Hi, I’m a complete newbie to 2D animation. This may seem like an obvious question, but I can’t find the answer in any of the FAQs or tutorials. I want to import my own handmade drawings into Pencil2D to use as an animation. I’ve drawn the first and last keyframes, and all the drawings in between, so I just want to create a sequence importing all my drawings from the first keyframe to the last keyframe, and all the inbetween frames. Any advice much appreciated.
@mitlob Hi and welcome to the forum. Don’t worry, no one should be experienced on the app while using it for the first time.
Anything related to “import” you can find inside the app under the File > Import command on the top bar menu.
To import a sequence of images there are two distinct ways.
File > Import > Image Sequence will allow you to bring all the images you select and place them on the timeline.
Starting from the current frame the importer will place one image per frame until it reaches the last selected image. You can tell it how many frames you want to skip before placing the next by changing the “Import an image every # frame” option
Regardless of how the images are selected, these will be organized by their file names prioritizing alphanumerical labels. It’s a common convention to ensure the files use a numerical suffix (usually drawing or frame numbers) in the filename to have them properly organized, but you can also use letters if you want.
e.g image_001.png, image_002.png, image_003.png and so on.
or
e.g imageA.png, imageB.png, imageC.png and so on.
On the other hand
File > Import > Image Predefined will only allow you to import images that have a numerical suffix on their file name, however these do not need to be sequential.
The reason being that this importer can actually place a specific drawing in a specific frame on the timeline. The number on the filename will be used to indicate Pencil2D which frame the drawing will go to.
For example:
Let’s say you have 6 drawings.
drawing_001.png,drawing_002.png,drawing_003.pngfor the startdrawing_008.png,drawing_009.pnganddrawing_010.pngfor the end of the action
By using the image predefined set option Pencil2D will conveniently import and place them like this:
- drawing_001 on frame 1
- drawing_002 on frame 2
- drawing_003 on frame 3
- drawing_008 on frame 8
- drawing_009 on frame 9
- drawing_010 on frame 10
This is thought for people that specifically draw in other software or use Pencil & Paper and pre-plan their timing using exposure sheets (x-sheets) separately.
Let me know if you have any other question!
Thanks very much Jose, that’s exactly what I needed to know. Cheers
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