Storyboarding For Animation Class Notes

Overview

Class notes from Storyboarding for Animation at LA Figurative Art Academy with Pete Michels, Spring 2018.

What's new in Storyboard Pro 6

• Import video or image sequence as video.
• Import FinalDraft script, FDX format only.
• Auto-matte layer fills in line work with solid color so layers underneath don't show through. Layer > Generate Auto-Matte
• Tool Presets -- A toolbar containing brushes of certain colors that will create new layers when used, e.g. a "Revisions" brush that is a red brush that creates a new layer named "Revisions" when used.

Components

Library

Library tab is found next to the Tool Properties tab.

Allows you to drag layers into the Library panel to save them as templates (including any transformations).

Tool Presets toolbar

Window > Toolbars > Tool Presets

Brushes with preset colors that create new layers when used, e.g. a blue brush that creates a new layer named "ROUGH" when used.

Cookbook

Preferences

Default layer layout

To create a default layer layout for new panels: Layer > Set Layer Layout As Default. E.g. if you wanted a specific set up in terms of a set number of layers with specific names.

Importing

Importing audio

First make sure that an audio track is selected in the Timeline.

File > Import > select the audio file

Importing sequences

SBP 6 supports importing video or image sequences (which are then treated as video.)

Importing scripts

SBP 6 supports importing Final Draft scripts (.fdx format only).

Selections

Selecting a layer or layers across panels

⌘+⇧ + click on layer, then click on same layer in a different panel, or click on another layer in a different panel to select multiple layers.

All the layers must have the same names (case-sensitive) in the range of panels for this to work.

To copy and paste a cycle:

1. ⌘+⇧ SELECT original cycle
2. Go to next panel.
3. Layer > Paste Special
4. Fill in options, e.g. loop vs ping pong, number of cycles, etc.

Editing thumbnails

Editing brushstrokes

Contour Editor > Centerline editor displays a center line for brush strokes. Pencil lines always have the center line visible. PM recommended always using brushes as opposed to pencils.

Brush strokes can also be converted to pencil lines and vice versa. Pencil lines can be edited as bezier curves, but brush strokes cannot.

Filling line drawings

Select the layer containing the line drawing to fill.

Layer menu > Generate Auto-Matte ( ⌘M )

Options for tolerance and color are available in the dialog.

Special lighting

1. Create a new layer in a panel as an overlay (OL).
2. Use the Rectangle tool to create a rectangle bigger than the frame.
3. Fill the rectangle with a semi-transparent color (save the color including the transparency in the color palette for consistency).
4. Cut out any necessary elements out of the rectangle, e.g. lit windows.

Tool presets

These are brushes that create new layers when they are used, e.g. a blue brush that creates a "ROUGH" layer when it's used.

Windows > 'Toolbars > Tool Presets

It's located in the horizontal toolbar strip along the top of the window by default.

Default layer set

To make the current set of layers (both the number of layers and the names given to the layers) the default for new panels, select the panel with the desired layer set.

Layer > Set Layer Layout as Default

Rotating the stage

The stage can be rotated as if an animation disc was being used.

On Mac OS, hold down ⌘ Command + ⌥ Option to free rotate the stage.

The default keys for rotating right and left are V and C, although I often reassign V to invoke the Selection tool, like in Photoshop.

To reset the stage rotation, click the Reset Rotation button in the view options.

Timeline

See Storyboard Pro Timeline Cookbook

Camera

Pin to Camera

Pin to Camera (not sure where the function is located/controlled) can be used to emulate a heads-up display that tracks camera movement.

Exporting

Controlling which frames to include in PDFs

With a transformation applied to a layer, Storyboard > Add Snapshot. This instructs SBP to export that frame when exporting to PDF. (By default, the first frame in each panel in the timeline is exported.)

Libraries

Library tab (next to Tool Properties)

Drag layers from the Stage View into the Library panel to save as a template (including any transformations.) The templates in the library are then available to other storyboard projects.

This is a good way to reuse walk cycles, for example.

Notes

See also

• Storyboarding For Animation Introduction
• Storyboard Pro Timeline Cookbook