1、Using Dragon Stop Motion 2.0For MaciiiUsing Dragon Stop MotionivWelcomeDragon is a stop-motion solution created by professional animatorsfor professional animators. Its designed to complement how the pros animate. We hope this manual helps you get up to speed with Dragon quickly.The chapters in this
2、 guide give you the information you need to know to get proficient with Dragon:“Big Picture” on page 1 helps you get started with Dragon.“User Interface” on page 15 gives a tour of Dragons features.“Camera Connections” on page 41 helps you connect cameras to Dragon.“Cinematography Tools” on page 55
3、and “Animation Tools” on page 79 give details on Dragons main tools.“Time-lapse” on page 99 explains how to use Dragon for time-lapse.“Managing Your Projects and Files” on page 101 shows how to use Dragon to organize and manage your project.“Adding and Editing Audio Clips” on page 113 and “Reading D
4、ialogue Tracks” on page 119 explain how to add audio clips and cues to your project. “Using the X-Sheet” on page 125 explains our virtual exposure sheet.“Motion Control and Automation” on page 129 helps you integrate motion control, scripts, and hand-cranked camera moves with Dragon. “Preferences” o
5、n page 139 explains all of Dragons preferences and set-tings.“Troubleshooting” on page 151 helps you solve difficulties some users run into.vUsing Dragon Stop MotionviNew Features for this VersionWere pleased to introduce the following improvements: Remote KeypadThe Dragon keypad is a high-quality U
6、SB keypad for controlling the most important Dragon functions. It features pad-printed icons and a ten-foot-long USB cable.See also:“Remote Keypad Overview” on page 27.“Keypad Controls” on page 79.Nav-Line With our new Nav-Line in the Animation window, you can quickly navi-gate your animation sequen
7、ce, as well as select frames for playback, cut, copy, paste and delete.See also:“Frame Editing from the Nav-Line” on page 95.“Memory Management” on page 86.High-Res PlaybackPlay back either your video assist frames or proxies of your full-resolu-tion captures in the Animation window.See also:“High-R
8、es Key” on page 81.Frame EditingYou asked and we listened. Dragon now includes full-featured frame editing through the X-Sheet and our new Nav-Line.See also:“Frame Editing” on page 94.Automatic Capture for Multiple ExposuresAutomate multiple exposures so you only have to press SHOOT once. This also
9、lets you work with multiple exposures for Dragons time-lapse, HDR and shoot multiple features.viiUsing Dragon Stop MotionSee also:“Manual vs. Automatic Exposure Captures from the Cinematography Window” on page 69.“Time-lapse” on page 99.“Shoot Multiple” on page 85.HDV and HDMI HDV support with Mac O
10、S X 10.5 and Final Cut Pro, or Mac OS X 10.6. HDMI support with an HDMI conversion card from Blackmagic Design:http:/www.blackmagic- also:“Camera Options” on page 42.“Connecting HD Video Cameras with HDMI” on page 45.“Connecting HD Video Cameras with HDV” on page 45.Folder Watching With folder watch
11、ing mode, you can use Dragon with many unsup-ported DSLRs, such as Sony and Minolta.See also:“Connecting an Unsupported Camera to Dragon” on page 46.New Test Shot FeaturesNow you can drag and drop thumbnail images from your main scene into the test shot tray. Test shots can be rotated, flipped and e
12、ven opened in Photoshop, or the application of your choice.See also:“Working with Test Shots” on page 57.64-bit ProcessingDragon runs in 64-bit mode on 64-bit Intel Macs, unleashing improved overall performance, and making better use of large amounts of RAM.Motion Control IntegrationNow you have mul
13、tiple options for integrating with motion control sys-tems. Dragon can send and receive electrical triggers via Arduino. Or, you can control Dragon directly from a Kuper motion control system for viiiadvanced special-effects shots:http:/www.arduino.cc/http:/www.general- also:“Motion Control” on page
14、 129.ixUsing Dragon Stop MotionxTable of ContentsWelcome vNew Features for this Version . viiMaps. xvChapter 1: Big Picture . 1How Dragon Works. 1Powerful Tools. 2Quick User Interface Overview . 4Activating Your Software 5Quick Set-Up Guide for Supported Video and Still Cameras. 8Passes, Takes and E
15、xposures Explained. 9RAW File Workflow 12HDR (High Dynamic Range) Workflow . 13Chapter 2: User Interface. 15Animation Window Overview. 15Cinematography Window Overview . 23X-Sheet Overview 25Remote Keypad Overview . 27Keypad Window Overview 29Menu Overview . 31Chapter 3: Camera Connections. 41Camera
16、 Options. 42Connecting DSLRs or DSCs with Live View . 43Connecting DSLRs or DSCs without Live View 44Connecting Digital Video Cameras . 45Connecting HD Video Cameras with HDMI. 45Connecting HD Video Cameras with HDV . 45Connecting an Unsupported Camera to Dragon 46Shooting Without a Video Assist 51S
17、witching Video or Capture Sources. 52Chapter 4: Cinematography Tools. 55Composition Guides 55Image Controls 57Multiple Passes and Exposures. 67Tricks of the Trade 77Chapter 5: Animation Tools 79Keypad Controls 79Playback Options 82Using Onionskin. 86Using Roto Layers . 91Frame Editing 94Chapter 6: T
18、ime-lapse. 99xiUsing Dragon Stop MotionChapter 7: Managing Your Projects and Files 101Creating a New Scene 101Opening a Previously-Shot Scene . 103Duplicating Your Scene. 104Creating a New Take . 104Switching Takes. 105Managing Takes 105Importing Scene Settings 105Creating a QuickTime Movie of Your
19、Take. 106Export Options 108Finding Your Source Files. 109Chapter 8: Adding and Editing Audio Clips . 113Loading Audio Files . 115Moving Through an Audio Clip . 115Playing Back the Audio Clip 116Editing the Audio Clip. 116Selecting the Audio Clip . 117Splitting a Clip into Sections 117Offsetting the
20、Audio Clip from the Beginning of the Scene . 118Deleting Some or All of the Audio Clip. 118Chapter 9: Reading Dialogue Tracks. 119Adding Dialogue Cues and Viewing Them While Animating. 120Adding Additional Dialogue Tracks 122Chapter 10: Using the X-Sheet 125Adding Production Information to the X-She
21、et. 125Setting Scene Length and Starting Frame 125Leaving Reminder Notes in the X-Sheet 126Printing the X-Sheet 127Chapter 11: Motion Control and Automation 129Motion Control 129Creating Action Scripts . 134Adding Hand-Cranked Camera Moves. 135Chapter 12: Preferences. 139Configuring Preferences 139C
22、onfiguring Scene Settings . 148Chapter 13: Troubleshooting . 151Im having trouble connecting my camera 151Im having trouble connecting my unsupported camera to Dragon 153Dragon keeps connecting to my laptops iSight camera, but I dont want it to . 155My remote keypad isnt working. 156Why did I get a
23、warning message? 156How do I optimize my camera to work with Dragon? 160The Live View on my DSC is too dark to help me animate 160When I double-clicked my project file, nothing happened 161Why doesnt the audio play when I play back my movie? 161A tool palette over my video assist wont go away. How d
24、o I get rid of it? 162xiiMapsAnimation Window Map .16Animation Tools Map .20Animation Nav-Line Map . 22Cinematography Window Map 24X-Sheet Map . 26Remote Keypad Map 28File Hierarchy Map, long . 111File Hierarchy Map, short . 112Audio Window Map . 114xvUsing Dragon Stop MotionxviChapter 1: Big Pictur
25、eThis chapter will help you get started using Dragon. It includes an over-view of how Dragon works, gets you acquainted with its main windows, and helps you quickly connect cameras to your computer. Finally, it explains some important Dragon concepts, like the takes and exposures that enable you to
26、do more complex effects, along with how to use Dragon to work with RAW and HDR files.This chapter includes the following sections:“How Dragon Works” on page 1.“Powerful Tools” on page 2.“Quick User Interface Overview” on page 4.“Activating Your Software” on page 5.“Quick Set-Up Guide for Supported V
27、ideo and Still Cameras” on page 8.“Passes, Takes and Exposures Explained” on page 9.“RAW File Workflow” on page 12.“HDR (High Dynamic Range) Workflow” on page 13.How Dragon WorksWhen shooting animation, Dragon Stop Motion will create two separate image sequences in tandem. The first is a series of l
28、ow-res frames derived from a live video source for use in refining animation. The sec-ond is from a high-quality capture source, such as RAW files from a DSLR, for finished frames. These image sequences are kept in perfect tandem during shooting and editing within Dragon.This process takes particula
29、r advantage of the new DSLR Live View capabilities. Dragon switches the DSLR from a video assist mode to a full-fledged high-quality capture mode every time you shoot a frame.Basic Overview of DSLR Shooting1. The animator compares the live video with stored video assist frames taken from the video s
30、ource. Because the video assist is live, they can make changes and test them immediately.2. When the animator is ready to capture the new frame, they press SHOOT.1Using Dragon Stop Motion3. Dragon grabs a video assist frame from the video source and stores it on disk and in RAM, ready for playback.
31、4. Immediately after capturing the video assist frame, Dragon switches the camera into full-quality mode and captures a high resolution still. Dragon also immediately downloads this high-quality image to disk.Dragon names and numbers both the feed frames and high-quality cap-tures with the scene and
32、 take info for your shot. Find your feed frames within your Scene folderin the folder called PROJECT NAME_TAKE NAME_FEED. Find your high-quality capture frames within your Scene folderin the green frame folder.Other Configurations: There are other configurations for shooting with Dragon, such as: Sh
33、ooting DV or HD video only. Using a DSLR with a separate video feed. (DSLR with no Live View). Using a film camera with a separate video feed source. Shooting with a DSLR and foregoing the live video.By leveraging the instant feedback of live video assist and the beautiful image quality from digital
34、 still capture, Dragon can help you move quickly while producing feature-film-quality results.See also:“Camera Connections” on page 41.“Finding Your Source Files” on page 109.Powerful ToolsDragon brings together a powerful set of stop motion tools into one pro-duction-savvy application.Animation Too
35、lUsing a live video source, Dragon shows the animator a preview of the frame they are preparing to shoot and the frames relationship with pre-viously captured frames. The animator can compare this frame to the 2Powerful Toolslast frames by stepping one frame at a time, using full-speed playback or u
36、sing the onionskin feature. High-Quality Image Capture ToolWhether you are shooting with HD video or a digital still camera, Dragon carefully captures the highest-quality images possible. These high-quality frames can come from a different source than the video assist. Dragon stores the high-quality
37、 frames on disk as soon as you shoot them.When storing images from your camera, Dragon does not reprocess them. Dragon delivers RAW files and other formats straight from your DSLR to a folder without ever hiding them from you.If you are shooting HD or SD video as your final capture, your images can
38、be made from a series of averaged video frames. This process reduces noise and video artifacts.Cinematography ToolOur Cinematography window is your starting point for adjusting your cameras settings and comparing test shots. You can set up masking and TV-safe guides simultaneously. Dragon gives you
39、histograms and a dig-ital densitometer to evaluate image quality and consistency between scenes and takes.Production ToolDragon Stop Motion is a production-savvy system with features that help you manage your production. Dragon uses the same naming hierarchy used on live-actions sets around the worl
40、d. Each Dragon project folder is easily to navigateeven during shoot-ing. Our frame sequences are a snap to load into compositing software. Multiple passes and extra exposures are organized simply for stereo (3D) shooting, clean passes and other post effects. Every frame shot with Dragon is easily s
41、earchable by scene, take and exposure name. Our QuickTime export produces QuickTime movies in all of the standard video formats. 3Using Dragon Stop MotionSee also:“Animation Window Overview” on page 15.“Cinematography Window Overview” on page 23.“Creating a QuickTime Movie of Your Take” on page 106.
42、“Export Options” on page 108.“Passes, Takes and Exposures Explained” on page 9.“Finding Your Source Files” on page 109.Quick User Interface OverviewThe core of Dragons user interface revolves around the two key artistic practices involved in shooting stop motion: animation and cinematog-raphy. From
43、there our platform branches out into audio and dialogue editing, our powerful X-Sheet, and the Motion Control Integration win-dow.A. Animation window. B. Cinematography window. C. Audio/Dialogue window. D. Keypad. E. X-Sheet. F. Motion Control.See also:“Animation Window Overview” on page 15.ADFBEC4A
44、ctivating Your Software“Cinematography Window Overview” on page 23.“X-Sheet Overview” on page 25.“Remote Keypad Overview” on page 27.“Audio Window Map” on page 114.“Motion Control and Automation” on page 129.Activating Your SoftwareOnce you download a copy of Dragon, youll need to activate the copy
45、to use it.Activating a License for the First TimeWhen you start up the program for the first time, a dialog box appears asking for a serial number and activation code. To activate your soft-ware:1. Enter a serial number: If you want to use Dragon on a trail basis, enter a trial serial number. To get
46、 the number, enter your e-mail address in our Download page:http:/ Youll receive a trial serial number via e-mail. 5Using Dragon Stop Motion If youve purchased a copy, enter your full serial number from the invoice you received via e-mail:D-Zed Software Invoice with serial number marked2. Enter a na
47、me you want associated with the license in the REGIS-TERED TO field. It must be at least three characters.Upgrading to a Full License from a Trial LicenseIf you have been using a trial serial number and have now bought the program, enter a full serial numbers. 6Activating Your Software1. Find the se
48、rial number in the e-mail invoice you received from D-Zed Software.D-Zed Software Invoice with serial number marked2. Start Dragon. If your trial license is expired, Dragon will open the license dialog. 3. If the license dialog does not appear, click HELP|ACTIVATE LICENSE. 4. In either dialog, enter
49、 your full serial number. 7Using Dragon Stop Motion5. Enter a name you want associated with the license in the REGIS-TERED TO field. It must be at least three characters. 6. Click ACTIVATE. Dragon activates your license.Transferring a LicenseTo transfer your license to another machine:1. Click HELP|DEACTIVATE LICENSE. to deactivate it on your current machine.2. Open Dragon on your other machine.3. Select HELP|ENTER LICENSE. Dragon opens the license dialog.
