Can anyone suggest the best software program for 2d broadcast animation? I've been experimenting in Flash, but find I have to bring it into AE to get SMTPE, so I can time everything specifically and export correctly. Maybe I'm doing something wrong in flash? Is TOon BOom better? I've heard the lip-synching is really bad in Toon Boom, but past that, is it worthwhile because of the camera pans, trucks, etc? Is there a way to do that in flash? Also, can toon boom time things correctly (while you're compositing the actual animation?) Has anyone here tried Solo? (hoping to win the lottery so I can buy that one!--yikes, it's expensive.)
THanks.
best program for broadcast animation
By wallywood77 | Friday, September 30, 2005 at 11:57am
#1
best program for broadcast animation
I can't speak for all those program you mentioned, but I used Adobe After Effects to composite my own film. Its a very versatile program.
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You can simulate camera moves in flash by putting all your animation into a symbol and then moving/resizing that symbol on the stage.
I don't understand what you mean by timing things correctly in the compositing stage though. Everything should be timed and synched to audio when you animate it.
I think you'll find that most animation programs aren't intended to be the final stage; you still need something like After Effects or Vegas to export to NTSC/PAL video. Mirage may be an exception since it's also a video effects/compositing program, but even then you'll probably find it's easier to add your sound fx, music, and final editing in a real video editing application.
Is after effects hard to use? It looks kind of intimidating, but I've never actually tried it before. Sorry if this is off topic-- just curious.
Pooryorik
Nope, at least not compared to Shake and the like. I'd highly recommend learning how to use it, especially if you're using a computer to go to broadcast. It can help smooth out problems like high detail looking like it's flickering, a problem with high detail 3d texture maps and occasionally Flash animation when it goes to the relatively low resolution of a television set (Free tip: happens when lines finer than a pixel "flicker" between actual pixels, a simple half to full pixel blur usually fixes it up with virtually no visual loss, kind of a cheap anti-alias, and takes some of the "computer edge" off). Not to mention you can do some very nifty work in it that would be very hard and time consuming in Flash even with the new plug-ins as well as detailed color work or limiting necessary for images to display properly (or close to it) in NTSC.
I'd recommend picking up Trish Meyers' book on it from Amazon. It used to be one volume but it's since been split into two, very thorough and works very well as a reference after the fact. I used to use it as a text book for a class on AE I used to teach. An even better intro (minus the reference) to it (if significantly more expensive) is getting your hands on a copy of Total AE DVD set. Very good tutorials to get the raw beginner started. Filled with very useful 'real' world tips.
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see the thing is each program is supposed to do what it is meant for. you get an animation software and it will do quite well what it is supposed to do (or like flash you bend it to your will)
you have something for compositing like AE and it will do its job well. no porject is going to be a 100% unless you send it through its run under each program. a one shot program will not do it all properly.
ideally you should be exporting a TGA sequence, mimicking your camera movement, correcting your colour and addding your sound mix to the tga sequence. then you take the output in what i guess would Digibeta or whatever tapes.
I don't understand why you would have to re-time it out in After Effects? Also what is SMTPE?
You should be able to do everything from Flash. At least to the export stage, and then take it to a post house so they can put your animation on to Beta Cam, or Digi Beta for TV Broadcast.
Aloha,
the Ape
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I used Toonboom for my animation and then imported it into Premiere Elements and it turned out fine. I think the program changes the frame rate for you. If I remember correctly, I think it is called a "2:3 drop down" or something like that.
A few years back there was a site I went to where the guy used After Effects for all of his animation compositing and got very good results. Also, if you ever see the Dr. Tran short on the Spike and Mike dvds, those are done in after effects too.
KalEl118
SMTPE Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers