After the animation was finished, it could be exported as a video file, image sequence or converted into an animated GIF. These files would then be used to preview the animations in one of the platforms chosen to release the sticker pack on. The following settings were applied, most important ones of them being the file format, image size, and checking whether the animation was set on loop.
PICTURE 41. Settings for exporting the animation for GIF preview
6 CONCLUSION
As mentioned previously, time is the most limiting resource in animation, therefore it is best to make the time estimate for the project as realistic as possible with plenty of buffer time. It is important to have a clear plan before getting started on the next step, and to make sure there is a consensus with the client and their expectations and whether those expectations can be met within the given resources.
Learning a new tool and getting familiar with it takes time, and this needs to be taken into account when planning the schedule for a project. In this project it took 1-2 days to get familiar with the video layer animation method, and 2-3 weeks to find a workflow that felt most comfortable. Learning a new working method fairly fast was an asset in a project with such limited time frame, with less than a month to execute the final 22 animations.
However, the project was not finished within the time schedule that had originally been planned for it, and the deadline had to be pushed further. Even when using shortcuts and actions to accommodate for the features that usually make the animation workflow more fluid, animating in Photoshop turned out to be a lot slower process than expected. The features that Photoshop lacks, and that could speed up the workflow greatly, would be onion skins, ease in and ease outs, and proper color fill tools. All of these are common features in more standard animation software. On top of the missing features, Photoshop lacks the community and documentation that might be needed for those who animate in Photoshop to lean on when questions arise.
The following chart demonstrates how Photoshop fares next to ToonBoom Harmony, OpenToonz and RoughAnimator. ToonBoom Harmony is a good example of what is considered an industry standard in animation, most commonly used for television animation (ToonBoom Animation, 2019). This alongside the monthly fee that is very close to the monthly fee of Photoshop makes ToonBoom Harmony a more viable solution for an animation
professional. The next option, OpenToonz is a free animation software with the merit of being used by Studio Ghibli (OpenToonz, 2019). Since OpenToonz is a
free software it could be a tempting solution for someone getting started in animation, however the documentation of the software at the time is only available in Japanese. This leaves RoughAnimator, an animation application available for both mobile and desktop devices. Although RoughAnimator is a lesser known tool for animation, it has all the features required to create an animation, and a very user-friendly interface, making it most suitable tool out of the four for beginner animators.
Photoshop CC
Toonboom Harmony (Essentials)
OpenToonz RoughAnimato r
Pricing (license)
unavailabl e
410€ free 4,99$
Pricing (/month)
24,79€ 25€ free free
Platform Desktop, mobile
Desktop Desktop Desktop,
mobile Main
applications
Illustration, photo editing, graphic design
2D Games, cut-out animation, paperless animation
Commercial and non- commercial 2D animation
Hand-drawn animation
Cloud support
Yes No No No
Bitmap/vecto r support
Bitmap, limited vector
Vector Vector and bitmap
Bitmap
3D support Yes Yes Yes No
File formats DPX, MOV, MP4, BMP, GIF, JPG, JPEG,
MOV, MP4, WMV, TVG, TGA, SGI, PSD, YUV, PAL, SCAN, PNG, JPG,
3GP, AVI, BMP, GIF, JPG, MOV, NOL, PNG, RGB, SGI, Spritesheet,
MOV, GIF, PNG sequence
PDF, PSB, PSD, PNG, TGA, TIFF
BMP, OPT, VAR, TIFF, EXR, PDF, DTEX
TGA, TIF and TIFF
Resources User guide, tutorials
Webinars, templates, video
tutorials, white papers,
documentatio n
Documentatio n
Documentation , tutorials
Community Blog, forum, portfolio platform
Blog, forum, showcase
Forum Blog
SPREADSHEET 1. Comparison chart between Photoshop CC, ToonBoom Harmony, OpenToonz, and RoughAnimator
In summary, Photoshop did not turn out as a feasible tool for character animation, as it lacks many of the important features that are common in animation software.
