How to sync ANIMATION to MUSIC! | Stop-motion using dopesheets aka exposure sheets.

These are the techniques* I use to animate in sync with music or character dialog.
I do stop-motion animation this way, but you can do traditional 2D cel animation, 3D character animation or any animation medium in which timing is required.
LINKS:
Kinetic Armatures (Winders and more):
kineticarmatur...
Knights of the Slice:
www.knightsoft...
Onell Design:
onelldesign.com/
* These techniques are not industry-standard necessarily - every studio will do their own thing - so it's best to abide by their rules if you're not an independent animator.
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[@TheCrafsMan]

Steady Craftin videos are made with the help of DIRECT SUPPORT: www.patreon.com/steadycraftin (You'll also get access to the printable 3D scans of my original sculpted figures, MP3s, exclusive behind-the-scenes videos, shop discounts, and more.) My family and I are so grateful that I get to do this.

[@FirePower-zd3mr]

the amount of effort that this guy puts to his viedos is amazing and he should be more recognized for his job

[@OmegaOrdained]

Yes absolutely! 😎 👍

[@MarcosElMalo2]

I am recognizing him believe me.

[@Kickthelighter]

That's what patreon is for, he most definitely deserves it!

[@mguarin912]

Gold. My absolute favorite. So thankful he exists

[@DavidGuyton]

CrafsMan! Now we need a new character called Boom Kat!

[@TheCrafsMan]

😮 I LIKE THAT! :D

[@AdityaMehendale]

Kat Boom Tss.

[@celiaelisehernandez7060]

awww, a little drum kit character! Or maybe a cat drummer? 🤔 🥁🐱

[@mewhe]

Boom T. Cat

[@peterdibble]

Speaking as someone with an animation degree (but never went into character animation professionally), your work is absolute proof that all you need to get into this art form is passion, patience and a good worth ethic. Inspirational as always, Crafsman!

[@grumpypyro]

I’ve been curiously following this guy for years, I feel like these two videos, more than any other he has done, revealed what his day job is/was.

[@AFoxinSpace]

This is simply amazing! Thank you for this rundown and all the effort put into your Patreon.

[@coleslaw813]

Didn't expect you here

[@nairocamilo]

I think you deserve to know this: this video really opened up my eyes about how I should go to planning my first animation studies. I always get so anxious before doing anything, and I end up planning forever without any sign of finishing it. Now with this lesson, I can focus a little better next time. Thank you, Crafsman!

[@CeeJayThe13th]

You could be like me and just absolutely unable to plan. I have to just have a rough idea and then just jump into something headfirst.

[@netcore10]

One recommendation i can add is using BPM (beats per minute) as a structure for dance references too. Sometimes dances can look like they match the beat, but feel slightly off. If your song is 150 BPM, you should look at people dancing to songs with the same BPM.

[@vaxjoaberg]

I'll never do it myself but I have long wondered what the process was that animators used to sync dialog to their characters' mouths. And now I know!

[@doublezero7850]

What a nice evening this is turning out to be. Finished up a mold for a little prop I'm making, the smell of shrimp scampi filling the house, and a new Steady Craftin video! :D

[@clintonleonard5187]

Life is great.

[@JMadLabs]

I’m still blown away by this animation. It’s so well done and so distinctly Crafsman 😄

[@3dpprofessor]

One advantage to 24 FPS (or 12 FPS if you're shooting on twos) over 30 (or 15 on twos) is that 24 (and 12) divides into half and thirds and quarters very well. So if you know your next beat is 1 second away, you know at frame 12 of that second you need to be half way, and at frame 6 you need to be 1/4 of the way, and that's super easy to eye ball. Where as if you're working at 15 (on the twos) half way falls between the 7th and 8th frame. Of course not all motion happens in nice neat little 1 second intervals. But I heard a story one time where one of Chuck Jones' animators would watch reference video and tap his pencil every 2/3s of a second, which broke down to a nicely dividable 8 frames of animation. He just had that metronome programmed in his head where he could tap his pencil 3 times every 2 seconds evenly. Because breaking a motion down into 8s means he could decide where it wanted it halfway through the motion, then half way again, and halfway again, and the motion was all planned out. But if you wanted to do that with 15 FPS, you'd end up needing to tap your pencil every 8/15th of a second, and that fraction just doesn't reduce down to anything the human brain can wrap itself around. One tap every 0.53333333 seconds? Heck no.

[@TheCrafsMan]

EXCELLENT point! Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@TonerBologner]

Wow. So, I just came across your KZbin today while looking up how to make stamps myself. HOLY COW. I am so grateful for your wealth of knowledge and willingness to share with all of us! Not to mention your comedic timing is beyond. 💖 I appreciate you!

