatch in your palette: 1. On the Colour Palette tab, click on the Show/Hide Colour Names button to display the swatch names. Click on the Show/Hide Colour Names button to display swatch names.
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2.
Double-click on the swatch name and type the new swatch name in the field.
3.
Press [Enter] (Windows) or [Return] (MacOS) when you are done.
See Also Adding a Swatch on page 112 Changing the Colour Values in a Swatch on page 113
Creating a Bitmap Swatch

You can paint vector shapes with bitmap images. Toon Boom Studio fills the vector shape with the image, which allows you to achieve some sophisticated painting effects that are difficult with vector painting tools. For example, you can create a bitmap image of scales. Then you can paint your dinosaur with the scale image. Your bitmap textures can even have transparency. The smaller the file size of the bitmap texture, the faster your movie will render, and the smaller the file size of your Macromedia Flash movie. To create a bitmap swatch: 1. 2. 3. button on the Colour Palette tab and select Click on the Contextual Menu Colour > Add Texture. The Open dialog box appears. Choose the texture file you want to add to the swatch. Click on OK and the texture is added to the swatch.
See Also Setting a Bitmap Swatch to Tile or Stretch on page 119 Painting Zones with Gradients and Textures on page 122
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Setting a Bitmap Swatch to Tile or Stretch

By default, all bitmap swatches are set to tile. If you click and drag in the vector shape you want to fill, the bitmaps will repeat and the length of one tile is based on the length of the drag area you create. You can change the properties of a bitmap swatch so that it stretches to fill an area. To change the properties of a bitmap swatch: 1. In the Colour Palette tab, double-click on the swatch. The Texture Properties dialog box opens.
2.
Click on the Tile option to select your option. When you select the Tile option, all vectors you fill with the bitmap will tile. When you de-select the Tile option, you turn on the Stretch option and all paint areas will stretch to fill the area of the vector zones. If you want to change the name of the swatch, type the new name in the Name field. If you want to change the image in the swatch, click on the Browse button and use the Open dialog box to find the image you want to use. Click on OK when you are done.
3. 4. 5.
See Also Creating a Bitmap Swatch on page 118 Painting a Zone with a Solid Swatch on page 121 Painting Zones with Gradients and Textures on page 122
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Painting Zones in Your Drawings

To paint or unpaint the zones in your drawings, you use the Toon Boom Studio painting tools. These tools let you fill closed zones with a solid or gradient colour, or a bitmap texture. You can choose colours from the colour palette, or an existing line or zone. When you paint a zone in your drawing, you add colour to that zone, and assign a colour swatch to it. This lets you make colour changes to your drawings without repainting each time.
Change the properties of the swatch and you automatically change the colour zones.
You have two choices when painting zones with colour.
You can use the Paint tool to fill zones with colour or to change the colour of a zone that is already painted. You can use the Paint Unpainted tool to paint only zones that have no colour. This tool allows you to quickly paint many zones with the same colour while not changing the colour of zones that have already been painted.
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See Also Colouring Your Toon Boom Studio World on page 110 Swatches on page 111 Closing Gaps in Your Drawings on page 132 Inking Line Art on page 135 Managing Your Colours with Palettes on page 136 Painting Zones with Gradients and Textures on page 122 Drawing Line Art on page 41
Painting a Zone with a Solid Swatch

When you have enclosed zones in your drawings, you can start painting them with the colour swatches in your palette style. If you change the properties of a swatch, the colour properties of the associated zones change as well. You can move any painted shape independently of the line art.
When you unpaint a colour zone, you are deleting the colour shape. To paint a zone with a solid colour: 1. 2. 3. From the Colour Palette tab, select the swatch you want to use to paint the zone. Select the Paint or Paint Unpainted tool from the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or from the Drawing Tools toolbar. Click in the enclosed zone in your drawing. If you are using the Paint Unpainted tool, you can drag your pointer through many zones to paint the unpainted zones with the selected colour.
See Also Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Unpainting Zones/Line Art on page 130 Closing Gaps in Your Drawings on page 132 Auto Gap Close Options on page 134
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Painting Zones with Gradients and Textures on page 122 Power Painting Drawings in an Element on page 128
Painting Zones with Gradients and Textures

You can fill closed vector shapes with gradients or bitmap texture. Toon Boom Studio fills the entire zone with the gradient or bitmap texture. To paint a zone with a gradient or bitmap, you can just click inside the vector shape, which fills the zone with the gradient or bitmap. Or you can drag your pointer to control the angle of the fill or the length of the transition.
When you paint with a gradient, the first click sets the position of the start colour and where you drag the pointer sets the position of the end colour; the zone between the start and end points is the gradient.
The point where you click on the Paint tool determines the centre of a radial gradient.
This radial gradient begins at the centre and ends near the edge of the circle.
The point where you end the drag will be the starting point for the last colour in the gradient.
Drag a linear gradient to determine the gradients start and end points.
When you paint with a texture, the direction you drag your pointer indicates the direction of the bitmap fill. If your bitmap swatch is set to tile, the distance between the first and last click indicates the length of one image in the tile.
The point where you click on the Paint tool determines the centre of the texture.
This texture has a small tile width so many tiles are required to fill the the zone.
This width of this texture tile is larger than the zone it fills.
To paint zones with gradients and bitmap textures: 1. From the Colour Palette tab, select the swatch you want to use to paint the zone.
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2. 3.
Select the Paint or Paint Unpainted menu or from the Drawing Tools toolbar.
tool from the Tools > Drawing Tools
Click in the enclosed zone in your drawing or click and drag to control the properties of the fill. If you are using the Paint Unpainted tool, you can drag your pointer through many zones to fill the unpainted zones with the selected gradient or bitmap. However, you dont get to control the properties of the fill when you paint multiple zones.
See Also Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Unpainting Zones/Line Art on page 130 Auto Gap Close Options on page 134 Power Painting Drawings in an Element on page 128 Closing Gaps in Your Drawings on page 132
Editing Gradient and Texture Fills

After you fill a zone with a gradient or texture bitmap, you can change its orientation using the Edit Texture tool.
The Edit Texture tool
The texture editor selection frame
To edit a texture: 1. Select Edit Texture tool from the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or from the Drawing Tools toolbar.
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2.
Click on the texture you want to edit. The texture editor appears around the textured drawing.
Edit Selection handles
Rotate handle
Pivot point
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3.
Rotate or change the direction of the bitmap fill by grabbing and moving the handles. Rotated bitmap texture. Notice the texture editors new position.
Drag the rotation handle. and the bitmap texture rotates within the line art. Hold down the [Shift] key to rotate it in 15 degree increments.
Use this handle to scale the bitmap texture.
Use this handle to compress or expand the bitmap texture horizontally.
To edit a gradient: 1. Select Edit Texture tool from the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or from the Drawing Tools toolbar.
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2.
Click on the gradient you want to edit. The gradient editor appears around the drawing. The look of the editor depends on the gradient type when it is enabled. The linear gradient editor includes two parallel bars that indicate the positions of the first and last colour. The radial gradient editor is the same as Scale handle the texture editor, but includes a guide that indicates Rotate handle the shape of the gradients Pivot point ellipse.
3.
Rotate or change the direction of the gradient fill by grabbing and moving the handles. Rotated linear gradient. Notice the gradient editors new position. Drag the rotation handle and the gradient rotates within the line art. Hold down the [Shift] key to rotate it in 15 degree increments. Drag the pivot to reposition the gradient and change the point around which the editor rotates.
Drag the scale handle to expand or compress the gradient. In this example, the radial gradient has been scaled down to a third of its original size.
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Copying Gradient and Texture Fills

You can copy a gradient or texture fills rotation, scaling and position changes properties and copy it to another fill. The circle and the overlapping ring use the same texture but have different texture properties, specifically their tile size and rotation. Circles texture editor The texture properties of the ring are set to use those of the circle.
Rings texture editor with copied mapping
To copy a texture mapping: 1. 2. 3. Select Edit Texture tool from the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or from the Drawing Tools toolbar. Click on the gradient or texture you want to copy. The texture or gradient editor appears for the selected drawing. Copy the properties mapped to the gradient or texture: Select Edit > Copy Texture Mapping. Select Copy Texture Mapping from the pop-up menu. Press [Ctrl]+[C] (Windows) or [Command]+[C] (MacOS), the default keyboard shortcut. Click on the gradient or texture that you want to use the same properties to select it. Paste the properties: Select Edit > Paste Texture Mapping. Select Paste Texture Mapping from the pop-up menu. Press [Ctrl]+[V] (Windows) or [Command]+[V] (MacOS), the default keyboard shortcut.
4. 5.
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The properties of a gradient texture can be mapped to another object with a different texture or gradient swatch. Note that you are not copying the swatch, you are copying its properties. The linear gradients properties have been copied to an object that is filled with a texture. The texture editor of the object on the right copies the gradient editors mapping. The tile size is equivalent to the length of the gradient.
See Also Swatches on page 111 Painting Zones with Gradients and Textures on page 122 Creating a Bitmap Swatch on page 118 Setting a Bitmap Swatch to Tile or Stretch on page 119
Power Painting Drawings in an Element

You can use the Paint All tool to automatically paint closed zones in the same location in an element. To use the Paint All tool, you click a zone in a drawing object. Toon Boom Studio then flips through all of the drawings in the element to see if there is a closed zone in the location you clicked. If there is, Toon Boom Studio fills the zone with the same colour. This can save you a lot of time when you are painting an element with a lot of drawings that are very similar. You can use the onion skin to select a location to click.
The ants head stays in the same position throughout the cycle of drawings.
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To power paint drawings in an element: 1. Turn on the onion skin so that you see as many drawings in your element as possible:
2. 3. 4.
Press the Onion Skin button or select View > Onion Skin > Turn Onion Skin On, and use Onion Skin toolbar or select View > Onion Skin menu to turn on the onion skin and select Three Previous Drawings and Three Next Drawings.
From the Colour Palette tab, select the swatch you want to use to paint the zone. Select the Paint tool from the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or from the Drawing Tools toolbar. Press [Shift]+[Alt] (Windows) or [Shift]+[Option] (MacOS) and click a zone that many drawings in the element share. Toon Boom Studio evaluates all of the drawings in the element to determine if there is a closed zone beneath where you clicked. You may have to review the drawings and make sure that the zones you wanted painted were.
See Also Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Unpainting Zones/Line Art on page 130 Auto Gap Close Options on page 134 Painting Zones with Gradients and Textures on page 122 Closing Gaps in Your Drawings on page 132
Picking a Swatch from a Line or Zone

To select the swatch you want to draw, ink or paint with, you can click a colour swatch on the Colour Palette tab. However, if you have a number of colour palettes, palette styles and colour swatches, it can be time-consuming to select the right colour swatch. You can use the Dropper tool to select a swatch from a drawing. When you click a zone or line with the Dropper tool, Toon Boom Studio selects the colour palette, palette style and colour swatch from the line or zone. You can then switch to the Paint tool and colour a line or zone with the active colour swatch. To pick a colour from a line or zone: 1. Select the Dropper tool from the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or the Drawing Tools toolbar. If either the Pencil, the Paint tool, or Brush tools are active, you can press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) to activate the Dropper tool. Click on the line or zone that has the colour you want to use. Toon Boom Studio selects the colour palette, palette style and colour swatch that was used in the line or
2.
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zone. You can now switch to the Paint tool and fill a line or zone with the active swatch. Toon Boom Studio selects the colour palette, palette style and colour swatch of the colour you click with the Dropper tool.
See Also Swatches on page 111 Unpainting Zones/Line Art on page 130 Creating Multiple Palette Styles on page 140 Blending a Colour into a Palette Style on page 145
Unpainting Zones/Line Art

You can remove a colour entirely from a selected zone using the Unpaint tool. This deletes the colour shape you created when you filled the closed zone with a colour. You can leave it empty or colour it with another colour swatch.
When we unpainted this zone, we effectively deleted the colour shape assigned to it.
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This is not the same as just painting it white; when you delete the colour shape from a painted zone, whatever is behind the zone shows through.
Unpainted zones allow the grid in the Drawing View window to show through.
To remove the colour from a zone or the line art: 1. 2. Select the Unpaint Tools toolbar. tool from the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or the Drawing
Click on the painted zone or the line art from where you want to remove the colour.
If you unpaint a colour zone that has line art around it, youll be able to repaint that zone. But if you unpaint a line, a brush stroke, or a colour shape that doesnt have line art, Toon Boom Studio erases that object. You will not be able to repaint that shape. See Also Swatches on page 111 Painting Zones with Gradients and Textures on page 122 Creating a Bitmap Swatch on page 118
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Closing Gaps in Your Drawings

When you draw your line art, you may not always close the zones completely. Sometimes, intentionally or not, you might end a line too soon, creating a gap. To fill zones with colour, they must be closed. You must use the gap closing features in Toon Boom Studio if you want to fill unclosed zones with colour. You can use the following tools to close gaps manually:
The Close Gap tool closes zones so that you can fill them with a solid colour or gradient swatch. The Stroke tool allows you to draw shapes that have no visible line art.
Use these Paint tools to close the gaps in your drawings
While you are painting, you can also use the Toon Boom Studio auto-gap close options to automatically close gaps as you paint. See Also Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Manually Closing Gaps on page 132 Auto Gap Close Options on page 134
Manually Closing Gaps

To manually close gaps in your artwork so that you can paint the zones, use one of these two tools:
You can use the Stroke tool to close zones manually, without adding line art. The Stroke tool adds contours, which you can use to close zones that you can fill with colour. You can use the Close Gap tool to create closed zones you can fill with colour. The Close Gap tool automates gap closing. It finds the end points closest to the line you draw with the Close Gap tool and draws straight lines to connect the points. You can use this tool to close small gaps that are difficult to see.
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To close a gap using the Stroke tool: 1. Select View > Show Strokes so that you can see the contours that make up the zones you want to close. Every line and shape should display a thin blue line with occasional contour points. To activate the Stroke tool, select the Tools > Drawing Tools > Stroke or select the Stroke tool from the Drawing Tools toolbar. Drag the Stroke tool across the open gaps to close any open zones. After you close all of the gaps in a zone, you can fill the zone with colour. Connect contours to create closed zones that you can fill with colour.
2. 3.
Activating the Show Strokes command lets you see the contours. To close a gap using the Close Gap tool: 1. Select View > Show Strokes so that you can see the contours that make up the zones you want to close. Every line and shape should display a thin blue line with occasional contour points. 2. 3. Select the Close Gap tool from Drawing Tools toolbar. Your pointer becomes a crosspoint when the Close Gap tool is active. Drag the Close Gap tool near the areas on your drawing where there are gaps. Toon Boom Studio finds the closest end-points and draws a straight contour line to connect them. After you close all of the gaps in a zone, you can fill the zone with colour. Drag the Close Gap tool near the gap in the zone. Toon Boom Studio finds the closest end-points and draws straight contour lines to connect them.
Activating the Show Strokes command lets you see the contours.
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See Also Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Closing Gaps in Your Drawings on page 132 Auto Gap Close Options on page 134 Drawing Line Art on page 41
Auto Gap Close Options

By using the Auto Gap Close option you eliminate gaps in your line art as you paint. This lets you paint your zones without having to be concerned about having gaps in your artwork, which may prevent you from filling zones with colour. By default, Toon Boom Studio closes large gaps automatically. You have three tolerance levels to choose from:
Close Small Gap Close Medium Gap Close Large Gap
You can also disable this feature. To use auto gap closing to close zones: 1. 2. Select Tools > Auto Gap. From the Auto Gap menu, select the tolerance level you want to use: Disabled Close Small Gap Close Medium Gap Close Large Gap
The selected option is automatically applied when you paint your zones. See Also Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Manually Closing Gaps on page 132 Drawing Line Art on page 41
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Inking Line Art

When you draw line art, Toon Boom Studio uses the currently selected colour swatch to colour the line. If you change the properties of the swatch, the colour properties of the associated line art change as well. This line art uses a linear swatch, starting at the top centre and ended it at the bottom centre
This line art uses a solid swatch.
This line art uses a radial swatch, starting at the centre and ending at the bottom.
You can also change the colour properties of a line by inking the line art with the Paint tool. When you ink line art, you assign a new swatch to the line and change its colour properties. To change the line art colour: 1. From the Colour Palette tab, select the swatch you want to use to paint the zone. You can ink brush strokes with solid, gradient or texture swatches. You can only ink centreline shapes with solid swatches. Select the Paint Tools toolbar. tool from the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or from the Drawing
2. 3.
Click on the line art you want to ink.
See Also Swatches on page 111 Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Managing Your Colours with Palettes on page 136 Changing the Colour of Brush Strokes, Fills and Centreline Objects on page 61 Drawing Line Art on page 41
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Managing Your Colours with Palettes

You can organize colour swatches into palettes and palette styles. You use these to create sets of colour swatches, custom built to suit different character moods or light settings. You can create one palette for each character/object and customize the palette styles for each situation that character/object may be in. One Palette Two Styles
Different settings
For example, lets say you had a character that appeared in two different lighting settings. You could create a palette for that character with two palette styles (one for each lighting setting). See Also Colouring Your Toon Boom Studio World on page 110 Swatches on page 111 Painting Zones in Your Drawings on page 120 Closing Gaps in Your Drawings on page 132 Inking Line Art on page 135
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Creating a Palette
For each character and object in your movie, you can have a different palette that contains the customized colour swatches organized by palette style. Having individual palettes allows you to control the unique colour properties of each part of your scene. For example, lets say you have a movie with two characters and takes place in two different lighting sets. You would create two palettes (one for each character) that would each have two palette styles (one for each light change). To create a new palette: In the Colour Palette tab, click on the Contextual Menu button and select Palette > New Palette from the pop-up menu. A new palette appears in the Palette Name drop-list with a default name.
OR In the Colour Palette tab, click on the Name field and select New Palette from the drop-down menu. A new palette appears in the Palette Name drop-down menu with a default name.
When you create a new palette, Toon Boom Studio creates a new palette with one default colour swatch.
See Also Swatches on page 111 Managing Your Colours with Palettes on page 136 Renaming a Palette on page 139 Creating Multiple Palette Styles on page 140
Copying a Palette
Because many characters have the same types of features that need painting (hair, face, eyes, mouth, and so on), creating copies of a palette can save you time and effort. You can create one palette and use it as a template for other palettes.
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When you have this template palette, you can then create a copy of it and change its name, the names of the palette styles, and customize all of its associated colour swatches to suit each character and object in your scene. For example, in this scene we created a palette style that contains most of the necessary colour swatches for the Bikerdude character. Then we made two copies of that palette, one for each character, because they all share similar colour zones (Skintone, Frame, Shirt, Pants and so on).
In this example, colours common to each scene remain the same in each palette. The colours of the clothing elements are different in each scene so these colours are different in each palette When you copy a palette, you are also copying all the palette styles contained in that palette. Each palette style contains the colour swatches you can use to add colour to a specific character. To create a copy of your palette: 1. 2. Select the palette you want to copy from the Name drop list in the Colour Palette tab. Click on the Contextual Menu button and select Palette > Duplicate Palette from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, click on the Name field and select Duplicate Palette. A new palette appears in the Palette Name drop-list. This copied palette contains all of the palette styles (and their associated colour swatches) that the original palette had. See Also Swatches on page 111 Managing Your Colours with Palettes on page 136 Creating a Palette on page 137 Renaming a Palette on page 139 Creating Multiple Palette Styles on page 140
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Renaming a Palette
When you create a new palette or you copy an existing palette, Toon Boom Studio assigns a default name to it. You can rename the palette to give it a more descriptive name. For example, if you had four characters in a scene, you could create four palettes that each contain the customized colour swatches for each character. To rename a palette: 1. 2. Select the palette you want to rename from the Name drop list in the Colour Palette tab. Click on the Contextual Menu button and select Palette > Rename Palette to give the new palette a customized name. Alternatively, click on the Name field and select Rename Palette. The Rename dialog box opens. 3. Type a new name for the palette in the Palette Name field and click OK. The new name for the selected palette appears in the Name drop-list.
See Also Swatches on page 111 Managing Your Colours with Palettes on page 136 Creating a Palette on page 137 Copying a Palette on page 137 Creating Multiple Palette Styles on page 140
Deleting a Palette
When you no longer need a palette, or any of its styles, you can delete it. When you delete a palette, any zones or lines you painted with the colours in the palette turn bright red. You can repaint the lines and zones using either a new palette or an existing palette. To delete a palette: 1. 2. Select the palette you want to delete from the Name drop list in the Colour Palette tab. Click on the Contextual Menu button and select Palette > Delete Palette from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, click on the Name field and select Delete Palette from the drop-down list. A confirmation dialog box opens. 3. Decide if you really want to delete the selected palette. Click on Yes to delete the selected palette and all of its palette styles. Click on No to cancel the delete palette command.
Toon Boom Studio removes the selected palette from the current animation set. The other palettes in the animation set are not affected.
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See Also Swatches on page 111 Managing Your Colours with Palettes on page 136 Creating a Palette on page 137 Copying a Palette on page 137 Renaming a Palette on page 139 Creating Multiple Palette Styles on page 140
Creating Multiple Palette Styles

A palette includes one or more palette styles. After you create the swatches in a palette style, you can make multiple copies of this palette style and customize them to suit different light and colour settings. Multiple palette styles allow you to adjust a characters colours instantly instead of recolouring each swatch. When you switch palette styles Toon Boom Studio automatically repaints those zones with the same properties of the active palette style. When you export your animation, the active palette style is used. When you add a colour swatch to one palette style, Toon Boom Studio automatically adds it to all the palette styles in the current palette. This allows you to create different colour styles for a single drawing, while keeping the same swatches in each style.
Two styles - one brightly coloured for a daytime scene, the other has dull colours for the same scene in the rain.
To create a new palette style in a set: 1. 2. In the Colour Palette tab, select the palette and palette style you want to use to create the new style. Click on the Contextual Menu button and select Style > Duplicate Style from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, click on the Style field in the Colour Palette and select Duplicate Style from the drop-down menu.
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A new palette style appears in the Palette style drop-list with a default name (Style#). The copied style contains all swatches in the original palette style. 3. Customize the colour swatches as necessary.
Remember that you can change the colour properties of a swatch in a palette style without changing the properties of the same swatch in the other palette styles. If you attempt to change the name of a swatch, or add a new swatch, all the styles in the palette reflect this change as well. The palette style can be different for each scene in your project. For example, you can use a palette style for a character for a sunny daytime scene, and another palette style for a scene in which it is raining. You can apply the default style to the daytime scene, but you may want to apply a darker palette style to the rainy scene within the same project. To change the palette style used in a specific scene: 1. 2. Select Window > Scene Manager. In the Scene Manager window, select the scene to which you want to apply the palette style. Alternatively, select your scene from the Scene Views drop-down menu. Click on the Contextual Menu scene. button and select Make Current to activate the
3. 4.
In the Colour Palette tab, select the palette style you want to apply to the scene from the Style drop list.
See Also Swatches on page 111 Managing Your Colours with Palettes on page 136 Creating a Palette on page 137 Renaming a Palette Style on page 141 Deleting a Palette Style on page 142
Renaming a Palette Style

When you create a palette style, Toon Boom Studio assigns a default name to it. You can rename the palette style to give it a more descriptive name. For example, if you had a character that had scenes in three different light settings, you could create three palette styles that each contain the same number of colour swatches with the same names, but with different colour properties based on each type of light setting. To rename a palette style: 1. Select the palette style you want to rename from the Style drop list in the Colour Palette tab.
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2.
Click on the Contextual Menu button and select Style > Rename Style to give the palette style a new name. Alternatively, click on the Style field and select Rename Style. The Rename dialog box opens. You can also select this command by right-clicking (in Windows) or [Control]-clicking (in Mac OS X) any grey section of the Colour Palette window and selecting Style > Rename from pop-up menu.
3.
Type a new name for the palette style in the Style Name field and click OK. The new name for the selected palette style appears in the Palette style drop-list.
See Also Swatches on page 111
Deleting a Palette Style

When you no longer need a palette style, you can delete it. However, you cannot delete the last style in a palette. Your only option is to delete the entire palette, deleting all the styles in it. For example, lets say you had a scene called Dusk that required the colour swatches to have more red in them. You would have created a palette style for each of your characters called Dusk that had slightly redder colours. As your project evolves, you decide to drop the Dusk scene completely. Because you dont really need the Dusk palette style anymore, you can delete it from the palette. Deleting a palette style from a palette does not affect any of the other styles in the set. However, the zones and line art in your drawing will now use the colours in the next available palette style. To delete a palette style: 1. 2. Select the palette style you want to delete from the Style drop list in the Colour Palette tab. button and select Style > Delete Style. Click on the Contextual Menu Alternatively, click on the Style field and select Delete Style. Toon Boom Studio removes the selected style and its associated colour swatches from the current palette and applies the swatch properties of the active style to the drawings that use them. See Also Swatches on page 111 Creating Multiple Palette Styles on page 140 Renaming a Palette Style on page 141
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Offsetting Colours in a Palette Style

Toon Boom Studio provides you with a powerful feature for tinting the colour properties of all swatches in a palette style simultaneously. Using the Tint Offset dialog box you can add or subtract RGB/HSB and Alpha (transparency) values from all of the swatches in a selected palette style to suit a specific situation. This eliminates the need to make time consuming individual adjustments to each swatch, removes the possibility of inconsistent results, and provides uniform colour adjustment. Normal settings before adjusting RGB/HSB and Alpha (transparency) values.
Changing the offset properties adjusts the colour properties of the swatches in the current palette style. For example, you can increase the amount of red in a palette, which makes reds redder and blues more purple.
Results of setting the Red values to minimum or maximum. If you want to mix a new colour into a palette style, you must use the Tint Blend dialog box.
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To tint all of the colours in a palette style: 1. 2. Select the palette and the palette style you want to modify from the Colour Palette tab. Click on the Contextual Menu button and select Style > Tint Offset. Alternatively, click on the Style field and select Tint Offset. The Tint Offset dialog box opens. Select the type of adjustment you want to make to the palette style. You have two choices: RGB: adjusts the Red, Green, and Blue values in the current palette. HSB: adjusts the Hue, Saturation, and Brightness values in the current palette. Using the sliders/fields, adjust the RGB or HSB values in the current palette. As you make adjustments in this dialog box, the swatches in the current palette style change as well as the drawings that use those swatches, but the changes only become permanent when you click OK. You can also use the Alpha slider/field to adjust the amount of transparency in the current palette style colours.
3.
4.
Reducing the Alpha value alters the transparency. 5. 6. Use the Blending slider to change the intensity of the current RGB/HSB and Alpha values by a selected percentage. Click on OK when done.
See Also Swatches on page 111 Creating Multiple Palette Styles on page 140 Blending a Colour into a Palette Style on page 145
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Blending a Colour into a Palette Style

You can use the Tint Blend dialog box to blend a specific amount of a selected colour into the swatches in a palette style. For example, if a character is standing close to a fire, blend orange into the characters palette style to show the firelight reflecting off the characters body and clothing. The difference between tint blend and tint offset is that when you use the Tint Offset command, you are increasing or decreasing the existing RGB/HSB/Alpha values of the swatches in a palette style. The Blend command adds a new colour into all the swatches in the palette style. To blend a selected colour into the selected palette style: 1. 2. Select the palette and palette style you want to modify from the Colour Palette tab. Click on the Contextual Menu button and select Style > Tint Blend. Alternatively, click on the Style field and select Tint Blend. The Tint Blend dialog box opens.
3.
Select the type of adjustment you want to make to the palette style. You have two choices: RGB: adjusts the Red, Green, and Blue values in the current palette. HSB: adjusts the Hue, Saturation, and Brightness values in the current palette. Use the RGB/HSB sliders and the Alpha slider/field, select the type of colour you want to mix with the current palette style. As you make adjustments in this dialog box, the swatches in the current palette style change as well as the drawings that use those swatches, but the changes only become permanent when you click OK.
4.
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5.
Use the Blending slider/field to select the percentage of the blend colour you want to add to the current palette style.
Zero blend used. 6.
Adds 50% of the selected Adds 100% of the selected colour to the swatches. colour to the swatches.
Click on OK to permanently blend the selected colour into the swatches in the current palette style.
See Also Swatches on page 111 Creating Multiple Palette Styles on page 140 Offsetting Colours in a Palette Style on page 143
Importing and Exporting Palettes

Building colour palettes often involves a thoughtful selection of colours and ways to organize them. After creating these palettes, you may want to use them in other projects. Toon Boom Studio allows you to easily import palettes from other projects into your current one. You can also prepare a palette file for export from one or more palettes that you select from your current project. A palette file contains:
The name of each stored palette All palette styles in each palette All colour swatches associated with each palette
Importing Palettes
You can import palettes from other projects into your current project. You can use any TBCP file located in your file directory.
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To import colour palettes into your scene: 1. 2. 3. Click on the Colour Palette tab. Click on the Contextual Menu The Open dialog box appears. Choose the colour palette file (TBCP format) that you want to import. Click Open. The dialog box closes and the palettes are imported. Select the Name drop-down list in the Colour Palette tab to see the updated list. See Also Exporting Palettes on page 147 button and select Palette > Import Palette.
Exporting Palettes
You can export one or more palettes in the current scene to a single palette file (TBCP file format), allowing you to re-use them in other projects. To export colour palettes from your scene: 1. 2. Click on the Colour Palette tab. Click on the Contextual Menu button and select Palette > Export Palette.
The Export Palette dialog box lists all palettes in the current scene. 3. 4. 5. Select one or more palettes in the list. You can press the Select All button if you want to include all palettes in the export. In the File text field, enter the location and file name of the palette file you will export. You can use the Browse button to navigate to the directory you want to use. Click Export to create the colour palette file.
See Also Importing Palettes on page 146

