Exporting your animation as a PNG sequence in Toon Boom is a common way to get high-quality individual image files for use in video editing software or other applications. It allows for flexibility and preserves transparency if your project uses it.
To export a PNG sequence from Toon Boom, you need to use the image export function.
Steps to Export a PNG Sequence
Here are the straightforward steps to export your animation as a sequence of PNG images:
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Access the Export Function: Go to the top menu in Toon Boom. Select File > Export > Images. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut:
- Windows/Linux:
Ctrl + Shift + Y - macOS:
⌘ + Shift + Y
- Windows/Linux:
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Choose Your Settings: The Export Images dialog box will appear. Here, you'll configure the export options.
- File Type: Select PNG from the format dropdown menu. PNG is an excellent choice as it supports transparency and provides lossless compression.
- File Pattern: Define how your output files will be named. Toon Boom automatically adds frame numbers (e.g.,
myanimation-0001.png,myanimation-0002.png). - Destination: Choose where the exported images will be saved on your computer. It's recommended to create a new folder for the sequence.
- Frame Range: Specify which frames of your animation you want to export. You can export the entire scene or a specific range.
- Camera: Select the camera view you want to export.
- Colour Depth: For higher quality and potentially smoother colour gradients, you can choose the colour depth. As mentioned in the reference: You can also export images with deep colour (16 bits/channel) by selecting a file type that supports it, such as PNG or PSD, and setting the Colour Depth to 16 bits/channel.
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Initiate Export: Once you have set all your preferences, click the Export button.
Toon Boom will then process your animation frame by frame and save each frame as a separate PNG image file in the designated folder.
Why Export as PNG Sequence?
Exporting as a PNG sequence offers several advantages:
- High Quality: PNG is a lossless format, meaning no image data is lost during compression.
- Transparency Support: PNG files can include an alpha channel, preserving any transparent areas in your animation. This is crucial for compositing in other software.
- Flexibility: Individual frames can be easily re-rendered, replaced, or modified without affecting the entire animation sequence.
- Compatibility: PNG sequences are widely supported by video editing, compositing, and other graphics software.
By following these steps, you can reliably export high-quality PNG image sequences from your Toon Boom projects, preparing them for further use in your production pipeline.
