Author Archives: Mike

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News: Adobe XD’s Project Mighty and Napoleon

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Abobe has been working hard on some very interesting tech of late, namely Project Mighty and Naploeon. The former is a pressure-sensitive stylus, while the latter is a ruler for drafting (aptly named because it is a ‘short ruler’!) and it marks the first time the company has become involved with hardware. Both devices tap into Adobe Cloud as well, which is an interesting way to force subscriptions.

The pen looks pretty interesting and seems to work on any tablet, similar to other styli on the market. It does not look like it has palm rejection but it seems to have an interface that comes along with it allowing you to cut, paste and undo etc. From what I can tell it also will work with tablets that are not touch which is a VERY interesting development. I can not tell what tablet they are using from the video (it looks like Android) but they do mention iOS.

What does this all mean for us artists? Well, for one it seems that Adobe is actually listening to us and with Wacom’s announced foray into this same arena it might be only a matter of time before we see these big companies catering to us for once!

You can read more here on at the source link.

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News: TrickOrScript’s Custom Brush plugin for Adobe Flash

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Custom Brush is an amazing new plugin that’s recently been added to the incredibly useful series of  tools made by Trick or Script for Adobe Flash that lets you create custom brushes like never before!

In about one minute I managed to create a rain cycle which worked pretty damn well! You can create groups of brushes and then have the brush use them all at once to allow for randomness. You can draw text or anything you like on an editable spline we well as create flappable objects like a tail with little effort  Things like chains, or a row of flowers is easy as heck now with this $30 plugin. TOTALLY worth it if you still use Flash! Check Custom Brush and the 15+ other essential plugins out at TrickOrScript today!

CB

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News: The future of digital drawing?

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eink-dsc02302

Yesterday, Sony unveiled their new 13.3 inch Digital Paper prototype which supports flexible displays and is quite possibly a peak into the future of the 21st century artist. While initially for books and print as of this writing you can write and draw on it.

From the Engadget site:

At 13.3 inches, the panel is larger than your typical e-reader’s, but it weighs just 60 grams. That light footprint comes courtesy of E Ink’s TFT tech, which allows for larger, more rugged devices without the extra weight. The Digital Paper’s form factor matches the size of a sheet of A4 paper, and the on-board digitizer lets users scrawl notes on the electromagnetic induction touchscreen.

Catch that? Scrawl notes! I’m sure right now it’s nothing more than black or white without pressure sensitivity but I’m wondering if they’ll change that. It seems to make sense.

So is this the “Cintiq Killer”? Perhaps, in the future,  it might be for a number of reasons… First off they will be significantly cheaper which studios and artists will drool over. Second, you’ll only need one connected to a sever via wifi to generate the same amount of work from a much smaller, lighter and possibly even portable piece of tech. Thirdly, while it is only a display showing one page, it’s logical to assume that they might one day add a hard drive and an operating system on it as well. Android? Windows Mobile? iOS? It seems the most likely would be Windows Mobile if only because they’re the ones who need to reinvent themselves. IF THAT happens, it’s likely to assume it could become mainstream.

Another interesting aspect of this is the possibility of doing the same thing to cloth. Imagine your art or portfolio on a slideshow as you walk the Comic Con? Quite a calling card wouldn’t you say? Add to that the fact that E-Ink has a ridiculously long battery life and it’s a pretty exciting possibility.

Now granted, all that said… E-Ink is strictly black and white so you wouldn’t be putting full color on it and all, at least not for now, but who knows what the future will hold since color E-Ink DOES already exist.

Is this the next wave of what a digital artist will draw on? Sound off!

Engadget

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Jobs: Black Mast seeks VFX Supervisor

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Black Mast

Black Mast Studios is looking for an all around VFX Supervisor familiar with roto, compositing, matte painting, lighting and animation for a long term partnership on a gig by gig basis.

We have an influx of projects that will be distributed on the web over the next year that will require some level of VFX ranging from minimal compositing to fully rendered green screen matte paintings.