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Chapter 5 Adding Sound

This chapter explains how to add sound tracks to your movie. It also explains how to automatically generate a lip chart. This chapter contains the following topics:
Importing Sounds on page 150 Editing Sounds on page 153 Lip Synching on page 160
Importing Sounds
When you decide that you want to add sound to your movie, you must first prepare this sound outside Toon Boom Studio. Then, in Toon Boom Studio, you must add a Sound element, which organizes sound files in your animation. A sound will play in the movie until it reaches the end of the file or a stop frame you create in the Sound Element Editor. If the sound extends into multiple scenes it will keep playing. You can import as many sound files as you like, just be sure to consider the constraints of your audience if you will be delivering your movies over the Internet - the more sounds you add, the larger the file size of your final movie. Toon Boom Studio import, exports and plays sounds using QuickTime. Toon Boom Studio only supports the sound formats recognized by Qt, with one exception: Flash ADPCM format, which we support natively. To import sound to your scene: 1. Select Element > Add > Sound. An empty sound element appears in the Exposure Sheet window and Timeline window.
2.
In the Exposure Sheet window, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the cell at the frame number where you want the sound to start playing and select Import Sound File from the pop-up menu. The Open dialog box opens. Select the sound file you want to use in your scene and click Open. If the sound file doesnt already exist in your animation, Toon Boom Studio copies the file from its present location to the Sound folder in your animation set folder.
3.
The sound file now appears in the cell you selected. The entire name of the file appears in the cell, so you should try to keep the file name short so you can see it easily in the cell.
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Chapter 5: Adding Sound
You can also import sounds in the Sound Element Editor. 1. 2. Select the sound element and select Element > Edit Sound. The Sound Element Editor opens. Click Import. The file browser opens.
3. Select the sound you want to import and click Open. For more information on the Sound Element Editor, see Editing Sounds on page 153. To add a new Sound element and import a sound file into your scene: 1. 2. Select File > Import File. The Open dialog box opens. Select the sound file you want to import and confirm your selection.
A new Sound element is created and the sound file begins in the cell at the current frame. See Also Editing Sounds on page 153 Renaming Elements on page 302 Lip Synching on page 160
Event and Streamed Sounds

You can set up your sounds to be either streamed or event sounds when they are exported to the Adobe Flash format. There are two major distinctions between event and stream sounds in the Adobe Flash file:
Downloading Event sounds are downloaded by the Adobe Flash player before they play. Event sounds are reusable. Once downloaded, the Adobe Flash player can play the sound repeatedly without downloading it again. This is not possible with streamed sound. Streamed sound plays as it arrives. Streamed sound samples are broken into small bits and inserted between the video frame. This allows the Adobe Flash player to start to play before receiving the full sound track which is helpful for a long sound track (like background music). Synchronization Streamed sounds are kept synchronized with the video by the Adobe Flash player. The player drops frames if necessary, for example, if the video renderer is too slow and falls behind the sound track. Event sounds are not synchronized with video. After a while, an event sound may fall out of sync with the video.
Because streamed sounds are more likely to be synchronized with the images in your animation, lip sync sounds should be set to stream. If you set more than one sound to stream, they will be mixed together and exported as one streamed sound.
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To stream the sounds in an element: 1. 2. Select the Sound element and select Element > Edit Sound. The Sound Element Editor opens. Select the Streamed checkbox. This toggles on and off the streaming sound option. If the option is not selected, the sound is set as an event sound.
Heres the Streamed checkbox.
See Also Editing Sounds on page 153
Playing the Sound in Your Animation

After youve added sounds to your scene, you can preview the scene with all the sounds in sync. This helps you make any adjustments necessary to keep your sound synchronized with the action in your scene. To play sound only: 1. 2. 3. In the Exposure Sheet window, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) on the cell containing the sound. Select Play from the pop-up menu. To stop the sound playback, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the same cell and select Stop from the pop-up menu.
You can use the Interactive Playback to playback the sound in a scene. However, because the scene may not playback in real time, the sound may be out-of-sync with the action. See Also Lip Synching on page 160 Editing Sounds on page 153 Real-Time Playback on page 350 Exporting Your Movie on page 351
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Editing Sounds
The Sound Element Editor makes it possible for you to edit sounds created outside of Toon Boom Studio and imported into the movie. Sound Element panel Lip sync preview images Current Sound panel
The Sound Element Editor consists of three main elements.
The Sound Element panel displays the waveform of all sound files in the element. The Current Sound panel displays the waveform of the selected sound so that you can edit its properties. The Lip Sync Preview images appear when you lip sync a sound. Adjust the start frame/time of a sound. Cut sections from the start and end of the sound. Adjust the volume of a sound clip and create fade envelopes. Generate lip charts. Set the sound element to Streamed or Event sound.
In the Sound Element Editor, you can:
See Also Lip Synching on page 160 Changing the Lip Assignment of a Sound on page 162 Trimming the Start and End of a Sound File on page 155 Fading the Sound In and Out on page 157
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Changing the Start or End Frame of a Sound

To synchronize your sound with specific images in your animation, you must set a start frame. If you want to make sure the sound ends by a certain frame, you must set an end frame. To change start or end frame of a sound: 1. 2. Select Element > Edit Sound. The Sound Element Editor dialog box opens. Select the sound you want from the Sound Element panel. To distinguish one sound file from another, check the frame numbers that appear above the sound waves or select a sound wave and click on the Play button in the Current Sound panel (only the selected sound plays). Using the Sound Element panel, drag the selected clip to the frame position where you want it to start playing. The start and end frames appear in the green and yellow tabs. You can only move the clip to a section that does not already contain a clip; you cannot overlap two clips in the same element. 4. 5. To change the end frame, drag the yellow marker at the end of the waveform to the frame position. To hear how all of the clips fit together in the element, click on the Play the Sound Element panel. If you only want to hear the selected clip, click on the Play Sound panel. 6. button in
3.
button in the Current
Click on OK when done. The exposure sheet/timeline should now display the sound clip at the start frame you selected.
See Also Importing Sounds on page 150 Lip Synching on page 160 Fading the Sound In and Out on page 157 Changing the Lip Assignment of a Sound on page 162
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Trimming the Start and End of a Sound File

If you want to play only a section of a sound file, you can use the Sound Element Editor dialog box to select the exact part you want to use. For example, lets say there is a bit of noise at the start of the sound. You can use the Sound Element Editor to cut the noise at the start of the sound file. The Sound Element Editor does not change the original sound file; it only plays a section of it, ignoring the rest. This allows you to reuse the full sound in other scenes in the movie. However, this means that the entire sound file is included on export. So if you must be considerate of file size, it is better to edit sound files completely in a sound editor before you bring them into Toon Boom Studio. Toon Boom Studio does not change the sound to fit into the number of frames you select. If the number of frames you select is longer than the played sound, no sound is heard from that point on. To select the section of a sound file to play in your scene: 1. 2. Select the Sound element and select Element > Edit Sound. The Sound Element Editor dialog box opens. Select the sound you want to work on from the Sound Element panel. To distinguish one sound file from another, check the frame numbers that appear above the sound waves or select a sound wave and click on the Play button in the Current Sound panel (only the select sound will play). 3. Using the Current Sound panel, you can decide which part of the file you want to play by dragging the left and right boundaries of the selection area.
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See Also Importing Sounds on page 150 Lip Synching on page 160 Fading the Sound In and Out on page 157 Changing the Lip Assignment of a Sound on page 162
Looping a Sound
To repeat a sound, you specify the number of times you want it to loop in the Sound Element Editor. To loop a sound: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select the Sound element and select Element > Edit Sound. The Sound Element Editor opens. From the Sound Element panel, select the sound file you want to loop. In the Current Sound panel, type the number of time you want the sound to play in the Number of Loops field. Click on OK to close the dialog box.
The looped sounds appear washed-out to distinguish them from the original.
Enter the number of loops here.
When you loop a sound, the looped sections fill the frames in the Sound element until they encounter the next sound in the column, at which point the sound cuts out. See Also Importing Sounds on page 150 Lip Synching on page 160 Fading the Sound In and Out on page 157 Trimming the Start and End of a Sound File on page 155
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Fading the Sound In and Out

You can modify the volume throughout a sound clip by adjusting the fade-in and fade-out times; these are also known as envelopes.When you play the sound clip the volume adjusts over time to fade the sound. The fades only affect the playback; the original sound file is not affected. To adjust the fade in/out effect on a sound clip: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select the Sound element and select Element > Edit Sound. The Sound Element Editor dialog box opens. In the Sound Element panel, select the sound you want to work on. A more detailed version of the selected sound appears in the Current Sound panel. In the Current Sound panel, click on the waveform to add an envelope marker. Drag the envelope markers to adjust the volume at each frame and the time of the transition.The line from the edge of the clip to the envelope marker identifies how the volume either increases (fades-in) or decreases (fades-out) over time.
Envelope marker
You can also adjust the volume (mix) sound in the Sound Element Editor. 1. 2. In the Sound Element panel, select the sound whose volume you want to adjust. In the Current Sound panel, drag the volume slider to the new level.
See Also Editing Sounds on page 153 Trimming the Start and End of a Sound File on page 155 Sound Scrubbing on page 161
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Viewing the Waveform in the Exposure Sheet

When you insert a sound file in your sound element and activate the Thumbnail view, the sound element displays a waveform to represent the sound file. The waveform represents the sound as it rises and falls in volume. If there is no sound in the file, the waveform appears as a straight line. You can use the waveform as a guide to determine when a certain sound effect occurs. For example, if you have a sound effect of a rooster crowing, you can analyze the sounds waveform to determine the initial cock-a-doodle-doo sound and sync it to the drawings of the rooster crowing. If you look at the waveform of the sound effect, youll notice the volume increases as the size of the waveform increases. You can use the size of the waveform as a guide to sync the sound effect with the action in your scene. To view or hide the waveform of the sound element:
Click on the Toggle Thumbnails
button in the Exposure Sheet window.
There are two viewing modes that apply to sound columns when you activate the element thumbnails, depending on if you apply a Lip Sync function.
Lip Sync Active: the sound cells display the lip sync letter or a graphic. Lip Sync Inactive: the sound cells display the file name or a waveform.
When a lip sync is applied to the cells in a sound element, you can no longer view the waveform or the file name. If you want to view its waveform again, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the sound cell and deselect the Show Lip Sync option in the pop-up menu. See Also Lip Synching on page 160 Editing Sounds on page 153
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Customizing the Playback Range

If you want to hear a specific section of the sound element, you can adjust the playback range in the Sound Element Editor to start or stop at specific frames. This customized playback range does not affect the actual sound in the Sound element.
The playback start/end range markers
To change the playback range in the Sound Element Editor dialog box:
Drag the start or end range markers in the Sound Element panel to the boundary frames you want. to playback your sound in the Sound Element Editor, it When you press Play only plays the sound that exists between the two markers.
See Also Editing Sounds on page 153
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Lip Synching
It can be a difficult task to shape a characters mouth so that it matches the sound at the right frame. To solve this problem Toon Boom Studio provides you with the lip sync feature which analyses the contents of a sound element and generates a lip chart based on the eight animation phonemes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G and X, which represents silence). You can refer to the lip chart positions as you draw the shape of you characters mouth.
All the possible lip position graphics appear below the lip sync preview image in the Sound Element Editor dialog box.
To generate a lip chart for a sound from the Exposure Sheet: 1. In the Exposure Sheet, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the sound you want to affect and select Show Lip Sync from the pop-up menu. A checkmark appears next to the command to show that it is active. Toon Boom Studio analyzes the selected sound clips and assigns a lip sync letter to each sound cell. All the cells that have a sound file in them display a cartoon face that mimic the sound at that specific frame. 2. To show/hide the lip sync images that represent the lip position at each frame, click on the Contextual Menu button and select View > Thumbnails. Select the Sound element and select Element > Edit Sound. The Sound Element Editor opens. In Sound Element panel, select the waveform you want to generate the lip chart for. Click Lip-Sync. A progress bar appears as Toon Boom Studio analyzes the selected sound clips and assigns a lip sync letter to each sound cell.
To generate a lip chart for a sound using the Sound Element Editor: 1. 2. 3.
Each lip chart image displays a letter which corresponds to the sound cell shown in the exposure sheet. See Also Viewing the Waveform in the Exposure Sheet on page 158 Changing the Lip Assignment of a Sound on page 162
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Sound Scrubbing
Toon Boom Studio uses a process known as Sound Scrubbing to let you hear sound in realtime while you move the playback pointer forward or backwards. This is very useful for fine tuning the lip sync process. You can scrub sounds from the Sound Element Editor or from the Timeline window. When you scrub the sound from the Timeline, all sounds present at a frame will play. To scrub a sound from the Sound Element Editor: 1. 2. 3. Select the Sound element and select Element > Edit Sound. The Sound Element Editor opens. In the Sound Element panel, select the waveform you want to scrub. Below the Current Sound panel, select the Enable Scrubbing option. This option sets the red markers in scrub mode.
4.
Drag the red playback marker and hold the left mouse button down. You can play the sound forwards or backwards depending on the direction you drag the mouse.
5.
To stop the playback, release the mouse button.
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To scrub a sound from the Timeline window: 1. To scrub a sound file from the Timeline, you must turn on sound playback and scrubbing. Select Play > Turn Sound Playback On. Select Play > Turn Sound Scrubbing On. Drag the red frame marker at the top of the Timeline window along to hear the sound at each frame. Drag the red frame slider to hear the sound at each frame.
2.
Note that there will be no sound playback if you go beyond the last drawings and images in the scene. See Also Lip Synching on page 160 Changing the Lip Assignment of a Sound on page 162 Trimming the Start and End of a Sound File on page 155 Fading the Sound In and Out on page 157 Swapping Drawings in an Element on page 312
Changing the Lip Assignment of a Sound

You can change the lip position assigned to a frame if you think another lip position would be more appropriate. For example, lets say you have a character who says nothing for 10 frames in-between two speeches. Toon Boom Studio would normally assign an X image for the silence period. If you want your character to let his mouth hang open in astonishment for these 10 frames, you could change the lip assignment for these frames from an X to an F. To change the lip assignment of a sound in the Exposure Sheet: 1. 2. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the cell that contains the lip position you want to change. From the Lip Sync menu, select the letter that reflects the lip position you want to use for that sound.
Toon Boom Studio changes the lip chart to reflect the new lip assignment. You can also change the lip assignment of a sound in the Sound Element Editor.
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To change the lip assignment of a sound from the Sound Element Editor: 1. 2. Select the Sound element and select Element > Edit Sound. The Sound Element Editor opens. In the Sound Element panel, drag the frame slider to the frame you want to change the lip assignment on. In the Lip Sync image area, the image on top represents the lip position assigned to the current frame. 3. To change the image assigned to the frame, click on the image of the lip position you want from below the preview image. The preview image changes to the lip image you select. All the possible lip position graphics appear below the lip sync preview image in the Sound Element Editor dialog box.
See Also Adding Lip Sync Notes on page 165 Sound Scrubbing on page 161 Automatically Mapping Lip Sync Drawings on page 164 Swapping Drawings in an Element on page 312
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Automatically Mapping Lip Sync Drawings

Toon Boom Studio can automatically map drawings in an element to the lip chart you generated on a sound. This can save you lots of time when you are lip synching a voice track. In Lip Sync Mapping dialog box, you identify each phoneme drawing for a character and then Toon Boom Studio automatically labels all of the cells in the characters element with the appropriate label for each phoneme drawing. After you automatically map lip sync drawings to your element, you may scrub the sound and fine-tune the mappings. You can then use the Cells tab to swap a lip drawing with another one in the same element. See Swapping Drawings in an Element on page 312. To automatically map lip sync drawings to a lip chart: 1. In a lip-synced sound element, [Control]-click on the Sound element header and select Modify Lip Sync Mapping.
The Lip sync mapping dialog box opens. 2. From the Destination element drop-down list, select the element that contains the lip positions for the characters voice track.
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3.
In the Mapping panel, type the drawing name in the field to the right of the phoneme it represents. If your drawings are already named with the phoneme letters, you dont have to do anything.
Type the drawing name in the field to the right of the mapping letter This feature will save you even more time if you name your drawings with letters of the eight phonemes A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and X (represents silence).
4.
Click on OK. The dialog box closes. If you scroll through the element with the lip positions, youll see that all of the lip drawings have been mapped to the phonemes in the voice track.
If you make any changes to the voice track, you must remap the drawings to the appropriate phonemes. The mapping is not updated automatically. See Also Lip Synching on page 160 Changing the Lip Assignment of a Sound on page 162
Adding Lip Sync Notes

To identify the different sections of your sound element, you can add lip sync notes to the lip chart. Lip sync notes are not the same as cell or element notes. Lip sync notes appear directly in the sound element cell in the Exposure Sheet window. Adding lip sync notes does not change the lip assignment at the frame. To add lip sync notes to your sound element: 1. In the Sound element, double-click on the sound cell you want to affect. The cell becomes editable.
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2.
Type the note text you want to appear with the lip sync image and press [Enter] (Windows) or [Return] (MacOS). The next cell becomes editable. If you dont want to edit the next cell, click outside of the cell. If you want to cancel the note change, press [Esc].
The lip sync note appears in the sound element in the Exposure Sheet window and appears in the Sound Element Editor. See Also Editing Sounds on page 153 Adding Element/Cell Notes on page 285 Automatically Mapping Lip Sync Drawings on page 164 Changing the Lip Assignment of a Sound on page 162
Recomputing the Lip Chart

When you generate the lip chart for a sound in a sound element, you can either accept the lip positions assigned by Toon Boom Studio or assign your own lip sync images. However, if you change the sounds start frame or reassign its lip position, you can reanalyze the sound and regenerate the lip chart for it. This erases any manual modifications you may have made to the lip assignments in the lip chart. To recompute the lip chart for a selected sound from a Sound column: 1. 2. In a Sound element, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) a cell that contains the sound file you want to recompute the lip sync on. Select Recompute Lip-sync from the pop-up menu. The lip assignment for each frame is recomputed, erasing any modifications you may have made. Click on the sound in the Sound element panel in the Sound Element Editor. Click Lip-sync. The lip assignment for each frame is recomputed, erasing any modifications you may have made.
To recompute the lip chart for a selected sound from the Sound Element Editor: 1. 2.
Regenerating the lip chart erases any customized assignments you make. See Also Lip Synching on page 160 Adding Lip Sync Notes on page 165 Automatically Mapping Lip Sync Drawings on page 164
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Chapter 6 Laying Out Elements in 3D Space

This chapter explains some of the basic concepts of the 3D scene space and how you can use it to place and adjust your elements. This chapter contains the following topics:
Basic Sceneplanning Concepts on page 168 Repositioning Elements on page 175 Scaling Elements on page 178 Rotating Elements on page 183
Basic Sceneplanning Concepts

With the Sceneplanning views, Toon Boom Studio has added a new dimension to the layout process by allowing you to plan your 2D scenes in a 3D space. The 3D space is described in terms of three planes:
EW: maps the horizontal plane in terms of East and West. This is the X coordinate. NS: maps the vertical plane in terms of North and South. This is the Y coordinate. FB maps the depth of the plane in terms of Front and Back. This is the Z coordinate.
When you move, rotate or scale your 2D elements in the 3D space, Toon Boom Studio automatically applies the changes to all of the contents in the element. See Also Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Selecting Elements on page 172
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Chapter 6: Laying Out Elements in 3D Space
Using the View Windows

As you choreograph the elements in your scene, you need to be able to see where your elements appear in each frame of the scene. Toon Boom Studio provides you with three windows that display your elements from three unique perspectives.
Camera View: (default) displays the scene from the cameras perspective. Use this view to change an elements east, west, north, south, front and back position, as well as its scale size and rotation angle.
E N
Top View: displays the scene from a top-down view. Elements appear as lines (imagine looking at an animation cel from the top) and the camera field of view appears as an angle. Use this view to change an elements east, west, front and back position.
E B
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Side View: displays the scene from the side. Elements appear as lines (imagine looking at an animation cel from the side) and the camera field of view appears as an angle. Use this view to change an elements north, south, front and back position.
F N S
You can use these View windows to place your elements in the scene and to map their actions over time. You can also use these windows to determine the size and position of the camera that records the action in your scene. See Also Zooming and Panning the View Window on page 95 Selecting Elements on page 172
Zooming and Panning View Windows

As you work with your elements in your View windows, you may need to see other parts of the scene space not in the cameras field of view. Although all the action is taking place within the confines of the active cameras field of view, you can place other elements outside the camera to bring them in later when needed. Cameras current field of view frame
Changing the section of the viewable scene space doesnt actually change anything in the scene itself; it only changes what you are currently seeing in the View window.
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To pan to another section of the scene space, you have these options:
Select Tools > Grabber and use the Grabber tool to pan the window. You can also activate the Grabber tool from the Drawing Tools toolbar. Click on the View window to activate it and press [Spacebar]. Click and drag the scene space around to make other parts of it visible. Use the scroll bars in the View window to scroll the scene space. Click on the View window to activate it and press the [X] key on your keyboard. Select View > Zoom In. Select Tools > Zoom and click on the area you want to zoom in by clicking the Zoom tool. Click on the View window to activate it and press the [Z] key. Select View > Zoom Out. Press [Command] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) and then click on the View window with the Zoom tool.
To zoom in, you have these options:
To zoom out, you have these options:
See Also Resetting the Scene View on page 172 Switching Views on page 171 Repositioning Elements on page 175
Switching Views
If you zoom or pan across your View window, you can switch back and forth between the current view and a second view set up. To switch the active view, you have these options:
Select View > Switch Active View. Or click on the Switch Active View button on the bottom left corner of the window. Press the [B] key on your keyboard to toggle between the views.
See Also Using the View Windows on page 169 Zooming and Panning View Windows on page 170
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Resetting the Scene View

If you change the focus of the View window to view other parts of the scene space, you may want to return to the default view, which is based on the camera size and position. To reset the view focus, you have three choices:
Select View > Reset Zoom to return to the default zoom value. Select View > Reset View or click on the Reset View button. This option allows you to have a better idea of what the active camera is viewing in the scene. Click on the Recentre View button on the bottom left corner of the window to reset your view to the centre of the active camera. The view in the current View window recentres itself based on the camera position, but it does not reset the zoom level
The Top and Side View windows use a fixed viewpoint in the centre marked by a cross. When you click on the Reset View button or the Recentre View button, Toon Boom Studio resets the windows to that fixed position, no matter where the camera is located in the scene space. See Also Using the View Windows on page 169 Zooming and Panning View Windows on page 170
Selecting Elements
When youre ready to start choreographing your scene, you need to be able to select the elements you want to change. You can select elements in the:
Camera View, Top View and Side View windows Timeline window All the images at the current frame appear in full-colour in the Camera View window. A selected element appears highlighted. Single element Multiple elements
How you select your element depends on the type of change you want to make:

1.
To select a single element in the Camera View, Top View or Side View windows: Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select to activate the Select tool.
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2.
Click on the element. The selected element appears highlighted in all the View windows and the Timeline window. Horizon Sea Wave
Horizon Wave Wave Sea Sea Horizon
Selected elements and their relative positions in the View windows To select multiple elements in the Timeline window:
[Command]-click (Mac) or [Alt]-click (Windows) element names in the Timeline window to select element in any order. Click an element name in the Timeline window and [Shift]-click another element name to select both elements and all elements positioned between them.
To select all the elements, select the Timeline window and select Edit > Select All. To deselect all the elements, select Edit > Deselect All or simply click on the Select tool in an empty space in the Camera View, Top View, Side View, or Timeline windows.
You can then change their scene timing, layer order, and attach/detach them from pegs.
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You can also use the following commands in the Element > Arrange menu to select elements in the Timeline:
Select Parent: selects the element that the current element is attached to. For example, if you have a drawing element selected that happens to be attached to a peg, this command would select the peg. Select Children: selects all the elements attached to the current element. Select Child: selects the element attached to the current element. Select Previous Brother: selects the previous element at the same level as the current element. Select Next Brother: selects the next element at the same level as the current element.
See Also Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191
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Repositioning Elements
When you first load a scene in a Sceneplanning view window, all of your elements appear as they were drawn in the Drawing View window with the initial position of zero fields NS, zero fields EW and zero fields FB within the 3D scene space. Using the EW (X), NS (Y) and FB (Z) coordinates you can place your elements at different distances in depth from the camera and from each other, adding a three-dimensional effect to your two-dimensional animation. This is what you see in the Camera field of view (FOV).
The Camera View window displays the NS/EW/FB offset positions, but you can also use the Side View and Top View windows to reposition elements:
Top View window: displays the EW and FB positions. Side View window: displays the NS and FB positions.
Changing an elements position affects all the contents in that element. If you want to change an elements properties over time, you need to attach it to a peg. See Also Changing the NS/EW Position of an Element on page 176 Changing the FB Position of an Element on page 177 Defining an Elements Layering Order on page 178 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190
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Changing the NS/EW Position of an Element

You can use the Camera View window or the Properties tab to change the NS/EW position of an element. As you change the position of an element, the values in the Offset fields change.
You can use the Select tool in the Sceneplannin g toolset to move the drawing object horizontally and vertically in 3D space. To change the NS/EW position of an element: 1. Select the element you want to reposition using one of the following methods: Select the element in the Timeline window.
2.
Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select or click on the Select tool on the Scene Planning toolbar and click on the element in the Camera View.
To change the NS/EW position, you have the following choices: To use the mouse to change the NS/EW position, move the pointer over the element so that it changes to and drag the element to its new position. To nudge selected elements, you can also use the arrow keys. Press [Shift] if you want to move the element in larger increments. To use an exact NS/EW position, type the values in the first Offset fields in the Properties dialog box (select Window > Properties). To change the NS position, type the offset value in the left field followed by its direction (N for north or S for south). To change the EW position, type the offset value in the right field followed by its direction (E for east or W for west).
See Also Selecting Elements on page 172 Changing the FB Position of an Element on page 177 Defining an Elements Layering Order on page 178 Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281 Zooming and Panning View Windows on page 170
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Changing the FB Position of an Element

You can change the FB position of an element visually in the Top View or Side View windows. You can also use a keyboard shortcut and change the FB position of elements in the Camera View window. All changes to the position of an element appear in the Properties window for the element.
The Top View and Side View windows show you the relative front/back position of all elements in your scene. To offset the FB position of an element: 1.
Select the element you want to reposition using one of the following methods: Select the element in the Timeline window. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select or click on the Select tool on the Scene Planning Tools toolbar and click on the element in the View window.
2.
To offset the FB position, you have the following choices: In the Top View or Side View window, move the pointer over the element so
that it changes to and drag the element to its new position. In the Camera View window, you can use the mouse to change the FB position of the element. Move the pointer over the element and press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (Mac) so that it changes to an up/down arrow . Drag the element to its new position. Dragging the mouse upwards moves the element backward in space. Dragging the mouse downwards moves the element forward in space. If you open the Properties dialog box (select Window > Properties), you can see the FB position value in the last Offset field. To use an exact FB position, make sure the Properties dialog box is active (select Window > Properties) and type the values in the last Offset field. Type the Front/Back value in the last field followed by its direction (F for forward or B for backward).
See Also Zooming and Panning View Windows on page 170 Selecting Elements on page 172 Changing the NS/EW Position of an Element on page 176 Defining an Elements Layering Order on page 178 Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281
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Defining an Elements Layering Order

To make an element appear in front of or behind all the elements in your scene, you can tag that element as either a Foreground or Background element. For example, if you have a background image, you can tag the element as a Background element and Toon Boom Studio will always place it behind all the other elements, even if another elements Front/Back position places it behind the background element. To select the element type: 1. 2. Select an element in either the View windows or the Timeline window. Select the element type from the Type drop-list in the Properties window (select Window > Properties to display this window). You have the following choices: Normal (default): the layer order is determined by the order of the elements in the Timeline window and its Front/Back position. Foreground: this type of element will always appear in front of other elements no matter what their Front/Back position is. Background: this type of element will always appear behind other elements no matter what their Front/Back position is.
When you have two or more Foreground/Background elements, their order in the Timeline window determines their final layer order. See Also Selecting Elements on page 172 Changing the NS/EW Position of an Element on page 176 Changing the FB Position of an Element on page 177
Scaling Elements
When you open the Camera View window for the first time, drawings appear at the size at which you drew them. You can change an elements height and width using the Select tool, which resizes all of the contents in the selected element. You can scale an element by:
dragging the scale handles entering specific values
To scale an element over time, you must use the Scale tool. Refer to Animating Size Changes with the Scale Tool on page 211 for more information.
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Drag a scale handle to rescale in any direction. Check this box to force proportional scaling.
Drag a scale handle to rescale in any direction. To scale without proportion, uncheck this box.
To scale an element using the scale handles: 1. 2. Select Window > Camera View if the Camera View is not yet open. Select the element you want to scale using one of the following methods: Select the element in the Timeline window.
Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select or click on the Select tool on the Scene Planning Tools toolbar and click on the element in the View window.
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3.
Place the mouse pointer over one of the scale handles. Scale handles located in a corner are bidirectional; handles at a midpoint only scale horizontally or vertically.
4.
Drag one of the scale handles in the direction you want to rescale. Dragging away from the element scales it up and dragging toward the element scales it down. If you drag the handles beyond the scale borders, the elements drawings flip over. Top-right corner handle: changes the height and width values at the same time. If you press [Shift], you can rescale the element proportionally. Top-centre handle: changes the height value. Side-centre handle: changes the width value.
To change the size of an element over time, you must attach it to a peg. To scale an element with specific values: 1. 2. Select Window > Properties to open the Properties dialog box. You can see the size scale values change in the Scale fields. Type the size values in the Scale fields in the Properties dialog box.
Scale fields
Proportional Scale
To change the height of the element, type the height value in the left Scale field. To change the width of the element, type the width value in the right Scale field. To change the height and width of an element proportionally, select the Keep Proportions checkbox. When you type one value in the vertical Scale field, Toon Boom Studio adjusts the horizontal value automatically and the horizontal value field is greyed out. See Also Animating Size Changes with the Scale Tool on page 211 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281
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Changing the Scale Pivot Point Position

The scale pivot point allows you to change the centre of the scaling. The pivot point is located at the centre of the scale grid by default. To change the position of the scale pivot point, activate the Scale tool, and change the pivot point, highlighted in green. The default position for the pivot point is the centre position of the grid, not the drawing.
When you resize the element, all four sides can move in the direction you drag the resize handles. Only the centre of the drawing stays in place. When the pivot point is repositioned only the point at the location stays in place; all other points move in relation to it. For example, with the pivot point on the left middle-side, only the three opposite sides will move if you resize the object. pivot point The blue pivot that appears when using the Select tool is a temporary pivot point. You can use it as a reference.
Repositioning an elements pivot point can be useful if you want to resize an element, but you dont want to change its horizontal or vertical position in the scene. You can move the scale pivot point by:
dragging the scale pivot point entering specific values
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To change the scale pivot point: 1.
Select the element using one of the following methods: Select the element in the Timeline window. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select or click on the Select tool on the Scene Planning Tools toolbar, and click on the element in a Sceneplanning view window. tool on the
2.
Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Scale or click on the Scale Scene Planning Tools toolbar. This is the selection box for the Scale tool. Activate it to reposition the pivot point.
3.
In the Camera View window, select the pivot point and drag it to the position where you want to focus the scaling. You can now use the Select tool to scale the element as you wish using the resize handles.
You can use the temporary pivot point that appears when the Select tool is active to make changes to the scale and rotation of an element. However, the original pivot point position will be preserved the next time the drawing is selected and these settings will not be saved. You can also change the scale position manually in the Drawing tab of the Properties window. To change the scale pivot point by entering specific values: 1. Select the element using one of the following methods: Select the element in the Timeline window. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select or click on the Select tool on the Scene Planning Tools toolbar and click on the element in a Sceneplanning view window. tool on the
2. 3. 4.
Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Scale or click on the Scale Scene Planning Tools toolbar.
Select Window > Properties. The Properties dialog box opens and the pivot point position values are displayed in the Scale Pivot fields of the elements tab. Type the values in the Scale Pivot fields. To change the NS pivot point position, type the value in the left field, followed by its direction (N for north or S for south).
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To change the EW pivot point position, type the value in the right field, followed by its direction (E for east or W for west). See Also Positioning Pivot Points on Cut-Out Characters on page 238 Repositioning Elements on page 175 Selecting Elements on page 172 Repositioning Elements on page 175
Rotating Elements
When you open your elements for the first time in the Camera View, the images appear at the angle at which you initially drew them. You can rotate all of the contents in an element using the Select tool. The rotation can be as simple as changing the elements angle so it appears to move up or downhill, or as complex as a skateboarder performing acrobatics as he rotates through the air. When you rotate an element, it rotates around the rotation pivot point.
Rotation pivot point To rotate an element over time, you must use the Rotate tool. Refer to Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool on page 208 for more information. To rotate an element using the Rotate tool: 1. Select the element you want to rotate using one of the following methods: Select the element in the Timeline window. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select or click on the Select tool on the Scene Planning Tools toolbar and click on the element in the Camera View window.

