Head Turn/Lip Sync Tests

[EHEBrandon]

Hello I believe this is my first post on here! Okay guys I want some honest feedback... I am going to be posting two videos both of them have a head turn and lip sync.. The first one is a character I drew from a anime series called CLANNAD and the character is Nagisa Furukawa and the second one I drew the character from Elfen Lied and I took the audio from the last episode I believe. Anyways I want honest opinions on both of them since they are my first test with Anime Studio Pro 10... Also some tips and advice if there is any. Also for the Elfen Lied one I know the shading is horribly off but that's because I stopped working on the shading on the last part and I also acknowledge the very thick outlines as well. Also for both of them I noticed the bumps and such.. I just wanted to focus on the animation before the actual character drawings. The reason I want advice is because I want to create my own anime series and I wanted to start off by posting these. Also I did create the background as well. I need some tips and advice for both if there is any.

CLANNAD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmmmXs3 ... e=youtu.be

Elfen Lied:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGZfxB1J0-4

[Danimal]

The second one looks way better because it happens quickly. The character designs look good too.

[mrchris1234]

hey EHEBRANDON,
I really like the second one called ELFEN LIED, it was awesome!!!! The head turn on elfen lied was smoother than the first one video..She is so adorable! What did you do different from the first video to the last? and you don't need others to tell you what's good or not. they're not experts and at times their work isn't even as good as the videos they're commenting on..I know .. I check out all sorts of videos on youtube and I have respect for anyone that dibbs into animation and takes the time to create. , it's not easy. and demands respect. I subbed your channel too.
Are you planing on doing your own designs? that's the way to go , that way you own it without someone saying Hey, I did that! Create what inspires you and you only!!! no one is perfect no matter what they want you to believe. on one last note...ROCK ON!!!!!

[EHEBrandon]

The second one looks way better because it happens quickly. The character designs look good too.

On the second one I did over view it and there were no mistakes which was good. Also for the first one I already found out my problem... I was very unorganized with my points and that's what messed made the hair messed up... I think as long as I keep my points more organized like I did with the second one it will be great. Since in the second one I had no errors just coloring issues. Which in my opinion was perfect. My only issue with the second one is how thick the lines but like I said I was not focusing on the design much mostly animation. So when I looked back on both I seemed to find my issue. Do you think that was the case? Its just my first one the lines got missed matched and it did not really help with the hair. Since the hair was the only mistake.. Where in the second one when I looked back everything just went so smooth.... So I should probably just follow that method and keep the lines organized like I did then. Dont you think? I am on the journey of creating my own anime series.

hey EHEBRANDON,
I really like the second one called ELFEN LIED, it was awesome!!!! The head turn on elfen lied was smoother than the first one video..She is so adorable! What did you do different from the first video to the last? and you don't need others to tell you what's good or not. they're not experts and at times their work isn't even as good as the videos they're commenting on..I know .. I check out all sorts of videos on youtube and I have respect for anyone that dibbs into animation and takes the time to create. , it's not easy. and demands respect. I subbed your channel too.
Are you planing on doing your own designs? that's the way to go , that way you own it without someone saying Hey, I did that! Create what inspires you and you only!!! no one is perfect no matter what they want you to believe. on one last note...ROCK ON!!!!!

The difference just the design to be honest. Also like I said above I plan on making my own anime series so of course I am going to be doing my own characters! These were only for test! Like I said as well I did not actually focus on character development but more on the animation. My only complaint about the second one is the dark outlines and lighting but once again I did not focus on character design or detail only animation. As for the first one I put a little bit more work into that character but got messy with my points and did not keep it organized so thats what made the hair not turn out so delightful... The head turn wasn't bad it was mostly the hair.. The lip sync was good on both.. The head turn was perfect in my opinion on the second one since I went through both and saw that the second one did not have any problems with the turns.. Where with the first one like I said I got unorganized and got very messy with my points which I think that was the main error with the hair turning on the first one. But as I learn that will only make my own anime series better and that is why I am posting these test and trying to get some feedback.

