What books should you get as you study animation ?
At the Academy of Art University Online we have several books which are required texts for many of the traditional animation classes. Check your individual class book list to see what books are required and which books are optional recommended books.
Books which are frequently on the Required Books list:
Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas & Ollie Johnston
Character Animation Crash Course by Eric Goldberg
The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams
Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair
(there is also a free downloadable verrsion of the 1st edition of Blair's book on the ASIFA Animation Archive: Preston Blair's "Animation" , 1st Edition )
Animation From Pencils to Pixels : Classical Techiques for the Digital Animator by Tony White
Simplified Drawing for Planning Animation by Wayne Gilbert
Other worthy books for your attention:
Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes Vol. 1 and 2 by Walt Stanchfield. (
Timing for Animation by Harold Whitaker
Animation Background & Layout: From Student to Professional
by Mike Fowler
Prepare to Board: Creating Story and Characters for Animated Features and Shorts by Nancy Beiman
Creating Characters With Personality by Tom Bancroft
Elemental Magic: The Art of Special Effects Animation by Joseph Gilland
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Animation Frame Capture - Video Capture
This article was written several years ago when mini-dv cameras or other digital video cams were more commonly in use . Today just use a good quality HD webcam , like the Logitech C920 or C930. (best prices for webcams will usually be found on Amazon) Use it with a webcam control sofware (such as Webcam Settings) that allows for manual override of focus, exposure, and white balance, so you can get optimal image quality from the webcam.
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At the pencil test stage one option for getting your hand-drawn artwork into the computer is to capture your frames with a digital video camera or webcam mounted on a down-shooter (could be a sturdy tripod, but preferably a Copy Stand). Drawings meant to be digitized for final coloring should be captured using a scanner , which I'll discuss in the next article. The camera is pointed straight down at a shooting stage which has an Acme peg bar embedded or taped along the edge. The drawings are placed one at time under the camera and each drawing is captured as a single "frame" taken by the the animation software (i.e TVPaint or Digicel Flipbook, etc.) via the live video feed from the camera. Digital video camera is attached to the computer via firewire (IEEE 1394) cable or USB cable. (NOTE: firewire is not as common now as it used to be when this article was written) Here are photos of typical video pencil test stations with mini-dv camcorders used to shoot the drawings. (NOTE: these photos are from several years ago. It's more common nowadays to mount an HD webcam or even a mobile phone to use as the source camera on the downshooter)
(click on the images to see them larger)
You can still find relatively simple, inexpensive Copy Stands at photography supply stores and on eBay. A popular line of copy stands that have been used for pencil test stations are the CS-3 and CS-2 line of copy stands made by Testrite Co.
Testrite CS-3 copy stand being used for shooting pencil tests:
The Testrite CS-3 an CS-2 copy stands are no longer in production, but they show up often eBay. Other brands of copy stands made by Bencher, Kaiser, Beseler, and Bogen will work equally well. You do not need to get one of the super-expensive models with a geared column and professional quality photo lights. Basically all you need is a sturdy column to hold your camera securely in place and a platform or "stage" underneath to tape-down your Acme peg bar. (the "stage" should be large enough to accommodate standard 12 and/or 16 field size animation paper.)
A tripod may also be pressed into service to shoot your animation. Be sure that the legs are secured so that they don't get moved during a shoot.
Lighting is very important when shooting your pencil tests. You should have bright, diffused lighting aimed down at the artwork at about a 45° angle to eliminate any shadows or over-exposed hotspots on the artwork. Adjust the lights and the manual exposure and white balance of the video camera until you have an image where the white of the paper is as light as possible , but the image of your pencil drawing is sharp and clear. The spiral type of fluorescent bulbs called "Cool Bulbs" which are about 150 watt-equivalent can be used with inexpensive metal reflectors (clamp-on shop lamps) with ordinary white paper taped over the lamps to diffuse the light. If you have any open windows or other strong light sources other than the light you are shining on your animation drawings you should mask off the windows with heavy shades or black paper taped over the window , and/or mask off the shooting area so stray light does not fall on your shooting surface.
(click image to see it larger)
A regular consumer-level mini-dv camera such as the Canon ZR-960, most cameras in the Sony HandyCam line, or the Panasonic PV-GS320, PV-GS90 or PV-GS80 cameras can be used for video frame capture. (as long as the camera has an IEEE 1394/firewire out port it should work fine) NOTE: mini-dv cameras are no longer being made , although you can still pick up working mini-dv cams on eBay , etc., but they're not really worth the trouble to buy cable adapters. Just use an HD webcam like the Logitech C930.
