Sunrise/Sunset Effect Template

Toon Boom Animation provides several effect templates designed to help the user enhance the look of a scene. This Effect Template Package contains advanced effects which are compatible with Toon Boom Animate. Learn how to animate your scenes colours over time using the Colour-Scale effect. Discover how to treat the fore, middle and background in order to give the illusion of dynamic lighting and atmospheric perspective. Toon Boom Animation provides you with two colour-scale effect templates, illustrating the effects use in a sunrise and sunset.

What the Sunrise/Sunset Package Contains

The following is included in the Sunrise/Sunset Package: The Sunrise.tpl file, which contains a fully animated scene of the sun rising on the plains in Africa. The Sunset.tpl file, which contains a fully animated scene of the sun setting in the same location.

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How to Install the Effect Templates

Once you have downloaded the Sunrise/Sunset Effects Templates, you are ready to install them. Make sure to close Animate before you start the installation process. To install the Effect Templates package: 1. 2. 3. Double-click on the Effect Templates Package. Follow the Install window instructions. After the installation is complete, you will find the templates inside the Library View under Templates > Effects.

How to Use the Effect Template

Learning to animate the Colour-Scale effect is a good way to practice pacing and timing, as well as to create a convincing atmosphere. It is knowledge that can be used to solve many animation problems, such as how to create mood with colour, how to allow your scene to be affected globally by an unusual light source or how to make the world go from colour to black and white. Let Toon Boom Animation get you started with the Sunrise/ Sunset Templates.

Importing the Effect Template

To import the Sunrise/Sunset template: 1. In the Library views content list, click and drag the Sunrise template and drop it in the Camera view or the Timeline views left side. By default, the template will appear in the centre of the Camera view. 2. In the Timeline view, click on the arrow beside Colour-Scale_ANTELOPE to reveal the antelope symbol sub-layer and then click on the plus sign of the same layer.

How to Use the Effect Template - Importing the Effect Template

Examine the Colour-Scale effect properties; you have the ability to change the RGB, transparency (Alpha), hue (colour), saturation and value over time.

3.

In the Timeline view, use the playhead to bring the scene to frame 65 (where the colour-scale effect on the antelope starts) and then click on the Show Data View button to expand the Data view. , is black. Data View at frame 65 Data View at frame 146 NOTE: that the RGB values are all at zero and that the image in the Camera view, if you are on Render View

4.

Slide the red playhead to where the animation ends at frame 146 and note how the RGB values have changed. Also observe how a motion keyframe is set at the start and stop frames of this colour-scale effect. Motion keyframe at frame 65 (start) Motion keyframe at frame 146 (stop)

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5.

In the Timeline view, take a look at where all the start and stop keyframes are placed along the timeline for all four Colour-Scale effect layers and you will start to get a sense of the pacing and timing of the sunrise.

NOTE: how the Colour-Scale sequences are staggered along the timeline so that the layers closest to the sun start to grow lighter first (Landscape) and how the antelope overlay, which is closest to the viewer, but farthest from the sun, starts to light up last. Also observe how the Sun and Sky are timed together, so that as the sun rises, the sky lights up proportional to how much the sun has risen. 6. In the Sunset.tpl pay attention to the reverse order of both the sequence of events, as well as the reverse order of the colour scale values that go from 1 to 0 instead of 0 to 1.

Creating Your Own Colour-Scale Effect

Now that you have had time to examine how a Colour-Scale effect can be manipulated, you are ready to create a Colour-Scale effect of your own. If you are still unsure, use the Sunset.tpl to help guide you through the process by replacing the existing drawings and values in the existing effects.

How to Use the Effect Template - Creating Your Own Colour-Scale Effect

If you want to draw your own Sunset scene, you will have to create five drawings:

Sky Sun Landscape Clouds Overlay

To create your own Sunset Scene: 1. In the Timeline view, create five Drawing Layers and in the Camera view, draw each of the five elements on a separate layer.

If you would like to produce a sun that undulates in a heat haze like the one in the template scene, please refer to the Morphing Drawing chapter in the Animate User Guide. If you would like to add a glow to your sun, please refer to Enhancing With Effects chapter in the Animate User Guide.

OR In the Timeline view, expand the Colour-Scale effect layers to reveal the attached Drawing layer beneath and select it. In the Camera view, select and delete the drawing and redraw an image more to your own liking. Be careful not to delete the actual Drawing layer in the Timeline view. 2. 3. Animate your sun along a vertical trajectory from any position you choose to just below the horizon of your landscape. Animate the drawing you created as an overlay to add a bit of dynamism to your scene.

You may animate your Sun and Overlay traditionally, convert them into symbols and use motion tweening, or attach them to and animate them with a peg. For further information on these three styles of animation, please refer to their corresponding sections in the Animate User Guide.

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4.

In the Timeline view, choose the Sky layer and then click on the Add Layers button and select > Effect > Colour-Scale. A Colour-Scale layer should appear above your Sky layer. Double-click on the Colour-Scale layer and rename it Colour-Scale_SKY to match your drawing. Select the Sky (drawing) layer and hook it underneath its Colour-Scale layer.

5. 6.

7.

Click on the plus sign

beside Colour-Scale_SKY to display its properties and then

click on the Show Data View button to expand the Data view, if it is not already open, to display all the properties values. 8. On the right side of the Timeline view, right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl]+click (Mac OS X) on the first frame of the Colour-Scale_SKY layer and select > Insert Keyframe or simply press [F6] on your keyboard. In the Data view, if you took the time to adjust your scenes colours to look warm and pink, keep the RGB values at 1.000 to keep the scenes colours as they are. If you did not adjust the colours of your drawing elements to look as if they were bathed in the glow of a sunset, then play around with the RGB values at that key frame to give the scene a subtle warm red tint.

9.

10. In the right side of the Timeline view, go to and right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl]+click (Mac OS X) on the last frame of your scene and select > Insert Keyframe or press [F6] on your keyboard. A line should appear over the frames of that layer and should connect the two keyframes. If this line does not appear, right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl]+click (Mac OS X) on the keyframe and select >Set Motion Keyframe. 11. With the last keyframe still selected, go to the Data view and adjust the RGB values. Bringing the values down to 0 will bring your drawing element to black. Bringing the Red and Blue values anywhere above but close to zero will leave a near-black purple tint. 12. Repeat step 4 to step11 for the Landscape, Clouds and Overlay drawing layers, remembering to stagger the start and stop times of the keyframes and to adjust the RGB values to your own sense of aesthetics. You should now have a glorious setting sun!