Video Tour of Animation Paper

NielsAll, Featured33 Comments

This video takes you on a little tour of the planned Animation Paper interface. It is highly recommended to watch this video in full screen and HD.

[The below video is outdated – the up to date video is on the frontpage]

Features

The No.1 feature of Animation Paper is the limited number of features. Keeping it clean and simple.

Other than that, here’s the list of main features:

  • Super fast responsiveness – while drawing, while flipping, while everything
  • Quality lines – built on high speed, high resolution input from your tablet (like a Wacom)
  • Small to large format frames
  • Realtime smooth rotation and zooming of the view (and mirror) – controlled with gestures (pinch/rotate) or quick zoom function
  • Light table (onion skinning – advanced and customizable)
  • X-Sheet – easy, yet powerful timing and reuse (also scribbled notes and sound wave display)
  • Layers (each layer colored black, blue, red, green or custom)
  • Cutouts (easily reposition/rotate/scale drawings or parts of drawings)
  • Clean up (smoothed lines)
  • Paint (simple coloring with eyedropper and fill. May not be included in first release, but in free upgrade)
  • Many alternative ways of flipping (keys, wheel, springy return flip, etc)
  • Customizable Tool Bar and Quick Select (marking menu) for reaching favorite functions with a flick
  • Realtime full frame reference on 2nd monitor
  • Play scenes in sequence to check continuity
  • Import and export of video and frame-stacks (including alpha and X-Sheet timing data)
  • Native Windows PC and Mac OS X app (iPad, Android, Linux planned)

    • 33 Comments on “Video Tour of Animation Paper”

      1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

        Animation Paper is the new version, that is not yet programmed. Please consider supporting the crowd funding for Animation Paper running right now: http://igg.me/at/animationpaper

        You can download the old PAP from this site for PC, but the old version does not have a Mac version. Support the crowd funding to get the new completely updated modern version for the Mac.

        Best,
        Niels

    2. I would prefer a Windows version as well considering that it’s the reason why I liked this in the first place (a good pencil and paper alternative which doesn’t cost a dime [at the time of my download before]) and because I don’t own a Mac. But it’s nice that you guys finally decide on updating this program. For all it’s outdated stuff, it’s still a good program to use.

      Signed on a beta but only to realize that the app is Mac only … I’ll just hope that I can test the Windows version as well 😉

    3. I too am interested in seeing a Windows version. However, maybe someone will make a miracle program that morphs a Windows system into a Mac. I am using my imagination…..hopefully it will be made for Windows. So far the improvements look great.

    5. What exactly did you have in mind for color? You said you wanted to keep the program simple so I would’nt expect you to have anything to intricate, but it’d be nice to know what you have in mind.

    6. Niels Krogh Mortensen

      Hi UsaMiKo – yes, it will be very simple. No gradients, or textures, or advanced stuff that you either don’t use or need or will make Animation Paper overly complex. You will be able to make good effective plain coloring on separate layers, so, if you need the special advanced textured stuff, you can do that easily in compositing later. Much better this way.

      So in Animation Paper, you will be able to add a color layer (or several), to which you can color in areas using a broad pen, the bucket fill and the eyedropper tool. The bucket fill will fill to the boundaries of your drawn lines drawn on all visible layers. (So just turn off layers with say, rough lines or other, temporarily, if you want the fill tool to not take them into account.)

      I have a very clever idea (secret!) for how to create the tool for filling perfectly to the middle of the line without eating away at the antialias pixels or spilling over because of a line that is thin or very light/transparent.

      (You can check out the planned menus https://animationpaper.com/functionalitypreview if you want to investigate further.)

      That’s it. Would that suit you?

      Best,
      Niels

      1. That sounds great! If the animated segments you showed in your Indiegogo campaign are any indication of this, then it sounds (and looks) like exactly what I’d need. Good luck on getting those funds. Can’t wait to test it when it’s finally here.

    7. hey Niels K M,

      I just found about your product and is very interested in it. I own a make and believe the the only version available currently is the windows version. I believe the funding was closed but we still like to invest, is that possible? If it is I would love to do it.

      1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

        Thanks Jahartis. I am not taking preorders at this time – because I want to make absolutely sure Animation Paper will be made according to my specifications so I can deliver. I do however look for investors to invest and pay for my programmers.

    9. Finallly a simpler 2D software I’ve been waiting for. Need to see how can I make a film out of it, with BGs and full sound track. Do you have any idea when will you have the full system in place? I know you need financing,but you also must have an idea of time. Thanx!

      1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

        Hi Marija – this is of course difficult to estimate, when as you say, funding needs to fall into place first. But let’s say 6 months for funding and 12 months for developing. So, in 1 and half year, you should be up and running.

    10. Hello I run a you tube channel on Animation called The crafty fox Animation and I use PAP4 at the moment, and have just started doing some animation videos I spoke to to you before once about the zoom control and am glad to see it’s in the new version, and I was hoping to help premote your new version when it was released on windows, through I now find myself unemloyed at the moment and without any money to buy the program, this still leaves me plenty of time to make and produce videos any time on PAP 4 so good luck with it’s launch.