Canon mini-dv camera mounted on Kaiser copy stand.
With the passing of mini-dv cameras, you may use a webcam such as the Logitech C920 or C930. (best prices for webcams will usually be found on Amazon) Use it with a webcam control sofware (such as Webcam Settings) that allows for manual override of focus, exposure, and white balance, so you can get optimal image quality from the webcam.
B&W "security monitor camera" mounted on copy stand:
At one time a popular option was to use a security monitor camera. Those can still be found on eBay and other sources, but getting adapter cables that will hook it up to a modern computer may be an issue. Probably better to just use an HD webcam as the capture device. If you do want to use a surveillance/security camera look for one with these features:
1.) S-Video Out connection if possible. (many have BNC "composite video" connection out , but S-Video is better quality than BNC, although BNC can work if you can find the right kind of adapter to get the feed to interface with your computer. )
2.) Manual over-ride on the lens shutter to adjust exposure
3.) Manual focus on the lens. Lens should be able to focus in range down to 12 inches.
4.) A zoom lens is helpful, though not necessary if the column on the copy-stand can be adjusted up and down.
Be aware that if you use this type of camera you will need to purchase an adapter such as the PYRO A-V LINK to feed the S-Video out or BNC Video out connection cable to your computer. Another suitable adapter is the Canopus 77010150100 ADVC110 Converter . The adapter will convert the analog S-Video or BNC Video signal to a digital signal that can be inputted to your computer. Be sure that the animation application you are using can read the signal . (if in doubt ask the Tech Support Dept. of the software you are using for frame capture. Again, I want to point out that this article was written in 2007 , so in 2022 it's probably better to just use a common HD webcam like the Logitech C920 or C930 for frame capture. If you already own a Canon or Nikon DSLR camera that has a live video feed , you could probably use that for frame capture. )
Image Capture for Animation - Scanning
Video capture is typically used to make fast frame captures for pencil tests. Video has the advantage of speed .
However, when image quality needs to be very high (for instance when scanning drawings which will be colored) a scanner should be used, with the resolution set at least 300 dpi or higher.
A scanner may also be used for making pencil line tests as well , although it will typically take longer to scan a set of drawings than to shoot the pencil test with a video downshooter.
If you do use a scanner for pencil tests you will find that the scans go faster and create smaller file sizes if you scan in B&W mode or Greyscale mode. For rough-rough pencil tests the resolution of the scans can be lower, such as 72 - 96 DPI , especially if the intended output for the pencil test is a simple 640 x 480 Quicktime movie file.
(but for final scans which will be colored use at least 300 DPI resolution.)
The scanner will produce much cleaner images with less "grey" or "yellow" picked up from the paper, especially if you are careful to adjust the brightness and contrast (threshold) settings on the scanner before scanning your drawings.
Use a thin metal peg bar taped-down securely along the edge of the scanner , outside of the glass area.
(click image to see it larger)
A typical scanner only allows you to scan an area of 8.5" x 11" or 8.5" x 14" at most. Some brands of these flatbed scanners , such as the Canon LIDE 90 pictured above will allow you to capture up to about 10.5 or 11 field area of a standard 12 Field piece of paper , or if you are using smaller 10 Field paper you can capture the entire piece of paper from edge to edge.
Here's an article on "Scanning 12 Field Size paper using a regular Letter-size (11" x 8.5") Scanner" which shows how up to 11 Field can be scanned using certain models of scanner , such as the Canon LiDE series.
If you are using full-size 12 field or larger 16 field paper you will need a large-format "tabloid" scanner which will capture a maximum image of about 12" x 17".
Examples of large format flatbed scanners are the Epson Expression 10000XL or the Microtek 9800XL scanner. Other brands include Richoh and Fujitsu.
The large-format flatbed scanners are MUCH more expensive than the standard office size scanners.
Even more expensive are the 11" x 17" tabloid size Auto-Document Feed (ADF) scanners. Usually the large format ADF scanners cost between $4,000 - $8,000 and are built for industrial level production. These are beyond the level that most individual animators or students would need or be able to afford.
