# Trying to do cartoon animation

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-do-cartoon-animation/183730>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [March 29, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-do-cartoon-animation/183730 "2006-03-29T16:08:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Abvex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@Abvex](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Abvex)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-do-cartoon-animation/183730/1 "2006-03-29T16:08:37Z")

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Hi, it’s me again. 🙂

Is there any software that is capable of rotoscoping? I am sure there is but I need some titles.

I am looking for one where you can paint and draw over the video frame (on a separate layer).

For instance I paint one frame, then I skip a couple of frames and paint another frame, then the program use motion tracking and generates the differences for the in-between frames. similar to motion tween on flash. But using the original video footage as the reference and generating it as an illustration which I drew for the two frames. This technique was used in the movie A Scanner Darkly.

I THINK this is the right place for this thread. [SIZE=“1”][/SIZE] :q:

PS: I tried Adobe AfterEffects and it wasn’t what I was looking for. :puzzle:

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**Author:** ![jokun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/97f17d/32.png) [@jokun](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/jokun)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-do-cartoon-animation/183730/2 "2006-03-29T20:18:46Z")

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Googled “rotoscoping software” and came up with these links. Note, the first two are links to articles _about_ the software, rather than links to where you can get the software.

> **[Silhouette releases rotoscoping software](https://www.macworld.com/article/1043009/roto.html)**
>
> Silhouette FX LLC has announced the release of Silhouette Roto, a rotoscoping plug-in for Adobe After Effects for the Mac and Windows, as well as for Final Cut Pro. The company also plans to release a standalone version that will run on Mac OS X,...

[http://www.creativemac.com/2001/02\_feb/reviews/studioartist15/studioartist15-page1.htm](http://www.creativemac.com/2001/02_feb/reviews/studioartist15/studioartist15-page1.htm)

[http://www.hammerhead.com/software.html](http://www.hammerhead.com/software.html)

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**Author:** ![iLikePie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85f322/32.png) [@iLikePie](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/iLikePie)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-do-cartoon-animation/183730/3 "2006-03-29T23:20:17Z")

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i don’t know about software that does it for you, but i’m guessing you’ve tried doing it in flash? If you have the patience, you can actually get good results. I did a cartoon and used a form of rotoscoping, but it worked partially because my style wasn’t trying to be realistic or polished. Under those circumstances, it’d be unworkable but for simpler stuff, you CAN just do it in flash.

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**Author:** ![anon1712571](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@anon1712571](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/anon1712571)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 7:51am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-do-cartoon-animation/183730/4 "2006-03-30T07:51:28Z")

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U talking 2d? 🙂

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**Author:** ![unclesond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@unclesond](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/unclesond)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 12:02pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-do-cartoon-animation/183730/5 "2006-03-30T12:02:26Z")

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Quicktime Pro. - Rip image sequence.

Open Illustrator. Live trace every jpg in the sequence. Monotonous, but quicker than drawing.

Open Flash/Premiere whatever. Add you vectorised rotoscope to each frame :D.

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**Author:** ![iLikePie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85f322/32.png) [@iLikePie](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/iLikePie)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-do-cartoon-animation/183730/6 "2006-03-31T02:28:18Z")

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be aware though that livetrace/trace bitmap is very distinct and noticeable. for me, whenever i’ve seen people using these for vector art especailly, they lose marks from me automatically because i just don’t think it ever looks as good.

sure is a WHOLE lot quicker though 🙂

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**Author:** ![anon1712571](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@anon1712571](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/anon1712571)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 7:22am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-do-cartoon-animation/183730/7 "2006-03-31T07:22:40Z")

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I’m quite sure u CAN do it in AE- i’ll find u a tute

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**Author:** ![Abvex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@Abvex](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Abvex)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/trying-to-do-cartoon-animation/183730/8 "2006-04-01T21:30:00Z")

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Sorry, been busy so I didn’t get to post here often.

Well, I see quite a lot of posts here. 🙂 Thanks!

I did toy with the idea of using Illustrator but the results aren’t very good, frankly it looks like crap, no “human touch”. I am willing to work at it even if this project takes me months, but just trying to avoid drawing each and every single frame.

If there is 30 frames per second then I won’t mind drawing 3 frames per second and let the software interpolate the in between frames.

And about flash, yes, I wanted to try it but I can’t seem to batch process and convert every raster frame to vector, unfortunately. Unless someone here wants to enlighten me?

@ darkmotion - If you do find a tutorial please let me know. 🙂

@ jokun - thanks for those links, I’ll try them out. [U]  
[/U]
