CREATING SEMI TRANSPARENT LEVELS

 

The Tapptoons Animation Studio has a facility to create `ghost`, shadow and dissolve effects based on selected levels of animation. The Semi-Transparent Levels section is accessed through the Scene menu on the Main Scanning and Editing form.

If a specific point on the Dope Sheet has already been selected the images from all the levels on that selected Dope Sheet row will appear on the form that shows next. If no particular Dope Sheet entry has been selected the first frames of each Dope Sheet level will be displayed.

The first thing you need to do is select which levels you want to be transparent. Any or all of the ten levels available can be made transparent. The example below shows one level has been chosen. The label beneath the image of each level chosen will change to a purple colour as shown below.

 

The default transparency effect is to level 16 on a scale of 0 to 32. The 32 setting means the image will be completely transparent and the 0 setting will make the image completely opaque. This is useful for making objects and characters gradually appear or disappear, fading to nothing. The effect of the various settings can be previewed by left-clicking the Preview button.

The transparency effect chosen will apply to all selected levels. If you want to create different transparency settings for each level you will need to select each level seperately and use the Frame Set button to register the settings required. To move to another level you must first left-click the Reset Level Choice button and then select the next level you wish to work on.

To keep track of your settings click on the Trans Info button to bring up the Trans Info grid.

The Transparency Info Form shows which levels have been set at which transparency setting. When building a Finished Scene the programme will use the previous settings if the following grid cells are 'blank' and will continue to do so throughout the scene unless it finds a new transparency setting on the grid. In the above example the bottom level and level two are set at transparency setting 16 (half way between opaque and transparent) from frame 1 on the grid. The other levels are set at 0 which means any images on those levels will be solid. If a Finished Scene was created from the above grid those settings would apply throughout the scene.

The grid can be completely wiped clean and blank by clicking the Clear Settings button.

The slider shown above controls the level of the transparency effect. The slider below controls the position on the Dope Sheet. To build a sequence in which an object or character gradually fades into view it`s necessary to follow the steps below.

1. First set the initial transparency level. In this case we want the object to be totally invisible at the start so set the Current Transparency Level slider to 32.

2. Assuming you are starting from frame 1 on the dope sheet (you don`t have to, just move the Current Dope Sheet Position slider to the frame you wish to start on) you now need to left-click on the Frame Set button.

3. Now click the arrow on right side of the Current Dope Sheet Position slider to move the frame position along one frame.

4. Left click on arrow on the LEFT side of the Current Transparency Level slider to change it to 31.

5. Click again on the Frame Set button.

6. Go back to the Current Dope Sheet Position slider and click the arrow on right side of the slider to move to the next frame.

7. Now back to the LEFT side of the Current Transparency Level slider to change it to 30.

You just need to repeat that cycle of settings, reducing the transparency level and moving the frame slider along. When you reach the transparency level of '0' you don`t need to make any more settings. To view a list of the changes you have made, click on the Trans Info button and the Trans Info grid will be shown.

8. When you`re happy with your settings (which you can change by moving the Current Dope Sheet Position slider to a point you want to modify) you can now press the Create Merged Colour Sequence button which will create a Finished Scene for you. If you have added any level moves or weather effects to the various levels you will be asked if you wish to used them in the Finished Scene or if you want to use the original scans or drawings.

You can play back the finished sequence from the Playback menu on the Main Scanning and Editing Form.

The transparency section also be used to turn objects or characters from one set of colours to another. This is achieved by scanning the same drawing or sequence of drawings (in exactly the same position on the scanner, of course) on to two adjacent layers using a different colour scheme on each level. In the case of the example above the woman`s dress could be purple on one level and green on another. Her hair or skin could be a different colour. The upper layer can then be set to be completely transparent at the beginning on the scene and, following the example above for fading levels gradually into view, brought to a completely opaque setting over 32 frames.

If you want the transition to be slower or faster you can change the transparency setting every second or third frame to slow it down or, if you want the change to be quicker, you can move the transparency slider along two or three or more levels as required.

Shadow effects can be created for objects and characters using a single layer. Shadows cast by a character or object can be created below the object level the shadows overlaying the background or any levels lower than the shadow layer, or shadows can be overlayed on top of the object by using the level above as a shadow layer.

 

Return to Tapptoons Animation Studio Helpfile