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Animate Imports/File Types

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
April 1, 2019
6 replies
4589 views

Hello Adobe Community , I wonder if anyone can advise me on the best/correct file type to use when importing my character artwork into Animate CC for animation. I think i am now a bit confused and baffled over which file types to export or which program to use for creating artwork. If someone could advise me on a/the correct process that would be great. I use a combination of Illustrator , Photoshop and Affinity designer for graphics. My artwork is usually made in Affinity designer or Illustrator and then taken into Photoshop so i can assemble the parts of a character. Once this is done i am importing to Illustrator because i am thinking it needs to be vector based for scalability. This process usually results in the effects applied in Affinity distorting or dissapearing. This led me to create artwork without effects but that is not ideal for me... so instead i thought i could just import a PSD file in order to keep the applied effects intact. The effects remain as is I now have Animate files containing artwork exported as PSD , AI , SVG and probably PNG as well. I have one PSD file that seems ok with maybe a slight deterioration in text and another with some artwork thats a bit deformed.... I have an AI import that seems ok i think and i have just imported an SVG file that also seems ok and something tells me it might be SVG thats the answer...

I would appreciate any and all advice as i am a beginner , it seems i am lost in a maze of File Types , Programs and rubbish YouTube videos , it has taken me a while to accomplish decent character artwork and graphics but now that i can create decent graphics/artwork i want to Animate them...

Thanks...

Cre8tiv Person..

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Correct answer n. tilcheff

Hi again, mate,

These are some big questions that you ask

I'll try to limit this reply to 3-4 paragraphs, because otherwise it will spiral out of control.

I'm not competent to give opinion on Adobe Character Animator. Haven't seen any pro use it, but that does not mean that it is not possible. I've only seen some demo videos about it, thought it looked like a toy and moved on. But this shouldn't mean anything. If it exists and is being used, it probably has merit. You have to evaluate for yourself. Look at what is being done with it and if the results justify the time-investment to learn how to use it.

There are two types of problems with beginning animators these days. Learning to animate and learning software. A program can usually be learned well in a year or so, while becoming a good animator takes much longer. The trouble now is that the choice of software shapes how you develop as an animator. Back in the day when I started it was all mostly traditional - pencil drawings on punched paper, so you could focus on learning to animate well and then with this foundation, you had points of reference what to look for in software and also desire to push it rather than letting it lead you.

Let's hope that someone will contribute some experience with Ch Animator to this topic!

Personally I'm so heavily invested in Flash/Animate (+ EDAP Tools) at this stage and getting such good results out of it, that I don't see myself having the time to explore other animation software unless I'm forced by circumstances. But things weren't always like this. In the 90s the software landscape was very different and then I was in my twenties, curious and excited to try new ways of doing things and new programs of which there were quite many. I was equally proficient in AE, early versions of ToonBoom, CTP, Retas Pro and others. But in the last 15 years, here in Australia, I have only had steady employment with Flash work - mostly for TV and more recently TV-style for web; also some interactive projects. Flash became a mainstay for a reason. It is very versatile and work can be done in it effectively.

Animate is Flash. There are some new things, some things were removed, but it is the same program and has the same power.

It is not ideal for character animation and that is why we started Flanimate Power Tools - to extend and improve the UX. So you see - we have invested about 10 years of work there too.

At this stage we're also trying to help the Animate CC dev team with opinions and feedback in our areas of expertise.

So, as you can see my situation and yours are almost non-relatable. I should not be giving you advice, based on how my life as a middle-aged established professional is, because it all developed in a completely different context.

I can and will be happy to answer specific questions about certain technical aspects of using Flash/Animate. And that is mostly what I do here.

I taught animation and character design at one of Sydney's animation colleges for 4 years, but lost motivation and quit, because of this gap - the journey is long and I had to always answer the same beginner's questions and by the end of the course we still couldn't reach areas that interest me.

I'll end with some advice though:

Keep your early projects simple and clear.

Finish them within 2-3 months. Don't aim for perfection.

Stick to your original plan (not constantly going back and improving) and seal them off.

Give yourself a break to detach. Then look at it with fresh eyes and be as critical as possible.

Reflect.

Apply the acquired knowledge to the next project.

I hope this helps

NT

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adb8787Author

Participating Frequently

I wish i could go back to 2004 and use Flash MX , and Adobe Premiere 6.5 , that would make me happy ...

It's really , really difficult to understand Adobe's actions regarding this hook up with Cartoon Animator , i cannot comprehend the reason why and someone in the Adobe head office needs to bang some ffn heads together , says me , an idiot...

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adb8787Author

Participating Frequently

Hello , I am happy you now know that Cartoon Animator is much improved. I maybe share your thoughts on the UX a little , the timeline will take a bit of getting used to in CA 4.. When press stop the timeline won't stop on specific frame the user has stopped at , always back to beginning , which is a bit annoying when looking to edit facial movements with the lip sync.. UX and UI is my main problem with Animate , can't stand it ... I apologise if i come across as a bit rude , my contempt is reserved for Adobe products that don't work .. only last weekend i had to uninstall Photoshop then Re-install , just to have it work with CA 4 , when it had been ok for weeks then suddenly not working , the unreliability and unpredictability of Adobe products annoys me , I do appreciate what you say about moving on , it's just hard to accept some people are doing good things with Ch Anim , and mine does not work , EVER...

