If you are new to animating or have always wondered how to create rotoscope animations from your own videos, then this article will shed some light on how to easily achieve this animation style using Procreate.
What Is Rotoscoping?
Rotoscope animation is the technique of tracing over an existing video or live-action footage, frame by frame, in order to achieve an animated likeness of a subject or scene.
The rotoscope technique is used by animation studios to create character sequences that are inspired by live actors, and also in visual effects, such as the lightsaber glowing in the original Star Wars films. It can be achieved both through traditional hand-drawn methods and digitally.
Below is a helpful guide showing how you can also use this technique, using the app Procreate. If you are new to the program, thenlearning the basics of Procreateis a great idea before jumping into animating.
1. Import Your Video
To begin, identify which clip you want to animate. Procreate has a frame limit in its Animation Assist mode, so shorter clips are much easier to work with due to a smaller file size and video length. You may need tomerge or split your video filefirst if it is cut too short automatically in the Procreate app.
A quick way of importing your video file into Procreate is by identifying your clip in thefilesapp, tapping theshareicon in the top right corner, and scrolling through the app shortcuts list until you find the Procreate icon.
If Procreate isn’t immediately visible as a shortcut app, then scroll to the end of the visible options and tap theMoreicon, also shown as athree-dotbutton,to choose from a wider range of apps. Once you have tapped on the Procreate icon, it will automatically open the app with your video open in a new canvas.
2. Crop and Resize
In Procreate, Animation Assist will automatically be activated in your new canvas due to the imported file being in video format. you’re able to double-check that it is on by selecting theSpannericon to open theCanvas Actionsmenu, whereAnimation Assistshould be toggled on and highlighted blue.
SelectCrop & Resizein the canvas menu and enter your desired dimensions and DPI. Once you are happy with the new canvas format, tapDoneto save.
Next, select all your layers by swiping left on each one individually. Unfortunately, there is yet to be a shortcut to achieve this quickly in Procreate. Each layer should be highlighted blue to show that it has been selected.
Tap thearrow(selection tool) in the menu on the top left and selectFit to Canvasin order to automatically resize all your frames.
3. Adjust the Animation Assist Settings
The frames bar at the bottom of your canvas screen displays both the individual frames, thePlaybutton, theAdd Framebutton, and theSettingsicon. You can scroll left and right through the bottom frames in order to display that individual frame on the canvas.
After selectingSettingson the bottom frame bar, a pop-up will offer three different animation styles.Loopwill, as expected, loop your entire animation endlessly, whilstPing-Pongwill play your animation once forward and then immediately once in reverse.
SelectingOne Shotwill ensure that your sequence is only played once. While the choice depends on your individual goals for the rotoscope clip, One Shot is an easy choice that allows you to see the progression of your work and spot any potential errors.
The moreFrames Per Second, the smoother the animation will appear. For a simple, effective rotoscope animation, choose a frame rate of12fps.
You can change theOnion Skinframes and opacity by dragging the sliders. Choosing an opacity anywhere below40%, and a limited number of onion skin frames, will ensure that you can reference from your past drawings accurately, without working on a confusing current frame.
4. Begin Drawing Over Your Imported Frames
Delete every other layer and attempt to cut down the imported frames from your original video. Drawing over the imported frames will give the illusion of movement thanks to pen thickness and later added details.
Keep just enough frames so that when you pressPlay, the overall clip doesn’t look too jumpy.
Add a layer on top of your first frame and selectClipping Mask. Choose a brush with minimal jitter for easy, consistent frames. In our demonstration, the genericTechnical Penbrush is selected. Begin drawing over the objects you wish to see animated in your clipping mask layer.
Repeat this step and draw over each frame before moving on to coloring. This will ensure you have a more consistent animation style.
5. Color Your Frames
Once you have outlined your object or scene in each frame, add a new layer underneath the line art layer. Group together these two layers and the reference frame by selecting all three, and tapGroupat the top right of theLayermenu.
A tip is to name your frames in numerical order, as this will also make your work more organized and easy to follow.
Add flat colors to each frame byusing theColor Filltooland tapPlayduring this stage to double-check that there are no consistency errors in your animation.
Once each frame has a base layer of flat color, you can add highlights or shadows to create a more detailed rotoscope animation. Smooth and effective rotoscoping is a result of consistently drawn frames that relate directly to their predecessor in both accuracy and aesthetic style.
6. Add Smear Frames for Exaggerated Movement
A smear frame is used to simulate motion blur in animation. For any quick movements in your work, draw small lines extending from your object, leading away from the direction of the movement. This will stylistically visualize fast movement and create an illusion of smooth motion.
Not every frame needs extra smear lines, only those with especially fast movement. HitPlayto check how the entire animation sequence looks, and deduct or add smear lines depending on how fast you want the movement to appear.
7. Export Your Rotoscope Animation
Once you are happy with the final look of your animation, you can export it by opening theActionsmenu, selectingShare,and choosing your desired format from theShare Layersoptions. Further options will then be provided depending on the format, such as the frame rate choice if using the mp4 format.
Learn and Practice Animation With Rotoscoping
Brush up on your animation techniques by practicing drawing from realistic videos using the rotoscoping method in Procreate. Experiment with different brushes and colors, and watch your video transform into an animated masterpiece.