(Fujitsu ADF scanner for high speed, high volume scanning)
The advantage of Auto-Doc Feed scanners is SPEED , so if you are scanning a large number of drawings and time is of the essence then an Auto-Doc Feed scanner can be worth it . Be aware that your software must have the ability to recognize and automatically register peg hole shapes on the scanned drawings, since the drawings are scanned through on rollers , off-pegs. The drawings will jitter and shake unless the software is able to automatically recognize the peg holes and line them up . (The "2-Point Stabilization Pixel Tracker" in TVP Animation v.9.0 will align peg holes and the soon-to-be-released TVP Animation v. 9.5 has an improved automatic Peg Hole Registration feature which makes this process even faster. Digicel Flipbook's "Auto-Scan" plug-in also performs this function. Some (not all) versions of ToonBoom will auto-align peg holes on drawings scanned with auto-feed scanners.)
If you work on smaller 10 Field paper you may use a regular 8.5" x 11" size Auto-Document Feed scanner to speed scan your drawings. The regular size ADF scanners are much less expensive than the tabloid size 11" x 17" ADF scanners. The same conditions apply when using any ADF scanner: the animation software you use must be able to recognize and auto-align the scanned peg-hole shapes. Otherwise you must use a regular flatbed scanner and scan ON PEGS.
Again, refer to the downloadable PDF booklet "Image Capture Techniques for Hand-Drawn Animation".
However, when image quality needs to be very high (for instance when scanning drawings which will be colored) a scanner should be used, with the resolution set at least 300 dpi or higher.
A scanner may also be used for making pencil line tests as well , although it will typically take longer to scan a set of drawings than to shoot the pencil test with a video downshooter.
If you do use a scanner for pencil tests you will find that the scans go faster and create smaller file sizes if you scan in B&W mode or Greyscale mode. For rough-rough pencil tests the resolution of the scans can be lower, such as 72 - 96 DPI , especially if the intended output for the pencil test is a simple 640 x 480 Quicktime movie file.
(but for final scans which will be colored use at least 300 DPI resolution.)
The scanner will produce much cleaner images with less "grey" or "yellow" picked up from the paper, especially if you are careful to adjust the brightness and contrast (threshold) settings on the scanner before scanning your drawings.
Use a thin metal peg bar taped-down securely along the edge of the scanner , outside of the glass area.
(click image to see it larger)
A typical scanner only allows you to scan an area of 8.5" x 11" or 8.5" x 14" at most. Some brands of these flatbed scanners , such as the Canon LIDE 90 pictured above will allow you to capture up to about 10.5 or 11 field area of a standard 12 Field piece of paper , or if you are using smaller 10 Field paper you can capture the entire piece of paper from edge to edge.
Here's an article on "Scanning 12 Field Size paper using a regular Letter-size (11" x 8.5") Scanner" which shows how up to 11 Field can be scanned using certain models of scanner , such as the Canon LiDE series.
If you are using full-size 12 field or larger 16 field paper you will need a large-format "tabloid" scanner which will capture a maximum image of about 12" x 17".
Examples of large format flatbed scanners are the Epson Expression 10000XL or the Microtek 9800XL scanner. Other brands include Richoh and Fujitsu.
The large-format flatbed scanners are MUCH more expensive than the standard office size scanners.
Even more expensive are the 11" x 17" tabloid size Auto-Document Feed (ADF) scanners. Usually the large format ADF scanners cost between $4,000 - $8,000 and are built for industrial level production. These are beyond the level that most individual animators or students would need or be able to afford.
However , there is now a relatively inexpensive ADF 11" x 17" scanner on the market, the Brother MFC-6490 CW scanner. I cover this in more detail in the next post after this one.
(Fujitsu ADF scanner for high speed, high volume scanning)
The advantage of Auto-Doc Feed scanners is SPEED , so if you are scanning a large number of drawings and time is of the essence then an Auto-Doc Feed scanner can be worth it . Be aware that your software must have the ability to recognize and automatically register peg hole shapes on the scanned drawings, since the drawings are scanned through on rollers , off-pegs. The drawings will jitter and shake unless the software is able to automatically recognize the peg holes and line them up . (The "2-Point Stabilization Pixel Tracker" in TVP Animation v.9.0 will align peg holes and the soon-to-be-released TVP Animation v. 9.5 has an improved automatic Peg Hole Registration feature which makes this process even faster. Digicel Flipbook's "Auto-Scan" plug-in also performs this function. Some (not all) versions of ToonBoom will auto-align peg holes on drawings scanned with auto-feed scanners.)
