{"id":260887,"date":"2025-05-28T02:18:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T02:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/animation\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/"},"modified":"2025-05-28T02:18:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T02:18:51","slug":"winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=260887","title":{"rendered":"Winner Spotlight: Cartoon Animator and XPPen as the Linchpin to a YouTube Animator\u2019s Pipeline"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-attachment-id=\"63950\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/01_rl-magazine_1920x1080_v2-25\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"01_RL Magazine_1920x1080_v2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1-300x169.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1-1024x576.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63950\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/01_RL-Magazine_1920x1080_v2-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Eric Scot Dales wins honorable mention in the \u201cEducation Animation\u201d category of the Reallusion <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reallusion.com\/cartoon-animator\/event\/2024-Animation-at-Work\/default.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 Animation at Work contest<\/a><\/strong>. In his own words, he takes us through the workflow that brought his winning entry, \u201cWhy Do We Dream?\u201d, to life.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:30% auto\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"63485\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/aboutphotocontributorericdalnes\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes.png\" data-orig-size=\"2048,2048\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-300x300.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-1024x1024.png\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63485 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-1200x1200.png?crop=1 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-800x800.png?crop=1 800w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-600x600.png?crop=1 600w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-400x400.png?crop=1 400w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-200x200.png?crop=1 200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes-250x250.png?crop=1 250w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AboutPhotoContributorEricDalnes.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eric Scot Dales \/ BlinkyBarky Animation<\/h3>\n<p>Hello, I\u2019m Eric Scot Dales. My interest in computer graphics and 3D animation began between 1989 and 1995, during which I worked on small projects for college. Professionally, I spent my career in government as a computer engineer.<\/p>\n<p>After retiring, I returned to my passion of studying and exploring <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reallusion.com\/cartoon-animator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2D and 3D software<\/a><\/strong> and AI diffusion models. Today, I am a freelancer, laying the groundwork for a small business. I\u2019m also launching YouTube channels to make a positive impact while also building a source of side income.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@BlinkyBarkingYT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Follow BlinkyBarky Animation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Animation At Work 2024 - Lazy Afternoon\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gE7qO_PGBLI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Entry Concept<\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019ve been a fan of <em>Tales From The Loop<\/em> by Simon St\u00e5lenhag and was drawn to its unique blending of what I would call sci-fi in nature. The idea of rural life interwoven with advanced sci-fi technology, used in a way that brings ease and fun, really resonated with me. Inspired by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonstalenhag.se\/new\/tftl.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">St\u00e5lenhag\u2019s work<\/a>, I introduced technology into my story that you wouldn\u2019t normally find on a country farm. The story centers on the relationship between a grandson and his grandpa. The grandfather gets upset after being splashed by the boy, who finds a clever way to cut corners while doing chores. His reaction of basically grumbling \u201cno respect\u201d served as a comical close to the piece.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-attachment-id=\"63854\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/storyboardimagescombined\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined.png\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"StoryboardImagesCombined\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined-300x169.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined-1024x576.png\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63854\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/StoryboardImagesCombined.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>The idea began forming in my mind around July 2024. By September, I started shaping the rough story, character concepts, background ideas, and voice lines. In mid-2024, I was preparing for an animation project for a 2024 contest with Reallusion, although I had no idea if or when it would actually be announced. Storyboard development took place over September and October \u2014 two months filled with drawings and visual references to help bring the concept to life.<\/p>\n<figure data-carousel-extra=\"{\" blog_id=\"\" class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-attachment-id=\"63857\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/storyboarderscreenshot\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot.png\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"storyboarderscreenshot\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot-300x169.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot-1024x576.png\" data-id=\"63857\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63857\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/storyboarderscreenshot.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"543\" data-attachment-id=\"63856\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/storyboardthatscreenshot\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot.png\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1019\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Storyboardthatscreenshot\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot-300x159.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot-1024x543.png\" data-id=\"63856\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot-1024x543.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63856\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot-1024x543.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot-300x159.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot-150x80.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot-768x408.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot-1536x815.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot-1200x637.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyboardthatscreenshot.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p>I started basically defining the video project style, characters, props and environment. I used a combination of StoryboardThat online software and Storyboarder software. StoryboardThat gave me a way to get raw concept characters for storyboard scene creation. I used Storyboarder locally on the computer because I liked the structure of the interface and the way to incorporate the various parts of the scenes. I acquired screenshots from Polygon Farm Pack by Synty, I used Unreal Engine to position the view in 3D to capture the screen and bring it into Storyboarder. The Storyboard went through refinements over three months before the contest ended, as I fine-tuned the story scenes in CTA5.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"528\" data-attachment-id=\"63868\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/farmpackue5screenshot\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot.png\" data-orig-size=\"1980,1020\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"FarmPackUE5Screenshot\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot-300x155.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot-1024x528.png\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot-1024x528.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot-1024x528.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot-150x77.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot-768x396.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot-1536x791.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot-1200x618.