[Danimal]

So I should probably just follow that method and keep the lines organized like I did then. Dont you think?

Indeed. And yes, the hair in the first one didn't look right at all.

[mrchris1234]

This is why I'm really considering doing some 3D animation on top of my 2D animation videos.. with 3D you can rotate axis and the computer does all the head turns and angles for you as well as landscapes.. that's probably why you see 3D most in big screen movies like toy story, cars, etc. Anime will probably always be 2D. that's what I like about it...Looneytoons tried 3D and it didn't work. Good luck on your journey.. I'm impressed with your dedication, Peace out.
regards,
Mrchris

[EHEBrandon]

So I should probably just follow that method and keep the lines organized like I did then. Dont you think?

Indeed. And yes, the hair in the first one didn't look right at all.

Alright thank you for the advice! But besides the dark strokes and coloring and such the second one looked good thats good to know. ^.^ But do you think that was the error with my first one by being unorganized with the points? Also like I said only difference in method was actually keeping things more organized layer and point wise... XD But thank you! I will most likely use this same method for my anime series but of course give it a cleaner look since its going to be a series project. But its good to know the animation wasn't bad so it just tells me on what I need to do.

This is why I'm really considering doing some 3D animation on top of my 2D animation videos.. with 3D you can rotate axis and the computer does all the head turns and angles for you as well as landscapes.. that's probably why you see 3D most in big screen movies like toy story, cars, etc. Anime will probably always be 2D. that's what I like about it...Looneytoons tried 3D and it didn't work. Good luck on your journey.. I'm impressed with your dedication, Peace out.
regards,
Mrchris

I work with 2D and 3D.. But these videos are all 2D animation.. If I misunderstood your comment sorry. But anyways I subbed to your channel as well. I like your content. But yeah thank you I have been drawing all of the characters writing the stories making the backgrounds and also the music. Anyways really all I need is voice actors which I find to be the hardest part of making a series... Its not the animation, music, backgrounds, designs which are hard to me... Its mostly getting the right people basically the cast.. I have the equipment time and knowledge I am just searching which is the most difficult and also still learning new methods as I go.

[mrchris1234]

So I should probably just follow that method and keep the lines organized like I did then. Dont you think?

Indeed. And yes, the hair in the first one didn't look right at all.

Alright thank you for the advice! But besides the dark strokes and coloring and such the second one looked good thats good to know. ^.^ But do you think that was the error with my first one by being unorganized with the points? Also like I said only difference in method was actually keeping things more organized layer and point wise... XD But thank you! I will most likely use this same method for my anime series but of course give it a cleaner look since its going to be a series project. But its good to know the animation wasn't bad so it just tells me on what I need to do.

This is why I'm really considering doing some 3D animation on top of my 2D animation videos.. with 3D you can rotate axis and the computer does all the head turns and angles for you as well as landscapes.. that's probably why you see 3D most in big screen movies like toy story, cars, etc. Anime will probably always be 2D. that's what I like about it...Looneytoons tried 3D and it didn't work. Good luck on your journey.. I'm impressed with your dedication, Peace out.
regards,
Mrchris

I work with 2D and 3D.. But these videos are all 2D animation.. If I misunderstood your comment sorry. But anyways I subbed to your channel as well. I like your content. But yeah thank you I have been drawing all of the characters writing the stories making the backgrounds and also the music. Anyways really all I need is voice actors which I find to be the hardest part of making a series... Its not the animation, music, backgrounds, designs which are hard to me... Its mostly getting the right people basically the cast.. I have the equipment time and knowledge I am just searching which is the most difficult and also still learning new methods as I go.

