In this course, we will explain the animation production process at CLIP STUDIO PAINT based on the method of digital animation work of Nippon Animation Co., Ltd.

 

• This article is in Japanese. Machine translations are available for sites other than Japanese.

 

 

In CLIP STUDIO PAINT, you can type in the frames specified on the time sheet of the paper on the palette called [Timeline].

Unlike a paper timesheet, it is read horizontally (from left to right), so it may be confusing at first, but it may be easy to use once you get used to it, so let's remember it little by little.

 

This time, we will specify cells with reference to the sample timesheet below.

 

[POINT]

Images cannot be drawn on images (layers or layer folders) that have no cells specified in the [Timeline].

If you cannot draw a picture on the original drawing paper, check if cells are specified in the [Timeline] palette.

 

 

[1] Tools used for timeline creation

This section introduces the tools used to create the timeline registered in the [Command Bar].

[2] Specify cells in the timeline palette

Let's take a closer look at the [Timeline] palette.

 

• If the [Timeline] palette is not displayed, press [Show Timeline Palette] on the command bar to display the [Timeline] palette.

■ 1. How to read the timeline

On the left side of the [Timeline] palette, the part surrounded by the vertical red frame is the track of each cell of "a" and "b".

The part surrounded by the blue frame at the top of the screen is the "number of frames" of this cut folder.

The 24 frames of 24 frames per second set in the [New] dialog are set. In CLIP STUDIO PAINT, read the timeline horizontally.

 

[POINT]

If nothing is displayed on the palette when the [Timeline] palette is opened, select the [Animation] menu-> [Timeline]-> [Enable timeline] and check it.

■ 2. Cell designation [Stop picture]

First of all, I will explain how to specify cells for still pictures.

(In the actual sample timesheet, there is no fixed picture cell specification, but I will explain using the "b" cell.)

(1) Select the track in the “b” cell on the [Timeline] palette. The selected folder is displayed in light gray.

 

② Select the frame you want to specify as a cell and right-click to display the menu with the video number.

(On the iPad, you can perform the same operation by clicking while holding down the "Control" key on the edge keyboard or the keyboard you have.)

 

(3) Select the video number you want to specify in the menu [Cell], and the selected video paper will be specified in the [Timeline] cell.

■ 3. Delete cell specification

To delete the specified cell specification, use [Delete on Track] in the [Command Bar].

 

(1) On the [Timeline] palette, select the original image number whose cell specification you want to delete.

You can select a cell specification by dragging it so that it covers the frame you want to select. When cell specification is selected, a red line is displayed next to it.

 

(2) With the item selected, click [Delete on Track] on the [Command Bar].

 

The cell specification is deleted.

■ 4. Cell designation [3 frames solid hit]

Specify the cell of the "a" cell of the original picture whose time sheet is solid 3 frames.

 

① On the [Timeline] palette, select the "a" cell in the "original image" folder.

 

(2) Since you want to specify cells from the first frame, select the first frame.

 

③ Hold down the right click and move the cursor (= right drag).

The number that is moved on the frame is selected. A thin number is displayed in the frame and the number of frames can be selected.

(On the iPad, you can perform the same operation by dragging while holding down the "Control" key on the edge keyboard or the keyboard you have.)

 

(4) From the first frame, right-drag to select the frame. I want to specify 3 frames, so drag the cursor until the thin "3" appears.

 

⑤ In this state, release the click to display the menu.

 

⑥ If you select the video number you want to specify as a cell from the menu, you can specify the cell with the number of thin frames.

 

After specifying the cell, the menu will not be closed unless you perform other operations, and you can continue to operate.

 

⑤ If you continue to select a number from the menu, cells will be specified by the same number as the number of frames specified at the beginning.

■ 5. Adjusting the number of frames

The moving picture paper "5" in the "a" cell is not specified until the end, so adjust it.

 

If the butt for cell specification is the [Display end frame] of the division (clip), a gray square is displayed in the upper right.

(1) Click the square part of [Display end frame].

 

② You can extend the number of frames specified in the cell by dragging to the number of frames you want to extend.

 

Let's specify the cell "b" by the same operation.

 

 

■ 6. Specifying empty cells

Follow the procedure below to write an empty cell.

As an example, let's select 3 frames of "4" between moving paper "3" and "5" of "A" cell and specify it as an empty cell.

 

(1) On the [Timeline] palette, right-drag the frame for which you want to specify an empty cell and select 3 frames.

 

(2) Release the right drag to display the menu. Type "0" on the keyboard and press the "Enter" key.

 

"0" is specified in the timeline and it is treated as an empty cell.