I have not given up on learning to use Animate and will be spending the next 4 or 5 days trying to find a way to use it without wanting to throw up , I am only continuing because i do want to integrate your EDAPT tools with Animate and see what can be done , what i can do , i was back on your site reading today , its great and has helped many people no doubt , Thanks for your helpful advice , I suppose we should leave it at that....

Thanks very much ...

It occurs to me so many people have read this because they find it interesting and there will be info on this page that has pointed people in the right direction or maybe helped them.. thats great then , they don't need to reply , just read...

Happy Days all animators , would be animators... and Ch Anim users....

I have absolutely no clue what an ACP is , no matter , i will sleep well....

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adb8787Author

Participating Frequently

I could see that it says 189 people viewed this , just found that interesting ,189 people with nothing to say... I dunno , maybe it's a funny conversation , i don't know...

n. tilcheff

Brainiac

Hi mate,

Firstly, I'd like to thank you for pointing my attention toward Cartoon Animator 4!

I had not seen it until yesterday. I knew of their previous incarnation, but this now is at a completely different level.

I think that the UX is not optimal yet, but they have done many things right and I will be following the developments with interest.

I'll also say a couple of more things and leave it at that.

I did not know Ch Anim has no forum. Just by analogy with the other adobe products I assumed it had.

What I said about moving on is advice that I would give to any of my real-life friends if I see them in a state of prolonged frustration.

It is very difficult to fix the world, but fairly easy to help someone who has difficulty with a specific problem and you know something about the matter.

Finally, this forum here is really not about discussions. There are a bunch of ACPs who answer questions and many people like you, who come with problems.

The people who come with questions do not engage in discussions, many of them never return to even see the answers to their own questions. They are not interested in what problems the others are facing.

You'd expect people to engage in conversations, but they don't. How many other people's topics have you written in or engaged in friendly exchange of opinions?

The ACPs don't do that either. This is not a community where people discuss ideas or philosophy. It is just a quick information exchange.

This is the nature of the place.

Have fun with Cartoon Animator 4!

All the best!

NT

Nick - Character Designer and Animator, Flash user since 1998 | Member of the Flanimate Power Tools team - extensions for character animation

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adb8787Author

Participating Frequently

I was expecting someone might make a comment like that , i didn't expect it would be you ..

There is NO Ch Animator forum , which makes sense , it don't deserve one as it's a piece of s***...

I'd be interested to hear you elaborate more on the demographics of a Flanimate user as opposed to the demographics of a Ch Animator user , let me guess.. Flanimate user = I've got a degree in Animation and know what i am doing ...

Ch Animator user = 13 yrs old ... still wondering whether boy or girl

Ch Animator is advertised as a Software that can let people achieve very professional results yet you are maybe equating it to

something not worth using by professionals ..

I look at sites like Graphic Mama and others with plenty of content made by professionals .. to buy for Ch Anim... it seems to me if Ch Anim actually worked lots of people would be using it as an alternative to maybe Flash and After Effects , in order to make their own cartoons , just like Adobe man Dave has used it to make his own cartoon Evan whatsitcalled... if others could use it to do what Dave has done then you might find some people might not be interested in Flash , or Flanimate or anything else...

I do apologise though , i bow to your superior knowledge as a professional , i'm just an idiot who can't even use Ch Anim...

I have moved on and for me Cartoon Animator is the Prog. for me to achieve something , as someone with not a lot of money i was trying to amuse myself , by trying to use Ch Animator again , until next week when i spend some money on Cartoon Animator 4..

On a side note: How interesting that Adobe have hooked up with Cartoon Animator with the PSD workflow option

Again i wonder , WTF Adobe..... you have all your own animation products , now you hook up with what should be a rival....

Huh! is that like admitting theirs is better , so you want a slice of the pie....

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adb8787Author

Participating Frequently

Hello , Thanks for your reply , I watched a tutorial recently that said characters should be created in Animate and this will be the way forward for me eventually , i just need to get used to the drawing tools in order that my work is a good enough standard..

As someone who has been using Flash since it was Flash what do you make of Adobe Ch animator ? , does the program integrate with your production methods , does it make sense to use it to save time ? or would a professional like yourself have no need for it ? just wondering if a professional animator would use it or stick to flash...

Thanks for those links i will probably spend the next month looking at them at least.. I wish i had come to this forum earlier instead of browsing through crap in other places.. I am sure i watched a funny animation on Youtube about a guy who spent 13 years creating his cartoon animation as he did it his way and had lots of amazing detail that took a long time to create .. I think at my rate of progression i should complete an episode of my animated cartoon by around 2027..

Thanks...

n. tilcheffCorrect answer