Scanner for Animation Drawings

[@ExpatAnimator]

I wish I had this scanner 20 years ago when I was using a flatbed scanner for my 2D animations!

[@JeromeProductions]

Wow that’s awesome

[@numbnate6287]

Hi David, I'm curious on how general ADF scanners handle wrinkled paper due to constant flipping? I'm thinking of getting the Epson WF-7710 (or something of similar price) and hoping that the scanner jamming won't be a constant issue when scanning in rough animation.

[@david_t_nethery_animator]

I've used an Epson WF adf scanner. They work fine , but all of these type of scanners will jam now and then , in my experience. Try to make sure the paper isn't too wrinkled and be sure it is placed into the ADF tray as neatly as possible (edges squared up). Don't overload the ADF tray , scan a large scene in smaller sections of 20 - 25 drawings at a time, then reload the ADF tray with the next section. I wouldn't put a stack of drawings in the ADF and just walk away . Keep a close watch on it and if it jams try to turn it off immediately. If it really crunches up a drawing badly I have used an iron (on very low heat setting) to iron the drawing flat again (iron it on the back side). I never had to do that much. I guess for rough animation I would tend to use a downshooter (copystand) with a HD webcam to capture the drawings one frame at a time . Then use the scanner for the clean-ups (although clean up drawings can also tend to get bent and wrinkled on one side from excess flipping/rolling.

[@counterstrike89]

Can you do a more in depth tutorial on the differences, does the camera feed in the drawings directly from the downshooter to TVpaint?

[@david_t_nethery_animator]

So, as a rule , the image quality you will get by video capture from a downshooter is not as good as image quality from a scanner. Video capture from a downshooter is used only for line testing , but usually the quality is not high enough for final images that will be colored and composited with backgrounds. And Scanning is much FASTER than shooting drawings one at a time on a downshooter (as the video above demonstrates). However, for line testing (pencil testing) capturing drawings directly from a downshooter (using an HD webcam or a DSLR) is possible in TVPaint using the Video Input function in TVPaint. *NOTE: currently TVPaint's Video Input only works on Windows , the MacOS version of TVPaint does not have Video Input because of changes that Apple made to MacOS and how it interacts with cameras. TVPaint Development is aware of the problem and they say it is on their "to-do" list to fix the problem, but as of right now , Sept. 16, 2023, the Video Input is disabled in the MacOS version of TVPaint, but it still works on the Windows version. The usual method of video capture is to use an HD webcam as the input device. On Windows there are also some third-party apps that will allow you to capture images directly from the live feed of some models of Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras. Elgato Cam Link 4k. and SparkoCam are two of those third party apps that I've been told will convert the live feed from certain Canon and Nikon DSLR's into a video signal that works with TVPaint Video Input on Windows. I'm also told that Canon's EOS Webcam utility will work. (I have not personally tested these apps with TVPaint because I am on Mac, not Windows).

[@counterstrike89]

@@david_t_nethery_animator That's really interesting, thanks for that, yeah I guess I'll hold off from getting a Mac at the moment, I was going to make the switch. I know most studios now just draw directly digitally on the cintiq or with the Apple pencil, but I wonder if someone skilled at drawing could with the pencil and paper still work as fast as someone digitally, a few top animators in Japan I remember just a few years back were still using pencil and paper, not sure though what they used to test the animation, or what kind of scanners I know they wouldn't want to waist any time, but what you're showing here is really cool.

[@VerdeCreeper]

Does it scan both 12f and 16f papers?

[@Leon-qh9br]

I need a scanner for my hand drawn animation stuff anyone have suggestions and what program to load them in my IMAC

[@DennisTamayo]

Nowadays, animators can scan the rough animation drawings for digital cleanup.