Anime Studio Pro from e frontier – A Review
Anime StudioTM Pro is a nice 2D animation software from e frontier, Inc that the professional and hobbyist animator can use to make movies, cartoons and more. What makes this software different from other animation software such as Adobe's FlashR is the simplicity of what it does. In spite of this simplicity, you can do quite a lot with Anime Studio Pro. It is a great beginner's software for the novice just learning to draw and animate and it also makes the professional animator's life easier with all its built-in shortcuts.
If you have used any graphics program such as Adobe PhotoshopR, you will find that Anime Studio Pro has some familiar features such as a Toolbar and Options bar that change with the task at hand and a Layers Window which works as the control center for the project. Anyone who has tried to use Flash and gave up in frustration, will appreciate how easy it is to build an animation with Anime Studio Pro's frame-based Timeline. With the built-in, time saving shortcuts such as one-click menu commands that perform multi-step operations, it is easy to build an animation with the pre-rigged characters that come with the software. Once you have created a few of these, you are ready to draw and rig your own characters.
As stated, the Layers Window is the control center and there are several types of layers to choose from including Vector, Image, Group, Bone, Particle and 3D. As the names indicate, the type of layer you choose will determine the tools and menu commands available for that task. Let's take a look at how the software works by examining the Layers Window.
To draw a vector object, you will choose a Vector layer. As in other graphics programs, you can set the color and special effects for the stroke and fill of the vector object from the Style Window and its corresponding dialog boxes. You can choose from several built-in effects such as Shaded, Soft Edge, Splotchy, Halo and Gradient. You can even save and reuse your drawn objects. Secondly, you can import images that you have created in another graphics program, such as backgrounds for your animation scene, to an Image layer. You can even import layered Photoshop psd files.
Next →
e frontier screen shots used by permission of e frontier America, Inc. and e frontier, Inc. Poser, Shade, Manga Studio, MotionArtist are trademarks or registered trademarks of e frontier America, Inc. and e frontier, Inc.
If you have used any graphics program such as Adobe PhotoshopR, you will find that Anime Studio Pro has some familiar features such as a Toolbar and Options bar that change with the task at hand and a Layers Window which works as the control center for the project. Anyone who has tried to use Flash and gave up in frustration, will appreciate how easy it is to build an animation with Anime Studio Pro's frame-based Timeline. With the built-in, time saving shortcuts such as one-click menu commands that perform multi-step operations, it is easy to build an animation with the pre-rigged characters that come with the software. Once you have created a few of these, you are ready to draw and rig your own characters.
As stated, the Layers Window is the control center and there are several types of layers to choose from including Vector, Image, Group, Bone, Particle and 3D. As the names indicate, the type of layer you choose will determine the tools and menu commands available for that task. Let's take a look at how the software works by examining the Layers Window.
To draw a vector object, you will choose a Vector layer. As in other graphics programs, you can set the color and special effects for the stroke and fill of the vector object from the Style Window and its corresponding dialog boxes. You can choose from several built-in effects such as Shaded, Soft Edge, Splotchy, Halo and Gradient. You can even save and reuse your drawn objects. Secondly, you can import images that you have created in another graphics program, such as backgrounds for your animation scene, to an Image layer. You can even import layered Photoshop psd files.
Next →
e frontier screen shots used by permission of e frontier America, Inc. and e frontier, Inc. Poser, Shade, Manga Studio, MotionArtist are trademarks or registered trademarks of e frontier America, Inc. and e frontier, Inc.
Related Articles
Editor's Picks Articles
Top Ten Articles
Previous Features
Site Map
Content copyright © 2023 by Diane Cipollo. All rights reserved.
This content was written by Diane Cipollo. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Diane Cipollo for details.
