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obtusity — Quick introduction to animation in FireAlpaca 1.5
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#animation #tutorial #firealpaca #tutorialhowto #firealpacatutorial
Published: 2015-10-30 13:09:57 +0000 UTC; Views: 46744; Favourites: 583; Downloads: 151
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Description
A very quick introduction to the new animation feature in FireAlpaca 1.5, in response to a few questions.Note that the result is a set of PNG files (one per animation frame or one per layer), and you will have to join them together as an animation using a separate program (e.g. a GIF creator, a video editor, animation software, etc, depending on your output requirements).
Follow up: (using AlpacaDouga to combine the output PNG sequence into an animated GIF).
Blue-Ten also posted a guide on Tumblr
Update:
A layer folder counts as a single frame when exported, so you can use layer folders to contain multiple layers in a single frame.
You might use folders to add and re-use background layers, to retain separate outline and colour layers, or for other purposes.
Transcript:
From the View menu, turn on Onion Skin Mode
As you add new layers, the next layer below will be shown in shades of pale red
[In animation terms, the red preview shows the previous frame, earlier in time]
If there are any layers above, the next layer above will be shown in shades of pale green
[In animation terms, the green preview shows the next frame, later in time]
In the View menu, the AutoPlay option will open a preview window flipping through eaxh layer as an animation frame
From the File menu, selecting Export Layers (Onion Skin Mode) will export each layer as a numbered PNG file, starting from 000.png
The bottom-most layer is layer 000, and layers count upwards
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Comments: 275
With some work, I could finally animate like DC in FireAlpaca.
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THIS IS SO HELPFUL I USED TO EXPORT EVERY FRAME AT ONCE AAAAAAAA IM SO STUPID NOQJSQHIXPQJQKDX
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YouTube does not accept animated GIFs (animated GIFs are fun, but they really a gimmick for web pages, not a movie format).
You can either use a converter to change the GIF to a real movie format (e.g. MP4), or use a video editor (not AlpacaDouga) to combine your PNG frames into a movie file instead of an animated GIF.
Warning: using a converter might result in unacceptable degradation in quality.
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Here you go: www.google.com.au/search?q=ani…
I have not tried any of these myself, nor seen any reviews, so I will not give any recommendations.
Please make sure your anti-virus program is up-to-date before using random online web sites.
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In onion skin mode, is there a specific way to individually color each of the frames, or do you have to export them one by one and color them then?
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Well, you can:
1. Colour on the same layer.
2. Turn off onion skin, colour on the layer beneath, and merge the layers, then turn on onion skin again.
or, possibly the best option but slightly more fiddly:
3. Use layer folders. Each top-level folder will count as a single frame, even if it contains several layers (line art, colouring, shading, background, etc)
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Thanks! I had already found out how to do it with the folders and such though.
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I uploaded about 200 images for my gif and pressed make gif but it's been 10 minutes and still isn't done. Does it just take a long time or did it freeze?
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The AlpacaDouga server process does seem to have memory and CPU limits for any one specific user, it might be just incredibly slow or you might have overloaded the limits.
That number of frames by itself is somewhat large, and you don't mention you image dimensions (I am of the belief that anything over 500 pixels wide is too big for what the GIF format was designed for).
You could try another online service such gifmaker.me or try a desktop program such as Photoscape to combine the PNG frames into an animated GIF, or you could be getting to a stage where it is better to move to a real movie format (AVI, MOV, WMV, MP4, etc) and combine the frames using a video editor.
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If I wanted to make a movie instead of a gif, what video editors would be good?
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Personally, I am rather fond of Corel VideoStudio , a consumer-level paid product, has an import timelapse feature under the File menu (Insert Media) that works well with image sequences. Tutorials here.
Many other paid editors should also work well, although not all handle image sequences well - some import sequences as a slideshow with about 5 or so seconds per image, not what you want for an animation.
Free alternatives:
Simple: VideoPad - has an option under File menu, Add Images As Video option for importing image sequences (and select the folder containing the FireAlpaca image sequence). Look for the Get It Free paragraph and link for non-commercial use (might not show up on all web browsers). The free edition and cheap home edition are limited to only two audio tracks, or you can pay for a version with unlimited tracks. Tutorials here.
Professional: HitFilm 4 Express - more complicated, but very powerful with many more features. Has a nice Image Sequence option under the Import menu in the Media Bin (and the fact you have to - start a new project, go into Edit mode, go to the Media bin, click the arrow to show alternative import choices, and select Image Sequence - gives you some idea of the complexity of a full professional video editor). Tutorials here.
If you have never used a video editor before, VideoPad is probably a good place to start - free version, fairly simple, does the basics. After you have used it for a while, you can decide if you need or want to move up to a consumer or professional program.
There are other alternatives out there and I have not tried them all but, from the reviews I have read, these are a good start.
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Thank you! The phtoscape program works great. Not I can do longer animations!
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let's say i haven't finished my animation and i have to leave how can i save it and work on it later ?
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Save as MDP format, which preserves all the layers, onion skin, etc.
See this tutorial: FireAlpaca art won't upload or asks for a preview?
