library character lip syncing

dhandforth · Post by **dhandforth** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:07 pm

Newbie here, found lots in the manual and video tutorials on lip syncing when you build or draw characters but nothing on getting characters from the library to lip sync to an audio file. Can anyone help me with this?

jonbo · Post by **jonbo** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:22 pm

What version are you using? Pro or Debut? If you are on Pro watch this video, if on Debut, same thing only you won't be able to input the text translation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8OPrDxT_zI

dhandforth · Post by **dhandforth** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 9:47 pm

I'm using version 8, tried what you showed as best as I could with what I'm working with, problem is every training video shows a separate mouth sublayer, but when you build a character, you don't get a mouth sub layer, and when I tried double clicking the character and applying the audio to it the character played out flipping back and forth from facing side to facing front (I need it facing side) and the mouth didn't move

jonbo · Post by **jonbo** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 10:11 pm

Which character are you trying to lip-sync from the library? I'll try to do a demo for you. From your description, it sounds like you are talking about a character from the character wizard not the library.

dhandforth · Post by **dhandforth** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 10:23 pm

first off, I really appreciate your help, I'm on a deadline to try to create this commercial for a contest so I'm trying to take a crash course in learning this software to make it work in 2 days having never used anything like this and this is just going so slow I'm getting desperate. So THANK YOU! I have two characters I need to animate, one is from the library and is named Winsor in the library, the other I created using the character wizard just titled "man"

jonbo · Post by **jonbo** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 10:44 pm

Here, watch this one and see if it helps. The techniques are for a CW character but can be applied to library characters too. While anime studio makes it easier to animate, there still a learning curve to it.

http://youtu.be/YROVc2fMGR8

dhandforth · Post by **dhandforth** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:05 pm

YOU ROCK! It worked! Thank you thank you thank you!

If you don't mind I'm going to leave this thread open to perhaps post follow up issues? I created a product, contest is to get it on the shelves of a major retailer and I need to create this commercial to submit to them so I'm desperately trying to get this done. Ok for me to bother you with follow up questions?

jonbo · Post by **jonbo** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:13 pm

No problem, I'm around for awhile.

dhandforth · Post by **dhandforth** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:13 pm

Argghh! Another problem already! I have 2 people trying to have a conversation, I tried to just add the 3rd part of a 4 part conversation and it told me I can only add 2 audio files. Is that true? If so, the only work around I can think of is to time the reply and just allow dead air on the first audio file while the second character is replying, but that is going to take some precision timing - is there another work around?

jonbo · Post by **jonbo** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:43 pm

You must have Debut, because Pro allows more audio layers. There are work arounds but they are probably too technical for you right now. There is a free audio editor program called Audacity (Google it) that would help you get the timing for you audio tracks.

dhandforth · Post by **dhandforth** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 1:39 am

OK, thank you, I'll figure out a way to make it work.

dhandforth · Post by **dhandforth** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:25 pm

Good morning. I worked on the tutorial till nearly midnight last night and now I'm back at it and hit another roadblock, all the tutorial references I've found have you creating animation from frame 1, but the only character I need to animate in this scene needs to stand still for the first 30 seconds or so and then starting walking, turn, trip and fall. I would like to use the library character named Winsor, but if its harder to use him I can use a character I built using the character wizard. Can you explain how I have him stand still for 30 or so frames and THEN start walking?

jonbo · Post by **jonbo** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:24 pm

here, watch this, it should help.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/53649091/squencer.wmv

Dust · Post by **Dust** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:24 pm

Well Jonbo
I am impressed at how you take so much time to help a poor wondering animator.
I can only give you a thumbs up for this since the person asking does not have the time to go extensively through the tutorials.

dhandforth · Post by **dhandforth** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 7:52 pm

I don't understand why I can't make this work! Character "Man 1" I need him to stay still till actually frame 354, then walk across the screen from 354 to 378, then trip and fall forward. So I go to frame 378, click in the timeline to set a marker, drag him across the screen to the place in the scene where I need him to fall. Then I go back on the squencer tab and drag the "man 1" bar over to 354. Then I hit rewind and play, it works in so far as he stands still till 354 but then he starts walking slowly way past 378, he just keeps walking till it stops at 600 (the setting I established). What am I doing wrong? (note for trying to use the channel tab to drag him over I have several other characters in the scene that might interfere with doing that).