[@WomanRespecter87]

yes?

[@StudioHannah]

Welcome to the channel! It’s a good place!

[@StudioHannah]

@@WomanRespecter87 🤣

[@xKagryx]

This is exactly the content 8y.o. me would have devoured when my biggest dream was to be an animator-and it’s helpful now, too, because I feel like it’s even more accessible to get into animation these days!

[@tamerbatayneh1163]

Coolest thing I've seen in a bajillion years exactly. Yourhost theCrafsman is the man with the solutions to all your creative endeavors.

[@elleaich334]

I’m here for the vibes bc this is not my skillset at all but I’m so happy to see more and more people discovering the Crafsman. Much deserved!

[@CausticCatastrophe]

animation is a huge passion hobby of mine, so seeing these new types of videos is very very welcome!

[@MakerDIY]

Your skills are tremendous, but your patience is legendary! Thanks for another great and educational video!

[@rujo2k]

Crafsman you make anything seem possible; you make the world a better place

[@Nacthem]

Crafsman, this isn't about the video but I want you to know I love it when you go, "Hol' up Crafsman." You've been doing that since the early days and I'm glad that phrase is still around.

[@CindyCauw]

Even on my darkest days, you always put a smile to my face CrafsMan! I don't know how you do it, but I'm so thankful for it.

[@carboncoffee4057]

FINALLY. A proper video on syncing animation to music! 😭

[@Megamalarkey]

Crafsman I’m so happy you uploaded, I sprained my ankle today and I know this is gonna make me feel better. Much love.

[@jpsimon206]

Hey Crafs, I don't know why I watch your videos, I don't have any interest in crafts, but I always enjoy them nonetheless. I'm a retired machinist and when you introduced the winder, my first thought was that it was a dial test indicator stand. I understand what it does now, but if you have other needs like this, a DTI stand would be ideal and presumably much less expensive. They are designed to allow you to position a gauge anywhere in 3D space and have it not move a micron when touched. I can see how the winder allows you to do vertical and horizontal movements, but maybe one day you want the character to be able to do flips or karate or something. A DTI stand would allow this, it provides fluid motion with 3 to 5 axes so it's essentially unlimited. Even the five axis models use just a single knob to tighten up every single linkage at once. There's also an adjustment screw if you wanted extremely subtle movements to be highlighted, perhaps a character brushing the hair out of their eyes. The adjustment screw allows you to move it between any two points you choose fluidly by just turning the single knurled screw. Noga is the best, and a great place to see what I'm talking about. You can get knock offs on eBay or Amazon for about 10 bucks. There are two different types though, the traditional kind will not do any of what I'm describing. The noga style ones all do. If you look at a couple pictures, the difference will be immediately obvious. Just look for the key term that one knob locks everything up

[@cerealnana]

So nice to see a dope sheet! We used them all the time for 2d animation back in the day! Only way to see what multiple characters were doing in each frame.

[@kaioken654]

I don't care what you're talkin bout, I'm always happy to watch a CrafsMan video!

[@clintonleonard5187]

Idk why, but this is my favorite Crafsman video. Steady Craftin'.

[@bobhopkins3520]

A small detail that I thought made this video outstanding was how the larger guy’s body language when the Lego guy was trying to dance - it was like he was encouraging the little Lego guy to give it a try. Great job 👍👍

[@scottwood1143]

That ‘stop watch’ - I love it! Rusty ‘ol’ power meter 😂

[@thepolarphantasm2319]

Hey crafsman :) remember me? I used to be Lucien Hicks :) Glad you're still steady craftin!

[@TheCrafsMan]

Uppercase LUCIEN! :D Mannn ABSOLUTELY I remember you. Hope you are doing well! Thank you for keeping on watching!

[@alb2620]

This is quickly becoming my favorite channel.

[@clocksmasher523]

Bro you sound wise beyond your YEARS man. Keep doin' what you do.

[@joshsmith4488]

I can’t be the only one, but most of this I will never do but I cannot wait until the next video to watch him do it. The entertainment level and the instruction level is through the roof. Thank you

[@volttherobot]

Thank you so much for showing how you crafted that stop animation so steadily (especially liked the comparisons between the different frame rates and the reference videos) thoroughly enjoy knowing that stopwatch exists. Be well.

[@TheOneLTReacts]

YOU JUST REACHED 500k Subs!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU CRAFSMAN!!! Like Nacho says, "You're the behhhst!!!!"

[@PatrickPease]

This was such a valuable video because we are never taught the keys of planning anything... if you have no plan success is hard, if you never stop planning you never succeed. thank you crafsman

[@mixiekins]

Ok but the foley is outta this world. The skiffing shoes? 😗👌 C'est magnifique, bruh.