Pay will be on a project by project basis, with the possibility of becoming a partner in a growing Transmedia company.

We are currently accepting resumes for any and all departments, and are open to someone just out of college, looking to build a resume.

2+ years of experience with the following software is preferred:
After Effects
Final Cut Pro
Element 3D
Maya

Consistency, reliability a positive mindset, and a quick turn around are our top priorities in a candidate. Must be able to stick to agreed upon deadlines. Our work is mostly in the sci-fi realm drawing inspiration from comic books and video games, and even working on large recognizable properties, so familiarity with this genre is also preferred.
More Info: http://www.blackmaststudios.com

Apply to: Ramon

NOTE: Animation Insider.com has nothing to do with this job or the studio itself and only provides this to it’s readers as a courtesy. You CAN NOT apply for the job by leaving a comment. You MUSt click through to the site and apply there. Good luck!

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Animation software: Video Editors

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fcp-box

This time we’re going to talk about video editors because after all no matter how much animation you draw unless you can edit it all together you’ll never get that film seen by anyone.

There are SO many better video editors all from which you can make a decent animatic. Did I miss your favorite app? Let me know!

Windows:
The first comes with Windows, Windows Movie maker is simple but can certainly be used to make an animatic.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/movie-maker

Another one is Ezvid
http://www.ezvid.com/
Another one is CyberLink Power Director
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B009716H00/ezvid02-20

Another is Movica
http://sourceforge.net/projects/movica/

Another is Corel Video Studio Pro
http://www.amazon.com/Corel-VSPRX5ULENMBAM-VideoStudio-Pro-Ultimate/dp/B007GFNPFY/ref=sr_1_1?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1361304413&sr=1-1&keywords=VideoStudio+Pro+X5+Ultimate

For the Mac there is Final Cut X which is fairly cheap
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/final-cut-pro/id424389933?mt=12

and iMovie which is cheaper.
http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/

Also you could use VideoLan Movie Creator which is free and works on all platforms including Linux
http://www.videolan.org/vlmc/

Well on Windows the first that comes to mind is Windows Movie Creator which is a free download. you could make simple animatics using that.

Virtual Dub is another one… but you gotta be on a PC for it… http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-video-editor.htm#VirtualDub

EZ Vid is a third: Again PC. See a pattern here?
http://www.ezvid.com/http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0075629QK/ezvid02-20

Cyberlink is fairly affordable at $189.00
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B009716H00/ezvid02-20

Sony Vegas is kinda weird but not too expensive.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Studio-Platinum-Production-Version/dp/B0051M6IPI

For Mac there’s Avidemux which is free.
http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html

And of course iMovie which is kinda kludgy but usable
iMovie
There’s also Final Cut Pro X which is pretty much the newest version of FCP and iMovie combined.

there’s Kden Live as well
http://kdenlive.org/

And Jahskaka.
http://www.jahshaka.com/

and finally VLC Movie Creator
http://trac.videolan.org/vlmc/

 

 

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Software: Drawing programs

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Sketchbook Pro

With the news that Adobe is intending on forcing artists to pay monthly I sat down to compile other choices for digital artists of which there are many. Most cost over $25, some of them are free and even two are online solutions.

I categorized them bitmap and vector. My personal favorite is Sketchbook Pro because of it’s ease of use, superior pencil mimicking and small foot print (how much space it takes up on the hard drive) all which contribute to make it the best solution in my opinion. As you can see it’s relatively cheap in comparison as well.

Below is a comprehensive list of drawing software available to the digital artist in 2013. If I missed your favorite, comment below, explain why and I will gladly add it.

Bitmap software

Adobe Photoshop (PC and Mac)- $49 per month subscription

When it comes to drawing programs Photoshop is without a doubt the most well known Right out of the box it’s not the best drawing software but and is relatively decent when you finagle with it a bit. My favorite tools in Photoshop include the Liquify brush and the Free Transform tool

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro (PC and Mac) -$59
Hands down my favorite simply because it’s so easy to use, can be installed on a Motion LE1600 Tablet PC which you can get dirt cheap these days, it’s got some killer drawing tools and you can easily create custom brushes as well as edit the toolbar to your liking.