2.
In the Camera View window, drag the rotation handle (the white circle) until the element is at the new angle.
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You can use the temporary pivot point that appears when the Select tool is active to make changes to the scale and rotation of an element. However, the original pivot point position will be preserved the next time the drawing is selected and these settings will not be saved. As you change the elements angle of rotation, the value appears in the Rotation field of the Properties dialog box. Rotate the element using the rotation handle.
The elements angle of rotation appears here.
Hold down the [Shift] key to rotate the element in 15 degree increments.
To rotate an element by entering specific values: 1. Select the element you want to rotate using one of the following methods: Select the element in the Timeline window.
2. 3.
Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select or click on the Select tool on the Scene Planning Tools toolbar and click on the element in a Sceneplanning view window.
Select Window > Properties. The Properties dialog box opens. Type the angle value in the Rotation field in the Properties dialog box. You can enter a negative value (to rotate to the left) or a positive value (to rotate to the right).
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See Also Selecting Elements on page 172 Repositioning Elements on page 175 Changing the Rotation Pivot Point Position on page 185 Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool on page 208
Changing the Rotation Pivot Point Position

You can use the rotation pivot point to change the centre of rotation.
To change the position of the rotation pivot point, activate the Rotate tool, and change the pivot point, highlighted in green. The default position of the pivot point is the centre position of the grid, not the drawing. In these examples, you can see how the placement of the pivot point produces different rotation effects. After you change the pivot point of an element, you can move the element to another position and Toon Boom Studio maintains the relative position of the pivot point. The blue pivot that appears when using the Select tool is a temporary pivot point.
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You can change an elements pivot point by:

1.
dragging the rotation pivot point entering specific values
To change the rotation pivot point using the Rotate tool:
Select the element using one of the following methods: Select the element in the Timeline window. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select or click on the Select tool on the Scene Planning Tools toolbar and click on the element in a Sceneplanning view window.
2.
tool in the Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Rotate or click on the Rotate Scene Planning Tools toolbar. The rotation range appears on the element. This is the rotation range for the Rotate tool. Activate it to reposition the element pivot point.
3.
In the Camera View window, drag the rotation pivot point in the centre of the rotate range circle to its new position. You can now use the Select tool to rotate the element as you wish using the rotation handle.
You can use the temporary pivot point that appears when the Select tool is active to make changes to the scale and rotation of an element. However, the original pivot point position will be preserved the next time the drawing is selected and these settings will not be saved. You can also change the centre of rotation manually in the Drawing tab of the Properties window.
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To change rotation pivot point by entering specific values: 1.

2. 3.
Select the element using one of the following methods: Select the element in the Timeline window. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select or click on the Select tool on the Scene Planning Tools toolbar and click on the element in any Sceneplanning view window.
Select Window > Properties. The Properties window opens. The pivot point position values are displayed in the Rotation Pivot fields of the elements tab. Type the values in the Rotation Pivot fields in the Properties dialog box. To change the NS pivot point position, type the value in the left field, followed by its direction (N for north or S for south). To change the EW pivot point position, type the value in the right field, followed by its direction (E for east or W for west).
See Also Positioning Pivot Points on Cut-Out Characters on page 238 Selecting Elements on page 172 Repositioning Elements on page 175
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Chapter 7 Animating
This chapter explains how to use pegs to animate motion, rotation, skewing and scaling. This chapter contains the following topics:
Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Using Keyframes and Timeline Properties on page 196 Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool on page 208 Animating Size Changes with the Scale Tool on page 211 Animating Skewing with the Skew Tool on page 214 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Animating with the Transform Tool on page 232 Animating Cut-out Characters on page 235 Editing Functions Using the Function Editor on page 239
Animating Elements with Pegs

The Sceneplanning View windows - the Camera View, the Top View and the Side View put many 3D computer animation features at your disposal so that you can select elements and reposition your 2D elements over time on a 3D stage. You can animate changes by moving elements manually in each frame, or you can speed up the animation process and create better results - faster - by setting rotation, scaling, skewing and motion path information for elements at specific frames and letting Toon Boom Studio animate the transformations between these frames. These transformations over time are applied using a sceneplanning component called a peg. Toon Boom Studio can interpolate all changes to gradually transform your elements from one frame to the next (this process is also called inbetweening or tweening). There are two main types of pegs: Peg elements: You can add a Peg element layer to the Timeline window and attach other elements to it. Change the Peg elements position, size, skew or rotation over time and the elements attached to them will be transformed according to the its parent pegs properties. Some of the ways you can animate with Peg elements:
Attach one or more Drawing or Image elements to a Peg element to transform them. Attach a Camera element to a Peg element with a motion path to pan, truck in, truck out and create inventive shots by moving within the 3D stage. Attach a Peg element to another peg to build a hierarchy and combine motion effects.
Built-in Pegs: Drawing elements have a built-in peg component that you can use to apply motion, scaling, rotation or skewing directly to your drawing. It makes pegs transparent in the Timeline, reducing the need to add a Peg element each time a transformation is required for a Drawing element. In addition to drawing pegs, there are built-in pegs in Image and Media elements. In this shot, a peg is used to create a motion path that the camera follows through the multiple planes in the scene. The tick marks indicate the position of the camera at each frame.
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Chapter 7: Animating
When transforming a peg, keyframes are used to identify the transformation values at a specific frame and lock them in place. A keyframe can be set for rotation, scaling, skewing, motion or a combination of one more transformations. See Also Basic Sceneplanning Concepts on page 168 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191 Displaying Peg Hierarchies on page 194 Using Keyframes and Timeline Properties on page 196 Camera Effects with Toon Boom Studio on page 248
Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements

To animate an element, or change it over time, you must change its peg properties. You can add a Peg element or use a Drawing elements built-in peg. If you are working with a Peg element, you will have to add it to your Timeline and attach other elements to it. There are two ways to do this. To add a peg and attach an element to it: 1. 2. Click on the Add Peg button in the Timeline window. A peg appears above the currently selected element in the Timeline. In the left-side of the Timeline window, select the element you want attach to the peg and drag it on top of the peg element. In this example, we want to attach the Camera element to a peg. Release the mouse button. The selected element is now attached to the peg. The element is now a child of the parent peg. Notice that elements are indented below the peg they are attached to.
3.
4.
To rename the peg, select the peg and select Element > Rename Element. You must give the peg a unique name. You can include the name of the element it affects. For example, you could call the peg hair-Peg.
To add a peg and attach an element to it: 1. Select the elements you want to attach to the peg.
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2.
Click on the Parent Peg
button in the Timeline.
Toon Boom Studio adds a peg for each element you selected and attaches them to the new pegs in the Timeline.
See Also Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281 Repositioning Elements on page 175 Changing the Duration of a Peg Element on page 206 Looping a Peg on page 207 Configuring Video Card Display Options on page 38
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Building Peg Hierarchies

You can attach one peg to another to combine effects on the child drawing and image elements. In the following example, we created a scene of a boy walking across a lawn with a bird flying in circles over his head. The primary action is the motion of the two characters across the scene. The bird has another secondary action, that of circling the boys head. To make sure the bird keeps pace with the boy, link the birds circular motion peg to the boys motion path. Boys and Birds peg
Birds peg
To achieve this effect, you must attach the bird and its peg to the boys peg, building what we call a peg hierarchy. In this example, the birds motion path is a child of the motion path of the boy. To build the peg hierarchy in this example: 1. 2. 3. Attach the Boy element to a peg that defines a horizontal motion path. Attach the Bird element to a peg that makes the bird fly in circles around the boy. Attach the Birds peg to the Boys peg so that the bird moves across the scene as it flies in circles around the boy. The following elements make up the peg hierarchy from this scene:
The Boy Walking element is attached to the

Boy Walking-P peg. Flying-P peg.
The Bird Flying element is attached to the Bird

Notice how the attached elements are indented below Boy Walking, the primary peg.
The Bird Flying-P peg element is attached to

the Boy Walking-P peg.
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You can also take advantage of the drawing pegs built-in to each Drawing element. The following elements make up the peg hierarchy from this scene:
The Bird Flying element is attached to the
built-in peg inside the Boy Walking element. attached to the Boy Walking drawing peg.
The peg built in to the Bird Flying-P element is

Notice how the attached element is indented below Boy Walking, the Drawing element with the primary peg.
See Also Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191 Building Peg Hierarchies to Animate Cut-Out Characters on page 235
Displaying Peg Hierarchies

After you attach an element to a peg in a Peg element or Drawing element, you will notice that there is a blue Arrow next to the element containing the peg. This button helps you simplify the display of elements in your Timeline and makes it easier for you to work on the timing of your pegs and their child elements. Use the blue Arrow next to the Peg element or Drawing element to change the how child elements are displayed.
To use the Arrow button to show/hide child elements and change their timing:
Click on the Arrow button to collapse elements nested beneath the Peg or Drawing element. This simplifies the display of elements in your Timeline.
When you collapse the parent peg in a hierarchy of elements, all changes you make to the timing of the parent peg are applied to the elements beneath it, including Peg, Drawing and Image elements. If you are animating a cut-out character, you can collapse the top-most peg in the hierarchy to simplify your Timeline. Then you can use the Transform tool to select and animate the parts of the character visually in the Camera View window, rather than trying
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to locate the peg you want to animate in the Timeline and then transform it in the Camera View. The parts on this cut-out character are organized on numerous pegs. There is one parent peg that organizes all of the parts of the character.
You can collapse all of the child elements in the hierarchy to simplify your Timeline. Then you can use the Transform tool to select and animate the parts of the character. See Also Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191 Changing the Duration of a Peg Element on page 206 Animating with the Transform Tool on page 232 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281 Changing an Elements Start Time in the Timeline on page 313
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Using Keyframes and Timeline Properties

Keyframes lock a change in position, rotation and scale to a specific frame and store the value for that transformation. When you add a keyframe to define the values for one or more transformationsmotion, scale, skew or rotation at a specific frame, you can use the features in Toon Boom Studio to animate the changes between them. Just as creating a drawing element and selecting a new position over 20 frames is faster than creating 20 drawings for 20 frames, adding keyframes for a pegs transformations and letting Toon Boom Studio animate the rest saves even more time. A keyframe was added to record the initial position of this drawing. A second keyframe was added when the image was scaled and the eastwest position was changed
A third keyframe was added with additional changes.
You can set Toon Boom Studio to animate the transformation in the frames between one keyframe and the next. This is known as tweening. Keyframe information is visible in the Timeline window. It allows you to see:
Which elements have transformations applied to them Which parent pegs are affected by child element transformations You can see the type of transformations that have been applied at a frame (motion, scale, skew, rotation) by looking at the type of marker associated with the keyframe If the change in between keyframes is constant (the position of the last keyframe is maintained in the next frames until a new keyframe is defined) or non-constant (gradually changes in the frames between two keyframes).
See Also Adding Keyframes for Motion, Rotation, Skewing and Scaling on page 197 Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes on page 198 Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201 Copying and Moving Frames in the Timeline on page 203 Pasting Selected Frame Properties in the Timeline on page 205 Changing the Duration of a Peg Element on page 206 Looping a Peg on page 207
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Adding Keyframes for Motion, Rotation, Skewing and Scaling

The tool you have selected determines what kind of keyframe you create.
Transform: creates a keyframe for motion, scale, rotation and skew values. Motion: creates a keyframe for the position values. Rotate: creates a keyframe for the angle values. Skew: creates a keyframe for the skew values. Scale: creates a keyframe for the horizontal and vertical scale values. You can add keyframes to Peg, Drawing, and Image elements. It it easy to pick out the type of keyframe in the Timeline.
Marks in the Timeline identify keyframes for motion, rotation, skewing or scaling.
Upper triangle: rotation/skew Lower triangle: scale A red square in a Peg element indicates that a keyframe exists on a child element at that frame. To add keyframes: 1. 2.
Square: motion
A line indicates an change over time between keyframe values.
In the Timeline window, select a Peg, Drawing, or Image element. Then, use the red frame slider to select the frame where you want to add the keyframe. You can also click and drag to select and add multiple keyframes.
3.
From the Tools > Sceneplanning Tools menu or the Scene Planning Tools toolbar, select the tool you want use to add the keyframe (Transform, Motion, Rotation, Skew or Scale).
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4.
Select Element > Peg > Add Keyframe. Toon Boom Studio adds a keyframe to the element at the current frame in the Timeline. The default keyboard shortcut is [i].
See Also Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes on page 198 Adding Keyframes and Changing their Values on page 241 Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201
Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes

Toon Boom Studio can automatically generate inbetween drawings when you move, scale, rotate or skew elements with pegs. This process of generating inbetween transition drawings is known as interpolation or motion tweening. By default, when you add keyframes to pegs, Toon Boom Studio tweens the drawings animated by the peg. If you are animating a cut-out character, you may want to use keyframes to control the animation rather than allow Toon Boom Studio to automate inbetween drawings. To do this, you must change a segment between two keyframes from a tweened segment to a constant segment. When you create constant segments, images switch from one to the other, without any interpolation. To tween the images animated by the peg you must change each segment from a constant segment to a non-constant (tweened) segment. When you tween images on a motion path, tick marks appear on the motion path to indicate each position of the image as it is interpolated. You can switch segments between constant and non-constant using menu commands or the Function Editor.
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You can use a preference to change the default keyframe/tweening behavior of pegs. This motion path has been interpolated, so the Goth Girl will change position frame-by-frame as she moves from frame 1 to frame 20. In the Timeline, a horizontal line appears between keyframes that are interpolated, or nonconstant.
This motion path has not been interpolated. The Goth Girl will jump from her position at the first keyframe to her position at the last keyframe. In the Timeline, no horizontal line appears between constant keyframes.
To change a tweened segment to a constant segment: 1. 2. 3. In the Timeline window, select the Peg element or Drawing element with a tweened segment. Position the Current Frame slider so that it is at the first keyframe in the segment you want to change. Select Element > Peg > Set Constant Segment. The default keyboard shortcut is [Ctrl]+[L] (Windows) or [Command]+[L] (MacOS). In the Timeline window, select the Peg element or Drawing element with a constant segment. Position the Current Frame slider in the Timeline so that it is at the first keyframe in the segment you want to change. You can also position it between two keyframes. Select Element > Peg > Set Non Constant Segment. The default keyboard shortcut is [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[L] (Windows) or [Command]+[Shift]+[L] (MacOS).
To change a constant segment to a tweened segment: 1. 2. 3.
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To change the default from a constant segment to tweened segment: 1.

2.
Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences on MacOS. Select Edit > Preferences on Windows.
The Preferences dialog box opens. Click on the Sceneplanning tab.
3. 4.
De-select the Create Constant Keyframes option. Click on OK. All new keyframes that you create after you disable this option will create tweened animated effects. Changing this preference does not affect keyframes that were created before you changed this setting.
See Also Editing Functions Using the Function Editor on page 239 Positioning Pivot Points on Cut-Out Characters on page 238 Using Keyframes and Timeline Properties on page 196
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Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values

You can copy and paste the values of a keyframe to another keyframe. To copy and paste keyframe values: 1. 2. In the Timeline window, select a Peg, Drawing, or Image element. Select the frame or frames whose values you want to copy.
3.
Select Edit > Copy Cell to copy the values of the frame.
If you copy a keyframe of a Drawing peg, you also copy the drawing at the selected frame. The drawing in the frame where you paste the keyframe values will be overwritten by the drawing of the copied selection unless you use paste special and uncheck the option to paste the exposure of the drawing. 4. 5. Select the frame where you want to paste the copied values. Select Edit > Paste to paste the values to the frame. Toon Boom Studio creates a keyframe if one does not already exist.
You can also use the Paste Special command to copy selected values from the original keyframe (including tension, continuity, bias, rotation, scale and pivot) to another keyframe. You can even copy values from a control point, which is a motion point that is not locked to a specific frame, to another control point or keyframe. Because certain values can only be applied to a motion point, the options in the Paste Special dialog box change based on the characteristics of the motion point that you select to receive the pasted values. To copy and paste selected values of a motion point: 1. Select a Peg element in the Timeline window and select the motion point whose position values you want to copy. You can use one of the following methods: Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Motion and click on the motion point with the Motion tool.
In the Scene Planning Tools toolbar, click on the Motion tool and click on the motion point with it. Select Element > Motion Points > Previous Motion Point or Next Motion Point. Click on the < and > buttons at the bottom of the Motion Point tab.
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2.
Select the motion point you want to copy the values to and select Edit > Paste Special. The Paste Special dialog box opens.
3.
Select the values you want to paste into the selected motion point and click OK.
See Also Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216
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Copying and Moving Frames in the Timeline

You can drag and drop selections of frames, and their values, in the Timeline window to move or copy the entire contents of the frame or copy only selected contents. To move frames in the Timeline window: 1. Select the frames you want to move.
The Single Cell Selection preference is a default setting, if it is not selected, hold down [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) when selecting the frames. 2. Drag the selection to the new location and release the mouse button.
The selected frames are moved to their new location. Toon Boom Studio extends the exposure of what was previously the last frame.
To copy frames in the Timeline window: 1. Select the frames you want to copy. If the Single Cell Selection preference is not selected, hold down [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) as you select the frames.
2.
Drag the selection to the new location.
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3.
Press [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) and then release the mouse button.
The selected frames are copied to their new location. Toon Boom Studio extends the exposure of what was previously the last frame.
To copy or move selected frame contents in the Timeline window: 1. Select the frames to copy or move. If the Single Cell Selection preference is not selected, hold down [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) as you select the frames.
2. 3.
Start dragging the selection. Press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) and release the mouse button. The Timeline Drag & Drop Preferences dialog box opens.
4.
Select the properties you want to move or copy to the new frames and click on OK.
See Also Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Adding Keyframes and Changing their Values on page 241 Pasting Selected Frame Properties in the Timeline on page 205 Copying Selected Template Contents into Your Animation on page 339
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Pasting Selected Frame Properties in the Timeline

From the Timeline window, you can paste selected frame properties across elements and pegs. This can help speed the production of effects that repeat values. To paste selected frame properties in the Timeline window: 1. Select the frames you want to copy. If the Single Cell Selection preference is not selected, press the [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) button as you select the frames.
2. 3.
Select Edit > Copy to copy the frames. Advance the red frame slider to the frame where you want to paste the frames. Do not release the selected elements. If you accidentally de-select the elements, reselect them.
4.
Select Edit > Paste Special. The Timeline Paste Special Preferences dialog box opens.
5.
Select the properties you want to paste and click OK.
See Also Copying and Moving Frames in the Timeline on page 203 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190
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Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool on page 208 Animating Size Changes with the Scale Tool on page 211 Animating Skewing with the Skew Tool on page 214 Adding Keyframes and Changing their Values on page 241 Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201 Using Paste Special to Update Content from a Template on page 342
Changing the Duration of a Peg Element

You may need to extend the duration of a peg if you add content or change the exposure of content that you have already attached to a Peg element and designed effects for. Lets say that you have a 24 frame walk-cycle. You drew the character walking in place, so you must create a motion path with a peg for your drawings to follow. The duration of the Peg element your cycle is attached to is 20 frames only. If you do not change this, your character will appear to walk in place from frame 20 to 24. For your character to continue moving as he walks from frame 20 to 24, you must extend the duration of the peg by four frames, from frame 20 to 24. This is the pegs trackbar, which you can use to change the duration of the peg. The blue arrow next to the peg determine if changes in the start time or duration of the parent peg will affect child elements. See Using Keyframes and Timeline Properties on page 196.
Stretching a Peg
The duration of a peg element is changed by stretching or looping the peg. To stretch a Peg element:
Move the pointer to the edge of the Peg element in the right panel of the Timeline window and drag the trackbar to the left or right to increase or decrease the length of the peg. A peg must always be at least two frames in length. Stretching a peg moves all of the keyframes proportionally.
See Also Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309 Looping a Peg on page 207
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Looping a Peg
If you want a Peg element to repeat an effect, you can loop the peg. For example, if you had a scene with a boy walking across the stage with a bird circling his head, you would create a peg with a motion path of a single orbit for the bird. You would then loop the orbit motion path so that the bird would continue to circle the boys head for the duration of his motion path. If you want the bird to circle the boys head following the same path, loop its peg so that it lasts as long as the boys motion path.
Each time the loop restarts, it skips the first frame of the peg. Similar to a walk-cycle where the last step leads naturally to the first step in the cycle, this ensures the logical continuation of the looped action. Therefore, if you loop a 10-frame peg three times, the entire length of the peg will be 28 frames. To loop a peg: 1. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the Peg Elements peg bar in the right panel of the Timeline window and select Change Loops. The Change Loops dialog box opens. Type the number of times you want to repeat the selected peg and click OK. The peg now repeats itself for the number of loops you selected. After the first segment, the peg bar of the looped segments is grey. You can also loop a peg by pressing [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) as you drag the end of the trackbar. See Also Stretching a Peg on page 206 Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool on page 208 Animating Size Changes with the Scale Tool on page 211 Animating Skewing with the Skew Tool on page 214
2.
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Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool

Use the Rotate tool to animate changes to the angle of pegs and their child elements. When the Rotate tool is active, the peg displays a rotation handle that you can use to rotate the peg and all attached elements.
Frame 30: 90 degrees Frame 1: 0 degrees Frame 20: 270 degrees
To change the angle of a pegged element, you can work in the Camera View window to rotate the element visually (you cannot change an elements rotation in either the Top or Side View windows). When you rotate a peg at a frame that has no keyframe, a rotation keyframe marker appears in the Timeline window. The rotation keyframe appears as a small triangle near the top of the frame. This is a change of rotation on a Drawing elements peg. When you rotate a peg, all elements attached to the Peg element or Drawing element are also rotated. A pegs rotation value appears in the Peg or Drawing tab, depending on the type of element you have selected. Any rotation you add to keyframes are based on the static rotation value of the peg plus the changes you make to the dynamic rotation value.
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To rotate a pegged element in the Camera View window: 1.

2.
In the Timeline window, select the peg: Select a Peg element. The peg appears in all Sceneplanning View windows. Select a Drawing element to use its built-in peg. The drawing selection becomes active.
tool. The Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Rotate. This activates the Rotate rotation handle appears on the selected peg at the current frame in the Camera View window. In the Timeline window, drag the red frame slider to the frame where you want to create the rotation keyframe. This is the frame slider.
3.
4.
In the Camera View window, use the rotation handle to change the angle of the element. Press [Shift] to rotate the peg at 15 degree increments. Once you set the angle of rotation, a keyframe is added to the current frame to record the position. When you change the pegs angle of the rotation in Use the rotation the Camera View, a rotation keyframe is added at the handle to change current frame in the Timeline window. the angle of the peg.
5.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 for every rotation keyframe you want to create. The change in rotation will be animated between these two keyframe positions.
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You can show element arms when you are rotating a peg that you have attached multiple elements to. When you show element arms, a rotation handle appears on each element attached to the peg. To display element arms:
Select View > Pegs > Show Element Arms.
You can edit rotation keyframes with the Rotation function in the Function Editor. You can also edit the rotation value of motion points on the Motion Point tab.
See Also Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes on page 198 Positioning Pivot Points on Cut-Out Characters on page 238 Editing Functions Using the Function Editor on page 239 Moving Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab on page 224 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201 Rotating Elements on page 183
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Animating Size Changes with the Scale Tool

Use the Scale tool to animate changes to the size of pegs and their child elements. When the Scale tool is active, the peg displays square scaling handle that allows you to stretch or shrink the size of the peg and all attached elements. Frame 10: scale factor 0.5
Frame 20: scale factor 2 Frame 1: scale factor 1 To change the size of a peg and its child elements, you must work in the Camera View window (you cannot scale an element in either the Top or Side View windows). When you scale a peg at a frame that has no keyframe, a scale keyframe marker appears in the Timeline window. The scale keyframe appears as a small triangle near the bottom of the frame.
When you scale a peg, all elements attached to the Peg element or Drawing element are also resized. The scale value of the peg appears on the Peg or Drawing tab, depending on the type of element you selected. Any scale change you add to keyframes are based on the static scale value of the peg plus the changes you make. To scale a peg in the Camera View window: 1.

2.
Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Scale. This activates the Scale tool. The square scaling handle appears on the selected peg at the current frame.
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3.
In the Timeline window, drag the red frame slider to the frame where you want to create the scale keyframe. This is the frame slider.
4.
In the Camera View window, use the scale handles to resize the pegs height, width or both. Press [Shift] to maintain the proportions of the element as you scale it. Once you set the scale, a keyframe is added to the current frame to record the position. When you change the pegs scale values in the Use the scale Camera View, a scale keyframe is added at the current handles to resize the frame in the Timeline window. peg.
5.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 for every scale keyframe you want to create. The change in rotation will be animated between these two keyframe positions.
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You can edit vertical and horizontal scale keyframes with the V-Scale and H-Scale functions using the Function Editor.
See Also Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes on page 198 Positioning Pivot Points on Cut-Out Characters on page 238 Editing Functions Using the Function Editor on page 239 Moving Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab on page 224 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool on page 208 Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201
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Animating Skewing with the Skew Tool

Use the Skew tool to control the animation of a skewing effect only. When the Skew tool is active, the peg displays square handles that you can use to skew the attached elements. To skew a peg and its child elements, you must work in the Camera View window (you cannot skew an element in either the Top or Side View windows). When you skew a peg at a frame that has no keyframe, a skew keyframe marker appears in the Timeline window. The skew keyframe is the same as the rotation keyframe. It appears as a small triangle near the top of the frame. This is a change in skew on a Drawing elements peg.
When you skew pegs, all elements attached to the Peg element or Drawing element are also skewed. The pegs skew angle appears on the Peg or Drawing tab. Any skew change you add to keyframes are based on the static skew value of the peg plus the changes you make. To skew a peg in the Camera View window: 1.

2.
Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Skew. This activates the Skew tool. Square handles appear on the selected peg at the current frame in the Camera View window. Drag the frame slider to the frame where you want to create the skew keyframe. This is the frame slider.
3.
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4.
In the Camera View window, use the skew handles to skew the pegs angle. Use the skew handles to When you change the pegs skew values in resize the peg. the Camera View, a skew keyframe is added at the current frame in the Timeline window.
5.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 for every skew keyframe you want to create. The skewing change will be animated between these two keyframe positions.
You can edit the skew values using the Function Editor. See Also Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes on page 198 Positioning Pivot Points on Cut-Out Characters on page 238 Editing Functions Using the Function Editor on page 239 Moving Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab on page 224 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool on page 208 Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201
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Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool

With the Motion on the peg. tool, you can modify motion paths by adding and moving keyframes The 3D Sceneplanning views allow you to create motion paths that go from east to west, north to south, or front to back. When your character moves front to back on a motion path, Toon Boom Studio automatically resizes it as it moves closer to, or farther away from, the camera. The 3D stage windows are useful when designing the motion path of our character. In the Camera View window, you can map out the east/west and north/south direction of the motion path.
In the Side View window, you can map out the north/south and front/back position of the motion path.
In the Top View window, you can map out the front/back and east west direction of the motion path.
You can create motion paths for pegs in a Peg element these provide visual information, including a visible line of motion in all Sceneplanning views. When you activate the Motion tool and you have selected a Peg element that has not been modified, two keyframes appear stacked on top of each other at the centre point of the Sceneplanning view window. The first keyframe has an arrow that points right and the last keyframe also has an arrow and it points left. You can grab a keyframe with the Motion tool and drag it in any direction to create a motion path that goes in a straight line. When you create a motion path with non-constant
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segments, youll see a series of tick marks. Each tick mark represents the position of the element at each frame in the peg as it is tweened (interpolated). The first and last keyframe are identified with arrows that point in opposite directions.This is a tweened motion path for a Peg element. To shape a motion path and change the direction in which elements attached to the peg will move, you add control points and keyframes and change their position. You can add control points and keyframes to a peg at specific frames to change the direction of the motion path.
You can improve the display quality of pegs in the View windows by changing the Smoothness setting on the Peg tab. You must enable Smooth Pegs on the Sceneplanning tab of the Preferences dialog boxes to see changes to a pegs smoothness. You can reposition pegs like you can change the position of most elements in the 3D space. When you reposition a peg, all elements attached to the peg also move. In addition, the values of points you add to your motion paths are based on the static position of the peg, plus the change in position to the motion point. See Also Creating a NS or EW Motion Path on page 218 Creating an FB Motion Path on page 220 Adding Motion Points to a Motion Path on page 221 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191 Repositioning Elements on page 175 Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281 Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes on page 198
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Creating a NS or EW Motion Path

Motion is essential to transform your drawings and images from still life pictures to animated movies. In the Camera View window, you can stretch the peg to create a motion path that goes from north to south (NS) and east to west (EW). All elements that are attached to the peg will follow the motion path of the peg.
N
This motion path goes from south to north. This motion path goes from west to east. Drag the motion points at the start or end of the motion path to change the direction of the motion path.
Tick marks appear on non-constant (tweened) segments of motion paths. The tick marks represent the position of the element at each frame as it is interpolated between keyframes. If your motion path is constant, no tick marks will appear on your motion path because the motion is not tweened. To create NS and EW motion for a peg: 1. In the Timeline window, select the peg: Select a Peg element. The peg appears in all Sceneplanning View windows. Select a Drawing element to use its built-in peg. The drawing selection becomes active. You can hide other elements to make it easier to identify and modify the peg. 2. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Motion. This activates the Motion tool.
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3.
If you are working with a Peg element: drag the motion points at the beginning or end of the motion path to give the motion path a direction. Your mouse pointer becomes a four-headed arrow when you position it over a motion point that you can move. Drag the motion points from left to right to create a path that goes from west to east. Drag the motion points from top to bottom to create a path that goes from north to south. If you are working with a Drawing peg, drag the Drawing element to the position at which you want to add a keyframe for the current frame.
4.
When you are creating motion paths, elements linked to a Peg element may be offset from the motion path. This can make it difficult to visualize how an element will change position as it follows the peg. You can display peg ghosts in the Camera View window to see the path that an element linked to a peg will follow. To display peg ghosts:
Select View > Pegs > Show Peg Ghosts.
See Also Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281 Creating an FB Motion Path on page 220 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191 Changing the Duration of a Peg Element on page 206 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190
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Creating an FB Motion Path

With the Toon Boom Studio 3D scene space, you can create multiplane effects for elements by creating motion paths that go from the front to the back of the scene. The Top View and Side View windows can help you visualize front/back (FB) motion. All elements appear as lines in the Top View and Side View.
Heres a front to back motion path that goes from bottom to top in the Top View window. Heres a front to back motion path that goes from left to right in the Side View window.
F F
To create FB motion: 1.
In the Timeline window, select the peg: Select a Peg element. The peg appears in all Sceneplanning View windows. Select a Drawing element to use its built-in peg. The drawing selection becomes active. tool.
You can hide other elements to make it easier to identify and modify the peg. 2. 3. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Motion. This activates the Motion If you are working with a Peg element: drag the motion points at the beginning or end of the motion path to give the motion path a direction. The mouse pointer becomes a four-headed arrow when you position it over a motion point that you can move. The direction you drag the spline points depends on the window you are using. In Top View, you drag a motion point from top to bottom to change its FB position. In Side View, you drag a motion point from left to right to change its FB position.
4.
If you are working with a Drawing peg: drag the Drawing element to the position at which you want to add a keyframe for the current frame.
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You can also change the FB motion of motion points in the Camera View window by pressing [Alt] as you move the motion points.
Press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) and drag up to move the motion point backward. Press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) and drag down to move the motion point forward.
See Also Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281 Creating a NS or EW Motion Path on page 218 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191 Changing the Duration of a Peg Element on page 206 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Basic Sceneplanning Concepts on page 168
Adding Motion Points to a Motion Path

If you want to create a motion path that is not straight, you must add motion points to a Peg elements motion path. Motion points can be either keyframes or control points. Keyframes are locked to a specific frame number and control points are not locked.
Add keyframes when you want to lock the position of the motion path to a specific drawing or image in an element to a position. Add control points when you want your element to reach a specific position, but you dont need it to do so at a specific frame. tool to move the motion points and change the shape of The start/end control points dont appear until you activate the Motion tool. You can then drag the start/end motion points to change the shape of the motion path.
Then you can use the Motion the motion path.
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You cannot add control points to constant segments on motion paths. This is because constant segments do not interpolate (tween) changes in position, rotation or scaling between frames. To add a motion point to a motion path: 1. 2. 3. Select a Peg element in the Timeline window. The peg appears in all View windows. You can hide other elements to make it easier to identify and modify pegs. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Motion. This activates the Motion tool. Place the pointer over the motion path of the peg and decide which type of motion point you want to add.

4.
Press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) and click on the motion path to add a keyframe. The mouse pointer becomes a square when it is over a spot where you can add a keyframe. A red point appears on the motion path after you click. Press [Shift] and click on the motion path to add a control point. The mouse pointer becomes a diamond when it is over a spot where you can add a control point. A green point appears on the motion path after you click.
Drag the new point to a position where you want the motion path to be at that point. To nudge a motion point, you can also use the arrow keys. Press [Shift] if you want to move the motion point in larger increments. When you place the pointer over a motion point, the pointer changes to a move icon. The rest of the motion path changes to follow the motion point.
If you added a control point, notice how it changes position on the motion path. This is because the control point is not locked to a specific time frame. If you added a keyframe, notice how it remains at the frame you added it to. This is because the keyframe is locked at a specific time frame.
See Also Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Adding Keyframes for Motion, Rotation, Skewing and Scaling on page 197 Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes on page 198 Adding Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab on page 223 Deleting Motion Points from a Motion Path on page 226 Locking/Unlocking Control Points on page 226 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191
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Adding Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab

You can use the Motion Point tab to add motion points and modify their values. To add motion points with the Motion Point tab: 1. 2. Select the Peg element you want to affect from the Timeline window. The peg appears in all View windows. tool. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Motion. This activates the Motion The control points and keyframes appears on the motion path. If there is no motion path in the peg, you will only see the first and last keyframes stacked on top of each other in the View windows. Click a motion point on the motion path. The Motion Point tab opens in the Properties window.
3.
The Motion Point tab lists the properties of the motion point you have selected on the motion path.
4.
Click on the New button at the bottom of the Motion Point tab. The Add Motion Point dialog box opens. Use the Add Motion Point dialog box to add keyframes or control points to your motion path.
5.
Select the type of motion point you want to add from the Point type drop-list. You have the following choices: Keyframe: places a red keyframe at the selected frame. Control Point: places a green control point at the selected keyframe, but you can drag it to any other frame.
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6.
In the Frame field, type the frame number where you want to place the motion point and click OK. If you are adding a control point, you can enter a value with a decimal point.
See Also Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Adding Keyframes for Motion, Rotation, Skewing and Scaling on page 197 Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes on page 198 Locking/Unlocking Control Points on page 226 Deleting Motion Points from a Motion Path on page 226 Adding Motion Points to a Motion Path on page 221
Moving Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab

The Motion Point tab allows you to select individual motion points and change the size, angle, and offset position at that motion point. The Motion Point tab only appears when you select a keyframe or control point with the Motion tool. You may want to use the Motion Point tab if you have a peg with many motion points and they are too close together to select one accurately. Or, you might not be able to see the individual points because the motion path is not extended. To change the properties of a motion point: 1. 2. 3. Select a Peg element in the Timeline window. The peg appears in all View windows. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Motion. This activates the Motion tool. With the Motion tool, select a motion point on the motion path. The Motion Point tab opens in the Properties window.
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4.
Type the number of the frame that contains the control point or keyframe you want to affect in the Frame field or select one using the < and > buttons (at the bottom of the Motion Point tab).
With the Motion Point tab, you can change the position of motion points to a precise value.
5.
Type the position values in the Offset fields. To change the North/South position, type the position coordinates in the first Offset field followed by N for North or S for South. You can also use positive or negative numbers: Positive values: places the element northward Negative values: places the element southward To change the East/West position, type the position coordinates in the second Offset field followed by W for West or E for East. You can also use positive or negative numbers: Positive values: places the element eastward Negative values: places the element westward To change the Front/Back position, type the position coordinates in the third Offset field followed by F for Front or B for Back. You can also use positive or negative numbers: Positive values: places the element to the front Negative values: places the element to the back
See Also Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191
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Deleting Motion Points from a Motion Path

You can remove unnecessary motion points from your motion path. When you remove a control point or keyframe, the path reshapes itself to follow the remaining points.
You cannot remove the start and end keyframes in any motion path. To delete a point with the pointer:
1.
Select the control point/keyframe and press [Del].
To delete a point with the Motion Point tab: Select any motion point. You can use the < and > buttons to select any point in order along the motion path. If you know the exact frame number where the point is, you can type it in the Frame field and press [Enter]. When you select a point, it appears highlighted in the View windows. 2. Click Delete to remove the point. See Also Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Locking/Unlocking Control Points on page 226 Moving Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab on page 224 Adding Motion Points to a Motion Path on page 221 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216
Locking/Unlocking Control Points

When you add a control point to a Peg elements motion path, you can change its position to anywhere between the closest keyframes. This not only changes the shape of the motion path, but can also slightly affect the velocity of the pegged elements movement.
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However, if you need the elements movement to change at a specific frame, you can lock the motion point at a specific frame number to create a keyframe. Lets say you had a character whose drawings changed drastically on specific keyframes (for example, the character is pacing and he turns around at specific frames). If you wanted to plot a complex motion path for that character, you could lock the control points on the important frames and then change the shape of the motion path. In this example, the clown drawings change at specific frames of 5, 24, and 30 and he suddenly turns around to walk in another direction. Since these drawings occur at specific frames, we locked the control points to create keyframes.
To lock/unlock your points: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select a Peg element in the Timeline window. The peg appears in all Sceneplanning View windows. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Motion. This activates the Motion tool. With the Motion tool, select a motion point on the motion path. The Motion Point tab opens in the Properties window. Use the Lock in time checkbox in the Motion Point tab to lock or unlock the point. If you select the Lock in time checkbox, the control point locks itself to the current frame and turns red on the motion path. The control point now becomes a keyframe. If your control point is between frames, Toon Boom Studio selects the closest frame as the locked frame. If you deselect the Lock in time checkbox, the keyframe becomes unlocked and turns green, indicating you can change its position. The keyframe now becomes a control point. The frame number may change as well since the spline adjusts its velocity on either side of the control point.
See Also Deleting Motion Points from a Motion Path on page 226 Moving Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab on page 224 Adding Motion Points to a Motion Path on page 221 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216
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Adjusting the Curve Between Motion Points

When you add a motion point and change its position on a tweened motion path, the motion path curves towards that point, reshaping the entire motion path. By default, the line has a gentle curve on either side of the control point. You can use the Tension, Bias and Continuity sliders in the Motion Point tab to adjust the amount of curve on either side of a motion point, further customizing the segments of the motion path. You can adjust each point individually in your motion path, but if you press [Shift] while dragging the slider, the selected value applies to all the peg points. By default, each value starts at 0.0, but you can change the default value. Tension: controls how sharply the path bends as it pass through a motion point. A Tension of -1 increases the curve on either side of the control point. A Tension of +1 sharpens the curve on either side of the control point.
Continuity: controls the smoothness of a transition between the segments joined by a point. A Continuity of -1 sharpens the transition on either side of the control point. A Continuity of +1 rounds out the transition, creating two gentle curves on either side of the control point. A zero value creates a smooth transition. Bias: controls the slope of the path so that it flows towards one side of the motion point or the other. A Bias of -1 favours the left side of the control point. A Bias of +1 favours the right side of the control point. At zero, neither side of the point is favored.
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The Tension, Continuity and Bias values have no effect on constant (non-tweened) segments. See Also Adding Keyframes for Motion, Rotation, Skewing and Scaling on page 197 Tweening Motion or Maintaining Constant Values Between Keyframes on page 198 Defining the Default Tension, Continuity and Bias Values on page 229 Adding Motion Points to a Motion Path on page 221 Moving Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab on page 224 Creating an FB Motion Path on page 220 Creating a NS or EW Motion Path on page 218
Defining the Default Tension, Continuity and Bias Values

As you work on the shape of your motion path, you can change the default tension, bias, or continuity values using the Sceneplanning tab in the Preferences dialog box. Toon Boom Studio uses the values you select for all future motion points you add; existing motion points are not changed. To define the default Tension, Continuity, and Bias values: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences on MacOS. Select Edit > Preferences on Windows. The Preferences dialog box opens.
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2.
Click on the Sceneplanning tab.
3.
Type the default values in any of the following fields. You can type any value between -1.0 and 1.0: Default Tension: controls how sharply the path bends as it pass through a motion point. Default Continuity: controls the smoothness of a transition between the segments joined by a point. Default Bias: controls the slope of the path so that it flows towards one side of the motion point or the other. Click on OK when you are done.
4.
See Also Adding Motion Points to a Motion Path on page 221 Moving Motion Points with the Motion Point Tab on page 224 Creating an FB Motion Path on page 220 Creating a NS or EW Motion Path on page 218 Adjusting the Curve Between Motion Points on page 228
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Peg Path Orientation Feature

When you have a motion path, the object is able to follow it but is not able to rotate. To allow more movement for your drawing: 1. Go to the Properties window and select Peg Oriented Path. The motion path turns blue and the element rotates to follow the angle of the motion path. This is a standard motion path.
This is a peg oriented path.
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Animating with the Transform Tool

With the Transform tool, you can animate changes in position, rotation, scaling and skewing all from one tool. Unlike the Motion, Rotation, Scale and Skew tools, you work visually to select and modify Drawing and Image elements, rather than Pegs, in the Camera View. When you apply transformations visually to elements, Toon Boom Studio applies the information to their parent pegs. You can use the Transform tool in the Camera View, Top View and Side View. You can use the Function Editor to edit the functions created when you animate with pegs, including the velocity. You can use the Motion, Rotation, Skew or Scale tools to animate each function separately. By using the Select or Transform tool, you have improved functionality. You can do this in two ways:
Place your cursor just outside the corners of the bounding box. A rotate icon appears. Moving this icon will allow you to rotate the drawing. You can also place the cursor on the line and an arrow appears. You can now apply skewing with the Transform tool.
The Transform tool is ideal for working with cut-outs when you are creating keyframes at every frame or when you are creating constant segments. However, if you want to animate only one function, such as a rotation on an arm, or if you want Toon Boom Studio to interpolate changes between keyframes, it is best to use the tool specific to the function you want to create: Motion, Rotation, Scale or Skew. To animate with the Transform tool: 1. 2. In the Timeline, drag the red frame slider to the frame where you want to add a keyframe. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Transform. This activates the Transform tool.
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With the Transform tool, select the elements you want to animate. You can drag the cursor to create a selection box around the elements. Child elements attached to a selected element will be included. The transform tool selects all the elements attached to the selected element.
3.
Do any of the following to change the selected elements at that frame: Drag the selection to a new position to create a motion keyframe on the motion path. Position your cursor in one of the four corners and use the rotate handles to create a rotation keyframe and change the angle of the element. Hold down [Shift] to rotate the selection in 15 degree increments. Here the arm and all of its child elements have been rotated to a new position.
Use the scale handles to create a scale keyframe and change the horizontal or vertical size of the element. Hold down [Alt] as you select the handles to create a skew keyframe and skew the angle of the element.
A keyframe is added automatically at the frame at which you make a transformation.

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See Also Repositioning the Pivot Point of the Transform Tool for an Operation on page 234 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216 Animating Size Changes with the Scale Tool on page 211 Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool on page 208 Animating Skewing with the Skew Tool on page 214 Creating an FB Motion Path on page 220 Creating a NS or EW Motion Path on page 218 Adding Motion Points to a Motion Path on page 221 Adjusting the Curve Between Motion Points on page 228 Editing Functions Using the Function Editor on page 239
Bounding Box Manipulation

By using the Select or Transform tool, you have improved functionality. You can do this in two ways: 1. 2. Place your cursor just outside the corners of the bounding box. A rotate icon will appear. Moving this icon will allow you to rotate the drawing. You can also place the cursor on the line and will then see an arrow. You can now apply skewing with the transform tool.
Repositioning the Pivot Point of the Transform Tool for an Operation

You can use the Transform tool to reposition the pivot point of a scale, rotation or skew transformation. When you reposition the pivot point with the Transform tool, changes you make to the rotation or scaling of the elements at the selected frame are based on that pivot point as long as you have the Transform tool and the elements selected. When you deselect the elements or switch to another tool and then return to the element, the pivot point appears again at its default position at the centre of the pegs path while the transformation you created continues to remember that temporary pivot. There are two ways to remove that temporary pivot: use the undo command or delete the peg and recreate the effect. Repositioning the pivot point with the Transform tool does not create a pivot point function that you can edit. To reposition the pivot point using the Transform tool: 1. 2. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Transform. This activates the Transform tool. Click or drag to select the elements you want to modify.
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3.
Use the Transform tool to move the pivot point from the centre of the pegs motion path.
4.
Rotate, scale or skew the element based on the new pivot point. If you want to edit the pivot point of the Transform tool, you must do so before deselecting the elements or changing tools.
See Also Positioning Pivot Points on Cut-Out Characters on page 238 Changing the Scale Pivot Point Position on page 181 Changing the Rotation Pivot Point Position on page 185
Animating Cut-out Characters

Building Peg Hierarchies to Animate Cut-Out Characters
If you are animating a cut-out character, you can use pegs to organize and control all of the different body parts of a character. This technique is known as rigging. In Toon Boom Studio, the term rigging describes a method of setting up elements for cutout animation. During the rigging part of the cut-out process, an animator attaches all of the cartoon characters components to pegs, which will then be used to animate the character. Rigging is the process of linking together cut-out parts of a character in such a way that they can, when animated, move or pivot. For example, a sailboat is rigged so that the sails and jibs and booms are tied together allowing them all to move independently, yet function as a single unit. Similarly, a cut-out character is rigged to allow each of its parts to move and pivot independently and yet form a single unit.
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When you are animating a cut-out character, the organization of your body parts on pegs is extremely important.
Use separate pegs for each function you want to animate. You should use a peg for every joint on your character. For example, if your character will walk while his arm rotates on his shoulder, use one peg to move the whole character and another peg on the shoulder to animate the rotation. Use the built-in pegs in Drawing elements to attach child Drawing elements, such as a wrist attached to a forearm, attached to an upper arm drawing.
This character is comprised of many parts. Each part of this character is a different element: hair, head, eyes, mouth, left and right arm, forearm and wrist, legs, etc.
This characters Exposure Sheet displays thumbnails showing that she is composed of many parts.
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Following is the structure of this character in the Timeline. Notice that there are three main parts, the head, torso and lower body. Then notice that the girl is organized into three main sections: Neck, Top_Body and Hips. All of the Goth Girls body parts are in separate elements. Each element is attached to a drawing peg or the GothGirl Peg element. The Goth Girls body parts are grouped into three main sections.
top_body neck hips
To build a peg hierarchy for a cut-out character: 1. 2. 3. 4. In the Timeline window, add all of the drawing elements in the character. You should consider creating a Drawing element for each body part on your character. Think about how you want to organize the parts of your body and then use Peg elements and drawing pegs to group and organize them. You will probably have to animate some of the body parts to test and fine tune the structure. After you have got your peg hierarchy established, you should position the pivot points on all the joints of your character.
See Also Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191 Positioning Pivot Points on Cut-Out Characters on page 238 Animating Cut-Out Style on page 24
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Positioning Pivot Points on Cut-Out Characters

Before you begin animating your cut-out characters, you should position the pivot points on their pegs. These pivot points represent the joint on which the parts rotate. For example, you need a pivot point on the shoulder of a character in order to rotate the whole arm in a natural-looking manner. Take a look at the pictures of this character. To animate the Goth Girls arm so that it rotates properly on her shoulder, we had to position the pivot point of her peg on her shoulder.
When you change the position of the pivot point, Toon Boom Studio gives the same value to the pivot point at all the frames in your peg. If you want to change the position of the pivot point over time, you must use the Function Editor to add keyframes to the pivot path and change their value. To position the pivot points on cut-out characters: 1. 2. 3. Select the Drawing element or Peg element that the body part you want to rotate is connected to. Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Rotate . Use the Rotate tool to position the pivot point over the joint.
Always use the Rotate tool to make permanent changes to pivot point properties. These properties will also apply to rotations created by the Transform Tool. Even if you will be using the Transform tool to animate your cut-out character, this tools pivot point is used as a temporary reference and will not effect any permanent changes.
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Position the pivot point over the centre of a joint so that body parts rotate naturally.
See Also Repositioning the Pivot Point of the Transform Tool for an Operation on page 234 Changing the Scale Pivot Point Position on page 181 Changing the Rotation Pivot Point Position on page 185 Editing Functions Using the Function Editor on page 239 Animating Cut-Out Style on page 24
Editing Functions Using the Function Editor

When you animate changes to the properties of an element over time, you create a function. A function maps the values of an effect over time. The Function Editor uses plotlines (graphs) to represent changes to properties over time. With the Function Editor, you can edit the values of each function (rotation, horizontal and vertical scale, skew, velocity, field-of-view, motion path and pivot path).
Along the x-axis (horizontal axis) are the frame numbers. Along the y-axis (vertical axis) are the values for the effect you are editing.
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When you edit the function for rotation, skew, scale and field-of-view, the shape of the Function Editor represents the velocity of the effect. The slope of this plotline represents the velocity of the rotation effect.
A steep slope
indicates that the value will change quickly. indicates that the value will change gradually.
A gradual slope
When you edit the function of a motion or pivot point path, you map the motion of a peg in a 3D space or a pivot point in 2-dimensional space, one dimension at a time. When you are working with these two functions, you must select the dimension you want to work on. For example, let's say that you want your character to jump up and down in place. It would be difficult to create a jumping motion path in the Camera View window because the path would repeat on top of itself. To create a jumping motion, it would be easier to edit the motion path of the peg using the Function Editor. Use the Projection panel to choose the dimension you want to edit.
Along the x-axis (horizontal axis) are the frame numbers. Along the y-axis (vertical axis) are the values for the effect you are editing (motion path and pivot path). See Also Adding Keyframes and Changing their Values on page 241 Reshaping the Plotline Using the Function Editor on page 243 Changing Your View of the Function Editor on page 244
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Adding Keyframes and Changing their Values

Add keyframes to a plotline in the Function Editor when you want to create an effect that changes over time. Here are two examples of when you would add a keyframe to a plotline. Example 1: Rotation Let's say that you have an object that you want to rotate to 450 degrees to the right between frames 1 and 5. Then, rotate 200 degrees to the left and finally back to zero rotation. After you attach the element to a peg, you would access the Rotation function in the Function Editor, add keyframes at each frame, and then change the rotation value of the keyframes to the desired rotation angle.
This plotline represents the rotation of the element over 20 frames
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Example 2: Motion For this example, let's say that you want your character to jump up and down in place. Open the Motion Path function in the Function Editor. In the north/south projection of the plotline, add keyframes at each frame where you want the character's motion to be up or down. Then, move the keyframes on the plotline to create the jumping effect. In this plotline, you can see how the peg changes north/south position. This path would be difficult to edit in the Camera View window because it repeats on itself. The Function Editor is the perfect tool for editing this type of motion path because it isolates motion in a particular dimension.
To add keyframes to a plotline and change their value: 1. Select the frame on the plotline where you want to add a keyframe. You can use one of the following methods.

2.
Activate the Select tool from the Function Editor Tools panel and click on the frame in the plotline. Type the value in the x-axis field of the Function Values panel and press [Enter].
button in the Tools panel of the Function Editor. Pressing Click on the Add Point [Ctrl] in Windows adds a keyframe. The keyframe appears at the frame number you selected. Now you can change the value of the keyframe you added.
3.
Click and drag the point to the new y-axis value. Notice that the y-axis value changes in the Function Values panel. To get a more precise value, you can type the value in this field. The shape of the curve you create reflects the speed of the effect you are creating. For the rotation, scale, velocity and field-of-view functions, you can change the shape of the plotline to create different velocity effects (like ease-in and easeout). When you are working on the motion path and pivot path functions, you can modify the speed of a change by accessing the velocity functions.
See Also Reshaping the Plotline Using the Function Editor on page 243 Changing Your View of the Function Editor on page 244
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Reshaping the Plotline Using the Function Editor

You can change the shape of the plotline in the Function Editor when you want to change how quickly an effect (such as rotation, scale or velocity) is applied to the peg and other elements attached to it. The Function Editor provides pre-set reshape functions that you can apply to your plotline to change its shape. For example, if you wanted an effect to ease-in and ease-out, you could use one of the ease functions to change the plotline.
Constant: applies the value you have selected on the horizontal axis (y-axis) to the segment or plotline. Ease in/out : applies a gradual acceleration to the beginning and a gradual deceleration to the end of the segment or plotline. Extreme ease in/out :applies a more gradual acceleration to the beginning and a more gradual deceleration to the end of the segment or plotline. Linear: applies a constant change to the segment or plotline. Fast in/out : applies a fast acceleration to the beginning and end of the segment or plotline. Extreme fast in/out : applies an even faster acceleration to the beginning and end of the segment or plotline. Slow acceleration Slow deceleration : applies a slow acceleration to the segment or plotline. : applies a slow deceleration to the segment or plotline.
You can also make changes to the shape of your plotline manually. However, when you use the pre-set functions in the Function Editor, Toon Boom Studio does the work for you! To reshape the plotline in the Function Editor using the Reshape Functions: 1. 2. Click on the Select button in the Tools panel. Select the segment of the plotline you want to reshape. To reshape only one segment, click anywhere along the segment. To reshape all segments on the plotline, click anywhere on the plotline. To create segments on the plotline, you must add keyframes. Decide if you want to apply a change to a segment or the whole plotline. To reshape only the segment you selected, select any of the options in the Reshape menu. To reshape all segments in the plotline with the same function, press [Shift] and select one of the options in the Reshape menu.
3. 4.
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To manually reshape the plotline in the Function Editor: 1. 2. Click a keyframe on the plotline. Handles appear on either side of the point you select. Decide if you want to move both handles independently of each other or together. To move a handle independently of the other handle, drag the point at the end of the handle to its new position. To move both handles together, press [Alt] (in Windows) or [Command] (in Mac) and drag the points to their new position.
The Left and Right Handle and Angle fields also display the position and the angle of the keyframes. You can also use these fields to set precise position/angles. See Also Adding Keyframes and Changing their Values on page 241 Changing Your View of the Function Editor on page 244
Changing Your View of the Function Editor

As you plot values for the selected peg, you can change how the Editor window displays the plotline and what it represents. You can change the scale of the vertical and horizontal axes, change the zoom detail on the plotline or view a different section of the plotline. To change your view of the Editor window, use any of the following tools:
Zoom tool: you can increase the detail on the plotline by either clicking on a general area or drag-selecting an area to view. To zoom out, press [Alt] (in Windows) or [Option] (in Mac) and click on the plotline. Fit button: resizes the view in the Editor window so that the plotline fills the viewable space. Grabber tool: you can view another part of the window by grabbing a part of the plot area and dragging to another place. Grid button: you can toggle a grid that appears behind the plotline to mark each notch on the horizontal and vertical axes.
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Horizontal/Vertical zoom sliders: you can change the detail level in the horizontal and vertical axes and see more or fewer values.
Dragging the zoom sliders changes the horizontal or vertical zoom factor.
See Also Reshaping the Plotline Using the Function Editor on page 243 Changing Your View of the Function Editor on page 244
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Chapter 8 Using the Multiplane Camera

This chapter explains how to use the multiplane camera. Youll learn how to change the static properties of a camera as well as how to change its properties over time. In this chapter, you will learn about:
Camera Effects with Toon Boom Studio on page 248 Adding Cameras to a Scene on page 249 Zooming the Camera In or Out on page 253 Zooming the Camera Over Time on page 255 Panning and Trucking the Camera on page 260
Camera Effects with Toon Boom Studio

Like traditional animation, Toon Boom Studios cameras capture a view of your scene that will play back for your audience. You can use cameras to frame your scenes just as you do when you take a picture or film a movie. The Camera View window shows you how the scene looks to your camera. The red tint and frame identify the camera when you select it.
In this scene, the camera pans across the scene to follow the snowboarder.
With Toon Boom Studio, you can:
Reposition cameras You can reposition a camera to get a specific view of a scene. For example, if you want your audience to view the action in the centre of a large forest scene, you would reposition your camera to view only that area of the scene. Zoom cameras in or out You can change the field-of-view (FOV) of the camera for the entire duration of the scene. If you wanted your whole scene to focus on the face of one character as she speaks, you could set the zoom level of the camera to exclude all other characters and action in your scene. Zoom cameras dynamically throughout your scene You can also change the zoom level dynamically throughout your scene to create complex zooming effects. For example, you can start a scene with a close-up of a character and then zoom out to see all of the action in your scene. Pan cameras across or up and down your scene, or truck cameras in and out Creating pans and trucks with the camera is a breeze when you attach cameras to pegs and then create motion effects on the pegs. You can create the effect of
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Chapter 8: Using the Multiplane Camera
moving through your scene by attaching a camera to a peg and then giving the peg front-to-back motion through your scene. See Also Adding Cameras to a Scene on page 249 Zooming the Camera In or Out on page 253 Zooming the Camera Over Time on page 255 Panning and Trucking the Camera on page 260 Basic Sceneplanning Concepts on page 168 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190
Adding Cameras to a Scene

Toon Boom Studio adds a camera element to all of your scenes, which you can use to zoom, pan and truck. You can add additional cameras to your scene to try different framing. After you add a camera, you use the Camera List toolbar button to select the camera you want to use to see your scene and to change the framing of that camera. When you export your scene, Toon Boom Studio films the scene from the perspective of the selected camera only. There is also a default scene camera, which does not appear in the Timeline window. You cannot change the properties of the default camera. When a secondary camera is offset from the main camera and you select it in the Timeline window, Toon Boom Studio displays a cone, which represents the angle that the secondary camera has on the scene. To see exactly what secondary cameras see of your scene, you must select the camera from the Camera List toolbar button.
In these windows, the active camera is represented by the square surrounding the snowboarder. In the window on the left, the secondary camera is represented by the black dot in the corner of the window.
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To add a camera to the scene: 1. Select Element > Add > Camera. Alternatively, click on the Camera toolbar and select Add Camera from the drop-down list. A new camera element appears in the Timeline window and in the Camera toolbars drop-down list. In Windows, this drop-down list appears in the Scene View toolbar. Toon Boom Studio gives the camera a default name. You can place the camera at any layer in the Timeline window.
The composition order of the camera in the Timeline window does not affect the output of your final movie. 2. Select the new camera from the Camera List toolbar button. The contents of the Camera View window changes to show the view this camera has. This is the view that the secondary camera has of the same scene.
See Also Adding Many Elements to a Scene on page 298 Renaming Elements on page 302 Deleting Elements on page 302
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Positioning a Camera
You can change the north/south, east/west and front/back position of cameras you add to a scene just like you can change the position of any other element. If you wanted to see only the action that was taking place on the west side of your screen, you would add a new camera and move it so that it sees only that part of the scene. In the Camera View window you can change the north/south position of a camera by dragging up and down. You can also change the east/west position of a camera by dragging from the left to the right.
You can change the position of a camera in any of the Sceneplanning view windows (Camera View window, Side View window and Top View window). The cameras field of view appears as a cone in the Top and Side View windows.
In the Side View window, you change the front/back position of the camera by dragging from left to right. You change the north/south position of the camera by dragging from the top to the bottom. In the Top View window, you change the front/back position of the camera by dragging from the top to the bottom. You change the east/west position by dragging from left to right. You can view the same scene from two different perspectives.
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To change the position of a camera: 1. 2. Add a new camera element to your scene. From the Window menu, select a Sceneplanning view. Select Camera View to change the north/south and east/west position of the camera. Select Side View to change the north/south and front/back position of the camera. Select Top View to change the east/west and front/back position of the camera. The camera in both the Side View and Top View windows is represented by a cone, which reflects the field-of-view that the camera has on the scene. The camera films all elements that are within the field-of-view.
3. 4.
Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select to activate the Select
tool.
Select the camera. Use one of the following methods: Use the Select tool to click on the camera frame in any of the View windows. Click on the camera's name in the Timeline window. If the camera is an inactive secondary camera, you can click on the dot that represents the camera to select and move it.
The cameras frame and field of view tints red when you select it. 5. Drag the camera frame to the position you want. Notice that the Offset values in the Camera tab change as you move the camera. You can also manually type values into these fields to change the position of the camera. The Offset fields record the north/ south, east/west and front/back position of the camera. You can type values in these fields to change the position of the camera.
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See Also Adding Cameras to a Scene on page 249 Changing an Elements Start Time in the Timeline on page 313 Repositioning Elements on page 175
Zooming the Camera In or Out

