[Kell Smith]

Thank you Michael,
I’m not sure I completely understood your response. How much larger (percentage-wise) would the transcoded file be?

[Kell Smith]

Thanks John, and thanks so much for your help and suggestions. I’m going to hit the TT training series harder.
I came up with some watercolor animation ideas yesterday and am going to try them just to see how the process works.
And the unrelated things going on have been resolved…In the future I’ll make sure I don’t post in the forum when I’m mad at someone here at home. =)

[Kell Smith]

John, sorry… didn’t mean to sound like a jerk… I think I was just having a moment – some other things going on in the background on my end and my frustration about those just showed up in the tone of my post.. but unrelated.

[Kell Smith]

Hi John,
No, I wasn’t saying that – you’ve been great. I think we’re the only ones left in the thread though.. =)
I”m still unclear on how to approach animations #2 and #3 though but I’m working on it. Been doing some Google searching and it is filling in some of the holes – but haven’t tried it yet.

[Kell Smith]

I guess everyone’s left =( I’ll figure it out

[Kell Smith]

Thanks John!
Point taken. I actually do have the Total Training series for AE 6.5 and am working my way through it (a very large undertaking as it is a pretty extensive training series). So I am slowly getting a grasp of the basics. it’s not too bad as I do have a working knowledge of Illustrator and Photoshop, except for the aforementioned question, as well as FCS and similar. BTW I do have a parallel thread in the Illustrator forum for the mask question, just haven’t solved it yet.

You’re certainly right about having the foundations – and I’m getting those. I like giving myself assignments and then finding the answer – as long as it’s not at 3am on a paid project – we all know what that’s like! But I will complete the TT program for sure.

I think I understand how to do animation #1, in theory at least, but will try it hands-on and see how it goes.
However, if anyone out there can guide me as to animation #2 and #3, what the proper way is for such projects, I’d like to tackle it and just try to do it. Just need a clear method of approach.

i was hoping to have a grasp of this by the New Year, but maybe not…

BTW, love your quote, and posted it as my New Year’s Facebook status.

[Kell Smith]

Yes, I haven’t done a test yet, but it seems that the first one I could
1 draw the drawings,
2 trace them in Illustrator, maybe doing different parts on different layers,
3 Figure out how to combine the paths into a single one in CS3 (anyone know how)?
4 Copy and paste them into AE
5 Create a mask with render>stroke
6 Reveal the mask under stroke end property.

For the second ones, I guess I would need to work from actual drawings/paintings?
1 I guess I could draw them in Illustrator, but I’m not really that proficient in it yet. I have a cheap tablet,but it feels awkward to use it.
Or maybe I could draw/paint the main frames, then modify them in Illustrator under Live Trace?
2 Would I need to do this for all ten thousand frames? Or is there a way to have the program fill in?

I cannot afford (and may not have the system resources since my equip. is older) to get a program like Maya or 3D Max right now, so what I am working with at this point is the CS3 Suite, a very old Final Cut and Motion, After Effects 6.5, and perhaps I could find one of those free animation programs out there. But I want to learn first and foremost how to use After Effects.

[Kell Smith]

I meant to say Livetrace….

[Kell Smith]

Thanks Vince,
I’ll try that.
I created a parallel discussion in the After Effects forum with some examples of where I”m going with it. To be honest, I don’t know the process well enough to know if open or closed paths are required – open paths seemed easier for the idea of revealing a line with a mask – but i”M trying to figure out the basics right now, so not sure..

It does seem that there must be a way to combine and simplify masks in CS3 that does not require clicking on every little teeny tiny end point? SO that they can be imported in one path?

I tried the add to shape area – with the whole drawing selected, all the paths selected, and I can still select separate shapes with the white arrow – so it has not been unified into one path.

Here’s a link to the other discussion: https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/202/896641

[Kell Smith]

Thanks all,
I have seen those whiteboard videos with the arm revealing the drawing before – but it was interesting to follow those threads and look into specifically how those are done. I think there is also a software that will do that – so it never occurred to me that people might be doing that manually. I might give that a test run.

As for the links below, my specific question is how to get started in the process and what is the best method for doing so. And specifically, the exact process of bringing it from line drawing to computer animation – what to do, in what sequence.
And the way to get it from Illustrator (CS3) to AE without two hundred masks from Autotrace – how to combine and simplify. And without tracing everything manually with the pen tool.

I would like to do this animation in After Effects (6.5) for now, because I want to become skilled in it. However, if there’s a better method let me know for future reference.

Originally this is the type of thing I had in mind and would like to be able to offer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioDqhQtyIe0

But upon really sitting down and considering it, I’m interested in being able to do something like this – although my drawing skills are functional but limited. I guess the correct term would be cartooning.
I also like the watercolor shading.
(these are hilarious BTW – give them a look):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfvq2Gf6UE8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K31dg86OmuM&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Thanks =)

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