Export only the first frames of clips as jpeg or other image

[brunesku]

hello

Is there a way to export only the first frames of all theclips in a project as images, not pdf. The reason is that i finished the animation over basic layouts and now i would like to work on the actual backgrounds in another program.

Sorry if i'm asking for something that is an obvious feature or was already discussed in this forum but i was unable to find the related threads.

Thanks for any help!

B

[Elodie]

On say "first image of clips", do you mean you have several clips in your project tab and you want to export only the first image of each clip ?

[brunesku]

Hello Elodie

Yes, I have about 50 clips in my project and I would like to export just a reference image of each one to do the backgrounds. I tried a workaround of exporting a html storyboard and then collecting all the images in the page folder but they are too small.

[Paul Fierlinger]

I have never done this but I believe if you would delineate the first frames in each clip by setting the Mark in and Out positions in the project window of each clip it should do what you need (WOW! 50 clips in a single project!?)

[brunesku]

Thanks for replying Paul!

I think i understand what you mean: if i set the in and out markers on the first frame in each clip and export the whole project as a an image sequence that would do the job. I'll do that immediately.

Regarding the 50 clips, in them i have just basic animation cleanup drawings, no camera moves or anything, i use tvp just for its drawing and animation functionality. I worked with even more clips in the past at big resolutions and had no problems.

Thanks!

B

[Paul Fierlinger]

That's remarkable and good to hear. Personally, even though my computer could handle such a volume, I doubt my nerves would. It sounds like a management headache, but also I'd be worried about the safety issues involved. I hope you have the project well backed up at all times.

[brunesku]

Yeah, but tvp is a remarcable program as we all know:)

Backup is my religion Paul, don't worry.

And having it all in one file actually helps me manage and see the progress without having to go to editing software. I am curious though, why you would think this method could pose management problems? I'm still relatively new to the program.

[Paul Fierlinger]

I have found that about a dozen clips at a time is the most comfortable amount for me to maintain a clear perspective over what I have on my plate to digest. This is because I like working on several clips at the same time, jumping between them back and forth. This helps me stay on model and work on the pacing of clips relative to the storyline and soundtrack. This means I am constantly trimming my clips, because if I take a few frames off the end of one clip, I have to add those on to the head of another clip, and that doesn't necessarily mean the following one.

There are other reasons why I like to work on a handful of clips at the same time instead of always completing number one before moving on to number two. I might change my POV of objects in the background as often as I trim the lengths of clips. In that case I need to have in sight other backgrounds (BTW, we never paint our backgrounds until the animation has been completed).

I might decide that one or two of the clips would be better to convert to a larger format, which means keeping placeholders for these in the first project while I create one or two new projects. To have to do all this between 50 clips would be for me utterly impractical, so why would I want to hold on to all of them without ever working on them? Why, you can't possibly see all 50 clips at a glance without using the slider, correct? Out of sight, out of mind; they might as well sit in waiting in another project.

EDIT: I must add to the above that probably the most dangerous part of having too many clips in a single project is that one can often create a mistake without knowing about it. You can inadvertently do something in any of the clips without realizing what you have done at the time it happens, even deleting a clip without realizing it. Then, by the time you get around to working on that clip you most likely won't have a backup version that was made prior to the mistake.

[brunesku]

I see your points. Very interesting. Thank you!

What i sense in the method you explain is a very organic way of working and i agree with this very much. Animation is a laborious and technical process that has the tendency to lead into all sorts of concerns which can get distracting and i find it can also be be aesthetically very dangerous.

With my "all clips in one" approach i can play the film as the animation is progressing (i play it either with a metronome rhythm track or the soundtrack), watching it over and over. Without having to go over to vegas and assemble everything there just to see if it works, go back to tvp to adjust things then back to vegas etc. In vegas i'm to tempted to start editing things and would like to keep this as the final stage.

I have all my drawings up on the wall and the film is structured in the storyboard process so i don't really feel confused with not being able to see all the clips at once. And also, i merge the clips by which chapter they belong to and colour code them.

Since i have been animating professionally for more than ten years i understand this method could be very risky on a longer film, and in any kind of professional project even for a ten minute film it is risky i guess. But it helps me to feel the whole film. And to separate the process of animation, background, compositing and editing leaving each of these tasks a certain amount of play.

Obviously, i'm working on my own film and it is a bit experimental.

Thank you for writing about your process Paul, i have been enjoying your work for a long time now.

B


EDIT: It makes sense what you say about making mistakes without knowing it because of a large number of clips, but i'm replaying the film constantly, i removed all the shortcuts from project operations and i'm making three backups on three different disks after each session . Also, i'm not doing much in the project view window, the clip structure is kind of set in stone allready.

[Paul Fierlinger]

If it's your own film you are working on, can you show us some of it?

[brunesku]

Well i do have a producer who is funded by the state so posting the film before they try to place it in festivals(good luck with that) is not allowed. I can, once it's finnished give the vimeo passwords to anyone interested.

But a fair warning: it will not be for everybody, pretty dark and grotesque. I don't imagine you would like it Paul. It is a dark film that is smuggling a very grotesque and underground sensibility into the system of state funded films.

I include some images from the storyboard, more or less how the shots are going to look like.Please tell me if this is inappropriate for this forum and i will remove them..

Spoiler : :

EDIT (Fabrice) : I put the images within the "Spoiler" option, so anyone can choose to display or not to display them.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Well, it is not my business to tell you how appropriate or not this is for a forum post. I just have to wonder how fair it is to do this to a State funder, since you indicate you are flying under the radar. But that's a discussion that becomes thread drift so I'll leave it alone. Lots of work if everything moves, though I can imagine that cycles would come often into play.

[brunesku]

Yes, lots of cycles and things moving to a fixed beat, lots of multiplications and mechanical movements. Like in the old cartoons.

I was only joking with the smuggling bit, off course. Involved parties saw all the preparation work and approved it, otherwise there would be no funding.

You're right, this conversation drifted.

Thanks a lot for your help, your solution has even provided me an option of choosing the most suitable frame within a clip to export.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Glad to help and nice talking with you.