DRAGON QUICK START GUIDE Table of Contents
Start Up/Log Out Procedure and General Lab Notes
Dragon Quick Start Basics Dragon Controller I. Animation Window Capturing Frames Playback Onion Skin Toggle High-Resolution View Adjusting View/Zoom Settings You May Want to Adjust Before Animating Shooting on Ones or Twos Frame Rate Aspect Ratio Mask Reference Guides Title-Safe/Action-Safe Guides Grid Drawn Paths Line-Up Layers/Rotoscoping Editing in Dragon Copy/Paste/Delete Frames II. Cinematography Window Camera Settings Window Test Shots Focus Check III. Exporting Your Sequence/Creating a Quicktime Technical Assistance/Department Contacts
DRAGON STOP MOTION Start Up Procedure for A115-H, A115-I, and F101 1. Log into your network account. 2. Turn on the Canon DSLR camera. 3. Launch Dragon Stop Motion. 4. Create new project or launch previous project. When creating a new project, please use a logical naming convention (such as your name or initials) OR save your projects to the Artists or Scratch drive in a master folder which is clearly labeled with your full name.
A Note Regarding Dragon's File Structure: Dragon will automatically create a gray Scene folder which contains a Take folder and a Test folder. The Test folder contains all test shots created in the Cinematography window. There will be three separate folders under the Take folder. The Feed folder contains low-res video reference files and Backup contains any frames you may have deleted from the timeline while working in Dragon. The green X1 (Exposure) folder contains your full resolution jpegs and RAW files. Whenever you create a New Take within your project, a new red Take folder will be created. Choosing New Scene from the main Dragon menu will create an entirely new gray Scene folder.
5. Check that the camera has been detected by the software. Dragon should automatically detect the camera. If no camera is detected, check that the camera's power switch is in the ON position and hit Command-R to reset the connection. Note: If you are using Dragon on an iMac, the program may default to the computer's built-in iSight. If this occurs, check that the Canon camera is connected and go to Capture > Video Source and Capture > Capture Source to change the camera selection. You can also switch cameras by typing Command-K or going to Capture > Camera Settings to open the Settings menu.
You are now ready to animate in Dragon.
When leaving the downshooter labs: • Remember to turn off the camera and lights after you quit Dragon.
• Back up your project to your own external hard drive. • Log out of your network account, but DO NOT shut down the computer. • Sign and date the log book and note any problems you encountered during your session. Report any major problems to the Digital Systems Specialist (Emery Martin) as soon as possible. • Throw out your trash and tidy up any mess. If you use messy materials (ink, paint, etc.) on the multi-plane rig in A115-H, please be courteous and clean the glass for the next student user. Avoid Heartbreak!
ALWAYS REMEMBER TO BACK UP YOUR PROJECTS TO AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE Files left on school computers can be deleted without notice by other student users and system administrators if space needs to be cleared on the local drive. A Few Important Notes About Lighting Before You Begin The multi-plane rig in A115-H is equipped with a Kino Mini-Flo and should provide adequate lighting for basic projects. The bulbs presently in use are Tungsten-balanced (approximately 3200K), so set your color temperature accordingly when using these lights. For more complex projects, you may want to check out additional lighting from the Film/Video cage. Micro-Flo kits, Pepper lights, 75W Par lights, and Mole-Richardson Inbetweenies all work well in this space, but be aware of your color temperature when adding new lights and alter your settings in Dragon to accommodate for any lighting changes. When shooting on the DSLR Oxberry rig in F101, please DO NOT reposition the fixed side lights. These lights have been carefully positioned and calibrated by the F/V cage. You can, however, brighten and dim these lights using the connected Variac (dimmer). Please check out additional lights from the F/V cage if you need to alter the lighting in this room. In the event that a bulb needs to be replaced or a lighting component breaks, please contact Linda Wissmath or Nathan Meier in the Film/Video cage.
DRAGON QUICK START BASICS A comprehensive user guide is available online at http://www.dragonstopmotion.com/ downloads/index.php
Dragon Remote Control: Most of the basic functions in the Animation Window can accessed through the keypad controller. See the diagram below.