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FarmPackUE5Screenshot.png 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Using XPPen<\/h2>\n<p>Currently, I use the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.xp-pen.com\/product\/artist-pro-24-gen-2-165hz.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">XPPen Artist Pro 24 (Gen 2)<\/a><\/strong>. I had other drawing display tablets (1080p models) starting in 2020 and had been considering acquiring a 4K tablet at some point. When the Reallusion contest announcement came out in 2024, and I saw there was a contest for XPPen; Which led me to think about the models XPPen offered, along with their price and feature offerings.<\/p>\n<figure data-carousel-extra=\"{\" blog_id=\"\" class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" data-attachment-id=\"63851\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/xppen3screensetup\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup.png\" data-orig-size=\"1980,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"XPpen3ScreenSetup\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup-300x164.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup-1024x559.png\" data-id=\"63851\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup-1024x559.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup-1024x559.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup-150x82.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup-768x419.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup-1536x838.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup-1200x655.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpen3ScreenSetup.png 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" data-attachment-id=\"63852\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/xppenthreemonitorconfig\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig.png\" data-orig-size=\"1980,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"XPpenThreeMonitorConfig\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig-300x164.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig-1024x559.png\" data-id=\"63852\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig-1024x559.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63852\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig-1024x559.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig-150x82.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig-768x419.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig-1536x838.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig-1200x655.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/XPpenThreeMonitorConfig.png 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p>I noticed a sale in late November 2024 for XPPen tablets on their website, with some free financing options. I wanted a 4K tablet that would fit the table I was using and match well with the 4K monitors I had. So, it has only been since December 2024 that I\u2019ve been involved with the XPPen brand.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Using Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo<\/h2>\n<p>I started acquiring the Affinity suite of software in early 2020. After I purchased training materials, extra brush packages, and later upgraded to version 2 of their software. I primarily use Affinity Photo 2 and deepened my knowledge while working on a project for a contest.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-attachment-id=\"63848\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/affinityphoto2grandparig\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig.png\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig-300x169.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig-1024x576.png\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63848\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2GrandpaRig.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>I\u2019ve always gravitated toward software that offers strong features and a perpetual license model, which is why I chose Affinity back in 2020. My real test of Affinity Photo 2 and the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reallusion.com\/cartoon-animator\/animated-drawing.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">XPPen<\/a><\/strong> began in December 2024, during that project. The pen was highly responsive on the screen, making it easy to navigate menus and perform both drawing and editing tasks.<\/p>\n<figure data-carousel-extra=\"{\" blog_id=\"\" class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"551\" data-attachment-id=\"63867\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/affinityphoto2henryrig-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1.png\" data-orig-size=\"2008,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"AffinityPhoto2HenryRig\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1-300x161.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1-1024x551.png\" data-id=\"63867\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1-1024x551.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63867\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1-1024x551.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1-150x81.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1-1536x826.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1-1200x645.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AffinityPhoto2HenryRig-1.png 2008w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" data-attachment-id=\"63866\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/cta5grandpa2dmotionkeyeditor\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor.png\" data-orig-size=\"1980,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor-300x164.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor-1024x559.png\" data-id=\"63866\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor-1024x559.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor-1024x559.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor-150x82.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor-768x419.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor-1536x838.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor-1200x655.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5Grandpa2dMotionKeyEditor.png 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p>To enhance my workflow, I used a separate 48-key keypad on my left, with custom shortcut keys assigned, alongside the pen to interact with the tablet display. I didn\u2019t transfer those shortcuts to the XPPen remote during the project. My goal was to complete most tasks in Affinity Photo 2 without needing to use a traditional keyboard.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Integrating Cartoon Animator<\/h2>\n<p>There are several features that I adore and would like to share. One is the rigging and morphing abilities applied to objects and characters in CTA5. The functions in the 2D Motion Key Editor, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reallusion.com\/cartoon-animator\/2d-face-animation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Face Key Editor<\/a><\/strong>, and FFD Editor were enjoyable to use for achieving the desired result in keyframing. Specifically, when used on the same part of a character (such as the face, as I did with the grandson\u2019s facial movements in a few scenes). The \u201cTransition Curve\u201d feature was especially helpful for smoothing the interpolation between keyframes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-attachment-id=\"63865\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/cta5henrydeformmouth\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth.png\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"CTA5HenryDeformMouth\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth-300x169.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth-1024x576.png\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63865\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTA5HenryDeformMouth.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Another feature is the ability to integrate audio, both as background sound and voice clips, and then modify the character\u2019s mouth within CTA5 to match the voice. This was incredibly helpful for achieving a natural voice-to-mouth motion flow. Lastly, Motion Pilot allows real-time motion recording with a mouse or pen and applies the resulting path directly in Timeline editing. This feature greatly enhances animation flexibility and speed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" data-attachment-id=\"63859\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/ctascene08timelineanimation\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation.png\" data-orig-size=\"1980,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"CTAScene08TimelineAnimation\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation-300x164.