AS 6: How insert first keyframes?

Diana Kennedy · Post by **Diana Kennedy** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:58 pm

Honestly, the fashion of AS6 of not showing tools (visibility, camera, move and so on) only when it is "used" is not a very good new feature. Because, how can I put a keyframe this way when the trail on the timeline is not yet there?

As an example: I want to have my view stay still from frame 1 to 40 and from 40 to 80 as a camera-move. In Anime Studio 5, I simply inserted a keyframe on the camera trail at frame 40 and then moved the camera where I wanted at frame 80. Now, the trail is missing, how can I do that? Without such a keyframe the camera would start to move from frame 1 on and this is not wanted...

How do you manage this issue?

I am sorry if the topic was yet discussed elswhere. If so, a link to there is fine. Also sorry if my description was clumsy, I am french speaking and I have AS-french.

lwaxana · Post by **lwaxana** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:29 pm

I'm still using version 5, but this may be the same in version 6. In v5, I'm able to add tools to the timeline by clicking on the timeline's settings menu and then where it says "show the following channels in the timeline," just put a check next to the tool you want to appear.

Or you could start making changes just to get the timeline to appear and then after it's there, edit them so that they're correct.

muffysb · Post by **muffysb** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:45 pm

Here's what I do:

1) At frame 1, choose the Camera Move tool (or whatever it's called, I don't have it in front of me).

2) With the Camera Move tool, click anywhere in the display. A keyframe is automatically added with your current Camera Move settings. The keyframe appears in the timeline, and you should also see the first trail point in your display.

3) Move the timeline scrubber to 40.

4) Click in the display again with the Camera Move tool. Another keyframe is added with exactly the same settings.

5) Move the timeline scrubber to 80.

6) Click in the display with the Camera Move tool and drag to the new X/Y position.

Most tools add keyframes if you just click in the display with them. This is useful for Mac users whose mice have tricky right-click buttons (right-clicking with a tool in the timeline allows you to choose the "Add Keyframe" option, but you may need to have that channel available first).

Cheers,
Muffy.

lwaxana · Post by **lwaxana** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:52 pm

muffy--Thanks for the tip! It never occurred to me to just click in the display to add a keyframe. Strange, because I've done it many times by accident and had to go in and remove extra keyframes. But I never thought to use the power for good.

Diana Kennedy · Post by **Diana Kennedy** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:40 pm

@Lwaxana,

Or you could start making changes just to get the timeline to appear and then after it's there, edit them so that they're correct.

...This is what I did too, but it is not suitable for all situations.

so your Tip, @Muffysb, was very, very helpfull! this issue really gave me headaches. So thanks a lot!!

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:45 pm

For me it was very uncomfortable at first, but now is one of the features I like most.
I recommend you to give it some time, once you be used to you won't want to look back.

Diana Kennedy · Post by **Diana Kennedy** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:07 pm

@Selgin, Oh this is already the case. The missing tools on the timeline were uncomfortable, but for all other matters, I won't trade AS 6 for AS 5 again.

dueyftw · Post by **dueyftw** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:10 pm

I still miss the dialog box on the time line where you could turn on or off anything. Now you got to think about what triggers it. The old way was better for me. Now if you want to put in a locking key, you must do something to trigger the layer, bone, camera to show up then copy the frame zero key to the point on the time line. The feature that hides all the inactive time line just adds more work.

Dale

Diana Kennedy · Post by **Diana Kennedy** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:54 am

Yes dueyftw, The user should have the choice whether he wants to have all the items on the timeline shown from the beginning on, or not.

Ronbo · Post by **Ronbo** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 4:10 pm

You might also check out this thread if you prefer the old version of the timeline.

ferwar · Post by **ferwar** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:09 pm

muffysb wrote:Here's what I do:

2) With the Camera Move tool, click anywhere in the display. A keyframe is automatically added with your current Camera Move settings. The keyframe appears in the time line, and you should also see the first trail point in your display.

Hi to you all!

this is the same thing I do, just when I click I also lift the mouse, cause if you don't, you can make accidental change in it's value.