A complete guide to OpenToonz & Tahoma2D for 2D animation

Darren T

Do you have a yearning to animate digitally and didn't know where to start or didn't want to spend money on animation programs before you knew if you liked them. Or perhaps you're already paying for animation software and want to try something cheaper or even free. Or perhaps you've already started using OpenToonz or Tahoma2D, but want to know more.

This is why I've made this course. I believe that anyone can learn to animate and enjoy the satisfaction of bringing their characters to life. And with these great programs, you can animate for FREE and this course will show you how.

In this course, I'll take you from the very beginning, with downloading, installing, setting up and understanding both programs. I'll show you all of the tools that you'll need for traditional-style animation. Leading up to showing you how to create your own animations. And you'll be animating within the first 15 minutes of starting the course.

The course will also show you how you can replicate some of the traditional techniques, found in the 12 principles of animation, of straight ahead animation and pose to pose animation, using tried and tested exercises that we'll work through together.

With almost 11 hours of video & 130 lessons and demonstrations, exercises & downloads for each project that I work on, this is the complete guide to getting started with traditional animation with OpenToonz & Tahoma2D.

Here are the topics covered in the course

Installing, setup & walk through of the layout
Understanding projects and scenes
Understanding the differences between drawings, frames, levels & columns
A detailed look at the viewer (the drawing area)
A detailed look as the timeline & xsheet (learning all of its features and how to time out your animation)
A look over all of the drawing tools, understand each feature of them
A look at working with colour, including using gradients & special fills
Using the camera. Placing it, moving it & what the settings mean
Preview & rendering your animation, to different formats
A complete demo looking over my shoulder as I work through an animation exercise in full

What are Students Saying about the Course?

"This is one of the best video tutorials I have ever used. Thorough, perfectly paced, and enjoyable.",Jonathan L

"A very comprehensive guide on OpenToonz. It gives detailed instructions on the various mechanics of the software and explains concepts thoroughly. The most valuable thing about this course to me is the setup of the environment for 2D animation. This is rarely talked about in any user-created tutorials on the web/YouTube. OpenToonz is free and powerful, but only with the right knowledge can you use it's full potential. This course definitely facilitates this.",Jonathan T

"Section 1 and 2 have been the simplest and quickest way for me to begin animating in OpenToonz without getting bogged down in the complexity of the program.",John M

"Awesome job. Your pace of presentation is spot on. ",John T

"Clear, well paced and beautifully organized. Such positive and precise teaching. I am very excited about completing the course. ",Mira

"This course far exceeded my expectations. Also the supplemental support through the DarrenT discord server (which is very active) is a really enjoyable community to assist in my animation learning and development. I'm about 2/3 through the course so far and I've already made my own animated videos that met my modest animation goals prior to joining this course. If you're interested in learning animation, this is a wonderful place to begin your journey, you will be able to bring your art to life very quickly. Whether you plan on animating your own cartoon or show, making animations on top of camera footage, or even making animated memes and gifs, this course will have you producing media even before you finish the course. 10/10 would recommend.",

Piers D

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What's inside

Learning objectives

How to draw and animate digitally in these free, open-source programs
How to animate using traditional 2d techniques, but using a digital workflow
In-depth explanation of the core concepts of opentoonz & tahoma2d

Full demonstration of all of the drawing tools that you'll need
Hands-on projects carefully designed to quickly bring students up to speed

How to draw and animate digitally in these free, open-source programs
How to animate using traditional 2d techniques, but using a digital workflow
In-depth explanation of the core concepts of opentoonz & tahoma2d
Full demonstration of all of the drawing tools that you'll need
Hands-on projects carefully designed to quickly bring students up to speed

Syllabus

In this section, you will learn what this course is about, I'll take you on a quick tour of OpenToonz and you'll draw and render your first animation.

Course Introduction

Introduce yourself

How to follow the lessons

Exercises and Resources

Community and Updates

The Different OpenToonz versions

In this section, you will learn what this course is about, I'll take you on a quick tour of OpenToonz and you'll draw and render your first animation

In this section, you will learn what this course is about, I'll take you on a quick tour of OpenToonz and you'll draw and render your first animation.

Installing OpenToonz

Installing Tahoma2D

Optimising your graphics card

Setup your graphics card

OpenToonz: A quick Tour of the interface

Tahoma2D: A quick Tour of the interface

Your first animation: Drawing basics

Your first animation: Animation basics

Your first animation: Rendering basics

In this exercise, I'd like you to create a simple animation, to start to learn the basic animation controls.

In this section, you will learn about this docking interface and how to customise it, including downloading and installing my preferred set of room layouts

The OpenToonz Interface: Introduction

Tahoma2D - Rooms, themes and the interface

The docking interface: Rooms

The docking interface: Panels

Take a look at the DarrenT room layouts

Installing the DarrenT room layouts

Making the most of your screen space - Full screen options

These exercises take you through setting up your rooms and details of how to install my room layouts.