While there are some features that can be made up for by using recorded Photoshop actions, lacking these features and having to use these workarounds can be very intimidating for someone trying to get into animation. Photoshop may still have some applications, such as short animations consisting of few frames, or animated banners.
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https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/
Becker, A. 2017. 12 Principles of Animation (Official Full Series).
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Cambridge Dictionary. 2019. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
Clement, J. 2019. Number of daily active WhatsApp Status users from 1st quarter 2017 to 1st quarter 2019 (in millions).
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Kershaw, K. 2014. Timing, Spacing and Easing.
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Leanndro. 2016. Animation Value Graph - Timing.
http://spungella.blogspot.com/2016/03/animation-value-graph-timing.html LINE FRIENDS. 2017. LINE FRIENDS Globally Launches New 'BT21' Characters Inspired by K-Pop Boy Band BTS.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/line-friends-globally-launches-new- bt21-characters-inspired-by-k-pop-boy-band-bts-300537730.html
LINE FRIENDS. 2019. LINE FRIENDS partners with SUPERCELL for official Brawl Stars character licensing business worldwide.
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Days. https://www.line-stickers.com/line-mobile-line-friends-happy-days/
OpenToonz. 2019. https://opentoonz.github.io/e/
Perez, S. 2019. Youtube is giving more ways to YouTube to make money.
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Pressman. 2016. '라인(LINE)'은일본製일까한국製일까 Translated: Is 'LINE' Japanese or Korean? http://www.pressm.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=8738
RoughAnimator. 2019. https://www.roughanimator.com/
Rosenthal, V. 2016. Why Emojis and Stickers Are Big Business.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1. Software used in this thesis Photoshop CC
Procreate Blender
APPENDIX 2. Visible Realms
Founded in 2017 by two entertainment and game industry veterans Eliza and Teemu Jäppinen. They have previously worked on the cutscenes for Trials of the Blood Dragon by Redlynx Studio. Eliza is also known for being the creator behind Studio Killers, an animated band with a 300k+ YouTube following, and being a dedicated entrepreneur with award winning skills in animation and direction. Both of them have a penchant for pop culture and great love for animals, cats especially.
APPENDIX 3. Character briefs given by the client (Visible Realms)
Ludo: Cast as the lone wolf, the hero, destined for greatness all of this weighs on her. At heart she questions 'greatness' and why she's been cast into this role. She thinks idolizing someone is BS. (Ellen Paige from 'Juno' or Jon Heder/Napoleon himself in 'Napoleon Dynamite')
Shade: Shade is the one who travels the shadow dimensions. He often aids the dead send their messages to the living. Shade's not afraid of much since Shade has explored most of the darkness we never get to see. Probably has a twisted sense of humor. (Keanu Reeves from 'Constantine' but with a bit Bill Murray from Ghostbusters)
Mittens: Always optimistic, Mittens never feels down. She wanted to race in the cat 'S' trophy for as long as she can remember, but it took her a while to get into the tournament. She often got the participatory trophy but thinks it's just as good as gold, silver, or bronze. Mittens attitude is unbeatable. (Steve Carrel in '40 year old virgin')
Tank: Tank was rummaging around a laundry bin, when her head got stuck in a sock. When she saw herself in the mirror, she kind of liked the look so she stuck with it. Tank is an enigma, no one really knows what Tank is thinking from one moment to the other, but she is incredibly inventive. (Most like Kate McKinnon's character in ghostbusters 3)
Scram: Scram's the local cat at the coffee shop, you know the one. The one that's sleeping by the window looking out at traffic. Scram spends most of the day dreaming of other adventures, and when the lights go out, you can find her sleeping on one of the many books in the cafe absorbing it's knowledge. Scram sneaks out to join the Cat 'S' Trophy games, as cats sometimes do. (Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
APPENDIX 4. Final animations stills