GRADIENT FILLS

 

To avoid problems with setting the transparency colour for gradient fills make sure your display is set for 24 bit or 32 bit colour.

Gradient fills can be used to make objects or characters appear more rounded and give the impression of directional light within a scene. The Animation Studio can create gradient fills which can cover the entire frame or small, selected areas of an object or character. To create a fill you first need to select the frame you want to change from the Dope Sheet which will then bring up the form below...

Select the Modify Current Frame button then left-click on the Do It! button. You will then see the Draw Frames Form form, as below.

 

Left click the Grad Fill tool bar item.

This will bring up the Graduated Fill Construction Form as below...

You first need to select the type of fill you want to make. There`s a choice of Horizontal, Vertical or Sunburst fills.

Then you need to select the size of the fill, whether it`s to be a full frame or a small area of a frame.

When you`ve made these choices left-click on the Preview button...

The image you have chosen will come up in the frame. If you have decided to fill in a small area of the image you will then need to select the area of the image you want to fill with the mouse. Left click and hold the mouse button whilst you drag the mouse to create a frame around the area you want to fill.

In the above example I want to put a gradient fill on the woman`s hair to replace the light blue colour that is already there so I create the frame around the hair. As you get used to the way the system works you will be able to control the positioning of the fills more accurately, sometimes making the frame extend further to one side or further down or up the image will change where the light area of a fill will begin or end.

When you have made the frame click again on the Preview button....

You will be asked to choose a colour for the gradient fill after which you will see a display of how the fill should look

 

 

If you are happy with the example shown click the Yes button on the dialog box and you will return to the Draw Frames Form and another message telling you to left-click in the are you wish to fill. In this example it would be the woman`s hair.

If you don`t like the fill you`ve made just click on the Undo button on the Draw Frames Form tool bar and the programme will ask you to select again the area you want to fill. To change the colours used click on the Grad Fill tool bar button.

From version 3.3.0.3 of the Animation Studio you are able to continue to use the same gradient settings and colours on following frames or in other areas of the same frame by selecting the area you want to use after which you will be prompted to click within the area you want to fill.

To turn off the gradient fill tool select another toolbar button such as the Colour Fill button.

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If you decide the last gradient fill was a mistake, click on the Undo menu button :

This gives you the option of undoing the last action or reverting to the original Dope Sheet since the last save. From version 3.3.0.3 the Tapptoons Animation Studio saves up to 50 steps of undo after which it reverts to zero and starts saving again. Previous versions of the programme could only undo back by one step.

 

 

If you find any difficulties with the transparency colour used during the process (the area you are to fill will be flooded in RED in the final stages) you can try a different transparency colour by choosing one from the Options menu as shown below:

This feature was added from version 2.0.1.6 of the Tapptoons Animation Studio.

 

 

 

 

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