Layer frame signifier

[Thunderdog]

hi, I'm still using the demo, and only lightly, at that, so maybe I'm not seeing this option, but I'd like to suggest an option to make the color of the window you're drawing in match the color of the layer you're drawing on to. This would help avoid drawing on the wrong layers with less than a glance.

For instance, say you have a rough layer for doing rough animation per character, a layer for background per element, a layer for perspective lines and you're moving back and forth. Say, I make it convention for my rough layers to be colored red and my background layers green. When I go full screen, I might be working on a rough layer for character and then need to switch to a back ground to correct an element on the fly. Moving back and forth is easy using the up and down arrow keys, but there is no indication of which layer I'm drawing on except to put the mouse down to pull the timeline back up and check which layer is highlighted. If you, in the heat of animating, forgot to check the layer, you would go on drawing in the wrong layer. Upon discovering this, you'd have to undo all that you did or cut it out onto the correct layer, but this could have adverse effects on the elements that were placed correctly on the background layer you mistakenly drew on if there's line overlap.
If you could make it so that the outside border of the window gave some indication of the layer you were on like changing color, it'd be pretty obvious at the periphery that you'd not need to break focus from animating to notice it.
Perhaps, the ability to keyboard shortcut a layer would do?

If you can't add this function, is it possible for user to georgescript something like this?

[ematecki]

Do you know the [a] shortcut ?
It will shake the current layer, so a quick press on [a] will show you on which layer you are drawing.

Changing the window color will disturb your perception of colors, and they will be off what you intended.

[Elodie]

You can also use the shortcut [=], that displays only the current layer (you can manage the other layer's attenuation in Windows menu > Settings > Display settings.)

[Svengali]

Here is handy custom button which shows you the layer stack and the CURRENT LAYER and, if you wish, lets you change to a new current layer: Layer Finder... click to go to the thread where you can download the Layer Finder TVPX and install.

What it does:
In a popup menu it shows you
1. all the layers, numbered according to their layer order
2. it identifies those layers by name
3. it indicates their visibility (+ = visible and - = hidden)
4. it identifies the (current) layer
5. and finally, it lets you choose another of the layers to become the current layer (to be drawn on)... and, it also guarantees that the newly selected layer is visible in the timeline.

This button can then be assigned to a shortcut key which is even better because the popup menu will appear on screen exactly where your cursor is.

Sven

[Thunderdog]

My apologies, after writing the post, I had thought that I was being too picky and closed it out. I must have submitted by accident, but after seeing Svengali's post, I'm glad I did. That looks like a really convenient space saver! That seems to address what I was confusingly asking for! I'll try it out as soon as I get on my computer.

Ematecki, {a} works fine. I remember that from the tutorial in the manual and have mistakenly hit the button many times. I'm not sure why it's value didn't register yet. I think this and Sven's tool fullfills all that I can think of at the moment. Thanks.

Elodie, thanks. I'll try that as soon as I can.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Here's a simple and highly useful script someone smart made (Mads? Svengali?) It does what the caption says. Using this ccript it will let you run up and down your layers, skipping the locked ones but shaking all the active ones it comes across, so you get visual confirmations which layer you have just landed on.

[Thunderdog]

Thanks, Paul. That's a great one too! I think I'll switch out the regular up and down arrow keys to hot key this function.

It'd be pretty cool if we could adjust the amount of shake. That's just being picky though.
It looks like it might have been Byron http://forum.tvpaint.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=4384 that suggested this function.

I can't use Sven's plug-in since you have to save before it functions. I'm on the demo which won't allow that!

{=} works pretty nice. I think I'd use this in a situation where there's a lot of pixel clutter rather than to double check the layer I'm on. Thanks, Elodie.

[Elodie]

You're welcome Thunderdog

[Svengali]

posted an updated version called Layer Finder Plus, in the same thread that will work with TVPaint demo.

Sven