Corel Painter (PC and Mac)-$199
Painter is an extremely powerful tool but it’s interface has been sorely lacking since it’s introduction back in the early 90’s. Features include mixable paint, dripping watercolors and a brush nozzle that will let you turn any art into a brush. Personally not a fan.

Ambient Design Artrage (Mac/PC/Android)-$49.90
Artrage started out as a winner of a proof of concept software contest for the release of Microsoft’s Windows XP Tablet PC edition. It has since grown into a powerful painting and drawing app and is easy on the wallet to boot. There are many features but my favorite is the mixable paint. Drag one color over another and the two smear! I don’t believe any other program can boast that.

Open Canvas (PC) -$59
Not very familiar with Open Canvas. Anybody? Beuller? Beuller? Beuller?

PaintTool Sai (PC)-$5
PaintTool Sai’s interface to be convoluted and poorly designed and I had trouble even finding out how to make a brush to draw with. It felt like an old program that has not been updated in years.

ArtWeaver (PC)-$37.65
Artweaver is a relatively decent piece of drawing software and it’s interface is reminiscent of old school Photoshop 5 or 6. It has many of the tools you’d need to sketch but I find it lacking

TV Paint (PC/Mac/ Linux/Android)- $1522.79
A very expensive and powerful piece of software that is much more than a drawing tool. You can storyboard, composite and do particle arrays with it. That said, I find it’s interface and toolset to be one of the worst I’ve ever seen and really would only use it if forced to. It’s pencil tools however are almost as good as Sketchbook Pro’s.

Pixarra Twisted Brush (PC) -$19
Not a bad Photoshop replacement but it’s interface seems a bit cluttered and not so user-intutitive. Does support pressure sensitivity though.

CG Illust (PC)-$80
This online software and being free it’s certainly the right price but I found it to stutter if I drew too fast. Your results might vary.

Sumo Paint (PC , Mac and free ONLINE)-$19
A truly remarkable piece of software that you feel right at home using because it’s essentially the same thing as Photoshop… Online.

Paint.net (Online)
Pretty much the same thing as Sumo Paint and free as well. it has pressure sensitivity which works well. Tends to stutter a bit if you draw too fast.

Project Dogwaffle (PC) Free
Project Dogwaffle is an ambitious project of one man who has built it into an interesting array of tools. It’s basically easy to use, can be used to draw with and even has animation and particle plugins. that said, I don’t think i would ever use it in a professional environment but the prive is right.

Sketchpaint (PC)-Free

Gimp (PC/Mac)
The GIMP is arguably the most powerful free photo editor available today. With that comes the Photoshop comparisons. Often lauded as the “free Photoshop,” the GIMP does offer many features similar to Photoshop, but it has a steep learning curve to match. Unless I’m missing something though, it does NOT support pressure sensitivity which is a deal-breaker for me.

Vector Software

Autodesk Sketchbook Designer– $75
A capable vector editor similar to Sketchbook Pro

Adobe Illustrator -$49 per month subscription
Long the juggernaut of vector editing, there really isn’t anything that can beat it as of yet. Personally I’m not a fan of it’s drawing tools as well as it’s kludgey interface but if you want streamlined crisp vector art, Illustrator is hard to beat.

Pixelmator (Mac)
Not the greatest painting/drawing tools, but is a great alternative to Photoshop for most people.

Intaglio (Mac)
Intaglio supports both bitmap and vector but is primarily a very simple Illustrator clone.

Artboard (Mac)
A VERY simple vector program.

Inkscape (PC /Mac/Linux)- Free
Currently the only free vector drawing program and it works very well for what it is. Not as advanced as Illustrator but what do you expect for the price?

Acorn (Mac)
Vector-based. Used by tons of UI designers.