Animation Shop 3 tools: I figured I would put this section up, since I have gotten numbeous e-mails, asking about certain tools, and how to use them... (Note: Your tools may be a different color than the ones shown below, but they will look the same.) |
Tool: Arrow Use: This tool has little use, over-all. All this tool is mainly used for, is to select frames of GIFs. You can also adjust Zoom features with this. Tool: Zoom Use: Used to zoom into sprites, for much easier editting. When you select the tool, just click on the sprite you want to zoom into. Click as many times as necessary. It more, each time you click. Tool: Registration Mark Use: This useful little tool places a crosshair on every frame of your GIF. This crosshair DOES NOT appear in the GIF itself. The crosshair is used to help determine the location of sprite(s) within each frame of GIFs. Tool: Crop Use: This tool allows you to crop down the size of an animation, if you happen to have excess space in it. To use this tool, simply click on the lower-left, or lower-right of any frame in the GIF, hold the click. Now, drag your mouse to the upper-left, or upper-right. You'll notice it puts a box around the sprite. You can click the edges of the box you made, and expand it's radius, or close it in. After you have EVERY sprite inside the box, double-click on any of the frames, and this will crop all of them down in size. Tool: Mover Use: This tool allows you to move the contents of a frame within a GIF. Simple click on the frame you want to move, hold the click, then simple move it wherever you want it to go, then release the click, and you're done. Tool: Dropper Use: This is an extremely useful tool, for sprite editors. When you select this tool, you can click on any color you want, and it will select that color for you to use. Tool: Brush Use: This tool is also useful for sprite editors. This brush at size 1, allows you to edit the pixels in a sprite (Be sure you're zoomed onto the sprite, first.) Tool: Eraser Use: Basically self-explanitory, just by title. This tool (when set to size 1) replaces any pixel with transparency. Tool: Flood Fill Use: Replaces any solid color, with any color you choose. Simple to use. Tool: Text Use: Need I even explain? Psh, I might as well... This tool lets you add text to any frame of any GIF of your choosing. Tool: Line Use: This basically lets you make a line you want on your selected frame, in any direction of your choosing. Tool: Shape Use: Basically the same as the Line tool, except when you click & drag, it forms a square, instead of a line. Simple. Tool: Animation Wizard Use: Click this icon to bring up the Animation Wizard. Just follow along with the prompt that pops up. Simple as that. Tool: Banner Wizard Use: Used the same way as the Animation Wizard. Just follow along with the steps on the prompt that comes up. Tool: Export Frames to Paint Shop Pro Use: Need I explain? This icon exports the selected frames to edit in Paint Shop Pro. Tool: Browse Use: Lets you browse your system for files to open. Tool: New Animation Use: Clicking the icon brings up the prompt that asks you for the size, and background color of a new, blank animation. Tool: Open Animation Use: Lets you open up an animation to work with. Tool: Save Use: Saves your currently-selected animation, when clicked. Tool: Save Frame As Use: Lets you save individual selected frames. Tool: Print Use: Er.. It lets you print... Tool: Undo Use: Undoes your last operation when clicked. You can also find this command as Edit > Undo. Tool: Undo History Use: Brings up a history of undos, which you can re-do, if need-be. Tool: Redo Use: Undo something that you found out you need to redo? This is the tool for you, then... Tool: Redo History Use: Brings up a history list of redos, incase you need to go back and undo something. Tool: Cut Use: Must I explain this one? Argh, fine! If that's how you feel about it... Clicking this icon cuts the selected frame from the animation. Tool: Copy Use: Incompitence! You'd think you would know by now... Clicking this icon copies the selected frame to your clipboard. Tool: Paste as new animation Use: This tool paste the contents of your clipboard as a new animation, in a new window. Tool: Paste before current Use: Pastes your clipboard contents one frame behind the selected frame. Tool: Paste after current Use: Basically the opposite as the last one. This one pastes your clipboard contents one frame ahead of the selected one. Tool: Paste into Selected Frame Use: Pastes your clipboard contents INTO the selected frame. This tool is used for adding things like more sprites, or add-on frames. Tool: Propagate Paste Use: Propagate Paste lets you to drag and drop one or more source frames into target frames all having the same selection state (either the target frames are all selected or all unselected). Tool: Delete frames Use: Clicking this icon deletes the selected frame(s.) Tool: Duplicate Frame Use: Duplicates the selected frame(s.) Be careful not to click this icon too many times, in a row. It multiplies each time you click it, giving you tone of duplicated frames. Tool: Toggle Onionskin Preview Use: The Onionskin Preview lets you to modify each selected frame in the active frameview by superimposing images from one or more adjacent or nearby frames on the frame being modified. Tool: Toggle ToolPalette Use: Toggles the tool bar on and off, when clicked. Tool: Toggle Style Bar Use: Toggles the style features on and off, when clicked. Tool: Toggle ColorPalette Use: Toggles the color palette on and off, when clicked. Tool: View Animation Use: Previews the selected animation, in a new window. Close the preview window when you're done looking at it. Tool: Help Use: Click this icon, then click whatever on the program you want help with it. (You'll notice it puts a ? mark next to your cursor.) |