In this section, you will learn what makes up a project & scene

Projects and Scenes - Introduction

OpenToonz: Creating a project - Default folder options

OpenToonz: Creating a project: Sub-folder per type (optional)

OpenToonz: Create a project: Sub-folder per scene (optional)

OpenToonz: Multiple projects roots

OpenToonz: Creating a scene

Tahoma - Working with projects in Tahoma

Tahoma - Creating a scene

Exercise and resources - Understanding Projects and Scenes

In this section, you will learn exactly what drawings, levels and columns are and how they relate to each other

Drawings, Frames,, Levels and Columns - Introduction

Levels: Creating levels to draw into

Levels: Setting the level size

Levels: Creating drawings - from the new level dialog

Levels: Creating drawings - from the timeline

Drawings on the Timeline vs the Level Strip

Columns - What are they?

Columns as layers

Article: Introduction to the 3 Level Types

Drawing level type: Raster level

Drawing level type: Toonz Raster level

Drawing level type: Vector level

Resizing Drawing Levels

Exercise and Resources: Understanding drawings, levels and columns

In this section, you will learn all about the Viewer control

The Viewer - Introduction

Basic usage

The menu options

The viewer top toolbar

The bottom toolbar - Common buttons

The bottom toolbar - Least-used buttons (optional lesson)

Animating straight ahead (1 of the 12 animation principles)

Demo: Straight ahead animation

Exercise and Resources: The Viewer

In this section, you will learn all about the timeline and the xsheet

The timeline and xsheet - Introduction

Differences between the timeline and xsheet

Tahoma2D: The Timeline

Working with drawings and frames

The timeline toolbar

The timeline column options

The timeline column context menu

The timeline context menu

Note levels and memos

The timeline play markers

[NEW for 1.7] Timeline/Xsheet cell marks

[NEW for 1.7] Navigating the timeline with Navigation Tags

Onion Skins

Animating pose to pose (1 of the 12 animation principles)

Pose to Pose Demo part 1 - Extremes

Pose to Pose Demo part 2 - Keys

Pose to Pose Demo part 3 - Breakdowns

Pose to Pose Demo part 4 - Timing Charts

Pose to Pose Demo part 5 - Inbetweens

Exercise and resources: The timeline and xsheet

In this section, you'll learn in depth what each of the drawing tools can do and what their options are

The drawing tools - Introduction

The brush tool

Standard brush tool options

Brush type extensions

[New for 1.7] Straight lines with the brush tool

The geometry tool - Intro

The geometry tool - Rectangle

The geometry tool - Circle

The geometry tool - Ellipse

The geometry tool - Line

The geometry tool - Polyline

The geometry tool - Arc

The geometry tool - Polygon

The geometry tool options

The eraser tool options

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Students with an interest in animation, but no experience with animation programs, may consider this course

Learners who want to animate using traditional 2D techniques but desire a digital workflow should explore this course

Aspiring animators with experience in traditional 2D methods might find value in this course

Individuals who are curious about OpenToonz or Tahoma2D and want to explore their offerings may benefit from this course

Those with intermediate experience in traditional animation techniques may appreciate this course as it focuses on digital workflows

This course may be less suitable for individuals who are exclusively interested in modern animation techniques

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in A complete guide to OpenToonz & Tahoma2D for 2D animation with these activities:

Gather animation resources

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Organize and expand your collection of useful animation resources.

Browse courses on 2D Animation

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Bookmark helpful websites and articles
Follow animation artists and studios on social media
Join online animation communities

Review the 12 principles of animation

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Strengthen your understanding of the fundamental principles of animation.

Browse courses on Animation Principles

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Read articles or watch videos about the 12 principles of animation
Analyze animated films and identify how the principles are used

Follow online animation tutorials

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Expand your knowledge of animation by following online tutorials.

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Find online tutorials for specific animation techniques or software
Follow the tutorials step-by-step
Experiment with the techniques you learn

Six other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all nine activities

Read The Animator's Survival Kit

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Gain valuable insights and practical advice from a renowned animator.

View The Animator's Survival Kit: Runs, Jumps and... on Amazon

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Purchase or borrow a copy of The Animator's Survival Kit
Read the book thoroughly and take notes
Apply the principles and techniques you learn to your own animation projects

Practice drawing exercises

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Improve your drawing skills by completing a series of guided drawing exercises.

Browse courses on Drawing Fundamentals

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Find drawing exercises online or in books
Set aside time each day to practice
Critique your work and make improvements

Connect with experienced animators

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Seek guidance and support from experienced animators.

Browse courses on Mentorship

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Attend animation events and meetups
Reach out to animators online
Ask for feedback on your work

Join an animation study group

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Enhance your understanding and improve your skills by collaborating with other animation students.

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Find or start an animation study group
Meet regularly to discuss animation topics and techniques
Share your work and provide feedback to others

Attend an animation workshop

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Enhance your skills and learn from industry professionals by attending an animation workshop.

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Research and find animation workshops
Register for a workshop that aligns with your interests
Attend the workshop and participate actively

Create an animated short film

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Solidify your understanding of the animation process by creating your own animated short film.

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Develop your story and characters
Create your storyboard and animatic
Animate your film

Career center

Learners who complete A complete guide to OpenToonz & Tahoma2D for 2D animation will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers: