Toon Boom Harnesses the Power of 25: Unleashing Storyboard Pro 25 and Harmony 25
Summary:
– Toon Boom Animation just dropped the latest versions of their game-changers – Storyboard Pro 25 and Harmony 25.
– These upgrades add value to every phase of animation production – sketching, animatics, ink and paint, rigged and keyframe animation, and more.
– Storyboard Pro 25 now makes artist’s life easier and orderly by giving the power to sequence structure in their hands.
– These latest versions will now play nicely with a broader range of Computer Graphics pipelines.
Closing Remarks:
The Chronicles of Animation: The Boom of Toon
Stepping into the future of animations, Toon Boom has once again knocked it out of the park by releasing the terrific 25th versions of Storyboard Pro and Harmony. If you ask me, the term ‘upgrade’ doesn’t quite capture the quantum leap that these versions represent – it’s more of an evolution.
From turning a thumbnail into a movie trailer to making sure animations keep up with the Kardashians of ink and paint, these releases are beyond impressive. And what’s up with the ‘interoperability with a wider range of CG pipelines?’ It’s like Toon Boom just declared its platform a grand, all-welcoming party, leaving no CG pipeline behind. A chisel to one artist, a chainsaw to another, Storyboard Pro 25 stands as a versatile tool in the chaotic yet beautiful world of story structuring, making it a bit easier to navigate.
All in all, it seems like the 25th versions of Storyboard Pro and Harmony are on a mission to make every artist’s life a bit more magical. What’s the only thing you should do differently tomorrow, if you’re in 3D Animation? Reach out to Toon Boom, and tell them that their ’25’ is the gateway to your animation nirvana!
Announcing Storyboard Pro 25 and Harmony 25 from Toon Boom Animation! Discover innovative new tools that enhance every aspect of the animation process; from thumbnail sketches to completed animations, and seamless integration with a variety of CG pipelines.
Leverage the versatility of Storyboard Pro to craft sequences, enhance visual narratives, and independently pitch your boards. Animation studios globally depend on Harmony for projects demanding traditional digital and 2D rigged animation techniques.
Francisco del Cueto, Co-President and Chief Technology Officer at Toon Boom Animation, enthusiastically claimed, “This is our boldest release in a single year; not only did we debut new features, but we greatly enhanced the speed and project file performance of both Storyboard Pro and Harmony.”
Artists from Doodles and Golden Wolf collaborated with Toon Boom Animation for the release, using assets from innovative short film Dullsville and the Doodleverse, created using Storyboard Pro and Harmony.
Storyboard Pro 25’s new standout features, like the Quick Thumbnailing Workflow and Non-Destructive Layer Effects, transform the storyboarding process. Harmony 25 debuts a Breakdown Pose Assistant, support for Photoshop brushes, and an advanced Pencil Retouch tool to enhance digital artwork workflows.
Toon Boom Ember, an opt-in AI that streamlines professional workflows, has moved past beta testing and is now an add-on for Storyboard Pro 25 and Harmony 25 users, making your creative process more seamless.
Storyboard Pro 25 and Harmony 25 have been optimized to greatly reduce scene load times and make file transfers faster with compact project files. These improvements result from optimized structure and compression of complex project files, making collaboration simpler and more efficient.
Colin Bohm, Chief Executive Officer at Toon Boom Animation, added, “Our developers led the charge in digital ink and paint since 1994. As we’ve expanded our work scope across the production pipeline, we always seek opportunities to aid studios and artists with emerging technologies. Our decisions are always guided by appreciation for the art and ongoing dialogue with the animation community.”
Discover the New Features in Storyboard Pro 25
- Compact Project Files: Shorten scene load times and decrease file transfers with Storyboard Pro 25’s smaller project files
- Use Photoshop Brushes: Illustrate your storyboards using the same brushes used in your visual development
- Pencil Line Retouch Tool: Modify the opacity and thickness of pencil lines using the Pencil Line Retouch Tool
- Rapid Thumbnailing Workflow: Thumbnail in a brand-new interface or print a grid for thumbnailing on paper and scan back into Storyboard Pro
- Enhanced Effect Views: Easily fine-tune a wide range of layer transformations and effects
- Non-Destructive Layer Effects: Apply cinematic effects while retaining the flexibility to redraw elements
- Enable or Disable Layers with Click and Drag: Quickly toggle multiple layers by dragging the cursor from the eye icon
Dive into the New Features in Harmony 25
- Compact Project Files: Cut down on scene load times and file transfers with smaller project files in Harmony 25
- Compatibility with Universal Scene Description: Transfer scenes along a CGI production pipeline with Universal Scene Description (USD) — an open standard
- Use Photoshop Brushes: Harmony Advanced and Premium users can draw with the same Photoshop brushes used in visual development
- Pencil Line Retouch Tool: Harmony Advanced and Premium users can adjust pencil lines’ opacity and thickness with the Pencil Line Retouch Tool
- Breakdown Pose Assistant: Fine-tune rigged character animation and keyframed objects with the Breakdown Pose Assistant in Harmony Premium 25
- Lock Timeline Ruler: Avoid accidental timing adjustments while scrubbing a project with the Lock Timeline Ruler command
Explore New Features in Toon Boom Ember
- Script Breakdown: Automatically identify required scenes, characters, or background assets by analysing a screenplay
- Mask Creation: Quickly isolate elements in artwork by creating masks that can be edited in seconds
- Image Eraser: Seamlessly remove an area and fill in the gap with Toon Boom Ember, creating a separate layer for use in a scene
- Expand Image: Add padding to image borders on a new layer, preserving original assets
- Increase Image Resolution: Upscale the original artwork resolution, up to 8192 by 8192 pixels
- Rough Track Creation: Analyzes a screenplay to identify characters, directions, and dialogue, insert blank panels with scratch audio tracks on the timeline
Original article: https://www.skwigly.co.uk/toon-boom-debuts-storyboard-pro-25-and-harmony-25-at-annecy/