You aint lying about voice actors, that's hard to organize, when I do my car animations I use my co-workers images of their cars and faces to animate and import into ASP after editing from Photoshop.. I wonder if you can use your co-workers to do voice overs? Once you start incorporating collaborations into your videos more people will take notice and tell their families, friends and everybody will want to be a part of what you're working on and to watch the finished product... bringing all sorts of excitement to your projects. hey, it wont cost you nothing, just buy them lunch or something to keep them quiet! It's cool you have all the equipment. looking forward to seeing more of your work on Youtube. Thanks for subbing my YouTube channel. .. you didn't have to do that but thanks, Keep Rockin'

[ddrake]

It's a good start, and I agree that the second clip is better executed. As far as your approach, I'm not sure how long you've been using anime studio, or what other software you have experience with... but there's definitely a learning curve, either learning the program from scratch, or "unlearning" if you're switching from another program.

Here are my thoughts:

I think the second clip works better because stylistically you're keeping things a little more simple, but constant. It's a quick head turn and even if you have art inconsistencies on the inbetween they aren't on screen long enough to register. The problem with the first clip I think, is that it looks like you've done it all by pulling points to match a second drawn pose. Unfortunately, unless you have very symmetrical simple artwork, that won't look convincing (unless it happens very very quickly)

You're on the right track with moving the features of the face with your head turn, and I think the character design is well done, (but probably done better than it should be if you want to make your life simple with animating in Anime Studio )

My suggestion would be to break your artwork down into separate layers. The hair as an obvious example, and start thinking of your character design as individual pieces that all transform at their own pace. The bangs of the character can be on their own layer and shift in position without much point movement. Keep the overall layer "shape" intact for the first round of your motion, and then go in and adjust point positions.

Right now the first clip has a slower smooth transition and that's why defined features seem to melt and reconstruct into the new shape. The computer doesn't understand art and so it doesn't know if a point is the tip of a hair or somewhere in the middle. The points just move to their next keyframed position in the most linear-direct way possible.

Anyway, keep experimenting and sharing and asking questions. So much depends on the look you want to achieve. You have art talent, it all just depends on "look vs. time." And I can tell you right now that if you want to make a series, those are some ideas you're going to want to reconcile as soon as you can.

[EHEBrandon]

It's a good start, and I agree that the second clip is better executed. As far as your approach, I'm not sure how long you've been using anime studio, or what other software you have experience with... but there's definitely a learning curve, either learning the program from scratch, or "unlearning" if you're switching from another program.

Here are my thoughts:

I think the second clip works better because stylistically you're keeping things a little more simple, but constant. It's a quick head turn and even if you have art inconsistencies on the inbetween they aren't on screen long enough to register. The problem with the first clip I think, is that it looks like you've done it all by pulling points to match a second drawn pose. Unfortunately, unless you have very symmetrical simple artwork, that won't look convincing (unless it happens very very quickly)

You're on the right track with moving the features of the face with your head turn, and I think the character design is well done, (but probably done better than it should be if you want to make your life simple with animating in Anime Studio )

My suggestion would be to break your artwork down into separate layers. The hair as an obvious example, and start thinking of your character design as individual pieces that all transform at their own pace. The bangs of the character can be on their own layer and shift in position without much point movement. Keep the overall layer "shape" intact for the first round of your motion, and then go in and adjust point positions.

Right now the first clip has a slower smooth transition and that's why defined features seem to melt and reconstruct into the new shape. The computer doesn't understand art and so it doesn't know if a point is the tip of a hair or somewhere in the middle. The points just move to their next keyframed position in the most linear-direct way possible.

Anyway, keep experimenting and sharing and asking questions. So much depends on the look you want to achieve. You have art talent, it all just depends on "look vs. time." And I can tell you right now that if you want to make a series, those are some ideas you're going to want to reconcile as soon as you can.

