alpha channel (how to make solid with paper?)

[BenEcosse]

When I paint a character and colour it with the fill shape tool while using the paper setting I get a transparent shape. I realise this is because of the paper texture selected however is
there a setting so that the paper is a solid colour (ie white) so that when I have characters on different layers they are not see through?

[malcooning]

i couldn't quite understand from your post what exactly you were doing to achieve this.
can you write your workflow, which panels are open, with what settings and layer structure?

[BenEcosse]

here's my work flow.

I created a background image using a black brush to outline and same brush to fill (this brush has a paper texture attached to it)
Then on a separate layer I drew an outline of the character with the same brush.
Then using the FILL SHAPE tool with the same brush (this time coloured) I filled in the separate bits (holes) of the character. ( I realise now i should have done this on another later)

The FILL SHAPE settings are :
SOURCE - LAYER
FILL - COLOR & DENSITY

if i take the paper off then the colour fill is solid but i want the grain of the paper wihtout the transparency. Really what I'm wanting to achieve is to create a sort of white fill at the same time.
I suppose I could create another layer with a solid fill of white underneath this using the mask option but it seems a long process to pull a matte. I could export it out into after effects
and create a matte fill then choke the edges but was wondering what the workflow in TVP would be.

Do you create a separate white fill underneath each character if it is an image drawn with a brush with paper texture?

[ZigOtto]

... I realise now i should have done this on another later

yes, preferably, you can merge them (line + color) later, but keeping them separated will offer you more flexibility.

... Do you create a separate white fill underneath each character if it's drawing with a brush with a paper texture?

well, there are more than one road to go in Rome ...
- on a new layer, you can fill in white (no paper) + fill with [color + paper On] the whole (empty) frame, copy to spare,
then clear, and fill each part of this color all along your animation in "Merge" mode, and so on with each color of your character,
- you can first paint a full opaque mask of your character, and make it white (for a white backside of your color layer),
then on a new layer (just underneath the line layer), paint the colors with your paper = On,
- starting from your situation (you have already painted within the lines), you can duplicate your anim layer,
then apply on the one below a Color-Curve_FX (see attachment).

ps: can you upload your exemple frame as a tvp project file (to keep the layers structure)

[BenEcosse]

Thanks ZigOtto, I realise now there is several ways to do this. I understand the last 2 but not sure I understand the first MERGE example.
How can you fill in white (no paper) and fill with (color + paper ON) at the same time?

[slowtiger]

I had the same problem when I started with TVP. My workflow now includes colouring every character with a solid colour and NO paper first. This way I can be absolutely sure there's no hidden transparenccy in my characters. I keep this solidly coloured layer separate, in case I want to change colours later. I also use it as a stencil when I apply brush strokes or other textures to my characters, again on a separate layer.

[BenEcosse]

yes, i noticed that the stencil function is really useful for sorting out this

[ZigOtto]

How can you fill in white (no paper) and fill with (color + paper ON) at the same time?

one after the other, I mean "not in one click", but 3 clicks :
1) LMB-click fill the whole page in white (Paper = Off)
2) second click to turn ON the paper,
3) 3rd click to fill again with colorA (Paper = On).

note also a custom button (or better a little script) could do this (and more)
in one click only.

[BenEcosse]

note also a custom button (or better a little script) could do this (and more)
in one click only.

Yes, good idea. I'm now creating an action to create a matte layer for my painted layer. I'm almost there but now I've run out of fields in the action.
It seems to only display 9. Is there a limit to how many commands you can add to one action?

[ZigOtto]

... I'm almost there but now I've run out of fields in the action.
It seems to only display 9. Is there a limit to how many commands you can add to one action?

you're right, unfortunately, the max = 9 commands for a custom button is currently a tvp limitation,
not sure, but I think this has been mentioned in the future request list
(RMB-"Add Command line", to add a 10th line and a vertical scrollbar beside the window).
that's why I suggested a script as alternative in my previous post, because not limited in nb of command lines,
although less friendly to set for a lambda user.

[BenEcosse]

i seems as if you can add more than 10 - it's just you can't see them all in the panel once your done.
I've created an action with 13 or 14 steps. I wrote it down first then added it into the action using the 'insert a command' option.
The only drawback was I had to put it in backwards! It's a pity I can't scroll up and down it incase I need to edit it further. If I was to add another line in at the end I would have to create it again from scratch

If I was to create in as a George script instead, can I use the same keystroke commands (ie. Key: Layer: Select All Images)
Or is it a completely different language / process?

[ZigOtto]

... The only drawback was I had to put it in backwards! It's a pity I can't scroll up and down it incase I need to edit it further. If I was to add another line in at the end I would have to create it again from scratch

that was my request point when I said

... and a vertical scrollbar beside the window

as we need to reach the "over 9" lines to be able to edit them.

... If I was to create in as a George script instead, can I use the same keystroke commands (ie. Key: Layer: Select All Images)
Or is it a completely different language / process?

it's a bit different language, but not so hard to learn
with the tvpaint SDK documentation.