[@3dpprofessor]

5:18 I love how now we're using layers in photoshop to describe this concept that was called "layers" in photoshop because of this! I'd say it's come full circle, but that's a really tight circle.

[@TheCrafsMan]

LOL! Very good point! I didn’t even think of that.

[@3dpprofessor]

@@TheCrafsMan My mind was blown recently when I discovered that the "Screen" setting was designed to mimic a film technique where they would overlay two images by projecting one on a screen and filming it. These old practical film techniques are forever going to be a part of us.

[@Saiya6CIT]

i discovered your channel today, it is a relieve to see you don't have to sound enthusiastic or make a clown of yourself in order to be a good youtuber and make good YT videos, thanks.

[@kristen1441]

I love learning new things. I’ll likely never do animation, but it’s nice to have topical knowledge so you can have a conversation. Thank you, Crafsman!

[@Pietje_Piraat]

I am blasted of my feet by this.... Thank you so much Craftsman!

[@danieloutloud9151]

Due to my life long interest in animation , I know most of what you're revealing already but , I love hearing you describe things and your sense of humor so I'll stick around for this leg of your creative journey .

[@Lexscape]

This is hands down the most informative video I have ever seen on KZbin. For real, it breaks down one of the most interesting processes that I am sure everyone has wondered about before but never actually took the time to research. Crafsman is out there putting those good wrinkles in every bodies brains and is a treasure.

[@AvantHorizon]

Love you Crafsman! I make tunes in ableton Live and then animate stuff to it. I change the template of the ableton to black and white and print the layout view on a sheet of paper so I can draw and make notes, kind of my own dope sheet thing! This video showed me some techniques I will be sure to use! Thanks for your amazing content 🙏🙏

[@evanlane1690]

That's a dope way to do it!

[@JohnsonArmsProps]

In an alternate universe Crafsman would have been on my Saturday morning TV or at least after school. Love the vibe and the knowledge, thank you!

[@ricardoweber5744]

Already lovin' the new direction with your videos

[@retrotechjournal]

Wow, that was a great how to. I'd see dope sheets for dialog, but hadn't really thought about how you could pick apart music to use it for choreography. The results are SO wonderful. My stop motion is always just improvised, and I fit all the sound in later, which is totally backward and is very limiting. I love editing to music, now I'm tempted to try doing some stop motion to music. Thank you for this! Inspiring.

[@DipstickD]

X-Sheets + DragonFrame(and onion skin reference videos) = A Good Time! Amazing video

[@ashley.hughes]

I'm in school for animation right now, and discovered this video because I'm struggling with animating to music, and this was such a breath of fresh air! I LOVE YOUR VIDEO! I'm obsessed with the production you put on. You're amazing, I hit the subscribe button so fast!

[@Plastic_Chamber]

The Panasonic RX5010 was my first radio when I was a kid. Super cool to see one here.

[@jenniferkristen2559]

The Craft Man, channel is blowing up.

[@XxOutcastWolfxX]

Makes my week every time you upload CrafsMan. Appreciate you

[@rowdybliss]

I like the foley you added, CrafsMan - their little feet hitting the table, etc.

[@delorissamuelson6988]

This is one of the smartest and more entertaining shows I watch. I am always blown away by everything you do. Just really a very nice show that I gladly recommend to others. Thanks Crafsman and thanks Crafsfamily cause I know a show like this can't keep going for long with only one person pulling all the weight, for sure Crafsman has the love and support of his family.

[@studiolook]

i was mesmerized. This is art in so many layers!

[@taylorquimby4004]

The amount that I appreciate your videos is almost obscene! I'm trying to expand my capabilities as an artist and I love your down to earth explanations. I truly look forward to each one of your videos, not just for the hilarious entertainment value, but for the information you through out. Thank you! Keep them coming! You're doing amazing work!

[@OlaBirch]

Can't wait to hear about that magic hand. Great video as usual

[@jasonhuckle7752]

Love you crafsman!

[@blazer5154]

That stopwatch tho... I love you crafsman!

[@Sunbun97]

So happy to see you following your dreams of animation! You always make any topic interesting to learn about. Great video!

[@korprate1297]

The quality of your videos has sky rocketed since I have started watching you teach people how to make pictures on transfer paper, and i'm also glad to see you making videos on different topics

[@picklesnoutpenobscott3165]

Steady on, Crafsman! Much love.

[@hannahsweeney6733]

You are such a creative & talented person. You deserve to work in industries & get more recognition.

[@redrune4314]

I have read books and watches videos Specifically to understand Dope Sheets, and this is the first time I actually understand.

[@startpage717]

Thank you for doing this stop animation (that was how I found your videos) Happy you have returned to this (slow) wonderful medium...!

