16 Replies Latest reply: Aug 2, 2011 10:21 AM by Bill Hunt RSS

    Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help

    l1o1t1r1 Community Member

      I would like to know if pscs4 or 5 extened) can do a traveling shot of a background and on other layers have walk cycles. Also with the walk cycle and backgrounds - should they be made into smart objects in case they need to be scaled.

       

      I am looking for information on how to use pscs4 or 5 to make classical animations (Disney style)(that is scanning hand drawn character cycles and hand painted backgrounds so not looking to use vectors at this time for them but that does lead into questions about using smart objects for scaling the characters and backgrounds) - links to tutorials, books, videos (youtube, etc) free or commercial products.

        • 1. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
          JJMack Community Member

          Photoshop can save animated GIF and export quicktime videos using various ebcoding. Frames are composit of visible layers so if  have layers for animating a background and layers for animating a walk circle by making frames from both groups visible at the same time both the character and the background can be animated.  Anyway I think that is what your asking. 7.6 MB sin [ JJMack ]

          • 2. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
            l1o1t1r1 Community Member

            JJMack

            maybe this image can show what I mean -

            Animation_Pan_BG.jpg

            • 3. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
              Noel Carboni Community Member

              One way to do this is to prepare the multilayer image, duplicate a second frame from the image, then move the background layer in one of them.  These are your "first" and "last" frames.

               

              The magic then comes from using the "Tween" facility to move the background between the first and last frames you have created, selecting "Position".

               

              http://Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/temp/AnimatedClouds.gif

               

              -Noel

              • 4. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                l1o1t1r1 Community Member

                Noel you got the background to move however the falcon/hawk is static. Once the background has been set for it's motion can you have motion on the static image of the falcon/hawk? Also what if a foreground is needed (it would work like the big backgroound but in some cases would need to have it go in the oppisite direction) can it be added?

                • 5. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                  Noel Carboni Community Member

                  Sure, just set up the key frames and the Tween logic will move the layers that move.

                   

                  I'm no expert on animation.

                   

                  -Noel

                  • 6. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                    JJMack Community Member

                    So instead of two animation groups you have three.  The example I showed also actually had four groups of layers only three groups were animated.  My black background was a single layer and not animated and always visible . If you want an animated background you will need a group of layers to animate the background.  Above that layer is a group of layers to animate the back side of the animated spherical cage. Above that group of layers is a group of layers is a group of layers to animate  the dancing baby. Above the dancing baby layers is a group of layers that animate the front side of the spherical cage.  All the cage layers fill are set to 0 so there is no visible cage more or less a glass cage you only see the cage layer style which are blended into the lower visible layers.

                    Rotating Glass Cage Dancing Baby full size 16MB[ JJMack ]

                     

                    Some Empty glass cages.
                    Rotating Glass cage[ JJMack ]
                    Rotating Glass cage[ JJMack ]
                    Rotating Glass cage[ JJMack ]

                    • 7. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                      l1o1t1r1 Community Member

                      Well I went to create moving background with walk cycle and here is what happened -

                      I have a mp4 of a walk cycle I tried to bring it in cs5 64 it said to bring it cs5 32 which all it would bring in is one frame - having cs4 I tried it same thing. So I tried bring it in as a stack layer again all four programs cs4 32 64 and cs5 32 64 only brought in one frame. So I opened media encoder and save the mp4 out as jpegs went to the programs and tried opening as a sequence again all programs brought in only one image so I renamed the jpeg's beging with 0001 and again when open as a sequence brought in only one image.

                       

                      I do not know what I did wrong but I have opened mp4 as sequence just a day ago. What did I do wrong?

                      • 8. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                        JJMack Community Member

                        When you tried to bring in the mp4 did you use menu File>Import>Video Frames to layers.  When you tried to load the jpeg files did you use menu File>Scripts>Load Files into a Stack...

                        • 9. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                          l1o1t1r1 Community Member

                          JJMack been working on this import mp4. I did get another mp4 to open. I think it has something to with 32bit as the file(s) that did not open where like 700 to 1,000 frames the one that opened (in 32bit) was a 216 frame file opened with no problem. After some searching it seems the 32bit will only open files with 500 or less frames (leastwise my understanding) and that is maybe why it does not work in 64bit mode as 64bit it would be unlimited to the amount of ram.

                           

                          I'll check the script stacks.

                          • 10. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                            l1o1t1r1 Community Member

                            I ran the script load into stacks again same problem the 216 images loaded with no problem. The above 500 images loaded only the first image. So I think it's a 32 bit acess to ram.

                             

                            The load the video to frames does not work in 64bit

                             

                            I'll try 64bit script stacks to see if it aloows it to load over 500 frames

                            • 11. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                              l1o1t1r1 Community Member

                              I used the media encoder 5 on a mp4 walkcycle got 712 images using stacks 64bit it is starting to load the files as layers waiting to see if it will load all 712 images as layers.

                               

                              It looks like it loaded all 712 files but all the layers come in turned on (whereas in the 32bit mode they don't) sense I don't know how to select all the layers I have to turn each one off. When I get that done will know if the images are ok.

                              • 12. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                                l1o1t1r1 Community Member

                                I get all done either way layer eye on or off it will only bring in 6 frames and play those. I don't know what I am doing wrong. In 32bit mode (under 500 frames it works well) it works in 64bit mode it doesn't - the animation tools doesn't seem to like over 500 frames weather in 32bit or 64bit mode is that correct"?

                                • 13. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                                  Community Member

                                  Photoshop is not entirely friendly to a traditional animator. There are many more programs that do better and are cheaper (some free).

                                   

                                  http://www.google.com/search?q=software+for+traditional+animation

                                   

                                  If you choose to use Photoshop, beware that the 500 frame limit is well beyond what you really need to worry about. Traditional Disney animators did not work on a single batch of 500 frames. You'd be hard pressed to find any shot that lasts 500 frames.

                                  • 14. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                                    JJMack Community Member

                                    I have to agree Photoshop is not the program to use to create complex lengthy animations.  You may want to render cell with Photoshop but if you want to create a complex animation use an application designed for video and animation.

                                     

                                    Just trying to manage the layer stack the would be required in Photoshop would be a nightmare.

                                    • 15. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                                      l1o1t1r1 Community Member

                                      Thanks Marian, I came to that conclusion after I found out about the 500 frames.

                                       

                                      JJMack

                                      "Just trying to manage the layer stack the would be required in Photoshop would be a nightmare."

                                      that would be the doing them

                                       


                                      Photoshop for cell clean up and possible background art - is that correct?

                                       

                                       

                                      Is After Effects any good for compositing 2d animations? I know this off subject of photoshop but thought I'd ask.

                                      • 16. Re: Photoshop cs4 or 5 animation tools help
                                        Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

                                        AfterEffects is designed for 2D compositing, and is about the best such program available.It does do some 3D work, but on a fairly low level. Though for AE CS4, this TUTORIAL might be a good place to start. Todd Kopriva (Adobe employee) has also done some great AE tutorials.

                                         

                                        Good luck,

                                         

                                        Hunt