You change the field-of-view (FOV) of a camera when you want to zoom the camera in or out on a character or object in your scene. Use the Camera View window to make changes to the FOV of a camera and see how the change affects the framing of your scene. In this scene, weve changed the zoom level of the camera to focus on the surfer and the shark.
When you want to give the camera one zoom level for the entire scene, your zoom level will be static. You can also create dynamic camera zooms throughout your scene. To zoom a camera in or out: 1. 2. 3. Add a new camera element to your scene. Activate the new camera by selecting the camera from the Camera List toolbar button. Select the camera. Use one of the following methods:
Select Tools > Sceneplanning Tools > Select, and use the Select on the camera frame. Click on the camera's name in the Timeline window.
tool to click
In the Camera View window, the camera frame and background are highlighted in red. A handle appears on the bottom of the camera frame. 4. In the Camera tab, select the Static option for the FOV Type. When you select this option, the FOV of the camera stays constant throughout the scene.
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With the Select tool, use the handle on the bottom of the camera frame to change the zoom level of the camera. Drag the handle to the left to zoom in on the scene. Drag the handle to the right to zoom out on the scene. Drag the handle below the camera frame to change the zoom level of the camera.
As you change the zoom level, the value in the Static field on the FOV tab (in the Properties window) changes. Type a value in this field for a more precise FOV value. When you change the FOV, you are actually changing the angle of view on your scene.
If you make the field of view smaller, the camera represents a smaller amount of the full scene in the same size camera, which creates the zoom effect. If you look in the Top View window or in the Side View window as you change the field of view, you can see how the angle of your camera changes.
See Also Adding Cameras to a Scene on page 249 Positioning a Camera on page 251 Changing the Start Frame and Duration of a Dynamic Camera on page 257 Editing the Dynamic Zooms with the Function Editor on page 258
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Zooming the Camera Over Time

You can change the FOV of a camera at different frames throughout your scene to create dynamic camera zooms. You can use the Camera View window to make changes to the FOV of a camera and see how the changes affect the zoom level of your scene. The camera zoom level in this animation changes from a close-up to a long shot.
Toon Boom Studio smooths the transition between camera zoom levels to create high-quality camera effects. To zoom a camera in and out during a scene: 1. 2. 3. Add a new camera element to your scene. Activate the new camera by selecting the camera from the Camera List toolbar button. In the Timeline window, select the camera you want to modify. The camera frame should appear in red in the Camera View window. You can drag the handle below the camera frame to change the zoom level at specific frames.
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On the Camera tab, select the Dynamic option. When you select this option, you can change the zoom level of the camera at different frames throughout your scene.
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Select the start and end frame and the duration of the zoom change. When you activate the Dynamic option, a thick bar appears in the camera element in the Timeline window. This bar (set to 10 frames by default) represents the period (start and end frame and duration) of the FOV change. This bar reflects the start and end frame, as well as the duration, of the camera zoom changes.
If you want your zoom changes to last longer than 10 frames, you must extend this bar. If you want your zoom changes to have a different start and end frame, drag the bar to the position you want it to occupy.
The camera uses the zoom level at the start and end of the zoom period for the camera zoom level before and after the zoom period. 6. Drag the red frame slider on top of the Timeline to select the frame at which you want the zoom to stop. If you want a zoom to reach a certain level by frame 8, then you would move the red frame slider to 8. With the Select tool, use the handle beneath the camera frame to change the zoom level of the camera. Drag the handle to the left to zoom in on the scene. Drag the handle to the right to zoom out on the scene. You can also use the Function Editor to make more precise changes to the FOV. See Also Adding Cameras to a Scene on page 249 Editing the Dynamic Zooms with the Function Editor on page 258 Zooming the Camera In or Out on page 253 Changing the Start Frame and Duration of a Dynamic Camera on page 257 Camera Effects with Toon Boom Studio on page 248 Basic Sceneplanning Concepts on page 168 Editing Functions Using the Function Editor on page 239
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Changing the Start Frame and Duration of a Dynamic Camera

When you use a dynamic camera, it always appears at the first frame of the scene and covers a default length of 20 frames. If you need to make a dynamic camera effect last longer, you must modify the duration of the camera element in the Timeline window. For example, if you want to link a zoom effect to a pan that is controlled by a peg, you should make the zoom effect last as long as the peg. To modify the start/end frame and duration of a dynamic camera zoom, follow one of these steps. To change the start/end frame of the camera: 1. 2. Click on the cameras bar in the right panel of the Timeline window. Drag the camera bar to the correct position in the Timeline window. You may want to use the zoom slider at the bottom of the Timeline window to see more or less of the Timeline. Drag the cameras bar to its new position. Use the zoom slider to change the amount of detail you see in the Timeline window. The thin red bar that appears in the Timeline window for all cameras indicates the duration of the cameras recording time in the scene. The red bar for the active scene camera increases or decreases based on the duration of all visible elements in the scene. Even if the camera is dynamic for only a few frames (the length of the trackbar), it continues to record until the last frame where there is a visual element. To change the duration of a camera effect: 1. 2. Move the pointer to the end or the beginning of the camera bar in the right panel of the Timeline window. Drag the boundary to the left or right to increase or decrease the length of the camera. A camera must always be at least two frames in length. You can drag the ends of the camera bar to change the duration of the camera effect.
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See Also Adding Cameras to a Scene on page 249 Changing the Timeline Zoom Level on page 293 Splitting the Timeline Window in Two on page 296 Changing an Elements Start Time in the Timeline on page 313 Sequencing and Timing Drawings and Images on page 306
Editing the Dynamic Zooms with the Function Editor

You can use the Function Editor to edit camera zooms that change over time. To edit dynamic zooming, you change the field of view (FOV) of the camera. Let's say that you want your camera to repeat the same zoom changes over 60 frames. In the Camera View window, you can use the camera handle to change the zoom level, but you can not select exact FOV values with the handle. To do this, you must use the Function Editor. To create precise camera zooms with the Function Editor: 1. 2. 3. 4. Add a new camera element to your scene. Activate the camera by selecting the camera from the Camera List toolbar button. Select the camera element in the Timeline window. In the Camera tab, select the Dynamic option for the FOV Type. When you select the Dynamic option, you will be able to make the zoom level of the camera change throughout your scene. 5. 6. 7. Change the start frame and duration of the camera. Select Window > Function Editor to display the Function Editor window. Select FOV from the Function drop-list. The graph on the FOV tab represents the change in the zoom level of the camera over time.
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The Function Editor appears. The Y-axis (vertical axis) marks the angle of view that the camera has of the scene. The X-axis (horizontal axis) marks the frame number. Change the speed of the zoom effect by changing the shape of the plotline. You can select different plotline shapes from the Reshape panel. Each point represents the angle the camera reaches at a specific frame number. You can use the handles on each point to change the shape of the curve. 8. To change the angle of view of the camera, select the frame on the plotline where you want the zoom effect to change and add a keyframe. You can then move this key point to the angle of view you want. The shape of the plotline identifies the speed of the change in zoom. 9. To change the speed of the zoom, you can manipulate the shape of the plotline using options in the Reshape menu.
See Also Editing Functions Using the Function Editor on page 239 Reshaping the Plotline Using the Function Editor on page 243 Adding Motion Points to a Motion Path on page 221 Adding Cameras to a Scene on page 249 Changing the Start Frame and Duration of a Dynamic Camera on page 257
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Panning and Trucking the Camera

You can create camera moves common in animation, like pans and trucks, using cameras and pegs. For example, you can change the area of the scene you are looking at by panning the camera. Or, you can move the camera into the scene (trucking) to create a sense of motion through the scene. To create camera pans and trucks, you must attach the camera to a peg. Then, you must create east/west or north/south motion paths with the peg to create pans, or front/back motion paths to create trucks. From the first frame to the last, the camera follows the snowboarder all the way down the mountain.
To pan and truck a camera: 1. 2. 3. Add a new camera element to your scene. Activate the new camera by selecting the camera from the Camera List toolbar button. Add a peg to your scene. You can click on the peg button just above the left column in the Timeline window to add a peg to your scene.
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Change the start/end frame and duration of the peg to the values you want.
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To attach the camera to the peg, drag the camera element on top of the peg element in the Timeline window. Drag the camera on top of the peg to attach it to a peg.
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Modify the peg to create north/south, east/west and front/back motion. The camera follows the path of the peg through your scene. Cameras are affected by a peg's motion and rotation, but not scale.
See Also Adding Cameras to a Scene on page 249 Changing an Elements Start Time in the Timeline on page 313 Adding Peg Elements and Attaching Child Elements on page 191 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Changing the Duration of a Peg Element on page 206 Creating Motion Paths with the Motion Tool on page 216
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Chapter 9 Creating Effects

This chapter describes how you can add effects to your scenes, creating interesting visuals, which your audience will enjoy, with ease and speed. This chapter contains these topics:
Additive and Multiplicative Colour Changes on page 264 Clipping Mask Effects on page 272 Drop Shadow Effects on page 276
Additive and Multiplicative Colour Changes

Various scenes you create may require the gradual change in colour of characters or scenery because of changes to the lighting of the scene. If the sun is setting on a beach, the colours of all of the scenery on the beach are going to darken or even redden before they absorb a dark purple or blue tint. In this scene, the sun starts to set on the surfer, darkening all of the objects in the scene.
It would be quite time-consuming to figure out the colours of each object in your scene at each frame, and then recolour each drawing at each frame (which traditional painters did have to do). With Toon Boom Studio, you can automate colours changing over time by creating colour changes in Colour Transform elements and attaching all of the elements you want to transform to these effects elements. Heres the Colour Transform element in the Timeline window. There are two types of colour changes or transformations you can create: additive and multiplicative.
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Additive Colour Changes

With additive colour transformations, you can add or subtract colour values from selected colour channels (red, green, blue and alpha). You would select an additive colour transformation if you wanted to add or remove a colour from your drawings over time. For example, if a fire suddenly starts in front of a character, the character would reflect more and more red or orange as the fire starts and grows larger. This ant is made up of the following RGB colours:
Skin: 190, 140, 101 Eye: 40, 97, 196 White of the eye: 250 250, 229 Belt: 245, 152, 31
If you create a Colour Transform that adds 80 red to all of the colours, the red value for each colour increases by 80. When you add 80 to the red channel in the colours of the ant, each red value increases while the values of the other channels remain the same.
Skin: 190 + 80 = 270 Red (the other colours

remain the same)
Eye: 40 + 80 = 120 Red White around the eye: 250 + 80 = 330 Belt: 245 + 80 = 325
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Multiplicative Colour Changes

With multiplicative colour transformations, you multiply the current values in the colour channels (red, blue, green and alpha) by selected values to create new colour values. You would select a multiplicative colour transformation if you wanted to create an effect that changes all colour channels evenly. For example, if you wanted to increase the redness of an image by 20%, you would multiply the red value by 1.2.
The red values in this image are now:
Skin: 190 * 1.2 = 228 Eye: 40 * 1.2 = 48 White of the eye:

250 * 1.2 = 300
Belt: 245 * 1.2 = 294
You can combine additive and multiplicative colour transformations. Toon Boom Studio calculates the final value by first applying the multiplicative value and then the additive value. The formula looks like this:
(Colour * Multiplicative Values) + Additive Values = Final Colour
You may notice that the values of your colour go beyond the 256 colours that are actually displayed. Although you only see colours with values between 0 and 255, Toon Boom Studio saves the final value and uses it when you combine multiple colour Transforms. See Also Changing Colour Over Time on page 267 Flattening a Colour Transform Effect Layer on page 270 Combining Multiple Colour Transforms on page 271
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Changing Colour Over Time

You attach elements whose colours you want to change over time to Colour Transform elements. Then, you change the properties of the Colour Transform elements at selected keyframes. Toon Boom Studio calculates the colour values of each image in an element at each frame for you. You can transform any visual element - drawing, image, or media. You can add/subtract values from the colour channels or you can multiply the current colour values by a value. To change colours in elements over time: 1. 2. Select Element > Add > Colour Transform Effect. A new element layer appears in the Timeline window.
Drag the elements you want to change on top of the Colour Transform Effect element. The elements appear indented below the Colour Transform element. Notice how the Drawing element is indented below the Colour Transform element. It is attached to the Colour Transform element and will be affected by the colour changes you program in it. See the large squares on the Colour Transform trackbar? They are the keyframes for the colour change.
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If needed, change the start time and duration of the Colour Transform element. Drag the entire trackbar of the element to a new start frame. Drag the end of the trackbar to a new end frame. Select the Colour Transform element and use the red frame slider at the top of the Timeline window to select the keyframe at which you want the colour change to end. Notice that the Colour Transform tab opens in the Properties window.
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In the Properties tab, make your selections for the colour transformation. Drag the slider or enter a value in a field. You can see the results of your changes immediately in the Camera View window.
In the multiplicative fields, you would
usually enter a value between 0 and 2. In fact the slider only allows you to go from 0 to 2. You can enter a value less than 0 and greater than 2 in the fields. between -255 to + 255.
In the additive fields, you can enter a value You will only see resulting colour values
that range from 0 to 255. If the final value is outside this range, Toon Boom Studio saves the value and uses it for other calculations.
If you nest colour transformations in multiple Colour Transform elements, the real value is used to calculate the combined effect. When a colour transform is applied on an image element or a vector element with a bitmap fill, what you see in the Camera View window will not be the same as the final rendered movie. To evaluate colour transforms applied to bitmaps, you must playback the rendered animation. See Also Adding/Removing Keyframes from a Colour Transform on page 269 Additive and Multiplicative Colour Changes on page 264 Flattening a Colour Transform Effect Layer on page 270 Combining Multiple Colour Transforms on page 271 Real-Time Playback on page 350
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Adding/Removing Keyframes from a Colour Transform

Lets say that your character is holding her breath. Her skin colour might go from pink to blue. Then if she got mad, her skin might go from blue to red! You can add keyframes to Colour Transform elements to change the colour values of attached elements at different frames throughout your scene. To add or remove keyframes from a Colour Transform element: 1. 2. 3. In the Timeline window, select the Colour Transform element. Select the frame at which you want to add a keyframe using the red frame slider at the top of the Timeline window to change the frame number. In the Colour Transform tab, Properties window, click on the Add Keyframe button. A white square appears in the Colour Transform element at the selected frame. You can now change the value of the colour transformation. Move the red frame slider to the frame number where you want to add a keyframe. Squares appear in the trackbar for each keyframe. 4. To remove a keyframe, select the Colour Transform element, use the frame slider to select the keyframe you want to delete, and click on the Remove Keyframe button on the Colour Properties tab.
You can disable the display of colour transform effects in the Camera View windows.
Select View > Disable All Effects. Effects will export regardless if you have this option selected.
See Also Adding/Removing Keyframes from a Colour Transform on page 269 Additive and Multiplicative Colour Changes on page 264 Previewing a Scene Interactively on page 348 Changing Colour Over Time on page 267
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Flattening a Colour Transform Effect Layer

Multiple Drawing elements attached to the Colour Transform Effect may not occupy the same front-back position. This can affect the position of the Colour Transform Effect layer. The Flatten option at the bottom of the Colour Transform tab flattens the colour transform layer. The new depth (Z) value will be the same as the first element attached to the effect.
By default, a Colour Transform effect applied to multiple drawings will apply the effect at the current position of each drawing. You can activate the Flatten option the flatten the Colour Transform effect layer so that it appears at a single position. This option is available in the Colour Transform tab of the Properties window.
The position of the flattened Colour Transform layer will be at the same position as the first element attached to it, in this case, the top wave element. You can determine the position of the elements in the Side or Top views. See Also Adding/Removing Keyframes from a Colour Transform on page 269 Changing Colour Over Time on page 267 Combining Multiple Colour Transforms on page 271 Clipping Mask Effects on page 272
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Combining Multiple Colour Transforms

You can combine multiple Colour Transform effects to control different colour changes in your scene. For example, if your character was blushing as the sun was setting, you would create one Colour Transform effect for the blushing, and another for the effect of the setting sun on the whole scene. Multiple colour transformations are combined starting with the top Colour Transform elements, working down. In the Timeline, you can see the two Colour Transforms that are secondary to the master Colour Transform element. To combine multiple colour transforms: 1. 2. 3. Create the secondary Colour Transform effect. The secondary effect is the one that will be influenced by the primary effect. Create the primary Colour Transform effect. This is the effect that will have influence over elements as well as other Colour Transform effects. Attach the secondary Colour Transform effect to the primary Colour Transform effect.
See Also Adding/Removing Keyframes from a Colour Transform on page 269 Previewing a Scene Interactively on page 348 Clipping Mask Effects on page 272 Changing Colour Over Time on page 267
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Clipping Mask Effects

Ever been to a costume party where the only thing you see beneath the masks of the other guests is their eyes and mouth? The costume mask hides all of the face, except those parts revealed by the holes for the eyes and the mouth. You can create a very similar effect with moving images in Toon Boom Studio by hiding parts of images (the clip) below a mask. The mask in the image to the left is shaped like a wave to reveal a clip of a wave washing over a beach.
Combining the clipping mask effect with other elements can create interesting transitions between material. See Also Creating Clipping Mask Effects on page 272 Additive and Multiplicative Colour Changes on page 264 Modifying Masks on page 275
Creating Clipping Mask Effects

With Toon Boom Studio, you can create masks that allow part of an image to appear through a shape. To create this clipping mask effect, you must create a vector shape and attach it to the effects mask parameter. Then, you attach the images you want to see through the mask to the clipping element.
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Centreline strokes cannot be masks; only Brush strokes and painted areas can be masks. In this clipping mask effect, the wave_mask element is attached to the mask layer. The images that will show through (wave.swf) are attached to the Clipping element. When displaying the clipping mask, the composite elements are rendered into one layer. The top element inside the clip establishes the layering order with other elements in the scene and the mask layer establishes the foreground/background property of the entire rendered effect. To change the depth of the clipping effect, you must move the top element in the clip. You can mask drawing or image element types. You can also resize, rotate or move your masks dynamically with pegs, like you do other element types. To create a clipping mask effect: 1. Create a drawing element and draw the shape you want to use for the mask, and fill the regions you want to use to show the layers below the mask. This is the opposite of the concept of the party mask because it is actually the areas that are filled with paint that will show through the bottom layers. Select Element > Add > Clipping Effect. Two element layers appear in the Timeline, the Clipping Effect layer and the Mask layer. The Mask layer is a parameter of the Clipping Effect layer and as a result you cannot move, rename or delete it. Drag the drawing element you created to be the mask on top of the Mask layer. When it is attached, the drawing element is indented below the Mask layer. You can add multiple elements to the Mask layer. However, only the top visible drawing element will be used as the mask. Other drawing elements will be ignored in the calculation of the mask. If you only want the mask to hide a part of the clip for a segment of the clips duration, you must create a large drawing that will reveal the full clip for the duration of its exposure. If there is no drawing in the mask layer, then Toon Boom Studio assumes that all of the holes in the mask are filled, and that there is nothing that you want to see beneath it.
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Drag the elements you want to mask on top of the Clipping Effect layer. The masked elements are indented below the Clipping Effect layer. You must drag the mask you want to use (the vector drawing with painted zones identifying the areas you want to show through) on top of the Mask element. Then you drag all elements you want to be affected by the mask on top of the Clipping Effect element.
You can disable the display of mask effects in the Camera View windows. Select View > Disable All Effects. Effects will export regardless if you have this option selected. In the Timeline window, you can also hide the mask layers beneath a Clipping Effect element to make it easier to work with elements.
To hide the mask layers in all Clipping Effect elements, select View > Effects > Hide All Effects Parameters. To show the mask layers in the selected Clipping Effect element, View > Effects > Effect Parameters. To show the mask layers in all Clipping Effect elements, select View > Effects > Show All Effects Parameters.
See Also Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Previewing a Scene Interactively on page 348 Additive and Multiplicative Colour Changes on page 264 Modifying Masks on page 275
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Modifying Masks
You can change the rotation and size of masks just like you would any other element. You can even use pegs to change masks dynamically throughout the scene. However, if you just want to reposition a mask, it can be a little bit tricky. In the following example, the clip image fills the mask. If you try to move the mask as it is set up now, Toon Boom Studio will move the clip. To move the mask, you must hide the clip. This is a mask created from a drawing of a wave, which is revealing an image of a wave beneath it.
If you try to move the mask, you will end up moving the clip beneath it. To move a mask: 1. Use the Show/Hide buttons in the element list to hide the clip layer. We hid the wave.swf media element, which is the clip in this effect. 2. Use the Select tool to move the mask.
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Show the clip layer so that you can see the layers beneath the mask.
Heres a tip that also helps with the selection and modification of masks. 1. 2. 3. Add a peg and move it just outside of the masks area. Attach the mask to the peg. Use the circle that represents the peg as a handle for moving the mask.
See Also Repositioning Elements on page 175 Scaling Elements on page 178 Rotating Elements on page 183 Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190
Drop Shadow Effects

You can easily add a shadow to a drawing or a group of drawings in your scene. Shadows can add the feeling of depth to drawings and can also influence the mood of your scene. You can apply this effect to a single drawing (left) or to multiple drawings, such as the drawings that form this cut-out character (right). The opacity of the cut-out characters shadow has been decreased in the Drop Shadow properties to give it a softer look.
With Toon Boom Studio, you can automatically add a shadow to any drawing or selection of drawings and give it a look that suits your scene. Instead of adding to each current drawing or creating a new set of drawings, you can simply apply the drop shadow effect to the drawings you select.
Once you add a drop shadow, you can skew it, reposition it and change its colour and transparency levels. See Also Additive and Multiplicative Colour Changes on page 264 Clipping Mask Effects on page 272
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Creating Drop Shadow Effects

You can add a Drop Shadow Effect element to your timeline. The element layers that you attach to it comprise the drop shadow object. To create a drop shadow effect: 1. 2. Select Element > Add > Drop Shadow Effect. A new Drop Shadow Effect layer is added in the Timeline. Drag the drawing element that you want to add the drop shadow to on top of the Drop Shadow Effect layer. When it is attached, the drawing element is indented below the effect layer.
The Drop Shadow Effect element is also displayed in the Camera View.
You can use the Show/Hide buttons in the Timeline to turn off the display of all elements except the Drawing element and the Drop Shadow Effect layers, while you are working on the positioning of your shadow.
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Use the skew handles of the Drop Shadow Effect to determine the skew angle of the drop shadow. Use the round handle to move the shadow.
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You can also change the colour of the shadow and other properties. Select the Drop Shadow Effect element in the Timeline to display the Drop Shadow tab in the Properties window.
Click on the colour swatch to select a new drop shadow colour. Use the slider or enter an alpha value to select the level of Opacity of the shadow. If you have multiple elements attached to the Drop Shadow Effect element, the alpha value is for the entire shadow effect, and will not create an undesired additive transparency effect for overlapping elements. Activate the Hide Elements option to display the shadow only, but not the original Drawing element(s).
See Also Additive and Multiplicative Colour Changes on page 264 Clipping Mask Effects on page 272
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Chapter 10 Organizing Elements and Timing

This chapter explains how to organize the element layers in your scene, as well as work out the timing of their contents. This chapter contains the following topics:
Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Layering Elements on page 297 Sequencing and Timing Drawings and Images on page 306
Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows

The Exposure Sheet and Timeline windows are your worksheets for organizing, sequencing and timing the contents of your animation. Although both serve similar purposes, they display layering, sequence and timing information differently. The Exposure Sheet displays drawing, image, sound and media layers in columns. The Timeline window displays all element layers in rows.
Exposure Sheet Description Based on the traditional animators paper exposure sheet used to determine the elements and timing of their animation. Each row represents a frame. Far left column is the top layer. Displays the full name of drawing and image files appearing at each frame of your animation. Displays thumbnails and lip sync information.
Timeline Shows each element in your animation as a layer with a track displaying what appears at each frame. Each column represents a frame. Top row is the top layer. Indicates each new drawing or image in an element, but not the full name.
Frames Compositing Order of Layers Cell Display
See Also Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281 Adding Element/Cell Notes on page 285 Changing the Cell Display in the Exposure Sheet on page 287 Changing the Timeline Zoom Level on page 293
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Chapter 10: Organizing Elements and Timing
Showing/Hiding Elements
Sometimes it helps to hide elements so that you can focus on other ones.
You may want to hide elements in the Drawing View so that you see only specific layers in the Auto Light Table. You may want to hide elements in Sceneplanning views so that it is easier for you to lay out others in the 3D scene space.
The show/hide status of elements determines whether they are rendered for playback or export.
The show/hide status of elements in the Exposure Sheet controls the rendering and playback of elements from the Exposure Sheet and Drawing View. The show/hide status of elements in the Timeline controls the rendering and playback of elements from the Timeline or the Sceneplanning Views.
You can show/hide elements using the commands in the Element > Display menu. You can also use the Show/Hide buttons in the Exposure Sheet and Timeline windows. To show/hide elements in the Drawing View: 1. 2. In the Exposure Sheet, click on the Toggle Element List Element List panel. button to open the
Click on the check box next to the element name in the Element List panel. When the check box is selected, the element appears in the Drawing View and Exposure Sheet windows, and when you render or playback from the Exposure Sheet. When the check box is deselected, the element does not appear in the Drawing View and Exposure Sheet windows, and when you render or play back from the Exposure Sheet. Use the Show/Hide buttons in the Element List panel to select the elements you want to appear in the Drawing View.
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To show/hide elements in the Sceneplanning views:
Click on the check box next to the element name in the Element List panel. When the check box is selected, the element appears in all of the View and when you render or playback from the Timeline. When the check box is deselected, the element does not appear in the View windows or when you render or playback from the Timeline. Use the Show/Hide buttons to select the elements you want to appear in Sceneplanning view windows.
When you have hidden pegs, you can show them without changing their show/hide status in the element list in the Timeline window.
Select View > Pegs > Show All Pegs. All pegs become visible in the View windows.
See Also Changing the Layering Order of Elements on page 300 Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Using Keyframes and Timeline Properties on page 196
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Displaying Selected Elements Only in Sceneplanning Views

When you are working in the Drawing View, only a single element drawing can be displayed at the current frame. In the Sceneplanning view windows, all elements that are visible at the selected frame appear. If you want to work on a single element or set of elements, you can hide unrelated elements and then redisplay them later. That doesnt sound like a big deal, but if you have many elements, it can be time consuming to work around them. When you just want to work on the motion path of a particular character, you dont need to see all of the other elements in a scene.
Now that some of the elements are hidden, you can see the motion path of the character clearly.
Toon Boom Studio allows you to hide all other elements except the ones you select using Solo mode. When this mode is active, it temporarily hides all unselected elements from the View windows, allowing you to work on only the elements you want.
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To hide elements in your View windows with Solo mode: 1. 2. Select the element(s) you want to show. You can either select a single element or a range of elements (using [Shift]+click). Click on the Solo mode button located at the top-left of the Timeline window. When Solo mode is active, the Solo mode button appears inverted and the hidden element layers appear white in the Timeline window.
Only these highlighted elements will appear in the Sceneplanning View windows.
When you are in Solo mode, you can still display or hide elements from the View windows:
If you want to temporarily display an element that is not one of the selected elements, select it in the Timeline window. You can use the Show/Hide buttons to hide or display elements currently in the Solo mode.
See Also Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Deleting Elements on page 302 Using Keyframes and Timeline Properties on page 196
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Adding Element/Cell Notes

With a paper exposure sheet, animators can scribble notes on the paper about the elements in the scene and the action. Toon Boom Studio makes it possible to add electronic notes to your elements and cells so that you can record and save ideas about your animation. In the Timeline, only element notes are identified.
Cell and element note icons appear next to the names. If you clone an element, Toon Boom Studio also clones all of the element and cell notes. However, if you copy and paste an annotated cell, the note does not appear on the pasted cell. To add a note to an element or a cell: 1. Select the element or cell you want to add a note to. You can select an element in either the Exposure Sheet window or in the Timeline window. However, you must use the Exposure Sheet to add cell notes. 2. Select one of the following commands. To add an element note, select Element > Add Element Note. To add a cell note, select Element > Cell > Add Cell Note. The Note dialog box opens. 3. Type the note you want to add to the element/cell and click OK when you are done. The element or cell displays a small note icon to identify the note. To update an element or cell note: 1. Select one of the following commands. To update an element note, select Element > Update Element Note. To update a cell note, select Element > Cell > Update Cell Note.
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The Note dialog box opens.
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Update the note and click on OK. If you remove all of the text from the note, Toon Boom Studio will delete it.
See Also Viewing Cell and Element Notes on page 286
Viewing Cell and Element Notes

You can view element and cell notes in the Exposure Sheet, but you can only view element notes in the Timeline because you cannot see individual cells in this window. To view a cell or element note:
Pass your pointer over the note. The contents of the note will appear in a popup. Click on or hover over a note to display it. You can turn on and off note display by clicking on the Contextual Menu button and selecting View > Notes.
See Also Adding Element/Cell Notes on page 285 Cloning Elements on page 304
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Changing the Cell Display in the Exposure Sheet

You can customize how the Exposure Sheet window displays the contents of elements by clicking the Contextual Menu button and selecting the option you want from the View menu. If the option is active, a checkmark appears next to it:
Thumbnails: when active, a graphic representation of the contents appears. When deactivated, the cell displays only the cell name.
Thumbnails inactive Thumbnails active If the cell contains an image, drawing or media link, a thumbnail appears. If the cell contains a sound, the sounds wave form or an example of the lip position that would make the sound at that frame is displayed. Exposure: when active, a vertical line appears in the cells to indicate that the previous cell label applies to the current cell. When deactivated, the cell repeats the cell name for the length of the exposure.
Exposure active
Exposure inactive
Name: when active, the cell displays the name of the element before the cell
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name, which is often a number. When deactivated, only the cell name appears in the cell.
Name active
Name inactive
Notes: when active, an element or cell annotation appears in a pop-up window when you place your pointer over the annotated cell. When deactivated, the pop-up window does not appear. However, you can Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) on the element or cell and select Update Cell Note to view (or update) the note.
See Also Lip Synching on page 160 Resizing Columns in the Exposure Sheet on page 289 Adding Element/Cell Notes on page 285
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Resizing Columns in the Exposure Sheet