If you work on smaller 10 Field paper you may use a regular 8.5" x 11" size Auto-Document Feed scanner to speed scan your drawings. The regular size ADF scanners are much less expensive than the tabloid size 11" x 17" ADF scanners. The same conditions apply when using any ADF scanner: the animation software you use must be able to recognize and auto-align the scanned peg-hole shapes. Otherwise you must use a regular flatbed scanner and scan ON PEGS.
Again, refer to the downloadable PDF booklet "Image Capture Techniques for Hand-Drawn Animation".
Inexpensive Large Format Scanners for Animation
THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED on 01/11/2018 TO REFLECT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE SCANNERS.
If you've ever priced a large format (11" x 17" tabloid size) scanner you know that they are generally very expensive (starting at $1,200 for basic 11" x 17" flatbed scanner , ranging up to $4,000 to $8,000 for an industrial strength Auto-Document Feed 11" x 17" scanner) .
EPSON now has a series of large format (11 x 17) scanners in a comparable price range as the Brother 11x17 Scanners. The advantage of Epson scanners in my experience is that the EpsonScan scanner interface in Professional Mode is much better than the default Brother scanner interface.
Epson Workforce WF-7610 Scanner
Epson Workforce WF-7620 Scanner
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Another good scanner is the Brother MFC-J6920DW . Same general price range as the earlier Brother MFC 6490-CW. Relatively low-priced for an 11" x 17" scanner. The others in this series are Brother MFC-J6520DW and Brother MFC-J6720DW .
Newer models are : Brother MFC-J9930 DW
and Brother MFC -J6535 DW
Also these HP scanners : HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 and HPOfficeJet 7612
These run from about $199 - to - $279 on Amazon.com depending on the model .
I haven't used this particular model Brother scanner (the MFC-J6920DW ) , but it's functions are similar to the older MFC 6490-CW scanner which I have. For traditional hand-drawn animation our interest in these scanners is that they are relatively inexpensive scanners that can handle full-size 12 Field animation paper. (and also cut-down 16 Field paper . Standard 16 Field paper is 16.5" x 13.5" , which won't quite fit in the auto-document feeder which takes paper up to 17" x 11" . But , for example if you use HD 16:9 aspect ratio your 16 field scannable area will be within an area approx. 16" x 9.75" , so 16 field paper that has had the top lopped-off so it is cut down to 16.5" x 11" size will run through the Brother's auto-document feeder or fit on the flatbed.)
(for those of you using the Brother scanners I suggest ditching the default Brother scanner interface and using VueScan as your scanner interface)
Dan is using it with Digicel Flipbook, but this auto-document feed scanner should work with any animation software that has Auto Peg Hole Alignment (such as TVP Animation.) I've personally tested it with TVP Animation and it works fine. If you're looking for a relatively low-cost 11" x 17" ADF scanner for your animation drawings then you might want to consider it.
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A good overview of setting up the Brother Scanner for a production system of scanning animation drawings is in this 8-Part Tutorial by Nate Foster. Nate is using ToonBoom Animate Pro (ToonBoom's "Optical Registration" peg reg. system is notoriously finicky) . If you use TVPaint then you'll find TVPaint's Peg Hole Registration system a lot simpler to use.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmfZMeLlhvf5p2NrffuWuIovguUg9khX0&feature=view_all
.
If you've ever priced a large format (11" x 17" tabloid size) scanner you know that they are generally very expensive (starting at $1,200 for basic 11" x 17" flatbed scanner , ranging up to $4,000 to $8,000 for an industrial strength Auto-Document Feed 11" x 17" scanner) .
EPSON now has a series of large format (11 x 17) scanners in a comparable price range as the Brother 11x17 Scanners. The advantage of Epson scanners in my experience is that the EpsonScan scanner interface in Professional Mode is much better than the default Brother scanner interface.
The Epson Workforce WF-7610
or Epson Workforce WF-7620 have been officially discontinued by Epson (although still in stock at many office supply stores and can be found online , so if you find one , that's great) , however, the new replacement models for the Epson WF-7610 and Epson WF-7620 are:
and
or
(NOTE: scanner models from Epson and other scanner manufacturers are
constantly being updated , so the exact scanner model above may not be
available, but look for a scanner that can handle paper size 11 x 17 ,
which will allow for scanning 12 Field animation paper or slightly
cut-down 16 Field paper )
EpsonScan Professional mode scanner interface:
---------
Another good scanner is the
Newer models are : Brother MFC-J9930 DW
and Brother MFC -J6535 DW
Also these HP scanners : HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 and HPOfficeJet 7612
These run from about $199 - to - $279 on Amazon.com depending on the model .