[@grimtt]

As one who grew up Analog, I find Crafsman videos heartening and accessible!

[@jcat7553]

I don’t understand any of this except your passion and I so appreciate it. Again I want to thank you for getting me through 2020❤️

[@edupuertasfruns]

Good vibes in that animations!!! Love how you explain everything

[@TheCrafsMan]

Thank you so much, Edu!

[@aethersprite7719]

10/10 narration- 10/10 animation

[@nightcitycrafts]

Loved every second of this video. Thanks for breaking the dopesheet process down.

[@BillMakingStuff]

Learned alot about animation here Crafsman, great video

[@gimmickfilms]

Crafsman this video does a better job explaining dope sheets etc than the book on stop motion I bought. Thank you for your service!!

[@eattherich5409]

I could listen to you read the phonebook. your voice is amazing!

[@kalinahertafeld1546]

Im sure a lot of people will benefit from this video, thanks Crafsman! Love your animation, it makes me happy :)

[@PatrickCordaneReeves]

Ok, I see a dance-off that needs to happen between those highly-articulated figures. Maybe even those other villains end up bullying little brother (two articulation guy). Dance off! Defend little brother.

[@x31omega]

Crafsman thank you so much for all your content. It's always fun, informative and entertaining. I'm always excited to see a new upload. Great video today. Stay strong stay safe and..... keep on craftin.

[@djnekroman]

Crafsman, I love your channel, and plan on introducing my nephew to your wonderful world the next time I visit him.

[@jdubs5161]

Just received some stickers and a pin from your shop, I really love that you threw in a lil robot and some tony’s (that stuff is my favorite) Thank you crafsman and the whole crafsfam. I really want a steady craftin patch to put onto my coat or my work toolbag. I love yall and I appreciate you.

[@norterrible]

you just keep getting better! love your style. these videos are so satisfying to watch

[@picklesnoutpenobscott3165]

Loving that stopwatch.

[@HoofInDenver]

Hey Crafsman! It’s Hoof from Hoof and Huff! Just checkin in on ya. Still watching and loving your videos.

[@jungoogie]

Crafsman, what a fun video packed with some informative stuff. Got a chuckle out of the dances.

[@AlanFregtman]

I did a 3D Animation study programme ages ago and we had a 2D Animation class as part of it, and I gotta say your 14 minute explanation was far clearer than my 2D Animation teacher's several days of teaching us dopesheets. Kudos. This is a seriously underrated channel.

[@Fabulouskun]

Clip studio paint doesn’t have audio scrubbing so I’ve been having trouble lip syncing my animations. Thanks for showing me how to use a dopesheet! Sounds so easy and helpful!

[@TheCrafsMan]

Oh that is an excellent example of when dopesheets can come in handy! :D

[@Johndakerjohn]

Just as I was wondering what that support structure was crafsman explained it. Thx crafsman!

[@argusfleibeit1165]

You've got SOME brain, Crafsman. I am amazed.

[@celiaelisehernandez7060]

I cannot believe Crafsman did this in under a week!! 😱 Kinda makes me feel a little like I should start my projects that I'm afraid I'll "never finish"... Also, hearing Crafsman scatting was really fun! 🥰

[@Beemo.84]

Craftsman, you are an inspiration! Thank you for sharing your talent w us! 😊

[@gavinfairbanks]

I could fall asleep to this man's voice. Smooth and soothing.

[@linzertube]

Such an interesting video! And, I really enjoyed the actual dance video of the two characters. Awesome moves and music.

[@planetzebulon21]

You are the best. You think through the whole process. Thank you.

[@Doktor_Calamari]

Thanks, CrafsMan! I think I learned more about animation timing in this 15-minute video than I did in a two-day course through my Guild. 🙄

[@DJNIAPO]

Quality videos are the best! Thank you for these gems!

[@jsimes1]

Edu at Kinetic Armatures is great!! This was really helpful Crafsman I'm getting ready to animate a music video myself!! Thank you sir!!

[@maximumdunk2656]

Congrats on half a mill crafsman, keep on craftin'

[@1969longshanks]

You are an amazing animator, this information is priceless

[@redactedlogic]

Enjoyed watching your creativity.

[@LeftLefttheGecko]

Your voice is so soothing to listen to! I almost drifted to sleep a few times ^^’

[@skattyopt]

Your videos have really stepped up a few notches in quality

[@electrichydra5944]

This is so unbelievably helpful to actually getting better at stop motion, thank you so much!

[@Spillage66]

Thank you for this! I've always wondered how to synchronise audio with animation, and nothing on the internet explains it properly. You have, and it's how I thought it would be! Cheers mate!