You can adjust the width of columns in the Exposure Sheet window to make it easier to see more element columns or more of the names of elements and cells. To resize columns in the Exposure Sheet window: 1. Drag the sides of the columns to their new size. You must drag the element title. As you resize columns their titles, or the labels of their cells, might become hidden. But, you can see more columns if the columns are narrow.
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To reset the column width, click on the Contextual Menu View > Reset Column Width.
button and select
See Also Changing the Colour of an Element on page 290 Changing the Default Colours of Elements on page 291
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Changing the Colour of an Element

As you add elements to the Exposure Sheet window and Timeline window, Toon Boom Studio assigns a default colour to each element layer or column based on its type. You can change the colour of specific elements to help you group and identify elements. For example, if you drew a character on several layers, say the body in one layer, the head in another and the legs in another, you could give all of these layers a colour different from the defaults to help you identify them easily in the Exposure Sheet window and Timeline. The element colour appears next to the element name in the Exposure Sheet window and for the trackbar colour in the Timeline window. For example, drawings are labeled in dark green by default.
To customize the colour of an element: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select the element. Select Element > Display > Change Colour. The colour picker opens. Select the colour you want to use for the selected element and click OK. The selected column now appears in the new colour. To reset the element colours to their default settings, select Element > Display > Default Colour.
See Also Changing the Default Colours of Elements on page 291 Changing the Timeline Track Colour on page 292
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Changing the Default Colours of Elements

Toon Boom Studio uses colour to help you distinguish each element type in the Exposure Sheet window and Timeline window.
The element colours appear in the Exposure Sheet and Timeline windows. You can change these default colours using the Preferences dialog box, which applies the changes in your current Toon Boom Studio session and any other animation set you create from then onwards. To change the default colour assigned to elements: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences on MacOS. Select Edit > Preferences on Windows. The Preferences dialog box opens. 2. Click on the Interface tab.
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3. 4. 5.
Click on the swatch next to the feature you want to change. The colour picker opens. Select the colour you wish to use and click OK. When you define all of the default colours, click OK in the Preferences dialog box.
See Also Changing the Colour of an Element on page 290 Assigning Keyboard Shortcuts on page 34 Real-Time Playback on page 350 Selecting Units of Measure on page 36
Changing the Timeline Track Colour

By default, the background colour of tracks in the Timeline window provide a high contrast with the elements that appear on top of it. In this example, the track colour has been changed to yellow. Element colour
You can change the background colour of selected tracks in the Timeline window so that you can easily distinguish a specific element or a group of elements from others. To customize the colour of a track in the Timeline window: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select the element whose track colour you want to change. Select Element > Display > Background Colour. The colour picker opens. Select the colour you want to use for the selected track and click OK. To revert the tracks colour, select Element > Display > Default Colour.
See Also Changing the Colour of an Element on page 290 Changing the Default Colours of Elements on page 291
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Changing the Timeline Zoom Level

You can change the zoom level of the Timeline window so that you can see more of the timing of elements in the Timeline window or get a more global view of the scene. For example, if you wanted to see when drawings in an element change, you can increase the zoom level until you can clearly see the vertical lines that represent new cells in the Timeline window. Changing the zoom level of the Timeline reveals more about the timing of your scene, exposing details or giving you the big picture.
To change the detail level in the Timeline window:
Drag the Zoom slider either to the left (zoom out) or to the right (zoom in). Youll notice that as you change the zoom level, the amount of detail changes in stages.
See Also Changing the Current Frame in the Timeline on page 294 Displaying Feet and Frames in the Timeline on page 295 Splitting the Timeline Window in Two on page 296 Changing the Timeline Track Colour on page 292
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Changing the Current Frame in the Timeline

The frame marker in the Timeline window identifies the frame you are viewing. When you play your scene, the frame marker moves across the Timeline window. The currently selected frame is indicated by the red frame marker and is in the title bar of the window.
To view the images at a specific frame, you can change the frame markers position in the Timeline window. To change the current frame, do one of the following:
Drag the frame marker to the frame you want to view. Click on the frame marker at the top of the Timeline window. The red frame marker appears at the point you click and the elements at that frame appear in the View window. To advance one frame, press [S]. To rewind one frame, press [A]. Right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl]-click (MacOS) the frame bar and select Change Current Frame. In the Change Current Frame dialog box, type the frame number you want to see and click OK. The red frame marker now appears on the frame you selected and the elements at that frame appear in the View window.
See Also Changing the Timeline Zoom Level on page 293 Displaying Feet and Frames in the Timeline on page 295 Splitting the Timeline Window in Two on page 296 Changing the Timeline Track Colour on page 292
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Displaying Feet and Frames in the Timeline

Traditional animation for TV and film is often measured in feet. The number of feet of film measurement is a handy way for animators to judge their output based. There are 16 frames per foot of film. If you are accustomed to working in a traditional environment, animating for film and TV, the feet and frames measurement on the Timeline window might be a more familiar reference point for you to use. To display feet and frames in the Timeline window: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences on MacOS. Select Edit > Preferences on Windows.

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The Preferences dialog box opens. Click on the Interface tab. Select how you want the Timeline to mark time from the Time Measurement drop-list.
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From the Time Measurement drop-list, select Feet and Frames and click OK. When displaying feet and frames in the Timeline window, the first number indicates the number of feet and the second number indicates the number of frames in the current foot.
See Also Changing the Timeline Zoom Level on page 293 Changing the Current Frame in the Timeline on page 294
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Splitting the Timeline Window in Two

You can use the Zoom slider to view more or less of the Timeline window, but if your scene is very long, you would still have to use the slider to display the beginning and end of the scene. Thats why the Timeline window features the Split Window button. This button allows you to split the Timeline window into two sections, allowing you to view two sections of the scene independently. Split Window button
Change the size of each section by dragging the border bar inside the Timeline window. To split the Timeline window into two sections: 1. 2. 3. Click on the Split Window button in the top-right of the Timeline window. A border bar appears on the extreme right of the Timeline window. Place your pointer over the bar that separates the two sections so that your pointer changes to a resize pointer. Drag the bar to its new position. slider.
The new section of the Timeline window has its own scroll bars and Zoom See Also Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281 Changing the Current Frame in the Timeline on page 294 Changing the Timeline Zoom Level on page 293
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Layering Elements
The layering order of elements determines how they are stacked (the composition order) when you play back or export your animation from each mode.
In the Exposure Sheet, columns on the left are rendered on top of columns on the right when you export an Exposure Sheet scene. When you export a full movie or scene, elements in rows on top of the Timeline list appear layered on top of the elements below. Of course, when your elements change relative front/back position based on layout and pegged motion effects, that ultimately determines the composition order of the elements.
Any changes you make to your scenes contents in the Exposure Sheet appears in the Timeline window, except for the show/hide status of the element. There are eight element types you can add to your animation:
Drawing : vector drawing files you create or import. Drawing elements appear in both the Exposure Sheet and the Timeline. Image : bitmap graphics that you import into your animation. Image elements appear in both the Exposure Sheet and the Timeline. Sound : sound files you import into your animation. Sound elements appear in both the Exposure Sheet and the Timeline. Media : multimedia files that you link into your animation. You use the media element type to make a link from your animation to a multimedia file. Media elements appear in both the Exposure Sheet and the Timeline. Peg : create motion, scaling, and rotation changes over time. Peg elements appear only in the Timeline. You can modify peg elements in this view window. Camera : As in traditional animation and film production, you use cameras to film the action in a scene. You can use camera elements to zoom in and zoom out on your scene by changing the field of view (FOV), create pans, move closer or farther (truck in and out) from the action in your scene. Toon Boom Studio can film a scene with only one camera. You can add additional cameras as a reference, but Toon Boom Studio can only use the camera you
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select from the Camera List toolbar button to film your scene. You must create all of the camera effects you want to use for the final movie in one camera. The default scene camera does not appear in the Timeline window, but any cameras you add will appear in the element list. You can modify camera elements in Sceneplanning view windows.
Colour Transform Effects : change the colour of element gradually from keyframe to keyframe. Colour Transform Effects elements appear only in the Timeline. Clipping Effects : display only part of an image, using a mask to identify the areas on the image you want to show through. When you add this element, Toon Boom Studio adds a Mask parameter element to control the masking image. Clipping Effects elements appear only in the Timeline. Drop Shadow Effects : displays shadows for attached Drawing elements. Drop Shadow Effects elements appear only in the Timeline.
See Also Adding Many Elements to a Scene on page 298 Changing the Layering Order of Elements on page 300 Renaming Elements on page 302 Deleting Elements on page 302 Cloning Elements on page 304 Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281 Changing the Default Colours of Elements on page 291
Adding Many Elements to a Scene

By default, there is one drawing, one peg and one camera element in new animation sets. When you want to add new content to your animation or add different types of content (such as bitmaps or sounds), you must add new elements to your scene. To add elements to your scene: 1. Select Element > Add > Elements. The New Elements dialog box opens.
You can also open this dialog box by clicking the Contextual Menu button in the Exposure Sheet window and selecting Add > Elements, or by clicking the Add button in the Timeline window. Use the New Elements dialog box to enter information about the elements you are adding.
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Select the type of element from the Type drop-menu. You have the following choices. Drawing: stores vector drawings you create in Toon Boom Studio, import from Adobe Illustrator, or create by vectorizing bitmaps. Image: contains static bitmap images you import in the element (usually a background image). Sound: contains audio files you import to the scene. Peg: allows you to change an elements position, size, or angle over time. Camera: adds another perspective to a scene. Media: contains multimedia files you link to the scene. Colour Transform Effect: allows you to change the colours in an element at keyframes. Clipping Effect: allows you to hide certain parts of a clip with a mask. When you select this option, Toon Boom Studio adds a Mask parameter layer, which you use to control the mask parameter. Drop Shadow Effect: allows you to add a shadow to an element or group of elements. Type the name of the new element(s) in the Name field. If you are adding one element, Toon Boom Studio labels the column with the selected element name. If you add more than one element, Toon Boom Studio labels each with the selected element name followed by a sequential number (starting at one).
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4. 5.
Type the number of elements you want to add in the Number field. You can also use the arrow buttons to increase or decrease the number. Click on OK when done.
Toon Boom Studio adds the selected number of elements to the Exposure Sheet window and the Timeline window with their default names, but you can rename them at any time. See Also Renaming Elements on page 302 Duplicating Elements on page 303 Cloning Elements on page 304 Deleting Elements on page 302 Changing the Colour of an Element on page 290 Changing the Layering Order of Elements on page 300
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Changing the Layering Order of Elements

You can change the order of elements to determine how they are layered for playback and rendering.
In the Exposure Sheet, elements to the left are layered on top of elements to the right. In the Timeline, top layers are layered on top of the lower layers.
To change the layering order of elements in the Exposure Sheet window, do one of the following:
Press [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Command] (MacOS) and drag the element to its new layering position in the columns of the Exposure Sheet. In the Exposure Sheet, element columns to the left are on top of element columns to the right. Drag the element to its new layering position in the Element List panel. In this panel, elements at the top of the list are on top of elements at the bottom of the list.
A line appears between the existing elements to indicate where the element will appear. You can also use the following commands in the Element > Arrange menu:
Bring to Front: move the element on top of all elements. Bring Forward: move the element in front of the element currently on top of it. Send to Back: move the element behind all elements. Send Backward: move the element behind the element currently below it.
When you are changing the layering order from the Exposure Sheet or using the Arrange commands, if the element you are trying to change is the child of an dynamic element, such as a peg or an effect, you will only be able to reorder layers within the parent element. You will not be able to reorder layers if doing so requires Toon Boom Studio to detach the element from its parent to change its layering order.
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To change the composition order of elements in the Timeline window, use one of the following methods:
Drag the element to its new layering position in the Timeline window. In the Timeline list, click on the name of the element you want to move. Drag the element to its new position in the layering order. Your pointer changes to indicate if the element can be placed in that position.
You can force elements to appear behind or in-front of other elements in your animation using the options of the Type list in the Drawing tab, Image tab, and Media tab. When an element is in a peg hierarchy, the Type setting applies to its position within the peg hierarchy.
Foreground: Forces the element to appear in-front of other elements. When you have more than one element set to Foreground, the layering order in the Timeline determines the order of the Foreground elements. Normal: Allows the elements to follow the layering order of the Timeline order or the front/back position in the Offset field in the Properties window. If you select this option, then you must make sure that your foreground and background images are in the right layering order in the Timeline list. Background: Forces the element to appear behind other elements. When you have more than one element set to Background, then the layering order in the Timeline determines the order of the Background elements.
We made the clouds a background element so that no matter how characters or camera move in the scene, the clouds will always appear in the back.
See Also Renaming Elements on page 302 Deleting Elements on page 302 Exporting Your Movie on page 351
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Renaming Elements
At any time, you can rename elements to more accurately reflect the contents they hold. If you change the name of a drawing or image element, Toon Boom Studio changes the names of all drawings and images in the element and in your animation set folder. To rename an element: 1. 2. Select the element you want to rename. Select Element > Rename Element. The Rename Element dialog box opens. The name of the dialog box actually changes depending on the type of element you are modifying. For example, if you select an Image element, the dialog box opens as Rename Image Element. 3. Type the name for the element in the Element Name field and click OK. Toon Boom Studio renames the selected element and if the element contains drawings or images, their names change to reflect the new element name. See Also Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Layering Elements on page 297 Sequencing and Timing Drawings and Images on page 306 Naming and Renaming a Cell on page 316 Renaming a Drawing or Image on page 317
Deleting Elements
As you develop your animation, you may need to delete unnecessary elements. For example, when you complete your final drawings of a character, you can delete the elements that contained the roughs. To delete an element from your animation: 1. 2. Select the element you want to remove. Select Element > Delete Element. Toon Boom Studio removes the element and its contents from your animation and from your animation set folder.
If you want to only hide an element in a scene, you can temporarily toggle it on and off. This not only hides it from the Drawing View/Camera View window, but also from the rendering process too! See Also Showing/Hiding Elements on page 281
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Duplicating Elements
By duplicating elements, you can quickly build up your scene by reusing existing content. You can duplicate all element types. Unlike cloned elements, duplicated elements are not linked to the original. You can modify one without modifying the other. Also unlike cloned elements, when you duplicate elements, you increase the file size of your animation. To duplicate elements: 1. In the Timeline window, select the element you want to duplicate.
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Select Element > Duplicate Element.
A copy of the element appears in the Timeline window. You can modify either the original or duplicate without modifying the other. See Also Cloning Elements on page 304 Adding Many Elements to a Scene on page 298
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Cloning Elements
You can clone elements when you want to reuse the contents of an element, but create a different effect, like with the timing of the same drawings or with an elements placement in the 3D space. Unlike duplicated elements, cloned elements and their original are linked. They both refer to the same content files in the animation set folder. When you modify one, the other is also modified. Lets say you want to create the skyline of a city. Rather than drawing hundreds of buildings, you could draw a few, clone them and reposition the clones in space and flip them, to create a dense scene from few drawings. In this example, we cloned some buildings three times, then positioned them throughout the 3D space to create a deep city scene with a minimal amount of drawings.
You can clone the following element types:
Drawings Images Media Sounds Pegs Colour Transform Effects Drop Shadow Effects
The contents of the cloned elements are shared, but you can change some of the properties of the clones without affecting the other clones.
Drawing and Image Elements: the original and the cloned element both reference the same directory of files. Cloning drawing and image elements does not increase the file size of your final animation. If you change a drawing or image, all clones are updated with the new drawing or image. If you add new drawings or images to the clones, they do not appear in the other clones. However, they are available to the other clones by renaming a cell with the name of the drawing or image.
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You can change the exposure of drawings and images without affecting the clones. Media: cloned media share the same content. You can reposition and change the start frame of media elements without modifying other clones. Pegs: the cloned pegs share control points and keyframes, and you can change the position of the peg in the 3D Sceneplanning space without affecting the clones. Cloning peg elements does not increase the file size of your final animation. Sounds: cloned sounds are exact copies. You can change any property in the sound clones without affecting other clones. Cloning sound elements does not increase the file size of your final animation. Colour Transform Effects: clones are exact copies of the original, with the same keyframe and values. Changes to the keyframe values in any clone changes all other clones. You can change the start time of any clone without changing the others. Drop Shadow Effects: clones share the same the same colour, position properties and element display setting. You can change the properties of any clone and change it in all other cloned Drop Shadow Effect elements.
To clone an element: 1. 2. Select the element you want to clone. You can only select one element at a time. Select Element > Clone Element. A clone of the selected element appears in the Exposure Sheet window and in the Timeline window. See Also Adding Many Elements to a Scene on page 298 Renaming Elements on page 302 Deleting Elements on page 302 Duplicating Elements on page 303
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Sequencing and Timing Drawings and Images

Your animation project folder contains the contents of your animation. If you open your animation project folder (Windows) or display the contents of the Toon Boom Studio project directory (MacOS), you will see the contents of your animation.
Each scene has its own folder in the root of the animation project folder. Also at the root of the animation set folder are the sound and template folders, which provide storage for the entire animation project. In each scene folder are bitmap and drawing folders, which store every static and vector image in the scene. The names of drawing and image files are based on the name of the element and their order of creation. These are all of the drawings in Scene-001 of this animation.
Cell labels in the Exposure Sheet let you know what will appear at each frame. The cell label displays the element name plus the cell name, which tells Toon Boom Studio what drawing to display from the animation project folder.
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The Timeline window and the Cells tab of the Properties window let you know what image or drawing is displayed at each frame. The Timeline does not display which drawing or image is in use, but you can use the Cells tab to figure out the exact name of the drawing or image at a selected frame. Use the red slider to view all drawings and images in an element, and change the one that is displayed at the current frame. The vertical bar indicates every frame that has a new drawing or image. See Also Inserting a Range of Numbered Cells on page 308 Inserting Blank Cells in an Element on page 314 Naming and Renaming a Cell on page 316 Cutting, Copying and Pasting Cells on page 317 Clearing a Drawing from a Cell on page 322 Protecting Drawings on page 322 Inserting Blank Frames in a Scene on page 315 Deleting Cells from Elements on page 323
Labelling Cells in the Exposure Sheet

You can select a cell and start drawing right away, and Toon Boom Studio will automatically number the selected cell incrementally. You can label cells manually in the Exposure Sheet if you want to label your cells before you start drawing or if you dont want to use incremental numbers to label your cells (and name your drawings and images). To label cells in the Exposure Sheet: 1. 2. 3. Double-click a cell so that the label becomes editable. Type a value for the cells name in the field. Press [Enter] (Windows) or [Return] (MacOS). Toon Boom Studio advances to the next cell so that you can edit its label.
See Also Inserting a Range of Numbered Cells on page 308

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Changing the Cell Display in the Exposure Sheet on page 287 Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309
Inserting a Range of Numbered Cells

If you want to preplan the number of frames an animation sequence should take, you can label a range of cells before you start drawing. For example, if you want to create a walk cycle in 10 frames, you can label those 10 frames first and then add the drawings to them later. Inserting named cells will label the cells in the selected element with numbers that increase from the last cell.
You can add numbered cells to the selected element in the Exposure Sheet window or Timeline window. However, you can only insert numbered cells in the Exposure Sheet window. You can only add a range of named cells to drawing elements, because youll be using Toon Boom Studio to create the drawings for that element. Because the other elements like Sound and Media rely on files you create outside of Toon Boom Studio, the system automatically assigns the cell name when you import them. To insert a range of numbered cells: 1. Select the cell where you want to start the range of numbered cells
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Select Element > Cell > Insert Cell. The Insert Cells dialog box opens.
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Type the number of cells you want to insert in the Number field. You can also use the arrow buttons or the arrow keys to increase or decrease this value. Select Named Cells checkbox to automatically number the cells in this element. Toon Boom Studio reads the last numbered cell for this element and starts the new range with the next number. Select where you insert these new cells by selecting one of the following radio buttons: Before: inserts the cells before the row you selected. After: inserts the cells after the row you selected. Click on OK to add the cell(s) to your Exposure Sheet window.
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There is an even quicker way to add numbered cells to your Exposure Sheet window. 1. 2. Select a range of cells by pressing [Shift] and clicking another cell. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) on the selected cells and select Insert Cell from the pop-up menu. Toon Boom Studio automatically adds numbered cells in the range you select.
See Also Labelling Cells in the Exposure Sheet on page 307 Naming and Renaming a Cell on page 316 Creating Cycles on page 318 Inserting Blank Frames in a Scene on page 315
Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images

The amount of time a single frame appears on screen depends on the animations frame rate. If the frame rate is 12 frames-per-second (fps), then each frame appears for 1/12th of a second. You can change the exposure of a drawing, image or media to increase or decrease the amount of time it spends on screen. For example, you can extend the exposure of a drawing from 1 to 3, the drawing will appear on screen for 3 times as long.
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To extend the exposure of a drawing or image in the Exposure Sheet: 1. 2. Click a labelled cell in the Exposure Sheet. Hold the mouse and drag the bottom of the cell to the last frame you want the drawing or image to appear in.
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Release the mouse button.
To change the exposure of a drawing or image: 1.
Select the cell of the drawing, image or media element. In the Exposure Sheet window, click on the cell. In the Timeline window, click on the cell. If the Single Cell Selection preference is not selected, press the [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) button as you select a cell.
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Select one of the following commands from the Element > Cell menu. Set Exposure to 1: appears in one frame (the default setting) Set Exposure to 2: appears in two frames. Set Exposure to 3: appears in three frames. Set Exposure: to set another exposure time. This command opens the Set Exposure dialog box. Add Exposure: adds one to the drawing, image or medias current exposure time. Remove Exposure: removes one exposure from the drawing or images current exposure time. Extend Exposure: adds a selected number of frames to the current exposure time. This command opens the Extend Exposure dialog box.
Heres a shortcut for extending the exposure in the Exposure Sheet window. 1. 2. Selecting the cell that you want to extend the previous drawings exposure time to. Select Element > Cell > Extend Exposure.
See Also Changing an Elements Start Time in the Timeline on page 313
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Swapping Drawings in an Element

Using the Cells tab on the Properties dialog box, you can change which drawing appears at the selected frame with another one from the elements directory. For example, lets say that you have scrubbed a voice track in the Timeline and you want to change a drawing assigned at the frame with another mouth drawing. Just use the Cells tab to flip through the drawings in the element and pick the one you want to appear at the selected frame. To change which drawing appears at the selected frame: 1. In the Timeline or Exposure Sheet, select the frame that contains the drawing you want to change.
This is the drawing that appears at frame 7.
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In the Cells tab, use the slider to flip through the drawings in the element. Use the slider to flip through the drawings in an element and select the drawing you want to display at the frame.
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Toon Boom Studio changes the cell label at the selected frame and all consecutive frames that the original drawing appeared in so that the drawing.
See Also Lip Synching on page 160 Animating Cut-Out Style on page 24 Labelling Cells in the Exposure Sheet on page 307 Inserting a Range of Numbered Cells on page 308
Changing an Elements Start Time in the Timeline

The Timeline window makes it easy to change an elements timing in a scene. You can change when an element starts or stops in the Timeline window simply by dragging it from one position to another. Drag the elements trackbar to a new position to change its start/end time. You can select and drag multiple elements at the same time.
The blue Arrow button next to the peg determines if changes to the start time of the parent peg will affect child elements. See Using Keyframes and Timeline Properties on page 196. See Also Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309 Changing the Start Frame and Duration of a Dynamic Camera on page 257
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Inserting Blank Cells in an Element

You can insert blank cells between cells with content. For these blank cells, nothing from the element will appear in the frame.
To insert a range of blank cells in an element: 1. 2. Select the cell where you want to start the range of numbered cells Select Element > Cell > Insert Cell. The Insert Cells dialog box opens.
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Type the number of cells you want to insert in the Number field. You can also use the arrow buttons or the arrow keys to increase or decrease this value. Make sure you deselect the Named Cells checkbox so that the cells appear blank. Select where you insert these new cells by selecting one of the following buttons: Before: inserts the cells before the row you selected. After: inserts the cells after the row you selected. Click on OK to add the cell(s) to your Exposure Sheet window.
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See Also Naming and Renaming a Cell on page 316 Creating Cycles on page 318 Inserting Blank Frames in a Scene on page 315
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Inserting Blank Frames in a Scene

When you need to add time to an entire scene (across all of the elements), you can add frames to the Exposure Sheet window or Timeline window. This is useful if you need to add time to the middle of a scene. For example, if you want to have a complete stop to all visual and audio content for 5 frames. scenes: We added five frames to all elements. You can see what happened by comparing the before/after shots of the Exposure Sheet and Timeline.
To insert blank frames in a scene: 1.

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Select the frame where you want to insert the new frames. In the Exposure Sheet window, click a cell or a frame. In the Timeline window, use the red frame slider to advance to the frame number.
Select Element > Cell > Insert Cell from the pop-up menu. The Insert Cells dialog box opens. Type the number of frames you want to insert in the Number field.
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You can also use the arrow buttons or the arrow keys to increase or decrease this value. 4. Select In all Elements checkbox to add frames to the entire scene at the frame number.
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Select where you insert these new frames by selecting one of the following radio buttons: Before: inserts the frames before the row you selected. After: inserts the frames after the row you selected. Click on OK to add the frame(s).
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See Also Inserting Blank Cells in an Element on page 314 Naming and Renaming a Cell on page 316 Creating Cycles on page 318
Naming and Renaming a Cell

You can change the name of a cell to either:
Create a new drawing file in the animation set folder Load a different drawing from the animation set folder. For example, if there is already a drawing called dude-02 and you type 02 in the dude element, the dude-02 drawing appears in the frame you selected.
To name or rename a cell: 1. 2. 3. In the Exposure Sheet, double-click on the cell that you want to modify. The cell becomes editable. Type the name you want to assign to that cell and press [Enter] (Windows) or [Return] (MacOS). The next cell in the element becomes editable. Press [Esc] to quit the edit mode.
See Also Layering Elements on page 297 Clearing a Drawing from a Cell on page 322
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Renaming a Drawing or Image

If you want to give an existing drawing or image file a new name, you need to use the Rename command. To rename a drawing or image: 1. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the drawing or image you want to rename and select Rename Drawing/Image from the pop-up menu. The Rename Drawing/Image dialog box opens. Type the new name in the Drawing/Image Name field and click OK. If the name you type already exists, you must select a new name.
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See Also Renaming Elements on page 302 Naming and Renaming a Cell on page 316
Cutting, Copying and Pasting Cells

As you build content, you will want to reuse as much as possible to reduce your work, and hopefully reduce the file size of your animation.
If you cut or copy and paste a cell in the same element, Toon Boom Studio will paste the original cell label, accessing the original drawing or image in the animation set folder. To reduce your work and keep the file size of your final Macromedia Flash movie small, you can to reuse the same drawing at different frames. If you paste a new object, Toon Boom Studio copies the contents of the original cell to the new cell and creates a new file in your animation set folder. You can use the paste new object feature to use the contents of one cell for the basis of another drawing.
To cut, copy and paste cells: 1. 2. Select the cell(s) you want to copy from the element column in the Exposure Sheet window. Select Edit > Cut or Edit > Copy. Select Copy to leave a copy of the cell at its original frame. Select Cut to delete the cell.
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Select where you want to paste the cells. If you want to reuse the same drawing and keep the file size small, you must select a cell in the same element. If you want to create a new drawing, you can select a cell in the same or a different element. In the Timeline window, you must change the current frame (with the red frame slider) to select the cell in the element where you want to insert the pasted object.
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Select Edit > Paste or Edit > Paste New Object. Select Paste. If you selected a cell in the same element, Toon Boom Studio accesses the original file. When you modify a file, all cells that access the file are updated. If you selected a cell in a different element, Toon Boom Studio creates a new file in your animation set folder. You can modify either file without affecting the other. Select Paste New Object if you want to create a new cell in the same element with the contents of the original cell.
See Also Sequencing and Timing Drawings and Images on page 306 Creating Cycles on page 318 Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201
Creating Cycles
Animation cycles are a key technique in the reuse of work and file size management. The Create Cycles command simplifies the process of labelling cells in the exposure sheet to create cycles. You can create animation cycles in the Exposure Sheet window or in the Timeline window. To create cycles from a section of cells: 1. Select the cells that contain the drawings in the cycle. In the Exposure Sheet window, press [Shift] and select the range of cells. In the Timeline window, press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) and select the range of cells. Select the cells that you want to use in the cycle.
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2. 3.
Select Element > Cell > Create Cycle. The Create Cycle dialog box opens. In Number of Cycles field, type the number of cycles you want to create, including the cycle you have selected. The cycle is added after the selected cells.
See Also Cutting, Copying and Pasting Cells on page 317 Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309 Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Creating Advanced Cycles on page 320
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Creating Advanced Cycles

During animation development, you design more complicated cycles. For example, a bouncing ball cycle where the sequence of drawings goes backwards and forwards during the cycle (1-2-3-4-3-2-1). You can use the Advanced Cycle dialog box to automate the process of creating cycles and labelling cells. To create advanced cycles: 1. 2. Select the element where you want to create the cycle. Select Element > Cell > Create Advanced Cycle. The Advanced Cycle dialog box opens.
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In the First Drawing and Last Drawing panels, select the drawings that you want in the first and last position of the cycle. You can type values in the Name fields or use the slider to select the drawings. In the Exposure panel, set the exposure time for the drawings in the cycle. You can set a different exposure for the last drawing in the cycle to stay on-screen.
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In the Loops panel, select the number of times you want the cycle to repeat. Select None if you dont want the cycle to repeat. Select Continuous if you want the cycle to restart with the first drawing on each loop. For example, if you created 2 continuous loop of drawings 1-2-3, the resulting loop would be: 1-2-3-1-2-3. Select Forward-Backward, if you want to restart the loop with the previous drawing. For example, if you created 2 forward-backward loops with drawings 1-2-3, the resulting loop would be: 1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2. Type the number of times you want the cycle repeat in the Loops field. If you want to repeat the cycle for a specific number of frames, type a value in the Frames field.
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Select how you want to insert the cycle. Select Insert Frames to add the cycle in the current location. Select Overwrite Frames to delete frames that overlap the cycle. Click on OK when you are done. Toon Boom Studio updates the Exposure Sheet window with the new cell labels.
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See Also Cutting, Copying and Pasting Cells on page 317 Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309 Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Creating Cycles on page 318
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Protecting Drawings
You can lock drawings so that they cannot be modified accidentally. The Lock command prevents an element layer from being selected in the Camera View. If you lock selected drawings in an element, you can auto paint all the other drawings without modifying the locked ones. You can only lock drawings from the Exposure Sheet window. To protect drawings: 1. 2. Select the drawing(s) you want to lock. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the selected drawing(s) and select Lock Drawing from the pop-up menu. A lock 3. appears on the selected drawings wherever in use. To unlock the drawing, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) it and select Unlock Drawing from the pop-up menu.
Template to Preserve Lock Flag

When you save your project, the locked or unlocked state of elements will also be saved. This means that the next time you open the project, the program will remember which elements were locked, and which were not locked. See Also Exposure Sheet and Timeline Windows on page 280 Drawing Line Art on page 41
Clearing a Drawing from a Cell

You can clear drawings that you dont want to use anymore from a cell. This action keeps the drawing file, but deletes all of the contents of the drawing. You must use the Exposure Sheet window to clear drawings from a cell. To clear drawings from selected cells: 1. Select the cell(s) that contain drawings you want to erase. If you are selecting more than one cell, you should check each cell to make sure it contains a drawing you dont want anymore. If you select a range of cells, only the first cell appears in the Drawing View window. 2. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the selected cell(s) and select Clear Drawing from the pop-up menu. Toon Boom Studio deletes the contents of the drawing and leaves the cell with the same name.
See Also Deleting Cells from Elements on page 323 Protecting Drawings on page 322
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Deleting Cells from Elements

You can delete cells when you want to remove it from the playback.
When you delete cells from drawing and image elements, the original files remain in your animation set folder. When you delete cells from sound or media elements, the deleted frames are not played in the rendered animation, though the original file is unchanged. For complete control over your sounds, you should edit them with the Sound Element Editor.
To delete cells from selected element(s): 1. 2. Select the cells from the element(s) you want to affect. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) your selection and select Delete Cell from the pop-up menu.
See Also Editing Sounds on page 153 Editing Templates on page 332 The Library Window on page 326
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Chapter 11 Re-using Content

This chapter explains how to re-use content and make the most of your work. This chapter contains the following topics:
The Library Window on page 326 Re-using Drawings and Images from the Current Animation on page 329 Creating Templates on page 330 Using Templates on page 337 Creating, Renaming and Deleting Catalogs on page 343 Creating and Renaming Libraries on page 344
The Library Window

The Library window is your centre for managing re-usable content in Toon Boom Studio. From the Library window, you can access:
All vector elements and drawings, and image elements and bitmaps in your animation. From the list of vector elements, you can copy any drawing from one place in your animation set to another. Templates stored in the Global or Local libraries, or in another library on your file system. Templates are files that you can use to store individual pieces of animation content, such as drawings, images, or sounds, or collections of animation content (many drawings, images or sounds) or elements.
The Animation folder lists all of the vector elements in your animation, organized by scene. Templates are libraries, like the Local and Global folders. You can create or load libraries of templates stored on your computer or on any computer on your network. When you need to re-use any piece of animation content in your current animation, or in any project you are working on, you can use templates. You can even use templates to share work with other artists on a project. Create templates from completed work and then send the template files to the rest of the people on your team. Those responsible for compositing can import the templates into the Library and then build the finished work. Templates can reduce the amount of work you need to do, as well as keep the file size of your animation small. When you are animating cut-out characters, you may decide to create libraries of templates of your character. You may decide to create templates of individual body parts, the entire character in various poses, or animated sequences like walk-cycles.
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Chapter 11: Re-using Content
You can create templates from:
Drawings, images and sound Entire elements: Templates you create from the Timeline store the layout order and peg effects you design.
You can also import media files (sound files and SWF movies) into the Library so that you can manage them as re-usable templates. You can create templates from single or multiple elements by dragging them from the Exposure Sheet.
You can create templates from single or multiple elements by dragging them from the Timeline. You can create a template from the entire scene if you want. You cannot create templates from Media elements or their contents. See Also Creating and Renaming Libraries on page 344 Previewing Content in the Library on page 328 Editing Templates on page 332 Importing Multimedia Files into the Library on page 333 Copying a Template into Your Animation on page 338 Linking Templates to Media Elements on page 340 Re-using Drawings and Images from the Current Animation on page 329
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Previewing Content in the Library

You can check the contents in the Library using the preview area in the window.
Select the checkbox to enable preview in the Library window.
To preview content in the library: 1. 2. 3. Select Window > Library to display the Library window. Make sure the preview checkbox is enabled. Double-click on the object you want to preview. In the Animation folder, you can preview entire scenes or elements, or individual drawings. In the library folders, like the Local and Global folders, you can preview any type of template. However, if your template consists of a peg or a camera element only, you may not see anything in the preview window.
4.
button in the preview panel. If there are multiple frames in the Click on the Play object you want to play back, you can use the slider to select the frame you want to see.
See Also The Library Window on page 326 Re-using Drawings and Images from the Current Animation on page 329 Creating Templates on page 330 Using Templates on page 337
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Re-using Drawings and Images from the Current Animation

You can re-use vector drawings and bitmap images in the current animation by copying them to new elements, in the same or different scenes. When you select an element, the contents appear in the right side of the Library window.
The Animation folder lists all of the vector elements and drawings in your animation, organized by scene.
To re-use drawings and images from the current animation: 1. 2. 3. Select Window > Library to display the Library window. In the Animation folder, select the scene and element that contains the drawings you want to copy. Decide what you want to copy. To copy all of the drawings in the element to the new location, drag the element from the Library window to the Exposure Sheet or Timeline. To copy only those drawings you need, drag selected drawings from the right column of the Library window to a new or existing element. You can also select the frame where you want to copy the selected content, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the drawing or image, and select Copy to Current Frame from the pop-up menu.
Toon Boom Studio copies the drawings you select to the new location. The drawing you copy will have a new name. You can edit the vector drawings you copy in their new location. You can also use the Cells tab to swap drawings assigned to appear at a frame with another one in the element folder. See Also Swapping Drawings in an Element on page 312 Creating Templates on page 330 Using Templates on page 337
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Creating Templates
Creating a template is as easy as selecting what you want from the Exposure Sheet or Timeline window and dragging your selection into the Library window. You can create templates from any piece of animation content:
Create templates from single or multiple images and drawings, or sounds, in the Exposure Sheet window. Create templates from single or multiple elements, or from a selection of frames across multiple elements, from the Timeline window. Select sequences of drawings and images from the Exposure Sheet.
Select sequences of elements from the Timeline window.
When you drag your selection in the Library window, Toon Boom Studio analyzes the content and assigns an icon to the template based on what it contains. To create templates: 1. 2. 3. Select Window > Library to display the Library window. In the Library window, select the library where you want to create your template. Select the item(s) you want to use to create a template from either the Exposure Sheet or the Timeline window.
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Depending on the view window you are in, you can select the same items one of the following ways: You can select a range of cells from any part of the Exposure Sheet (you cannot select one or more columns). To select a range of cells, click on the first cell and drag to select the adjoining cells (either from the same column or the adjacent columns). You can also press [Shift]-click to select a range of cells. You can select a range of adjacent items (cells or elements, pegs, cameras) from the Timeline window, as well. To select a single element, click on the element title in the Timeline window. To select a range of elements, click on the first element title and [Shift]-click a range of elements in the Timeline window. To select a range of cells, click and drag through the cells you want to select. If you have de-selected the Single Cell Selection option in the Sceneplanning tab of the Preferences dialog box, you must press [Alt] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) and drag the pointer through the cells you want to select. 4. 5. Drag the selected items to a library in the Library window. Toon Boom Studio assigns an icon to represent the contents of the template and assigns a temporary name. Type the name of the new template, replacing the default name, and press [Enter] (Windows) or [Return] (MacOS). To better organize your project or global templates, you can create Catalogs (which are similar to folders).
See Also Editing Templates on page 332 Importing Multimedia Files into the Library on page 333 Renaming Templates on page 334 Deleting Templates on page 334 Viewing a Templates Properties on page 335 Creating, Renaming and Deleting Catalogs on page 343. Using Templates on page 337 Renaming Templates on page 334 Using Templates on page 337
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Editing Templates
You can modify the content of global or local templates. Toon Boom Studio updates all animation sets that link to templates you edit. To edit templates: 1. In the Library window, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the template you want to edit and select Edit Template from the pop-up menu. The identification of the active scene changes in the Scene Manager and the contents of the template you are editing appear in the View windows and the title bar on the Exposure Sheet and Timeline windows changes to indicate that you are editing a template.
When you edit a template, the arrows next to the scene in the Scene Manager disappear to indicate that you are editing a template. 2. 3. Now that you are in template editing mode, you can change the contents of the template in the View windows, Exposure Sheet window or Timeline window. Save your template. Select File > Save to save the changes to the local and global template, as well as the animation set. Select File > Save Global Library to save the contents of the global library only and not the animation set.
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To exit the edit template mode, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the template and select Return to Scene. You can also double-click on the scene name in the Scene Manager.
See Also Using Templates on page 337 Creating Templates on page 330 The Library Window on page 326 Renaming Templates on page 334 Deleting Templates on page 334
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Importing Multimedia Files into the Library

If you have a SWF file, a sound file, an image, or even another template that is not currently in your animation set, you can import it into the Library window so that you can manage and re-use it. To create templates from multimedia files: 1. 2. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) in the right panel of the Library window and open the Import menu.

3.
Select what you want to import from the following choices: Image File: import any bitmap image supported by your version of Qt. Movie File: import an SWF file. Sound File: import any sound file supported by your version of Qt. Template File: import a template created by Toon Boom Studio.
Browse to the folder that contains the file you want to import, select the file, and click OK. We imported a SWF, a sound, and a template file into the Library.
See Also Using Templates on page 337 Creating Templates on page 330 The Library Window on page 326 Renaming Templates on page 334 Deleting Templates on page 334
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Renaming Templates
When you create a template, Toon Boom Studio assigns a default name to it. You can rename the template at any time. Renaming a template does not affect the items it contains. To rename a template: 1. 2. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the template you want to rename and select Rename Template from the pop-up menu. Type the new template name and press [Enter] (Windows) or [Return] (MacOS) or click outside the template icon.
See Also Using Templates on page 337 Creating Templates on page 330 Importing Multimedia Files into the Library on page 333 The Library Window on page 326 Deleting Templates on page 334
Deleting Templates
When you dont need a template anymore, you can simply delete it from your library. Deleting a template does not affect the contents of the Timeline or Exposure Sheet window, unless you linked the template to a scene. To delete a template:
Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the template you want to delete and select Delete Template from the pop-up menu.
See Also Using Templates on page 337 Creating Templates on page 330 Importing Multimedia Files into the Library on page 333 The Library Window on page 326 Renaming Templates on page 334
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Viewing a Templates Properties

When you create a template, Toon Boom Studio uses an icon to help you remember what it contains. If you need more information about the template, you can view the templates properties. You can see the following information:
the type and version of the template who created the template, when it was created, and any copyright information. You can configure the artists name and copyright information using the General tab in the Preferences dialog box. the size of the template the contents of the template Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the template and select Template Properties from the pop-up menu. The Properties dialog box opens.
To view a templates properties:
In addition to the properties of the template, you can see the type of elements that are in the template as well as their duration. See Also Defining the Author and Copyright of a Template on page 336 Creating Templates on page 330 Renaming Templates on page 334
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Defining the Author and Copyright of a Template

When you create a template, Toon Boom Studio automatically assigns a default name and copyright owner. You can view a templates author name and copyright notice in the templates Properties dialog box. To define the template author and copyright owner: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences in MacOS. Select Edit > Preferences in Windows. The Preferences dialog box opens. 2. Select the General tab. You can change information about templates you create in the General tab.
3. 4. 5.
Type the name of the person who will be creating the templates from now on in the User Name field. Type any copyright information in the Copyright field. Click on OK when done. Any template you create from now on will use the author and copyright information you just entered in the General tab.
See Also Viewing a Templates Properties on page 335 Creating Templates on page 330 The Library Window on page 326
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Using Templates
After you create templates, you can build the content of your animation with work you have already done. For example, you can use a walk-cycle template to speed up the process of animating a sequence for a cut-out character. You can either copy or link templates into your animation.
When you copy templates into your animation, Toon Boom Studio adds the contents of the template into your animation set folders, increasing the file size of your animation, and expands the template contents so that you can edit them. Copying templates is a great way of building your content from basic material that you can modify.
We copied this walk cycle into multiple scenes so that we could change essential qualities of the template material.
In this case, we changed the colour of the characters clothes for the different scenes.
When you link templates, Toon Boom Studio makes a Media element, which references the template file. You cannot edit the contents of a media element. However, if you edit the template, all sources that link to that template are updated too. Linking templates is particularly useful for frequently used content, like credits or logos, which must remain the same for all productions. It also keeps the file size
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of your animation small by referring to re-usable items rather than duplicating them.
Each of these animations is going to use the same final credits, so we linked the final credits (stored in an SWF file) to each of these animation projects.
See Also Copying a Template into Your Animation on page 338 Linking Templates to Media Elements on page 340 The Library Window on page 326 Creating Templates on page 330
Copying a Template into Your Animation

You can drag a template from the Library to the Exposure Sheet or Timeline window to add its contents to your animation. Toon Boom Studio displays the contents in the View windows, where you can edit them, and adds the contents to your animation folder.
Copying templates into your animation will increase the file size of your movies. You can link templates to your animation to keep the file size of your animation small.
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To copy a template into your animation: 1. 2. Select the template you want to use from the Library window. Drag the template to the Timeline or Exposure Sheet window. The mouse pointer displays a plus (+) sign when it is in a position where you can add it. If your template contains only one type of content (say bitmaps), you can add it to an existing bitmap element. If your template contains multiple elements, you will not be able to add it to an existing element if that element is not compatible with the template. You must drag templates that contain multiple elements just outside an element column or row to add it to the animation. When you copy templates that have multiple elements to the Exposure Sheet, you will not see those elements that cant be displayed in the Drawing View, like pegs and cameras. However, you will be able to see them when you switch to the Sceneplanning view windows.
See Also Linking Templates to Media Elements on page 340 The Library Window on page 326 Creating Templates on page 330
Copying Selected Template Contents into Your Animation

When you drag templates from the Library window, you can open the Timeline Drag & Drop Preferences to select the template contents that you want to copy into your animation. To copy selected template contents into your animation: 1. 2. In the Library, select the template you want to copy. Drag the template to the Timeline window and place the template on top of the elements where you want to place it. You must select the same number and hierarchy of elements as are in the template. Otherwise you wont be able to complete the drag operation. You can check the contents of a template. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the template and select Properties.
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3.
Press [Alt] (Windows) or [Control]+[Alt] (MacOS) and then release the mouse button. The Timeline Drag & Drop Preferences dialog box opens.
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Select the properties you want to copy to the animation and click on OK.
See Also Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201
Linking Templates to Media Elements

You must use media elements to link templates to your animations. Media elements identify the contents they contain as references to a centrally stored file. If the template you link contains multiple elements, all of those elements are composited into one element, the media element. Linking templates has two advantages:
It helps you keep the file size of your Adobe Flash animations small. For more information on reducing the file size of your final animation, see Optimizing your Animation for the Web. It helps you update and manage frequently used material in a central location. If the contents of the template are updated, Toon Boom Studio will update all animations that use the template.
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To link a template to a media element: 1. 2. Select Element > Add > Media. A new element appears in the Exposure Sheet and Timeline window. In the Library window, select the template you want to link and drag it to the media element you created. You can also create a media element as you link a template, by pressing [Alt] (Windows) or [Option]+[Command] (MacOS) as you drag the template to the Exposure Sheet or Timeline window. Toon Boom Studio links to the original file and displays the contents of the file in the View windows. See Also Cutting, Copying and Pasting Linked Media Content on page 341 Creating Templates on page 330
Cutting, Copying and Pasting Linked Media Content

When you have a media element that contains some linked content, it occupies a range of cells in the element. You can modify this content by cutting, copying, and pasting the occupied cells. This does not affect the original content, but does allow you to change the timing of the animation in the media element. You can also change the timing of the contents of a media element by changing its exposure or creating cycles. To move the contents of the cells in the media element: 1. 2. Select the cell or range of cells you want to move or copy. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the selection and select either Cut or Copy. Cut: the system removes the contents of the selected cells, moving the following cells to fill their place. Copy: the system makes a copy of the selected cell(s), leaving the original cell(s) unchanged. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) a cell in a media element and select Paste. The cut/copied cells appear in their new cells.
3.
See Also Linking Templates to Media Elements on page 340 Changing the Timing (Exposure) of Drawings and Images on page 309 Creating Cycles on page 318
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Using Paste Special to Update Content from a Template

You can use the Paste Special command to update selected content with material stored in a template file. You can use this command to update drawings, timing, layout, as well as palettes. To use paste special to update content: 1. 2. Select the template in the Library and select Edit > Copy Template. In the Timeline, select the elements you want to paste the template onto. You must select the same number and hierarchy of elements as are in the template. Otherwise you wont be able to complete the paste operation. You can check the contents of a template. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the template and select Properties. 3. 4. Select Edit > Paste Special. The Paste Special dialog box opens. Select the options from the Paste Special dialog box.
5.
Click on OK.
See Also Animating Elements with Pegs on page 190 Animating Rotation with the Rotate Tool on page 208 Animating Size Changes with the Scale Tool on page 211 Adding Keyframes and Changing their Values on page 241 Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201 Copying and Pasting Keyframe Values on page 201
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Creating, Renaming and Deleting Catalogs

As your projects evolve and grow, you may need to sort and group related templates. You can create template Catalogs within any library folder. This catalog acts like a file folder and allows you to group related templates. For example, if you had a collection of templates for the different characters in your project, you could create a catalog for each character, with sub catalogs for specific aspects of the characters design.
In this example, Goth Girls catalog contains other catalogs, one for lip sync images and the other for walk cycle.
To organize your templates in catalogs: 1. 2. Select a library folder in the left pane of the Library window. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) in the template section of the Library window and select New Catalog from the pop-up menu. An empty catalog appears in the window with a default name. Type a new name for the catalog or accept the default name. You can change the catalog name at any time. To move or copy an existing template to a catalog, select the template and drag it to the catalog you want. If you drag the template file, Toon Boom Studio moves the selected template. If you press [Ctrl] (Windows) or [Option] (MacOS) while you drag the template file, Toon Boom Studio places a copy of the template in the selected catalog. To create a template in a catalog, select the catalog from the left pane of the Library window and then drag the contents from the Exposure Sheet or Timeline window to the catalog. To rename a catalog, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the catalog you want to rename and select Rename Catalog from the pop-up menu. To delete a catalog, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the catalog you want to delete and select Delete from the pop-up menu.
3. 4.
5.
6. 7.
See Also Creating, Renaming and Deleting Catalogs on page 343 The Library Window on page 326 Creating Templates on page 330
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Creating and Renaming Libraries

By default, there is a Global and Local library for you to store your templates in.
Local: templates are available to all scenes in the current animation. You can find these template files in the Template folder of your animation set. Global: these templates are available to all animation sets you create on your computer.
The templates for use in your in your current animation set appear in the Local folder.
The templates you can use in any animation set appear in the Global folder.
New libraries can be stored anywhere on your computer, or on any computer in your network. Libraries can help you share templates with other users. For example, if you have a library containing all of the templates in a character, all users can load the library in Toon Boom Studio to have access to those templates. In this example, we have a Library for our Goth Girl character. In the Library, we have catalogs to organize all of the templates we have created for the Goth Girl.
Toon Boom Studio identifies libraries with the extension TBC. To create and rename libraries: 1. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) in the left pane of the Library window and select Create Library from the pop-up menu. A dialog box opens that
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you can use to select an existing folder to use as a library or to create a new folder to use as a library. 2. Click Close (Windows) or Choose (MacOS) when you have selected a folder to use as a library. The new library appears in the left pane of the Library window. 3. 4. To rename the library, click its name so that it becomes editable and change the name in the field. This will not change the name of the folder on your file system. Select File > Save Global Library to save the new library.
See Also Configuring Global Library Storage on page 346 Loading and Closing Libraries on page 345 Creating, Renaming and Deleting Catalogs on page 343 The Library Window on page 326
Loading and Closing Libraries

You can load libraries of templates that are stored on your computer or on another computer available through your network. Libraries make it easier for you to work on productions with other users that will share the same templates. Toon Boom Studio identifies libraries with the extension TBC. To load a library, the folder must have a file with the TBC extension inside of it. To load and close libraries: 1. Right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) in the left pane of the Library window and select Open Library from the pop-up menu. A dialog box opens that you can use to locate a library. Click Open when you have located the library you want to open. The library appears in the left pane of the Library window. 3. 4. To close a library, right-click (Windows) or [Control]-click (MacOS) the library and select Close Library. If you have made changes to the library since you last saved the global library, a message appears asking you to confirm your desire to close the library. Click Yes to close the library without saving changes. Click No to keep the library open so that you can save changes. Select File > Save Global Library to save changes to the library.
2.
5.
See Also Configuring Global Library Storage on page 346 Creating and Renaming Libraries on page 344 Creating, Renaming and Deleting Catalogs on page 343 The Library Window on page 326
345
Configuring Global Library Storage

Toon Boom Studio stores the global templates in a directory that all animation sets can access. By default, Toon Boom Studio stores the global templates in your Documents folder, but you can select another folder for these global templates. To change the default path for global templates: 1. Open the Preferences dialog box. Select Toon Boom Studio > Preferences on MacOS. Select Edit > Preferences on Windows.

2.
The Preferences dialog box opens. Select the General tab.
The Global Library field identifies the location of your Global template folder. 3. 4. Click on the browse button next to the Global Library field and select the path where you want to store your template files. Click on OK when done.
See Also Defining the Author and Copyright of a Template on page 336 Creating Templates on page 330 Using Templates on page 337
346
Chapter 12 Playback and Rendering

This chapter explains how to generate a preview of your scene or of all the scenes in your animation set. It also explains how to export your movies to formats like SWF and QuickTime. This chapter contains the following topics:
Previewing a Scene Interactively on page 348 Real-Time Playback on page 350 Exporting Your Movie on page 351 Exporting a Snapshot on page 353 Exporting Drawings to PDF on page 354
Previewing a Scene Interactively

At any point in the development of your animation, you can see a preview of the current scene using Interactive Playback. During Interactive Playback, you can change the content that is playing back. For example, you can add drawings and elements to the playback selection. In Interactive Playback, the animation appears in the View windows. Interactive Playback will not play your animation in real-time. As a result, if you enable sound playback, the sound may not play in sync with your animation.
Rewind to first frame Play or Stop
Loop playback Fast-forward to last frame
To play back your animation using Interactive Playback: 1. Select the drawings/elements you want to play back. Use the Show/Hide buttons in the Exposure Sheet window and Timeline window to display the elements you want to preview. In the Exposure Sheet window, drag your mouse pointer through the cells you want to preview. In the Timeline window, change the playback range to select the frames you want to preview. If you select nothing, the entire content of the scene plays back. 2. 3. To play sound, select Play > Turn Sound Playback On. Because the scene may not play back in real-time, the sound may not be synched to your animation. Press the Play toolbar button. All of the selected content plays in sequential order in the View windows until the frame marker reaches the last frame of the scene or until you click on the Stop button. 4. To repeat playback, click on the Loop button. button before you click on the Play
See Also Setting the Playback Range in the Timeline on page 349 Real-Time Playback on page 350 Exporting Your Movie on page 351
348
Chapter 12: Playback and Rendering
Setting the Playback Range in the Timeline

By default, when you want to preview the animation in your scene from Sceneplanning view windows, Toon Boom Studio starts at the current frame in the scene and plays until the last frame, unless you stop the playback manually: If you want to preview only a specific segment of your scene, you can customize the playback range by setting a start and end frame of the playback. When you play back the scene, only the frames that fall between these two markers are played.
To set the playback range in the Timeline: 1. Select Play > Playback Range > Free. When you select this option, two markers appear in the frame counter to mark the start and end frames. The Automatic Fit option (selected by default) sets the playback range to the entire length of the scene. It adjusts the playback range automatically as your scene expands or shrinks. 2. 3. Drag the start frame marker (on the left) to where you want to start the playback range. Drag the end frame marker (on the right) to where you want to end the playback range. You can select Play > Playback Range > Change Playback Range Start Frame or Change Playback Range End Frame, type the a frame number, and click OK to adjust the markers. 4. Click on the Play range. toolbar button to preview the animation in the current playback
See Also Previewing a Scene Interactively on page 348 Real-Time Playback on page 350
349
Real-Time Playback
You can render your movie or scene to play it back in real-time and see how your animation will look in its final state. With real-time playback, you can evaluate how the sound is synced to your animation.scenes: To play back content: 1. Select one of the following commands from the Play menu. Preview Movie: plays all the scenes in the movie, including sceneplanning effects. Preview Scene: plays only the current scene including sceneplanning effects. Preview Exposure Sheet: plays the scene in the Drawing View. None of the sceneplanning effects will play back. Preview Exposure Sheet Selection: plays the Exposure Sheet selection. Quick Preview: plays the scene with the timing and effects from the view you are in.
The Rendering progress dialog box opens as Toon Boom Studio renders your animation. You can press the Minimize button on this dialog box to hide the Toon Boom Studio application while you render. When the render is complete, the Playback window opens with your animation and begins to play back your movie from the first frame. 2. Use the controls in the Playback window to adjust the playback of your movie.
See Also Previewing a Scene Interactively on page 348 Exporting Your Movie on page 351
350
Exporting Your Movie

When your animation is done and ready to share with your audience, you are ready to export. You have the following export choices:

1.
Adobe Flash movie Qt movie AVI DV Stream Image Sequence
To export to your movie: Select File > Export Movie. The Export dialog box opens.
2.
From the Export Format menu, select the type of file you want to export. You have the following choices: Flash Movie: Toon Boom Studio exports version 6 SWF movies. You can choose to export a compressed or uncompressed file. QuickTime Movie AVI DV Stream Image Sequence To control the export settings, you have three options in the Settings menu: Select Default to use standard settings for the selected export file format. Select Most Recent to use the last used settings. Click on the Options button to display a dialog box with the export options for the Export Format you selected.
3.
351
4.
Select the part of the movie that you want to export from the Export Type panel. You have the following choices: Full Movie: exports all the scenes in the current animation set. The order the scenes appear in is displayed in the Scene Manager window. Timeline Current Scene: exports the contents of the scene or template currently open in Toon Boom Studio. Exposure Sheet Current Scene: exports the contents of the scene or template from the Exposure Sheet. This option does not include any of the effects you created in the Sceneplanning view windows. In the Export Range panel, select the content you want to export. All: exports the entire scene or movie. If you selected Full Movie in the Export Type panel, All is selected by default and you cannot change it. Frames from: enter the selection of frames you want to export. Free Playback Range: It exports the playback range you set up in the Timeline window. If there is no playback range, the option is not available. Selection: This option is available when you select to export the Exposure Sheet scene. It exports the frames you have selected in the Exposure Sheet window. To view the final files after the compilation is complete, select the Launch Player After Export checkbox. Your movie appears automatically in the Playback window when the export has finished.
5.
6.
7.
Click on OK to move on to the next step of the export process. If you have not selected to modify your export options, a progress bar appears to show you the progress of the export. If you selected to modify your export options, an export settings dialog box appears.
See Also Setting the Animation Frame Rate and Camera Size on page 25 Setting the Playback Range in the Timeline on page 349 Importing Flash Movies on page 104
352
Flash Preloader
Toon Boom Studio includes a Flash preloader for improved online playback. The preloader loads all of the graphics information before starting to play the animation, resulting in a smoother, more fluid playback. To use the Flash Preloader feature: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select File > Export Movie. The Export window opens. Click on the Options button next to the Export Settings field. Select Include Preloader. Click on OK in both windows.
Export to HTML
Use the Export to HTML feature to create a HTML page that embeds your animation as a QuickTime or Flash movie. This feature is only available when you are creating a QuickTime or SWF file. If you have selected another export format, this option is visible in the Export window but inaccessible. To use the Export to HTML feature: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select File > Export Movie. The Export window opens. In the Export Format field, select Flash Movie or Quicktime Movie. Select Export to HTML. Click on OK.
If you have selected both the Export HTML and Launch Player after Export options, the application uses your default browser to open the HTML page. The embedded movie is displayed.
Exporting a Snapshot
You can use the Export Snapshot feature to quickly export an image of the current frame. To use the Export Snapshot feature: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select File > Export Snapshot. The Snapshot dialog box opens. Browse to the location where you want to save the image. Click on the Options button to select the file format and customize the options. Click on OK.
353
Exporting Drawings to PDF