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When I go into the View, it doesn't give me an option for Onion Skin Mode? I'm not sure why this is.
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P.S. only download newer versions from the official site at firealpaca.com/en
Some fake freeware sites and pirate sites have included viruses in the installer.
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Check your version using Help menu, About.
Onion skin was added in version 1.5.0, current version 1.7.0
Onion Skin is not supported in MediBang Paint Pro, FireAlpaca's sibling program.
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Can you add audio? Google refuses to provide answers.
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Animated GIF does not support audio, so no, not as an animated GIF.
There are a few sites that try to play a separate audio file in sync with an animated GIF, with varying degrees of success.
However, you could instead combine the separate frame PNGs into a real movie format (MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV, etc) with a video editor, which will support audio. You could then share this movie through YouTube, Vimeo, etc, and embed it in a web page, share it via email, etc.
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Ooooohhhh I see.
Thank you, friend. :3
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First Google result when I search "firealpaca export layers" congrats I guess
Edit, oh maybe I should have looked for my self first xD that's easy, but good too know there is a onion skin too :3
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Onion Skin Mode is not an option to select for me. Do you have a specific version?
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Added in version 1.5.0 (check under the Help menu, About to see your version. Current version 1.7.0)
Not available in MediBang Paint Pro.
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How does someone download Alpaca Douga? All I can download is the original Paint Tool software but when I look at the official website firealpaca.com/en/douga they redirect me to the Paint Tool download and the japanese version of the website
Edit: Also they tell me to download the Paint Tool software and go to view>onion mode then, but.... there is no onion mode?? All the other animation windows aren't visible too...
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As ShroomDragon said, AlpacaDouga is a website service (upload the PNG image sequence created in FireAlpaca, create and download an animated GIF).
See Using AlpacaDouga
You can also use a desktop alternative such as Photoscape
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Unsure about the edit question, but once you've actually downloaded FireAlpaca and exported layers, AlpacaDouga (frame-combining site) isn't downloaded. It's just a website!
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Thanks, this is awesome.
Since when was this feature added?
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Sorry for the delay replying, been focussed on other things for several weeks.
Introduced in 1.5.0, released 2015-10-21 (current version 1.7.0, released 2017-02-13. Useful recent features: 3D guide layers, mesh warp, better support for Huion tablets, autosave for crashes).
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Is there a way to colour in onion skin mode without it going over the line art?
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Sorry for the delay replying, been focussed on other things for several weeks.
Maple-Waple has given you a great solution.
You can also create layer folders. All layers within the folder will be treated as a single frame, so you can have line art, colour, shading, background, etc, on different layers.
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oh really? I had no idea omg, thank you for that
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no ,, but you can switch off onion skin mode, and make layers underneath the lineart for colouring,, merge the lineart with the colors, and then switch back to onion skin mode. it can be tiring, but it works !!
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Sorry for the delay replying, been focussed on other things for several weeks.
Thank you! Glad it was helpful.
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a few questions! > o<
is there something similar to this in medibang?
i am debating whether it is worth it to install firealpaca
after already having mediang since they are
essentially the same program (but with variations)
how does this compare to the photoshop animation
system? (other than firealpaca's smoother lines)
is there options to test the animation with different
frame rates (all together, or different rates for each individual frames)
the way photoshop has it?
how does the onion skin mode look when each layer is colored?
also when exporting, can the png have transparency?
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Sorry for the delay replying, been focussed on other things for several weeks.
No, the onion skin/animation feature is not present in MediBang Paint (also no mesh warp/transform, no 3D guide layers ).
Compared to Photoshop: basically, FireAlpaca creates a series of PNG frames that must be combined in some other program (web service like AlpacaDouga, or a desktop program like Photoscape). This, it does not have features such as individual frame delay settings, that is up to the program that combines the PNG sequence into the animated GIF (for instance, Photoscape can handle this, AlpacaDouga cannot).
Yes, playback option for different frame rates, but only all together. Varying frame delays require another program (such as Photoscape).
Previous layers are shown in transparent shades of red/pink (make black-and-white, but in shades of red/pink, make transparent), later layers in shades of green.
The PNG frame images can have transparency. To combine them with transparency, you will need either something like GIFmaker.me (GIF transparency not supported by AlpacaDouga). Haven't tested Photoscape for transparency handling.
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My animations are playing backwards. Any way to fix this?
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Also noted recently that adding multiple batches of images to AlpacaDouga by drag-and-drop can get sorting incorrect, the Select all files button seems more reliable.
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Note: When you create the animation frames, they count from the lowest layer upwards (new layers are added above the current layer).
I haven't seen that happen, but playback on oversized GIF files can be a problem (if it's more than 500 pixels wide, it's probably too big, the GIF format was designed for small frame numbers on part of a low-resolution screen, it is not a movie replacement).
Check that you aren't getting a frame rate effect on playback speed (the way wheels can appear to turn backwards on film).
Try using a different program to join the PNG frame files together, such as Photoscape (downloadable) or GIFMaker.me (online).
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aaa one question,
how to add color without white lines??
tysm!
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