Alpha 5!

NielsUncategorized16 Comments

Alpha 5 is ready! Look 👇

Here's what is new:

  • Annotations

    Break down dialogue, mark frames, write notes, draw arcs and charts! Now you can plan your action by scribbling directly in the annotations column in the X-Sheet!

    If you link your annotations to a layer, your notes will follow your drawings when you change or update timing.

    For annotations you have the option of using your current drawing tool - or you can set it to automatically use the built-in annotations pen, keeping your scribbles fine and consistent, no matter the tool you are currently drawing with on your paper.

  • Reference Display

    Your view may be zoomed in and rotated, while you work on some detail. You might have backlight on, mirrored view and some of your drawings off the pegs. Now you are able to always check a clean version of your frame full screen on a separate Reference Display.

    If you don’t have a second screen connected for this, you can have the Reference Display as a window.

  • Offset Audio

    When you import a soundtrack, you might want to offset it, so the audio starts later in your animation or, on the other hand, you want the first part of the audio to be skipped for your particular scene. Now you simply drag your audio waveform up or down the X-Sheet.

    When you have it positioned correctly, you can lock it in place, so you don’t accidentally move it later.

  • X-Sheet visibly centering current frame

    When clicking a thumbnail it is (as previously) centered in the X-Sheet. This could in some situations be disorienting, because it happened instantly. We added a quick, but visible, movement to show, where it goes. Much better.

  • Detachable X-Sheet

    When using more than one display, it can be advantageous to detach your X-Sheet as a separate window - and place it on your other screen.

  • Mirror View

    Your drawing area can now quickly and temporarily be mirrored horizontally. This is great for viewing your drawings with fresh eyes.

  • Indicators

    We have added a small area for indicators at the top of the interface. It shows if you have Backlight turned on - or when your view is Mirrored.

  • X-sheet scroll bars slightly wider

    It’s a small thing. Now the scroll bars of the X-Sheet is easier to hit with a pen.

  • X-sheet Thumbnail Size (Available in Alpha 4.2)

    You are now able “zoom” the X-Sheet, by adjusting the size of the thumbnails. Choose between Tiny, Small, Medium (default) or Large. Make thumbs smaller or larger with Ctrl < or > on PC. Cmd < or > on Mac.

  • Faint Cursor (Available in Alpha 4.1)

    A simple option to make the drawing-cursor clear or faint. Some users like it clear and contrasty so it is highly visible - others like it faint and much less distracting. Faint is the default setting.

  • Importing sequence with gaps (Available in Alpha 4.1)

    When importing a frame stack, Animation Paper now recognises numbered sequences with gaps. The gaps means frames will be held (clone drawings added to keep original timing).

  • Portable version (Available in Alpha 4.1)

    For Windows users, we have added a portable (zip) version to download and install if you don't have admin privileges. (Like on a school computer).

  • Other improvements

    Additionally we have done lot’s of fixes and small improvements.

    Especially one important fix is worth mentioning: For a few unlucky people with certain specific on-board graphics-hardware, Animation Paper had been rendered completely useless. The drawn lines were either super blocky, weirdly textured or completely invisible. This issue have now finally been identified and fixed. We thank the affected people for all your help and patience! If you still experience this problem with Alpha 5, let me know, it's easily fixed now.

Go ahead and update now:

Download Alpha 5

Our list of features and improvements to do, gets shorter and shorter. We plan to have a couple of alpha releases more. We focus on getting everything finely tuned - and not take in new ideas, that is not already on our todo-list, unless there's really good reasons to do them of course. 🙂

Our mission from now on, is to reach the point where everything included feels complete, is super stable and production ready. When we reach that point we can publish and start getting some income and those people who may be reluctant to work with alpha and beta versions can safely come on board. I think we all look forward to that point.

Even though we are half way through development of all the coloring features, we have decided to pause it to complete the rest of the list. So first we publish Animation Paper 5.0. Then, following close to immediately after, a free update to 5.1 - that include all the coloring features. This is the good and faster way forward.

Anyway, let's not get too much ahead of ourselves. 🙂 For now - enjoy Alpha 5!

Once again, thank you for all your fantastic feedback, ideas and support for our project. As always, let me know what you think!

Best wishes,
Niels

16 Comments on “Alpha 5!”

  5. Chris Collins

    First, I want to thank you folks on the grind you’re putting in to make this updated version of animation paper.

    Now on to something a little more concerning for EVERYONE. Now don’t panic Niels, stay calm. I’m sure if we all keep a “cool head” this disaster can be mitigated.

    I hate to bring it to your attention but…well here it goes. A download link for the LINUX version is missing! EVERYONE STAY CALM, WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER!

    1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

      Haha, thanks Chris 🙂 Well spotted! 🙂

      As a matter of fact we are as we speak well into the Linux version. So if all goes according to plan, we will have both a Windows, Mac and Linux download button for Alpha 6!

      No guarantees, because things can turn up, but hopefully!

    1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

      Hi Alex, where/how did you send your animation? I haven’t received it – and I don’t see anything waiting for moderation. I would love to see what you have created!
      We have plans for implementing all kinds of tools in future versions of AP – including the ones you mention. But as you are probably aware we are also always weighing in our strong wish to keep AP uncluttered and simple. I do believe it can be done though 😉

  8. Konrad

    Good morning,
    does this software allow to work with animation in the cut-out / drawing technique in such a way that characters and other elements of the animation are created in a traditional way – by hand, then they are scanned or a photo is taken (possibly by dividing the character into separate elements – body, arms, legs), and the manipulation of elements so as to take shots of individual frames, subsequent phases of movement, is already done in the program on the computer?
    If not Animation Paper- can you recommend something?
    Best regards, Konrad

    1. Niels Krogh Mortensen

      Good morning Konrad,

      OK, just to recap what you are saying to make sure I understand you fully: You want to do cut-out animation, based on physical parts drawn on real paper, then scanned into the computer and animated there. Is that it?

      I wouldn’t use Animation Paper for that. Animation Paper is better for drawing the frames not cutout – even though you could do a kind of cutout animation using the lasso etc. However it would not be the most effective way if cutout is all you want to do. I would use Motion on Mac or After Effects on PC. Or you could set up a clever rig in any 3D package and use it with flat planes in a 2D manner. I hope this helps.

      Good luck with it! Cut out is great fun!

      Best,
      Niels

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