lip-sync advice from someone who knows FCP and Moho??

Zaphod · Post by **Zaphod** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:42 pm

I juat might have found a way to get around my lip-sync problems. My plan was to export mouths as png images, import them into final cut pro and match them to the audio there, since it runs much more smoothly and rendering is a snap. Then I would export that file as a movie and import the movie into Moho, then stick that layer on the character's face. I just have to find a way to export a movie with the alpha intact so that there's not a big black square over the face. Does anybody know if this is possible? If it were it would solve my lip sync problems maybe forever.
Thanks a bunch

Hiddicop · Post by **Hiddicop** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:12 pm

It's simple. Just export to quicktime using the "Animation" codec with "Millions of colors+" The "+" means alpha layer. The background will then be transparent.

Zaphod · Post by **Zaphod** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:52 pm

hmmm, I'm still getting a big black square around the mouth in Moho, might I be doing something wrong in FCP?

Zaphod · Post by **Zaphod** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:03 pm

Alright I got it!! Here's waht I was doing wrong, in case anyone else has the same problem: I hadn't clicked on sequence and clicked on settings, change it to animation, then click "advaned" and set it to "milions of colors+" , then export it using the same codec. Now I can put any thing I make in FCP into Moho and have the tranparency intact. I'm guessing this would be a great way for some mac users to work do lip-sync without having to use a separate program. If it works with imovie also, pretty much anyone with a mac could make use of it. Now I can get on to finishing my cartoon!

marchdigital · Post by **marchdigital** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 1:40 pm

Sounds like a lot of messing about - why don't you simply use Magpie Pro to create a .dat file and attach it to a switch layer containing your mouth shapes in Moho? Works for me.

LittleFenris · Post by **LittleFenris** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 7:24 pm

marchdigital wrote:Sounds like a lot of messing about - why don't you simply use Magpie Pro to create a .dat file and attach it to a switch layer containing your mouth shapes in Moho? Works for me.

Not everyone has $250 for a lip-sync program.

nobudget · Post by **nobudget** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 9:17 pm

"Not everyone has $250 for a lip-sync program."

You can't have everything for free...or can you? Try Pamela
http://www-personal.monash.edu.au/~myle ... index.html

"This software is freeware and open source, for personal, educational, corporate, and/or commercial use."

How that's of some use to you,

Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com

james · Post by **james** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:33 pm

There is an easier way.

Draw AT LEAST six different mouths in another program, like Toon Boom, Flash, Photoshop, whatever.

Save them as PNGs.

Import them all into Moho and group them in a Switch Folder.

Using Moho's lip-sync feature with at least 6 different mouths, the results look great.

That way, you don't need to spend time matching things up in FCP.

nobudget · Post by **nobudget** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 12:34 am

"Draw AT LEAST six different mouths in another program"
Why another program for the mouth? Anyway, I've used the Moho lip-sync method a couple of times but it works on volume, not the actual sound. So it's closed, a bit open, wider, widest. I usually draw the most basic mouth shapes like "o" "e" "s" and manually sync them. It isn't very quick but it is accurate. But I think (part of) Zaphods' issue was the playback speed in Moho, that does make it more difficult. Setting the preview as low as possible and switching visibility of the other layers does help.

If you like take a look here: http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1000
I did the faces first, one by one and exported the head animation as transparent Quicktime animations. I imported those as image layers into the complete scene with the bodies and background.

Good luck,

Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com

Zaphod · Post by **Zaphod** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 10:10 pm

I have to mess around with FCP cuz I use a mac and there are no free lip-sync tools that work any better than thisFCP method for mac. Besides, it's not difficult, i've used FCP so much once I got the codec and all that crap worked out it was easy. You get to hear the audio in real time and can manipulate the mouths easily, rendering takes a few seconds, so does exporting. Then it's jsut a matter of sizing down the movie clip in moho and attaching it to a bone.

marchdigital · Post by **marchdigital** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 10:29 pm

LittleFenris wrote:
marchdigital wrote:Sounds like a lot of messing about - why don't you simply use Magpie Pro to create a .dat file and attach it to a switch layer containing your mouth shapes in Moho? Works for me.
Not everyone has $250 for a lip-sync program.

Fair enough .... but what is your time worth? The methods you have described (using other apps to create a video then import that and overlay it on your character in Moho) would takes ages and I seriously doubt you would get a good result - especially when you consider that you might make a mistake and then have to go through the entire process all over again. I have just completed 15 x 3 minute 'music video' cartoons in Moho and used Magpie Pro to develop the lip-sync data. I believe it saved me countless hours and works perfectly. $250 = not that much when you consider what it does.

Download the trial version and check it out - you'll be glad you did. (And, No .. I dont work for the creators of Magpie)

At any rate I would be very keen to see the results of your method - just out of interests sake - to see how it looks.

nobudget · Post by **nobudget** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 11:31 pm

"I have just completed 15 x 3 minute 'music video' cartoons in Moho"
Can we see any of it? I'm curious now...

Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com

LittleFenris · Post by **LittleFenris** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 2:56 am

Fair enough .... but what is your time worth? The methods you have described (using other apps to create a video then import that and overlay it on your character in Moho) would takes ages and I seriously doubt you would get a good result - especially when you consider that you might make a mistake and then have to go through the entire process all over again. I have just completed 15 x 3 minute 'music video' cartoons in Moho and used Magpie Pro to develop the lip-sync data. I believe it saved me countless hours and works perfectly. $250 = not that much when you consider what it does.

I was just making a point that it seems most of the users here don't have near that much money, especially for just lip-syncing. I actually own Magpie Pro and I'm glad I do.

marchdigital · Post by **marchdigital** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 11:14 pm

marchdigital · Post by **marchdigital** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 11:16 pm

nobudget wrote:"I have just completed 15 x 3 minute 'music video' cartoons in Moho"
Can we see any of it? I'm curious now...

Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com

I have a restriction placed on me by the client (The Wiggles) that prevents me from distributing the animations. I will see if I can get permission to post something and get back to you. I would be delighted to get feedback from the MOHO community - it is frustrating for me not to be able to share the work online.