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| Goodbye, my friend. You served me well! |
I'm using NINE different programs to make the animated web series "A Universe of Trouble."
I counted.
And the main program of the nine is Toon Boom Animate Pro 3.
This program was discontinued this year and replaced with Toon Boom's Harmony program. This makes good business sense and is also good for the customer but…a few complaints.
First, I would have appreciated a formal notification from Toon Boom regarding them discontinuing my expensive software. I learned about it accidentally while searching for something. Needless to say…I was FREAKED OUT!
Second, it shows a surprising lack of foresight that Animate Pro and Harmony are incompatible! Yep, the only way for me to get my Animate Pro files converted to be opened in Harmony is to send Toon Boom the files. And there's a size limit for this conversion.
Not. Cool.
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| Hello, Gorgeous! |
Having said that, I HAVE fallen in love with this program and I've only scratched the surface of what it can do. Since I'm in the middle of production, I'll use Animate Pro until completion; then I'll use Harmony going forward. This means possibly re-animating in Harmony the numerous "Adult Toy Story" scenes already completed in Animate Pro. Although time-consuming, it will be an excellent way to learn this powerful program. Learning while creating!
One of the many features I like about this program is the ease at which I can add effects. Transparencies/fades, blurs and other effects are easily applied and manipulated. Easy camera movement is another feature I like.
I've never used Flash but many animators, including Nick Cross, John K and Adam Philips have switched to Toon Boom from Flash. Harmony has also been used on tv and film projects from Film Roman, Disney and Dreamworks.
I also like their support. There's both a user forum full of helpful information and a highly responsive professional team to promptly answer your questions (just remember the company is based in Canada so be mindful of their holidays!)
PLUS their new subscription service makes a once pricey product much more affordable especially if you're a student. By having the option to pay monthly, you're only paying for what you use.
If you're interested in creating 2D animation that can include 3D elements, I strongly recommend using Toon Boom Harmony.