 

• "0" is specified to make it an empty cell by utilizing the fact that movie numbers not used in the [Layer] palette are not recognized. When the menu is displayed, you can delete the numbers with the "Backspace" and "delete" keys, but in that case the clip will be split.

■ 7. Specify cells in batch [3 frames solid or 2 frames solid]

In the case of 3-frame solid printing or 2-frame solid printing, it is also possible to set all at once.

(The cell designation of the "a" cell was deleted once for the operation of solid printing for 3 frames.)

 

(1) To use the batch specification function, first select the frame on the [Timeline] palette where you want to start cell specification. Here, 1 frame is selected.

 

(2) Press [Specify all cells] on the [Command Bar].

 

The [Specify all cells] dialog is displayed.

 

③ Check [Specify from existing animation cel name] and check [Start cell] and [End cell]. Here, to set all the frames from "1" to "5", specify [3] for [Number of frames] and press [OK].

 

Video sheets "1" to "5" have been stamped into the [Timeline] in groups of 3 frames at a time.

 

⑤ In this case as well, since the hip frame is insufficient, it is necessary to extend the [Display end frame] by the same operation as in "■ 5. Adjusting the number of frames".

■ 8. Utilizing the subview palette

When the timesheet is clip data, it is convenient to use the [Subview] palette.

Press the [Window] menu → [Sub View] on the menu bar and press the folder icon at the bottom right to load the image you want to display.

 

The [Sub View] palette is a palette that allows you to display any image separately from the main window. You can open the clip data as it is in the [Sub View] palette.

 

 

[3] Use Toei Digital Time Sheet

Toei Animation Digital Time Sheet (hereinafter referred to as Digital Time Sheet) is software that operates in cooperation with CLIP STUDIO PAINT and can edit CLIP STUDIO PAINT timeline information in the same display format as the timesheet.

It is distributed from the CLIP STUDIO PAINT official download page.

• Supports Windows only.

 

In "Digital Time Sheet ver1.9.3", only the original image column is supported, but by using the original image column for moving images, it can be utilized in the workflow for moving images.

Read horizontally (left to right) If you are new to the [Timeline] palette, try using it.

 

[POINT]

When using the digital timesheet, start with only the animation folder for cell names created.

You don't have to add more motion picture paper.

■ 1. Download Digital Time Sheet

Download the "Toei Animation Digital Time Sheet" distributed below.

■ 2. Enter the timesheet with the digital timesheet

Start the downloaded "Digital Time Sheet" and specify the time sheet.

 

[POINT] Points to note when using the digital time sheet

In order to link, the cell name displayed in "Digital Time Sheet" and the cell name created in CLIP STUDIO PAINT must be the same.

 

First, change to the same cell name as the cut folder created in CLIP STUDIO PAINT.

 

(1) Since we are working with lowercase alphanumeric characters during the video, we will change all cell names in "Digital Time Sheet" to lowercase.

 

(2) When reading to CLIP STUDIO PAINT, it becomes difficult to understand if there are unnecessary cells, so delete them.

 

The "Digital Time Sheet" looks like this.

 

③ Enter the time sheet.

 

• For details on how to use the time sheet, see "How to use the Toei Animation Digital Time Sheet" below.

 

After completing the driving, save the data in the format of "timesheet information (.xdts)" so that it can be read by CLIP STUDIO PAINT.

 

(4) Select [File] menu-> [Export]-> [Time Sheet Information] on the menu bar.

 

⑤ Save the file with any name in a convenient location.

■ 3. Read timesheet information into CLIP STUDIO PAINT

You will return to the CLIP STUDIO PAINT operation. Use the timesheet information created in "Digital Timesheet" to specify the cut folder cell.

 

(1) Click [Read time sheet information] on the [Command Bar].

 

(2) Select and load the "timesheet information (.xdts)" created in "Digital Timesheet".

 

③ CLIP STUDIO PAINT will read the "Digital Time Sheet" data, and a caution will be displayed in the [Read Digital Time Sheet] dialog. Select Do Nothing and click OK.

 

(4) When the "Digital Time Sheet" is read, folders for the "S1" layer and "CAM1" layer that could not be deleted in the "Digital Time Sheet" are created on the [Layer] palette. Delete it because it is not used.

 

Let's display the timeline and check the cell specifications. The cells are specified as specified in the "Digital Time Sheet".

 

Create insufficient motion picture paper.

Follow the steps below to create the required moving image sheets in batch corresponding to the cell numbers specified in the [Timeline] palette.

 

⑤ Click [Create All Corresponding Cells] on the [Command Bar].

 

Corresponding to the cell designation, a motion picture paper with the same name was created.