The advice you gave me I did that with the second video. I believe I could do the art and animation as the second video shows.. Even though the second video was uploaded first I actually created that one recently.. Honestly that was the first time I messed with 2D animation in general and Anime Studio is perfect in my opinion. So as long as I do the method as I did with the second video my series will turn out perfect the way I want it. Like I said before when I did the second one I saw no errors when it came to the animation. The reason why the first video was sloppy because that was the first time I messed with anime studio pro 10 and I tried to fix it but it was not worth fixing since its not going to be in my main project. For the second video like I said I used your advice and executed it since organization is key. You can make anything with this program and make it look professional you just need to put the time and effort into it which I plan on doing. See it seems like with the second video I nailed it since I organized my points and layers better where in the first one it was all over the place. Thanks for the comment. I got this in the bag I think.

[drichird]

I liked the second one much better because the turning movement is more realistic, as already explained quite well by the other posters. It is very cool and inspiring to hear your enthusiasm for becoming a producer of anime, you clearly have the talent it's obvious even in this short animation. So best of luck on your journey and look forward to seeing you on TV I know you will make it !!!

By the way, regarding your comments on getting voice actors I am by no means a professional voice actor but like some others on this forum I offer my name on a list of members who are willing to do voices for other people's work, for free. Here is a link to the original post (absolutely no obligation but please could you add your name if you're willing to volunteer?)
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=25352

and another link to a sample of my voice (it's nothing special but my offer stands !!!).
http://youtu.be/OPonDqSXFlY

Seems like a lot of animation is getting outsourced overseas, if we work as a team maybe we can bring it back ???!!!!

[patricia3d]

Nice Animation
To look more natural make the shake the head little.

[EHEBrandon]

I liked the second one much better because the turning movement is more realistic, as already explained quite well by the other posters. It is very cool and inspiring to hear your enthusiasm for becoming a producer of anime, you clearly have the talent it's obvious even in this short animation. So best of luck on your journey and look forward to seeing you on TV I know you will make it !!!

By the way, regarding your comments on getting voice actors I am by no means a professional voice actor but like some others on this forum I offer my name on a list of members who are willing to do voices for other people's work, for free. Here is a link to the original post (absolutely no obligation but please could you add your name if you're willing to volunteer?)
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=25352

and another link to a sample of my voice (it's nothing special but my offer stands !!!).
http://youtu.be/OPonDqSXFlY

Seems like a lot of animation is getting outsourced overseas, if we work as a team maybe we can bring it back ???!!!!

Thank you very much that comment gave me a lot of courage as a lot of these comments did. Also if I did ask someone to volunteer I would need them to sign a contract also I may pay them depending. I am looking for someone who could match that character if there auditioning for that part. Also if they would be a voice actor they would need to be dedicated to their part and stick to it.. My anime series is going to be an on going series... I may have 600+ episodes maybe.. It just depends. See I am basically going to keep this going until I have no more story to tell! Its basically my story my vision and its basically one of those things... That it will end when it will end because I have so much story to tell and it will be on going until there is more to tell. Also as you could tell this is going to be a very serious series that will stick to its story and basically always continue from the last one. Also yeah the second one is better like I said before on the first one I got messy and unorganized with my layers and points... :p That was the issue with the first one. But like I said I am completely dedicated to this!

Nice Animation
To look more natural make the shake the head little.

Thank you also ehhh I dont think that would look good with the anime type of style. If it was a toon style I would 100% agree with you but hell I will give it a shot you never know? But anyways thanks for the feedback.

[lwaxana]

These look great! As others have said the Elfen Lied animation is more convincing. But the Nagisa Furukawa animation only needs a couple of small adjustments to look just as good. I think the main problem with the Nagisa animation is that 1. The head is not in quite the right spot for that pose to look natural. If you moved it ever-so slightly up and to the left it would look more natural because the face changes angles like the character is looking up, but the head and neck positions would have to move a bit to make that happen. 2. The timing is too slow. If you make it fast like Elfen Lied, it will look great. 3. She turns her head at an unnatural time. If she turned her head right as she was saying job or right after it would seem like there was a reason to turn her head, which would make it more convincing. But these are looking great! Looking forward to seeing more! :D