    11. Are you still looking for funding Niels, and if so, how and where does one send it? Also, are you familiar with the DigiCel Flip Book, the 2D animation software from USA? It’s been around for sometime, and reminds me of Animation Paper 5.0.

      1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

        Hi Donna,

        Very kind of you. 🙂 I am looking for investors to pay for my programmers – but I might decide to launch a Kickstarter, and then I will be happy to accept your donation and give you Animation Paper in return. So please just look out for news – make sure to sign up at the front page of this site (if you haven’t done so already).

    12. Hi Niels. I was wondering if AP 5.0 will allow for importing images, say for backgrounds, or could you for example import rendered files from Photoshop?

      1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

        Yes, it will easily import images for backgrounds or layout or whatever. Just as easily, you will be able to import sequences of images (or clips) to rotoscope or use as a moving reference – from say video or 3D animation. No problem. 🙂

    13. I’m dying for this to be real! But I know that you have a lot more steps to go through before that can happen, so I can wait. I asked you a few months ago about what kind of coloring system you were thinking of and what you said sounded perfect! But I was wondering if there was anyway this could be applied to multiple frames at once.

      I was looking at another animation program called Digicel Flipbook and one its best features is its coloring system. I was wondering if you think anything similar to this could be implemented to Animation Paper 5.0. Here in this video, the function I’m talking about is shown from 1:30 to 3:02.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ9jrj1WQmo

      I’m not saying make an exact copy, but something like this would be pretty handy when it came time to color.

      1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

        Hi UsaMiKo, thanks for your message. The methods in Flipbook are pretty straight forward. Animation Paper will definitely have something similar. But if I get my ways, the quality of the filling up against the lines will be WAY better. I can’t wait to show the world what I’m talking about! 😉

      1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

        Hello Donna, thanks for checking in with me. 😉 I have become a dad for the second time, so not much time has gone into Animation Paper lately – I’m sorry to say. 🙁 My personal time is very limited these days 😉 But I can assure you I have certainly not given up. I’m kind of embarrassed things a moving so slowly right now, and I apologise, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel now – and I will get up to speed again very soon. And I am looking forward to it! We will get there – no worries.

    16. Hi Niels. I took animation classes over 10 years ago, and learned the traditional method with pencil and paper. While I loved doing this, I found the process arduous, between drawing on the light table, shooting the individual cells, and editing for timing. I put my dreams of doing animation on hold, because access to all of the equipment, and finding the time to do it interfered with my need to earn a living. I say all of this because your software seems like a dream come true, and a great revolutionary tool for the independent animator. I absolutely love it, and am looking forward to seeing your dream come true. Stay with it, and don’t give up! I will wait patiently, and probably work on some story boards in the meantime.

    17. Hi Niels,
      I’m really looking forward to this software and am ready to buy it as soon as it’s for sale. Do you think the files will be abled to be shared between the Mac and the iPad? Can I start on one and then pick it up on the other? I’d also like to know if it will be possible to have either a movie file or sequential frames as a background to draw over?

      Thanks,
      Tom
      P.S. Congratulations on becoming a Dad again!

      1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

        Hi Tom,

        Thanks for your message and for your congratulation. Thanks a lot! 🙂

        Yes, the files Animation Paper produces, will be fully compatible across the platforms. So you can take animation done on Mac and continue working on on the iPad and vice versa. The same goes for going to and from Windows, Mac, iPad and Android. Of course it must be like that. 😉

        Yes, it will be very easy to import either a movie file (avi/mov/mp4) or a numbered sequence of image frames (like png, jpg, etc). This will load into one layer, and you can easily draw on top of it at another layer. I fully plan for this kind of behavior. Again – of course it must be like that. 😉

        Best,
        Niels

    18. Hey Niels!

      SUPER super excited for this program – I’m a poor college student but this will definitely be something I invest in. I appreciate you so much for working to make this program a reality!

      Unrelated: This also fascinates me because I am both an amateur animator and a programmer (kind of). I’m studying to receive a B.S. in Computer Science, but I’m nowhere near designing something like this. It made me curious; what language do you use to create a program like this? I can’t even fathom the complexity of the code. (I also ask because it occurs to me this may be a wonderful merge of two of my favorite things that I could make into a career – programming artist’s software).

      Okay in addition to THAT: I’m also a graphic designer. So, I’m sure you don’t NEED anymore help on this project, but I would love to assist you in any way I can, however that might look (I’ve created an icon for Xerox for their EZ-Reg software, so I’ve created graphics for that type of interface). Let me know if there’s any capacity in which I could volunteer to make this a reality.

      And if not, anything you could teach me about the process of programming a project like this would also greatly fascinate me.

      Closing remarks: you’re cool, this is great, and I hope you and your family are doing very well 🙂

      Best,
      Annie

      1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

        Hi Annie – thanks a lot for your kind words and offer to help. I my self is an animator, designer and graphic artist. I have a long history of working with programmers. I do feel I am covered. But thanks anyway. 🙂 Developing Animation Paper – it probably ends up being done for multiple platforms at once using the QT framework and C++. We’ll see…

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