There is also an on-screen keypad window. Go to Window > Show Keypad to access.
I. Animation Window The Animation Window is your primary workspace in Dragon. You can toggle between this window and the Cinematography window by typing Command-E or clicking the eye icon on the top right corner of the window.
Capturing Frames: Hit the Enter key to capture frames in the Animation window. The frame counter at the bottom of the screen indicates how many frames you have captured to your timeline. The last numbered frame in the timeline is the uncaptured Live View. You can also capture multiple frames in succession. Do this through the Capture menu: Or use the following keystroke commands: Command-2 captures two frames in a row Command-3 captures three Command-4 captures four
Playback in the Animation Window: Press the Play button on the remote keypad or the spacebar to play your timeline. To adjust playback, use the buttons next to the frame counter:
Playback Direction (changes direction of playback from forward to backwards) Add Black Frames (adds black frames to the end of playback) Loop (loops playback) Short Play On/ Off (plays back a short segment of the timeline rather than the entire timeline)
Onion Skin: Onion Skin is a transparent overlay of the last captured frame which sits on top of the Live View image for reference. To adjust the transparency of the onion skin layer while shooting, move the onion skin opacity slider (the red button under the frame count box) to the right or left. Leave the slider in the center if you wish to work without an onion skin layer.
You can also adjust this using the Onion Skin tool in the Animation Palette menu. This menu allows you to control the number of previous frames in the transparency as well. The Animation Palette menu is typically located in the upper left corner of the Animation window, but can be dragged to other positions on the screen.
Toggle: If you would like the view to toggle between the last frame shot and the current Live View image while you are animating, click this button.
You can adjust the speed of the toggle by going to Playback > Toggle and selecting either the fast or slow option. To View High-Resolution Captured Frames in the Animation Window: Dragon will show you low resolution versions of your frames by default. To change this, click the View High-Res button under the timeline.
Please note: This will only show you the full resolution of captured frames during playback. Your Live View will always be low resolution.
Adjusting View/Zoom: You can adjust the size of the Live View image by going to View > Size or clicking the View Size tab located above the frame counter.
Settings You May Want to Adjust Before You Begin Animating: Shooting on Ones or Twos: Dragon gives you the option of shooting on ones or shooting on twos. Go to Scene > Settings > General to change your shooting mode. As the menu notes, you cannot change this setting after you have begun shooting.
Shooting on twos will capture a single image, but Dragon will double its playback length
in the timeline. This is useful in that fewer frames and less hard drive space are required. For those who are not planning to export a Quicktime directly from Dragon (for example, if you are bringing the captured frames into an After Effects sequence), please note that shooting on twos results in odd numbered frames:
Frame Rate: Set your playback speed by going to Playback > FPS and then select your preferred frame rate. You can also set your playback speed by clicking the box to the right of your frame counter and accessing the drop down menu. Playback speed is not locked and can be changed at any point during the animation process. Please note that the speed that is selected when you export your project will be the frame rate of your Quicktime. 23.976 and 29.97 are both accepted frame rates for HD. 29.97 is the frame rate for standard definition files.
Aspect Ratio Mask: You can set an Aspect Ratio Mask from the drop-down menu to the left of the frame counter. Canon cameras do not shoot photos in a standard 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio, so setting the mask before you begin animating will prevent action from being cut off. 16:9 is the standard aspect ratio for HD projects. Use 4:3 for standard definition.
Reference Guides: You can set Title-Safe and Action-Safe Guides by selecting View > Composition Guides.
You can set a custom Grid by selecting View > Grid > Grid Lines.
Drawn Reference Paths:
You can create drawn reference paths in the Animation window using options in the Animation Palette menu. Clicking the pencil icon in the Palette brings up the Draw menu. You can use the tools in this window to draw reference paths over the live feed image. The drawing tools operate as they do in Photoshop and other similar programs.
(Please forgive the crude line work.)
Line-Up Layers/Rotoscoping:
Clicking the double-box icon in the Animation Palette brings up the Line-Up Layer menu. To load a still image as a transparent reference layer, simply click Load Image and select an image from the hard drive. The image will appear as a transparent image on top of your Live View image. You can also load a video reference layer if you want to precisely mimic a certain movement or rotoscope footage. Click Load Movie and select a Quicktime file. The video will appear as a transparent image on top of your Live View. Navigate through the video using the Movie Position controls located at the bottom of the Animation Palette menu.
Editing in Dragon: Frames can be reordered and edited from the timeline located underneath the Animation Live View window. Select the frames you want to change by setting in and out points on the timeline. Press "I" to set the in point and "O" to set the out point, or alternately, you can slide the in and out markers at the end of the time line to the desired frames.
The selected frames can then be cut using the Command-X or copied using Command-C. To paste copied frames into another region of the timeline, slide the playhead to where you want to paste the copied frame. Press Command-V and a dialogue box will appear. Select the option you wish to use and hit OK.
Deleting Frames: To delete multiple frames entirely from a sequence, select them from the timeline using in and out points and then select Edit/Delete. Dragon will automatically move these frames into the project's backup folder. To delete a single frame, you can also slide the playback head to the frame and hit the delete button ("X" key) on the Dragon controller twice in quick succession.
II. Cinematography Window The Cinematography Window is used to control all of the connected camera's functions. You can access the Cinematography window from the Animation window by pressing Command-E or clicking the eye icon in the upper right corner. You can return to the Animation window by pressing Command-E again, or by clicking the Animate icon in the upper right corner.
Camera Settings Window: To set your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, drag the numbers in the top three rows left or right. You can lock your ISO settings by clicking
the ISO Padlock icon. Picture style, file format, and white balance can be set by clicking the corresponding buttons to reveal a drop-down menu. Selecting Color Temperature from the White Balance drop-down menu will prompt a separate Color Temperature menu which you can then use to manually set your Kelvin (K). We recommend doing this rather than using the pre-set options as it will give you greater control over your picture quality.
Test Shot: Click the Test Shot button to take a sample frame and double-check your settings before your begin shooting. This will create a separate timeline below the Cinematography Live View window that will not interfere with the timeline of your project as it appears in the Animation window.
Important note! When working in the Animation window, be advised that the live feed image is NOT full resolution. Taking a Test Shot in the Cinematography window will
provide an accurate view of your lighting and reveal details that are not visible in the live feed (such as reflections and smudges on the glass in the multi-plane rig).
Focus Check: Use the Focus Check feature to determine the sharpness of your image before you begin shooting.
Click the Focus Check button to zoom in to the area enclosed by the small white outlined box in your Live View window. Use the left and right arrow buttons next to the Focus Check button to fine tune your focus. Click Focus Check again to return to the full Live View screen.
If the live feed times out while you are working in the Cinematography window, click the "L" button underneath the Live View window to reactivate. You can also reactivate Live View by hitting the "3" key.
III. Exporting Your Sequence/Creating a Quicktime If you wish to create a Quicktime file directly from Dragon, go to File > Export to Quicktime (or press Command-T) and a dialogue box will appear. You will have the option of creating a low-res or hi-res Quicktime file. Adjust your file settings as needed and click the Export button.
This will then prompt the Quicktime Movie Settings dialogue box. From there, you can go to Video > Settings button and chose your codec. For HD projects, you will want to use the standard Apple ProRes422 (HQ) codec. For test footage or other projects that don't require full resolution, H.264 is recommended. To avoid problems with postproduction later, make sure your frame rate in the Dragon timeline matches the frame rates in the Quicktime export windows! 23.976 and 29.97 are both accepted frame rates for HD. 29.97 is the frame rate for standard definition files.
Department Contacts and Technical Assistance Contact the Digital Systems Specialist or the Experimental Animation Technical TA if you experience problems with Dragon or related equipment. Digital Systems Specialist Emery Martin emartin@calarts.edu Experimental Animation Technical TA Matt Broach matthew.broach@alum.calarts.edu If you need assistance learning Dragon or navigating some of its more advanced features , make an appointment with Matt Broach. If Matt is unavailable, feel free to contact me: Butler Building Stop-Motion Studio TA Gina Napolitan gina.napolitan@gmail.com
Quick Start Guide written by Gina Napolitan June 2011