Learn the ropes

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Learn the ropes

Viz

Date: Saturday, 2011-03-19, 6:52 AM | Message # 1

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I shall teach you what you need to have, know, and use to animate.

To animate effectively you will need: Flash 8 professional (Or Flash CS3)
Adobe Fireworks (Any version will do, I use CS3)
Sprite sheets & Backgrounds - www.spritedatabase.net
- www.spriters-resource.com
Effects & Sounds - Rip them yourself from MUGEN using Fighter Factory.
- Download my resource pack: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5LRB7F5M

Animation rules (LEARN THESE): Smoothness
Easing
Fluidity
Force
Physics
Anticipation
Reaction
Realism

Okay, go to Youtube and search ifureadthisdie, he has tutorials on how to use Flash, as well as other helpful videos, once you've watched those (Make sure you've studied them) go into Flash and play around, practice makes perfect after all. I also suggest that you study some great animations so you can pick up some of the animator's techniques. If you do not understand physics, reactions and all of this basic animation terminology then you will need to learn about them in order to become a good animator.

If you have any other questions post them here.

Message edited by VizardFerrer - Saturday, 2011-03-19, 6:53 AM

Mugen_Boy

Date: Saturday, 2011-03-19, 10:40 AM | Message # 2

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Thank you for this tutorial Viz

Date: Tuesday, 2011-04-26, 3:46 AM | Message # 3

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Is there a site/forum that you can go to that has all the animation terminologies and maybe an example or picture that would go with it?

Edit: Nevermind looked back up n saw'em listed under the rules. Is that all of the terminologies that you listed or are there more?

Edit 2: And another thing, I have flash 8 pro, and the tuts are done in flash cs3. I was just wandering if the same methods would work in flash 8 as they would in cs3. I dont know if you'll respond to this because of my last response to your post on my sprites thread, but man im just here to learn to animate, thats it. im not here for petty quarrels over edits and custom sprites, terms, whatever. I just wanna learn man, just wanna learn.

Message edited by G7 - Tuesday, 2011-04-26, 3:55 AM

Viz

Date: Tuesday, 2011-04-26, 3:56 PM | Message # 4

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Quote (G7)

I dont know if you'll respond to this because of my last response to your post on my sprites thread

I would have replied earlier but I was banned.

Quote (G7)

And another thing, I have flash 8 pro, and the tuts are done in flash cs3. I was just wandering if the same methods would work in flash 8 as they would in cs3.

Yes, Flash 8 and Flash CS3 work very similarly.

Date: Friday, 2011-04-29, 6:29 PM | Message # 5

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So ive got a quick question for ya, My adobe is being kind of a dick and wont let me do transparent back grounds(I think i need a reinstall is all). So i was wondering if, before i made the images a movie clip in flash, could i trace the bitmap to remove the white background that keeps coming up on my sprites and then make them a movie clip and then break'em apart and begin aligning them correctly like it explains in the tutorial. and if so would it still cause my movie to lag? I kinda figured you might know.

Viz

Date: Friday, 2011-04-29, 7:07 PM | Message # 6

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Quote (G7)

My adobe is being kind of a dick and wont let me do transparent back grounds

Adobe what?

Adobe a company, not a program.

Are you talking about Fireworks?

Quote (G7)

So i was wondering if, before i made the images a movie clip in flash, could i trace the bitmap to remove the white background that keeps coming up on my sprites and then make them a movie clip and then break'em apar

If you trace them then there's no need to break them apart.

The reason the transparent BG isn't working is probably because the BG is white, never save the sheet after you've removed the background otherwise it'll just be white when you load it again.

And never use sheets with white backgrounds unless you want to trace bitmap and remove the background manually, one sprite by one.

Quote (G7)

and if so would it still cause my movie to lag? I kinda figured you might know.

Eh, I don't usually suffer any lag and I trace all of my bitmaps, even though they have no background (It increases the file size, but also increases the quality).

So it shouldn't lag for you either.

Date: Saturday, 2011-04-30, 4:56 AM | Message # 7

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Adobe Photoshop CS2. Sorry, i was in a rush this morning and didn't get to proof read this. I dont save the images after i make them transparent. I tried too but my Photoshop wont let me save anything so that's why i think i may need to reinstall it. Oh and the only reason i asked about the lag issue is because the do0d in the tutorials(ifureadthisdie) mentions something about file sizes increasing when you trace bitmap and that your movies might suffer a lag, but if you haven't encountered any problems with lag issues then i wont worry about it til it happens.

Message edited by G7 - Saturday, 2011-04-30, 4:57 AM

Viz

Date: Saturday, 2011-04-30, 6:59 PM | Message # 8

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Quote (G7)

Adobe Photoshop CS2

Why are you using Photoshop?

The tutorial clearly shows the Fireworks method, which is better.

Date: Sunday, 2011-05-01, 9:48 AM | Message # 9

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I honestly did not know which was better. I saw the tutorial using fireworks but i figured anything that can be done in fireworks can be done in Photoshop, and i mean he was only making a transparent background so i figured it couldn't be that different, but now i know that fireworks is the superior of the 2. Ive got fireworks, but i downloaded it from this Master Collection torrent that had all the Adobe CS3 products on it, and i dont think it installed correctly because it never opens, just gives me an error message and now it wont let me uninstall. So im going to try a reinstall and then an uninstall to see if that will remove it and then look for just a fireworks CS3 torrent.

Viz

Date: Sunday, 2011-05-01, 4:41 PM | Message # 10

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Quote (G7)

For just graphic design purposes, Photoshop is better.

But if you're using Fireworks for Flash-related projects then Fireworks is better.

Flash and Fireworks are pretty much two sides of the same coin, Flash is for animation (And 2D game creation), Fireworks is for graphics that are then imported into Flash.

Date: Saturday, 2011-05-07, 10:23 PM | Message # 11

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Another quick question about Flash. Is there a way to make the onion skin show only the previous frame and not all of them when im trying to align the images? This only occurs when i do it with the trace bitmap method to take the sprites apart and align them in flash, and every time i select an image it shows it all poly gram like(I think that's the word). I would try the break apart method but every time i go to remove the nasty black background that appears when sprite is highlighted, it removes a bit of the hair a other small details about the sprite. Ive only tried this with one sprite so this may have been a hasty question.

Viz

Date: Sunday, 2011-05-08, 2:31 AM | Message # 12

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Quote (G7)

Is there a way to make the onion skin show only the previous frame and not all of them when im trying to align the images?

Yes.

there should be some brackets on the time line that go from a certain frame to another, shorten the brackets so that they only cover the previous frame and it'll continue like that throughout.

tatelprwikz

Date: Friday, 2011-09-09, 3:18 PM | Message # 13