I haven't used this particular model Brother scanner (the MFC-J6920DW ) , but it's functions are similar to the older MFC 6490-CW scanner which I have. For traditional hand-drawn animation our interest in these scanners is that they are relatively inexpensive scanners that can handle full-size 12 Field animation paper. (and also cut-down 16 Field paper . Standard 16 Field paper is 16.5" x 13.5" , which won't quite fit in the auto-document feeder which takes paper up to 17" x 11" . But , for example if you use HD 16:9 aspect ratio your 16 field scannable area will be within an area approx. 16" x 9.75" , so 16 field paper that has had the top lopped-off so it is cut down to 16.5" x 11" size will run through the Brother's auto-document feeder or fit on the flatbed.)
(for those of you using the Brother scanners I suggest ditching the default Brother scanner interface and using VueScan as your scanner interface)
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I own and use the older model Brother MFC-6490 CW scanner --- which retailed for about $299.00 (although I've seen it for as low as $199.00 - to -$219.00 after a mail-in rebate)
.
The newer Brother MFC-JDW series of 11 x 17 scanners replace this one.
As you know if you've priced out an 11 x 17 scanner, until now this was really unheard of to find such an inexpensive 11 x 17 size scanner which can handle full-sized 12 Field animation paper fed through an Auto-Document Feeder (ADF) for very fast scanning .
Combined with an Auto Peg Hole Recognition system in software such as TVP Animation, Digicel Flipbook, or ToonBoom Animate PRO/Toonboom Harmony , this new Brother MFC-6490 CW scanner is a great tool for independent animators or students. In my experience TVP Animation's Peg Hole Registration is the easiest to use and the most accurate. The Brother MFC-6490 CW scanner is aimed at the small business and home-office user, so I doubt that it is necessarily built to hold up for a long time under heavy-duty feature film or tv production use, but for the student or the independent animator on a tight budget this product at least puts an 11" x 17" scanner within an affordable price range. At this price you could actually replace it several times over if it broke down before it would cost you as much as the usual 11 x 17 ADF scanners from Epson, Fujitsu, Ricoh, Canon, etc.
Animation student Dan Caylor first alerted me to the existence of this relatively low-cost 11" x 17" scanner. Here is Dan's review of the scanner on his site:
.
The newer Brother MFC-JDW series of 11 x 17 scanners replace this one.
As you know if you've priced out an 11 x 17 scanner, until now this was really unheard of to find such an inexpensive 11 x 17 size scanner which can handle full-sized 12 Field animation paper fed through an Auto-Document Feeder (ADF) for very fast scanning .
Combined with an Auto Peg Hole Recognition system in software such as TVP Animation, Digicel Flipbook, or ToonBoom Animate PRO/Toonboom Harmony , this new Brother MFC-6490 CW scanner is a great tool for independent animators or students. In my experience TVP Animation's Peg Hole Registration is the easiest to use and the most accurate. The Brother MFC-6490 CW scanner is aimed at the small business and home-office user, so I doubt that it is necessarily built to hold up for a long time under heavy-duty feature film or tv production use, but for the student or the independent animator on a tight budget this product at least puts an 11" x 17" scanner within an affordable price range. At this price you could actually replace it several times over if it broke down before it would cost you as much as the usual 11 x 17 ADF scanners from Epson, Fujitsu, Ricoh, Canon, etc.
Animation student Dan Caylor first alerted me to the existence of this relatively low-cost 11" x 17" scanner. Here is Dan's review of the scanner on his site:
Dan is using it with Digicel Flipbook, but this auto-document feed scanner should work with any animation software that has Auto Peg Hole Alignment (such as TVP Animation.) I've personally tested it with TVP Animation and it works fine. If you're looking for a relatively low-cost 11" x 17" ADF scanner for your animation drawings then you might want to consider it.
-----
A good overview of setting up the Brother Scanner for a production system of scanning animation drawings is in this 8-Part Tutorial by Nate Foster. Nate is using ToonBoom Animate Pro (ToonBoom's "Optical Registration" peg reg. system is notoriously finicky) . If you use TVPaint then you'll find TVPaint's Peg Hole Registration system a lot simpler to use.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmfZMeLlhvf5p2NrffuWuIovguUg9khX0&feature=view_all
.
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