You can export a drawing to the PDF file format. The exported file can then be opened in a program that supports PDF files, such as Acrobat Reader, or Adobe Illustrator. To export a drawing: 1. Select the drawing you want to export. In the Exposure Sheet, select a cell with the drawing you want to export. Select an element layer in the Timeline. With the Cell tab displayed in the Properties window, use the slider to display the drawing in the selected frame. Select File > Export Drawing to PDF. The Save As dialog box opens. Select where you want to store the PDF file and enter its filename. Press Save. A confirmation dialog box displays the location and name of the file you exported.
2. 3. 4.
See Also Importing Illustrator and PDF Files on page 103
354
Index
Numerics
12 field grid 85 16 field grid 85 3D space active view 171 add motion points to motion path 221 changing rotation pivot point 185 create FB motion path 220 create motion path with pegs 216 create NS or EW motion path 218 element layering order 178 FB position 177 mapping NS/EW/FB 168 NS/EW position 176 panning in View windows 170 recenter view 172 repositioning elements 175 rotating elements 183 rotating elements over time 208 scale pivot point 181 scaling elements 178 Sceneplanning concepts 168 selecting elements 172 skewing elements over time 214 using pegs 190 using View windows 169 zooming in View windows 170
A
Accessing Web resources 23 activate/deactivate cell display in Exposure Sheet 287 active view switching 171 adding cameras 249 control points 78 curve grips 78 drop shadows 277
frames 315 gradient color swatches 114 keyframes 269 notes 285 numbered cells 308 palettes 137 pen styles 82 scenes 27 sound 150 sound note 165 templates 330 adding lip sync notes 165 additive color transformations 264 add motion points to motion path 221 Adjust size of floating windows 19 alpha blend 145 mix colors 117 tint 143 alpha value color swatch 116 animation exporting 351 frame rate 25 playback 348 resolution 25 show/hide scenes 31 animation cycles advanced 320 creating 318 animation project copying a template into 338 creating 24 deleting scenes 31 folder 306 saving 24 structure 306 .tbdp 24 using templates 337 animationproject renaming scenes 30 animation project folder scene folder 306
355
sound folder 306 template folder 306 using templates 337 animation properties camera size 25 frame rate 25 preset formats 26 resolution 25 arrow pegs in Timeline 194 author template 336 Auto Light Table 87 display 94 element 94 hide 94 overview 94 automatic lip sync mapping 164 AVI exporting 351
inserting 315 blend alpha 145 HSB 145 palette styles 145 RGB 145 BMP converting to vector drawings 101 brush lines creating from pencil lines 49 Brush tool 44 control points 63 conversion 64 curve grips 76 extraction 64 file size 63 pen styles 81
C
camera adding to scene 249 changing field of view 248 changing over time 255, 258 default 249 duration 257 dynamic zoom 255, 258 effects 248 end frame 257 field of view 253 field of view (dynamic) 255 field size 25 FOV (dynamic) 255 length 257 overview 248 panning 248, 260 position 251 properties 25 reposition 248 secondary 249 size 25 start/end frame 257 trucking 248, 260 type (element) 299 zoom 248, 253
B
background color changing in Camera View window 33 changing in Drawing View 33 changing in scene 28 backgrounds importing 98 scanning 105 Bias definition 228 set default 229 bitmap folder animation project 306 bitmaps swatches 119 vectorizing 101 bitmap textures editing 123 painting zones with 122 swatches 111 blank cells 314 blank frames 314
356
Index
zoom over time 255, 258 cameras importing images 105 camera size resolution 25 Camera View window 169 camera zooms 253 changing background color 33 changing rotation pivot point position 185 changing the view 170 disable all effects 269 dynamic zoom 255 positioning the camera 251 recentering the view 172 resetting the view 172 rotating pegs 208 rotation motion path 208 scaling pegs 211, 214 selecting elements 172 zoom 253 catalog templates 343 cell adding notes 285 blank 314 clearing 322 copying 317 creating animation cycles 318 creating cycles 320 cutting 317 display options 287 exposure 309 image display 287 lip sync display 287 name display 287 naming 316 numbered 308 pasting 317 play sound 152 renaming 316 show notes 287 sound preview 152 thumbnail display 287 timing display 287 updating notes 285
viewing notes 286 waveform 158 cell display active 287 changing in Exposure Sheet 287 inactive 287 cells cut/copy/paste media 341 cell swapping 312 centerline extract from stroke 64 file size 63 child parent peg 191 child pegs timing 194 clear cells 322 drawings 322 frames 322 clip mask 272 clone changing properties 304 elements 304 Close Gap tool Tools palette 132 color adding palettes 137 adding swatches 112 additive and multiplicative values 266 additive changes 264 alpha value 116 background 28 Camera View window background 33 changing over time 264 channel 265, 266 Close Gap tool 132 Colors window 114 copy palettes 137 default element color 291 deleting palettes 139 deleting palette styles 142 Drawing View background 33 Dropper tool 129
357
element color 290 element default color 291 exporting palettes 147 gradients 114 importing palettes 146 inking lines 135 ink overview 110 linear gradient 115 multiplicative changes 264 offsetting 143 opacity 116 paint overview 110 paint shape 121 Paint tool 120 paint zone 121 palettes 136, 137 palette styles 140 radial gradient 115 rename palette styles 141 swatches 111 tint palette styles 143 track color 292 transparency 116 tweening 267 unpaint 130 unpaint zones 120 using swatches 111 using templates 337 zone 120 color channels adding color values 265 multiply color values 266 subtract color values 265 color palettes 136 adding swatches 112 copying 137 creating 137 inking lines 135 naming swatches 117 painting zones 120 swatches 111 color swatches creating palettes 137 palette styles 136 color transform 264, 266
358
adding key frames 269 additive 264 applying to vector elements 268 change properties 267 cloning elements 304 flattening layers 270 multiplicative 264 nesting in multiple elements 268 removing key frames 269 column width adjusting 289 composition layers 178 configure Bias 229 Continuity 229 Tension 229 constant function 243 constant segments cut-out animation 198 keyframes 198 tweening 198 Continuity definition 228 set default 229 Contour Editor tool curve grips 74, 76 modifying vector shapes 73 overview 73 Tools palette 74, 76 contours file size 63 Stroke tool 132 control point add motion points to motion path 221 adjust curve 228 Bias 228 Continuity 228 create FB motion path 220 create motion path with pegs 216 create NS or EW motion path 218 deleting 226 lock 226 motion path 224 remove 226
Index
Tension 228 unlock 226 control points 63, 64, 74 conversion from stroke 64 to center line 64 converting bitmap images to vector drawings 101 coordinates FB position 177 NS/EW position 176 repositioning elements 175 X-axis 168 Y-axis 168 Z-axis 168 copying cells 317 drawing objects 59 gradients 127 palettes 137 templates 337 textures 127 creating animation project 24 animation projects 20 drop shadows 277 gradient color swatches 114 lip sync images 160 palettes 137 pen styles 82 templates 330 creating a workspace 12 creating lip charts automatically 160 credits templates 338 cropping sound 155 curve adjust between motion points 228 changing shape of 73 curve grips 74 adding control points 78 Brush tool 76 Contour Editor 74, 76
deleting control points 79 Ellipse tool 74 Paint tool 76 Pencil tool 74 Rectangle tool 74 reshaping 74 custom color swatches 137 element colors 290 track colors 292 cut-out animating 194 peg hierarchies 235 pivot points 238 rigging 235 templates 326 cut-out animation 238 constant segments 198 timing parent and child elements 194 Cutter tool 69, 72 cutting cells 317 Cutter tool 69 drawing objects 59, 72 Eraser tool 69 Scissor tool 70
D
default Bias 229 camera 249 Continuity 229 element colors 291 Tension 229 default swatch name changing 117 defining copyright in template 336 definition Bias 228 Continuity 228 Tension 228 delete
359
control point from peg 226 key frame 226 deleting control points in shapes 79 drawing from Static Light Table 92 elements 302 palettes 139 palette styles 142 pen styles 82 scenes 31 templates 334 deleting a workspace 13 digital cameras importing images 105 display Auto Light Table 94 disable all effects 269 elements 283 Static Light Table 91 track color 292 waveform 158 welcome screen 11 distorting objects 60 Docking windows 17 about 17 extend side panels 16 how to 18 adjust size of 18 avoid automatic docking 18 position 18 show or hide floating windows 18 stagger 18 undock 18 preferences 17 drag & drop in Timeline 203 templates 339 drawing adding color over time 265 Auto Light Table 87, 94 cell image display 287 cell lip sync display 287 cell name display 287 cell thumbnail display 287 cell timing display 287
360
clearing cells 322 clearing frames 322 Cutter tool 69 deselect 55 display options 287 distort 60 elements 299 Eraser tool 69 exposure time 309 grid display 85 handles 57 importing static images 98 lip sync images 160 locking 322 mask layer 273 moving objects 57 multiply color over time 266 next drawing 87 nudge 57 onion skin 87 optimizing for the web 63 Paint All 128 painting 120 Perspective tool 60 previous drawing 87 remove color over time 265, 266 remove from Static Light Table 92 reposition all 105 resizing objects 57 retouching 43 rotating drawing space 86 rotating objects 57 sceneplanning 43 Scissor tool 70 select 55 skew 60 Static Light Table 87 Stroke tool 132 type (element) 299 unlocking 322 drawing elements 299 cloning 304 drawing folder animation project 306 drawing in Sceneplanning 43
Index
drawing layers flattening 65, 66 drawing objects cutting parts from 70 erasing sections from 71 drawings renaming 317 reusing 329 drawing space grid 85 onion skin 87 rotating 86 setup 84 zooming 95 drawing tools Brush tool 44 Cutter tool 72 deselect 55 Ellipse tool 44 Eraser tool 71 grid display 85 Line tool 44 Pencil tool 44 Polyline tool 44 Rectangle tool 44 Scissor tool 69 Select tool 55 Drawing View Auto Light Table 94 Brush tool 44 content sequence 306 Contour Editor tool 73 creating clip mask 273 creating pen style 82 creating templates 327, 330 deleting control points 78, 79 deleting elements 302 deselecting objects 55 drawing tools 42, 56 Ellipse tool 44 extract center line 64 file size 63 grid display 85 importing Illustrator 103 importing SWF files 104
importing transparent images 100 layered elements 87 layering elements 297 Line tool 44 masking effects 272 modifying pen styles 83 moving objects 57 onion skin 87 panning 96 PDF import 103 Pencil tool 44 pen style properties 61 pen styles 81 Perspective tool 60 Polyline tool 44 protecting drawings 322 real-time playback 350 Rectangle tool 44 removing elements 302 removing points 67 renaming elements 302 reshaping line art 74 resizing objects 57 rotating drawing space 86 rotating objects 57 selecting objects 55 show/hide elements 281 Static Light Table 91 zooming 95 Drawing View window Auto Light Table 87 background color 33 deselect objects 55 grid 85 onion skin 87 panning 96 recenter 96 reposition all drawings 105 rotate drawing space 86 selecting objects 55 Static Light Table 87, 91 Dropper tool 129 drop shadow 276 duplicating elements 303
361
duration camera 257 changing peg 206 exposure 309 looping pegs 207 DV Stream exporting 351 dynamic camera timeline properties 257 dynamic zoom 255
E
ease in/out function 243 editing 153, 332 bitmap fills 123 templates 332 effects additive color transform 265 cameras 248 changing color over time 265 color transform elements 264 combining multiple color transforms 271 creating masks 272 disabling masks 274 drop shadow 276 hide mask layers 274 looping pegs 207 masks 272, 275 multiplicative color transforms 264, 266 peg hierarchies 193 show mask layers 274 elements add motion points to motion path 221 animation project folder 306 attaching to pegs 191 changing color 267 changing over time with pegs 190 changing peg start time 206 changing with pegs 191 cloning 304 composition 178 create FB motion path 220 create NS or EW motion path 218 creating motion path with pegs 216
362
default colors 291 deleting 302 display colors (custom) 290 display colors (default) 291 duplicating 303 end time 313 FB position 177 hiding selected 283 layering order 178, 297 linking templates 340 masks 273 naming 299 notes 285 nudge 176 peg duration 206 peg ghosts 219 position 176 positioning in 3D space 175 proportional scaling 180 removing 302 renaming 302 reposition in motion path 217 rotating 183, 208 rotation pivot point 185 scaling 178, 179, 211, 214 scaling in motion paths 216 selecting in Timeline window 173 selecting in View windows 172 show/hide 281, 282 Solo mode 283 sound 150 start time 313 Static Light Table 87 templates 326 track color 292 view notes 286 View windows 169 element types 297 Ellipse tool 44 adding control points 78 curve grips 74 Eraser tool 69, 71 erasing Cutter tool 69, 70 drawing objects 71
Index
Eraser tool 69, 71 Scissor tool 69 EW Motion Point tab 224 exporting AVI 351 camera size 25 DV Stream 351 Flash movie 351 frame rate 25 hide elements 281 image sequence 351 palettes 147 PDF 354 QuickTime 351 exposures 309 copy/paste 205 Exposure Sheet window 280 adding elements 298 adding frames 315 adding images 98 adjusting column width 289 changing cell display 287 clearing cells 322 creating animation cycles 318, 320 creating templates 330 deleting elements 302 exposure time 309 generating a lip chart 160 importing sounds 150 inserting blank cells 314 inserting numbered cells 308 Interactive Playback 348 layering elements 297 layer order 300 linking templates 340 playback 350 playback sound 152 removing elements 302 renaming elements 302 Static Light Table 91 waveform 158 extend side panels workspace on off 16
extreme ease in/out function 243
F
fade in/out sound 157 fading sound editing 157 fast in/out velocity function 243 FB Motion Point tab 224 feet and frames 295 field of view camera 253 change over time 255, 258 dynamic camera 255, 258 file size affect of motion path with pegs 216, 218, 220 animation cycles 318 Brush tool 63 centerline 63 linking templates 340 templates 338 fills editing bitmaps and gradients 123 Flash event sounds 151 exporting 351 file size cloning elements 304 linking templates 340 streaming sounds 151 flattening Color Transform layers 270 drawing layers 65, 66, 68 Floating windows about 19 adjust size of 19 preferences 19 repositioning 19 Workspace docking windows 17 FOV 255, 258 frame
363
delete control point 226 delete key frame 226 remove control point 226 remove key frame 226 frame marker Timeline window 294 frame rate 25 exposure time 309 setting 25 frames adding 315 adding notes 285 blank 314 clearing 322 copying and moving 203 exposure 309 numbered 308 selecting in Timeline 205 framing camera elements 249 Function Editor 239 adding keyframes 241 camera zoom 258 field of view zoom 258 mapping peg movement 240 plotline 259 reshaping plotline 243 view options 244 zoom over time 258
Grabber tool 170 Function Editor 244 gradient fills editing 123 gradients adding 114 Dropper tool 129 linear 115 painting zones with 122 radial 115 transition 115 graph Function Editor 239 grid 85 drawings 85 Function Editor 244 overlay 86 underlay 86 grips modifying drawings 57
H
handles modifying drawings 57 hide Auto Light Table 94 elements 283, 284 Static Light Table 91 hierarchy pegs 193 pegs for cut-out 235 highlighting preferences 37 How to access web resources 23 adjust size of docked windows 18 avoid docking windows automatically 18 dock a window 18 open existing project 21 open recent project 22 open tutorials 22 position a docking window 18 show or hide floating windows 18 stagger docked windows 18
G
gaps auto close 134 closing 132, 134 generating lip chart editing 160 ghosts peg 219 global library storage path 346 template catalogs 343 global templates 326, 344 catalogs 343 storage path 346
364
Index
undock a window 18 How to use workspace 12 HSB blend Palette Style 145 tint Palette Style 143
I
Illustrator CS 103 importing 103 image elements cloning 304 type 299 images renaming 317 reusing 329 image sequence exporting 351 importing backgrounds 98 bitmaps 98 files to templates 333 Illustrator 103 images 98 images (transparent) 100 palettes 146 PDF files 103 scanning 105 sounds 150 SWF files 104 vectorizing bitmaps 101 ink mix colors 113 inking 110 alpha 117 Colors window 115 Dropper tool 129 gradient swatch 114 lines 135 opacity 117 Paint tool 120 swatches 111
swatch name 117 transparency 117 inserting blank cells 314 cell notes 285 numbered cells 308 numbered frames 308 range of cells 308 Interactive Playback 348 range 349 interpolation overview 190
K
keyboard shortcuts 34 resetting 36 keyframes adding to a plotline 241 adding to color transform 269 add motion points to motion path 221 add to motion path 221 adjust curve 228 Bias 228 constant segments 198 Continuity 228 copying and moving 203 copy/paste 205 create FB motion path 220 create motion path with pegs 216 create NS or EW motion path 218 delete 226 Function Editor 241 lock 226 motion path 224 remove 226 removing from color transform 269 rotation 208 scaling 211, 214 Tension 228 tweening 198 unlock 226 keyframespline delete key frame 226
365
L
lasso cutting 70 layer order Timeline 301 layers adding 298 Auto Light Table 87 cameras 297 clipping effects 298 cloning 304 color transform effects 298 deleting 302 drawing 297 drop shadow effects 298 duplicating 303 element 297 elements 298 flatten automatically 68 images 297 media 297 onion skin 87 order 301 pegs 297 reducing for web use 65, 66 renaming 302 shadow efffects 298 sound 297 Static Light Table 87 library 326 adding elements 330 catalogs 343 copying templates 338 copyright 336 creating templates 330 defining template author 336 deleting templates 334 editing templates 332 importing files 333 importing media files 327 linking templates 338, 340 media elements 338 previewing content 328 renaming templates 334
366
reusing drawings 329 reusing images 329 reusing templates 327 storage path 346 template properties 335 templates 344 using templates 337 linear gradient 115 linear velocity function 243 lines 63 adding control points 78 curve grips 74 deleting control points 79 deselecting 55 erasing 71 inking 135 optimizing 64 pen properties 61 pen styles 81 reshaping 74 selecting 55 unpainting 130 Line tool 44 centerline points 63 linking cut/copy/paste media 341 templates 338 linking templates advantages 340 lip chart editing 162 generating 160 lip sync notes 165 lip sync mapping lip chart 164 recomputing lip chart recomputing 166 sound scrubbing 161 thumbnails 160 view sound 160 waveform 158 lip sync notes adding and editing 165 local library template catalogs 343
Index
local templates 326, 344 catalogs 343 lock control point 226 key frame 226 locking drawings 322 looping pegs 207 sound 156
M
Mac package file 24 mapping lip sync drawings 164 markers customizing playback range 159 masks 272 creating 272 modifying 275 measurements configure 36 media elements 299 cloning 304 cut/copy/paste cells 341 linking templates 338, 340 media files importing to library 327 mix colors Colors dialog box 113 motion delete control points 226 delete key frame 226 Motion Point tab 224 offset from path 224 remove control points 226 remove key frame 226 tweening 198 motion guide overview 190 motion path add motion points 221
affect on file size 216, 218, 220 bias 228 continuity 228 create FB 220 create NS or EW 218 creating with pegs 216 defining default bias values 229 default continuity values 229 default tension values 229 delete motion points 226 direction of 216 locking/unlocking control points 226 lock position 221 motion point curve 228 moving motion points 224 peg ghosts 219 pegs 190 reposition pegs in 217 tension 228 walk cycle 206 motion paths adding pegs 191 attaching elements to pegs 191 looping a peg 207 peg hierarchies 193 motion point existing values 229 nudge 222 tab 223 Motion Point tab motion path 224 spline path 224 motion tool create FB motion path 220 createNS or EW motion path 218 creating motion paths with pegs 216 MOV exporting 351 movie adding scenes 27 changing scene background color 28 multiplane camera 248 adding camera elements 249
367
dynamic zooms 255 panning 260 trucking 260 multiplicative color transform 266
N
naming elements 299 pens 82 scenes 30 swatches 117 notes adding to cells 285 adding to elements 285 sound element 165 Sound Element Editor 165 view in cell 286 view in element 286 NS Motion Point tab 224 nudge drawings 57 elements 176 motion point 222 numbered cells 308 numbered frames 308
tutorials 22 optimizing drawing layers 65, 68 optimizing drawing objects 63 overlay 86 Drawing View 86 grid 86 Static Light Table 93 overview interpolation 190 motion guide 190 tweening 190
P
paint mix colors 113 Paint All 128 painting 110, 120 alpha 117 closing gaps 134 Colors window 115 Dropper tool 129 gradient swatch 114 opacity 117 Paint All 128 Paint tool 120 swatch name 117 transparency 117 unpaint 130 zones 120 painting zones 120 with bitmap textures 122 with gradients 122 Paint tool 120 palettes 136 adding 137 copying 137 creating 137 deleting 139 duplicating 137 exporting 147 importing 146 renaming 139 swatches 136 updating from templates 342
O
offset camera position 251 colors 143 motion path 224 onion skin 87 Rotary Light Table 87 setting display options 88 opacity color swatch 116 mix colors 117 Open existing project 21 recent project 22
368
Index
palette styles 136, 140 blending a color into 145 creating 140 deleting 142 offseting colors in 143 rename 141 renaming 141 swatches 140 tinting 143 panning 260 camera 248 Drawing View 96 in view windows 170 parent peg about 191 parent pegs timing 194 paste cells 317 drawing objects 59 paste special 205, 342 path adjust curve 228 Bias 228 Continuity 228 motion path 224 Tension 228 PDF exporting 354 importing 103 peg add motion points to motion path 221 adjust curve 228 Bias 228 change duration 206 change start time 206 changing element over time 190 Continuity 228 create FB motion path 220 create motion path 216 create NS or EW motion path 218 delete 226 delete control point 226 delete key frame 226
ghosts create motion paths 219 lock control point 226 lock key frame 226 motion path 224 peg ghosts 219 remove 226 remove control point 226 remove key frame 226 reposition in motion path 217 Tension 228 tween (overview) 190 unlock control point 226 unlock key frame 226 walk cycle 206 pegs adding 191 attaching elements to 191 building hierarchies 193 camera zoom 255 cloning 304 display quality 38 extending 206 Function Editor 240 looping 207 modifying masks 275 panning camera 260 parent 191 Parent Peg button 192 resizing elements 211, 214 rotating elements 208 scaling 211, 214 scaling elements 211, 214 show/hide 282 smooth 191 trucking cameras 260 type (element) 299 zooming 255 Pencil tool 44 pen styles 81 pen styles creating 82 deleting 82 modifying 83 Pen tab 81
369
properties 61 smoothness 82 pivot point drawing 57 rotation 185 scale 181 Transform tool 234 pivot points 238 playback 350 camera size 25 frame rate 25 interactive preview 348 range 349 real-time 350 show/hide elements 281 sound 152 sound scrubbing 161 playback range 159 plot Function Editor 239 plotline adding keyframes 241 reshaping functions 243 Preferences docking windows 17 floating windows 19 preferences copyright 336 global library storage path 346 global template storage path 346 library 346 onion skin options 88 selections 37 templates 346 units of measure 36 user name 336 velocity 37 projects creating 20 saving 24 protecting drawings 322
Q
QuickTime exporting 351
R
radial gradient 115 recomputing lip sync 166 Rectangle tool 44 pen styles 81 recycling animation 326 reducing drawing layers 65, 66 remove control point 226 key frame 226 renaming elements 302 palettes 139 palette styles 141 pens 82 scenes 30 swatches 117 templates 334 renaming a workspace 13 render AVI 351 DV Stream 351 Flash 351 hiding elements 281 image sequence 351 playback 350 QuickTime 351 rendering options 38 reposition elements in motion path 217 floating windows 19 pegs in motion path 217 reset workspace 16 Reset View tool 172 reshaping drawing objects 73 reshaping functions 243 resizing
370
Index
columns in Exposure Sheet 289 drawing objects 57 elements 178 resolution setting 25 restoring a workspace 13 retouching drawings 43 reusing animation drawings 329 images 329 library 326 previewing content 328 templates 326, 337 RGB blend color in palette style 145 color transform effect 264 creating swatches 113 tint palette style 143 rigging cut-out characters 235 Rotary Light Table 86 Rotate tool 209 rotating bitmap texture fills 123 drawings 57 drawing space 86 elements 183, 208 gradient fills 123 pivot point 185, 187 View windows 208 rotation keyframes 208 pivot point 185 resetting 87
S
saving animation sets 24 saving a workspace 13 scale pivot point 181 Scale tool 211, 214 scaling elements 178, 179, 180, 211, 214
in motion paths 216 keyframes 211, 214 pegs 211, 214 scanning 105 scanning and vectorizing 106 scene camera 248 Scene Manager adding scenes 27 changing background color 28 deleting scenes 31 ordering scenes 29 renaming scenes 30 show/hide scenes 31 Sceneplanning views 168 color transform effects 267 deleting elements 302 layering elements 297 masking effects 272 peg hierarchies 193 playback 350 show/hide elements 282, 283 Timeline window 280 scenes changing background color 28 importing sounds 150 playback 348 renaming 30 Scissor tool 69, 70 select a workspace 12 selecting colors 129 deselecting drawing objects 55 drawings 55 elements 172 sounds 155 selections highlighting preferences 37 Select tool 55 shadow effect 276 shapes adding control points 78 color zone 121 Contour Editor tool 73 curve grips 76
371
cutting parts from 70 deleting control points 79 deselecting 55 Eraser tool 71 erasing sections from 71 Optimize command 65 painting 121 pen properties 61 reshaping contours 74 select 55 shortcuts 34 Side View window 169 panning and zooming 170 resetting the view 172 selecting elements 172 skewing objects 60 Skew tool 214 slow acceleration velocity function 243 slow deceleration velocity function 243 smooth pen styles 82 Solo mode 283 sound changing lip assignment 162 cropping 155 customizing playback range 159 editing 153, 154 event sounds 151 fading 157 importing 150 mapping lip sync drawings 164 playback 152 recomputing lip sync 166 repeating editing 156 scrubbing 161 Sound Element Editor 153 streaming 151 streaming event sounds 151 synchronization 151 type (element) 299 view lip sync 160 waveform 158 Sound Element Editor 153 changing lip assignment 162 customize playback range 159
372
fade in/outelements 157 generating a lip chart sound 160 looping sounds 156 mapping lip sync drawings 164 select section 155 sound scrubbing 161 start position 154 sound elements cloning 304 sound folder animation project 306 sound loops 156 spline adjust curve 228 Bias 228 Continuity 228 delete control point 226 motion path 224 remove control point 226 Tension 228 spline path Motion Point 224 start time changing peg 206 Static Light Table 91 adding drawings 91 display preferences 92 overlay 93 properties 92 removing drawings 92 show/hide drawings 92 underlay 93 streaming sounds 151 stretching bitmap swatches 119 strokes adding control points 78 deleting control points 79 deselecting 55 pen styles 81 selecting 55 Stroke tool 132 swatch changing color values 113 swatches 111
Index
adding 112 adding gradients 114 bitmap swatches 118 blending palette styles 145 blend palette styles 145 copying palettes 137 creating palettes 137 deleting palette styles 142 Dropper tool 129 duplicating palettes 137 editing bitmap textures 123 editing gradients 123 inking lines 135 naming 117 Paint tool 120 selecting from a drawing 129 textures 118 tiling bitmap swatches 119 tint palette styles 143 transparency 116 SWF exporting 351 importing 104
T
.tbdp package file 24 templates 326 author 336 catalogs 343 copying selected contents 339 copying to a scene 338 copyright 336 creating 330 creating in Exposure Sheet 327 creating in Timeline 327 deleting 334 global 344 global library storage path 346 importing files 333 linking 340 local 344 organizing 343 properties 335
renaming 334 updating 340 updating palettes 342 user name 336 using 337, 338 Templates folder animation project 306 configure 336 Tension definition 228 set default 229 textures editing 123 painting zones with 122 properties 119 swatches 118 threshold filter vectorizing bitmaps 102, 107 thumbnails Exposure Sheet window 287 lip sync images 160 Static Light Table 91 waveform 158 tiling bitmap swatches 119 Timeline window 280 adding pegs 191 changing camera duration 257 changing camera start/end frame 257 changing element end frame 313 changing element layer order 301 changing element start frame 313 copying/moving frames 203 creating advanced animation cycles 320 creating cycles 318 creating templates 330 dynamic camera 256 feet and frames 295 frame markers 294 inserting blank frames 315 Interactive Playback 348 layering elements 297 linking templates 340 Parent Peg button 192
373
playback 350 playback range 349 rotation keyframe 208 scaling keyframes 211, 214 selecting elements 173 selecting frames 205 show/hide elements 283 Solo mode 283 spliting 296 track color 292 zooming 293 timing adding blank frames in a scene 315 cut-out animation 194 exposure 309 feet and frames 295 tinting palette styles 143 tolerance levels auto gap closing 134 toolbars customizing 32 workspace adding or removing 14, 15 display 14 Top View window 169 camera zooms 253 panning and zooming 170 recentering the view 172 resetting the view 172 selecting elements 172 track color 292 Transform tool pivot point 234 transition markers 115 transparency importing bitmaps 100 mixing colors 117 swatches 116 trimming sounds 155 trucking 260 cameras 248 TWAIN scanning 105
374
tweening color 267 keyframes 198 overview 190
U
underlay 86 Drawing View 86 grid 86 Static Light Table 93 units preferences 37 units of measure 36 unlock control point 226 key frame 226 unlocking drawings 322 unpainting 130 updating notes 285 templates 340
V
vector drawings converting bitmaps 101 drawing 41 vector elements 297 vectorizing bitmaps 101 scanned drawings 106 velocity functions 243 linear velocity preference 37 video card configuring 38
W
walk cycle looping pegs 207 pegs 206
Index
waveform sound display 158 web file size 63 flattening drawing layers 65, 66 optimizing drawing objects 63 reducing points in a line 64 removing points in a drawing 67 welcome screen 10 reactivating 11 windows workspace adding or removing 15 Workspace customization 14 display toolbars 14 drop-down button 14 extend side panels on off 16 floating windows 17 full screen mode on off 15 functionality 12 creating 12 deleting 13 renaming 13 restore 13 saving 13 selecting 12 resetting 16 toolbars adding or removing 14 windows adding or removing 15 Workspace mode docking windows extend side panels 16
zooming camera 248, 253 dynamic camera 255, 258 Function Editor 244 Timeline window 293 velocity 259 View windows 170 Zoom tool 95 View windows 169 zoom in/out 95
Z
zone closing gaps automatically 134 closing gaps manually 132 painting 120
375
376

TBS4 User Guide

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User Guide

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

Importing Artwork ......................................................................................... 97

Inking and Painting ......................................................................................109

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

Adding Sound ............................................................................................. 149

Laying Out Elements in 3D Space ............................................................... 167

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

Using the Multiplane Camera...................................................................... 247

Creating Effects........................................................................................... 263

Organizing Elements and Timing ................................................................ 279

Drop Shadow Effects 276 Creating Drop Shadow Effects 277

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

Re-using Content......................................................................................... 325

Playback and Rendering.............................................................................. 347

Chapter 1 Studio Basics

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

Launching Toon Boom Studio

To launch Toon Boom Studio: Do one of the following:

Chapter 1: Studio Basics

Quick links to Toon Boom Studio on the Web

Use this section to access tutorials.

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

Chapter 1: Studio Basics

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

Display Toolbars in the Workspace

To add or remove toolbars from a workspace:

Customize the Workspace

Workspace Drop-Down Button

Chapter 1: Studio Basics

To turn full-screen mode off:

To display or hide all toolbars, menus, and windows:

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

Extend Side Panels

Reset the Workspace

Chapter 1: Studio Basics

Docking and Floating Window Modes

Docking Windows Mode on page 17 Floating Windows Mode on page 19

Docking Windows Mode

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

To position a window above, below, beside, or between other docked windows:

To create docked windows that are staggered

To avoid automatic docking:

To adjust the size of a docked window: To show or hide floating windows:

Chapter 1: Studio Basics

Floating Windows Mode

See Also Workspace Functionality on page 12

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

Starting Your Animation Project

Creating A New Project on page 20 Opening An Existing Project on page 21

Opening Tutorials on page 22 Accessing Web Resources on page 23

Creating A New Project

Chapter 1: Studio Basics

Other ways to open the New Project dialog box:

In the main toolbar, click on the New

Opening An Existing Project

Toon Boom Studio User Guide

Other ways to open the Open dialog box:

In the main toolbar, click on the Open

Opening a recently used project

Chapter 1: Studio Basics

Accessing Web Resources

TBS Technical Support Web Page