Welcome to TVPaint Community forums !

Hi guys!!

I'm currently practicing on how to make backgrounds pan in Adobe After Effects and although that part seems straightforward, I'm having trouble with bridging the gap between TVP and AAE. So, what happens is I have done a walk cycle in TVP, no backgrounds or anything just drew straight on to the stage for both colour and line (separate layers) and exported as a PNG file into its own folder. When I import it into AAE it has a big black block behind the walk cycle which I can't seem to remove, like it's imbedded even though I've saved it as a PNG! I tried to just Save As and save it as a PNG file but it seems to have the tvpp extension attached to it so that doesn't work. I have fiddled around with it for hours to no avail so any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!
- Animatorgirl

When you export from TVP, make sure you export with an alpha channel included and that your Background option is not checked. I don't work the way you do but that big black block says to me "limbo" in the TVP world. What you want to see in the export panel are the alpha checkers behind your characters.

Thank you so much, Paul. Your tips sorted it right out! I'm a complete beginner and I've seen that people mostly take their backgrounds into AAE and only animate the characters in TVP. I have no idea how to go about it any other way. If you don't mind me asking, what is your work process when it comes to such things? I always love to hear about people's work process, any info would be illuminating but no pressure ;D

Export from TVP as PNG, RGBA. This has always worked for me. I put the stuff together in AnimeStudio, though, because I don't work with AFX anymore and the AS interface is far more easier to use for me.

slowtiger and I always differ on the subject of taking our projects to other software so choose which work flow suits you better.

I like to do everything in TVPaint.

When it comes to a character walking along a long BKG while followed by a camera, I prefer to do all my character animation directly on the long background. The advantage of this solution is that you will never run into the maddening mathematical problem of how to prevent your character from skating, or floating in the air; simply put, not connected with the ground and looking weightless.

For a camera you can then use the one that is in the Main Panel, which is again the best way because it is easy to make it follow your character by simple trial and error using the camera's instant replay advantage. If you don't have TVP Pro and the Camera is missing from your Main Panel, then use the KeyFramer and a secondary project of a standard size to follow your character. Let me know if this is your case and if you need help with simultaneously setting up two project sizes.

BTW, I also prefer to avoid using walk cycles, which give the animation too much of a windup toy effect, but this depends on your drawing style. slowtiger for instance makes good use of this mechanical approach to animation. If you prefer a more life-like style of motion, animating directly on the long background while not using a walk cycle can be easier than using the walk cycle shortcut.

Animation cycles can be often anything but a shortcut because any small blemish within the cycle keeps repeating itself, giving away the effect and you fall into a situation in which you find yourself wasting a lot of time fixing these little mistakes of repetition so in the end there is no shortcut to the shortcut. To draw a character walking across a length of BKG without a cycle pushes you into creating some interesting small variations in its walk like looking around or stepping over small objects, which adds life and character to the character.

Yes, Paul and I not only work in different styles but also in different workflows. I have some experience working on TV series in a studio environment, and a walk cycle on a moving BG is standard stuff there. I'm also used to that Flash-like style of re-using simple animation tidbits again and again, and even did some game stuff where the final movement is programmed to be assembled from lots of small elements.

It all depends on your personal style and workflow preferences. I'm used to program hopping, so I do it and find it simpler than sticking to one software at any price.

Paul and slowtiger - Thank you for your reply!! It's really useful to know that there is more than one way to go about animating walking and just movement in general. I'm a software program geek and I like to get involved with many different types, and because I'm VERY new to TVPaint I'm kind of relying on what I know (photoshop, a little bit of Adobe AfterEffects, Adobe Audition, Photoshop etc). Still, I'm interested in going the route of trying to do as much as I can in TVPaint ...I'm yet to properly explore the camera and FX panels but they're on my todo list and I'm just slowly working through the manual. There feels like there is SO much to learn, it's quite overwhelming to be honest. I couldn't cope with the limits of flash, the brushes are a disaster in flash I feel and I wanted a more organic, painterly effect. However, some of my favourite cartoons on the internet are made in flash for example Harry Partridge's cartoons on youtube.

The kind of work I want my work to be is like Gobelins. I'm a loooooonnnnggg way off from achieving that kind of work but I'm completely determined. I even thought of actually trying to study at Gobelins but it's just too out of my league, sadly. I'm inspired by not only Gobelins but two particular animations: One called Iluzia - http://vimeo.com/31300927 and I'm A Monster by Headless Productions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h2qjg6KfaM. If I could ever animate and draw like I'm A Monster I think I'd die happy. I also love Polypous - http://vimeo.com/37232442 Balloon by Ken Lidster (the first animation I ever saw that really ignighted my passion for animation as a child) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stY85ZF4cE8 Harry Partridge's Starbarians -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOuNeX9kmWw. The Saga of Bjorn is amazing too, it uses software techniques that I have absolutely no idea how to emulate - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV5w262XvCU. I mean, how do you even go about creating something like that!

I have no idea how to go about even starting to animate like all these guys. All my animation attempts look so stilted. I don't even know how to plan out an animation. I'm completely green and it's terribly frustrating but it's all part of the journey I guess haha. I've heard that it all starts with the ball and the walk. I'm going to experiment with walk cycle and with freeform walking, see where it takes me . Thanks for enlightening me to the notion that there isn't one set way of doing things!

I'm not a big fan of Gobelins, but they are good animators no doubt - the problem I have with this school , is that everything they do looks the same. Anyway - each to his taste - it's good you are determined!
There are several books about animation methodology and for any beginner animator it is a good idea to follow some of the basic exercises to get the idea of principals of animation. Of course, without a tutor it's more difficult to get a feedback, but it can help anyway.
As for the technical workflow, I used to work in both ways like Paul and like Slowtiger. Slowtiger's method is really used a lot in low budget TV Series, especially when you work on Flash (or Toon Boom, which is, by the way, taking place of Flash, so I've heard at least). But it doesn't mean it's worse - it's just different and you can get very nice results if you use it well. Paul's method is the one we use on big feature projects, or shorts that have to look very organic in their natural way etc. both methods have their pros and cons and are also a matter of taste, but I can tell though, that Gobelins students definitely use the one Paul explained - more organic approach.
As for software - right now I do all the animation in TVPaint on original backgrounds and the camera moves in Premiere - it's just easier for me. But the best is just work with what you are comfortable.