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation-1024x559.png\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation-1024x559.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation-1024x559.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation-150x82.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation-768x419.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation-1536x838.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation-1200x655.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene08TimelineAnimation.png 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Affinity Workflow &amp; the CTA 5.33 Update<\/h2>\n<p>I saw two videos when they came out on YouTube: the ones that Kai did with version 5.33 , using Affinity Photo 2 and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reallusion.com\/cartoon-animator\/vector-animation-maker.html#round-trip-editing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Affinity Designer<\/a><\/strong> 2. Kai did a wonderful job outlining the integration flow between the Affinity packages and CTA5, and how to edit in Affinity Photo and bring back changes to selective layers (as in the background shot for the Raster video).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"528\" data-attachment-id=\"63863\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/ctascene04consolescreen\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen.png\" data-orig-size=\"1980,1020\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"CTAScene04ConsoleScreen\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen-300x155.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen-1024x528.png\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen-1024x528.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63863\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen-1024x528.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen-150x77.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen-768x396.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen-1536x791.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen-1200x618.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CTAScene04ConsoleScreen.png 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>I also saw the new vector tutorial, and again, Kai explains and demonstrates the process with the SVG and the multistep workflow, including working with layers in Designer (grouping parts of an object) when the images come back to CTA5 before bones are added.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Video Compositing<\/h2>\n<p>A tip I learned from <a href=\"https:\/\/courses.reallusion.com\/master-class\/instructors\/2d\/2d-animation-101\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mark Diaz<\/a>, that I always keep in mind, is to split a large CTA project into smaller CTA project files. This approach helps maintain better performance when working on bigger projects. Another important habit is keeping track of which keyframe you\u2019re on while making modifications across the timeline, which ensures more precise edits.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding the various media types available in the \u201cCreate Media\u201d dropdown menu, such as Props, Scene, Image Layer, and Background, is also essential. Early in my journey, I made the mistake of importing a background using \u201cCreate Media &gt; Background\u201d when I actually needed to modify the image after placing it in the scene. In that case, \u201cCreate Media &gt; Props\u201d would have been the better choice, as it allows more flexibility with edits.<\/p>\n<figure data-carousel-extra=\"{\" blog_id=\"\" class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"528\" data-attachment-id=\"63861\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/davinciresolvefinalvideo-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1.png\" data-orig-size=\"1980,1020\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DavinciResolveFinalVideo\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1-300x155.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1-1024x528.png\" data-id=\"63861\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1-1024x528.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63861\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1-1024x528.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1-150x77.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1-768x396.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1-1536x791.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1-1200x618.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveFinalVideo-1.png 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"528\" data-attachment-id=\"63862\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/05\/27\/winner-spotlight-cartoon-animator-and-xppen-as-the-linchpin-to-a-youtube-animators-pipeline\/davinciresolvescenegrandpawatersplash\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash.png\" data-orig-size=\"1980,1020\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash-300x155.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash-1024x528.png\" data-id=\"63862\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash-1024x528.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63862\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash-1024x528.png 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash-150x77.png 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash-768x396.png 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash-1536x791.png 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash-1200x618.png 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavinciResolveSceneGrandpaWaterSplash.png 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p>For final compositing, I imported all my MP4 files into DaVinci Resolve Studio 19, which I use as my video editor. I made sure that the frame rate (24 FPS in my case) matched between CTA and DaVinci to maintain visual consistency. I also balanced the audio using a YouTube preset in DaVinci, ensuring the final render had proper volume before completing the project and uploading it.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Closing Thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>I am glad to spend some time challenging myself after work and come up with this piece. In which I learned a lot from the competition, and there was a lot of back-and-forth checking the tutorials from the CTA tutorial on <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.reallusion.com\/home\/cartoon-animator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Reallusion\u2019s LEARN portal<\/a><\/strong>. I highly recommend that future contestants bookmark, so you can always come back and learn a new thing in Cartoon Animator by yourself. It is rewarding, and I have become a better creator after this challenge. Thank you so much!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Animation At Work 2024 -- WIP Lazy Afternoon\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GxK49WgZzaY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Related Posts<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large has-lightbox\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reallusion.com\/cartoon-animator\/event\/2024-Animation-at-Work\/winner.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"205\" data-attachment-id=\"62076\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/2025\/03\/31\/winner-spotlight-incisive-and-engaging-service-promo-made-with-cartoon-animator\/07_forum_2000x400\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,400\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"07_Forum_2000x400\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400-300x60.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400-1024x205.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400-1024x205.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62076\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400-1024x205.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400-300x60.jpg 300w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400-150x30.jpg 150w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400-768x154.jpg 768w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400-1536x307.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400-1200x240.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/magazine.reallusion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07_Forum_2000x400.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Click the banner to learn more about the winners\u2019 portfolios and judge comments<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded\" id=\"like-post-wrapper-89332850-63451-6836728b0a134\" data-src=\"https:\/\/widgets.wp.com\/likes\/?ver=14.7-a.7#blog_id=89332850&amp;post_id=63451&amp;origin=magazine.reallusion.com&amp;obj_id=89332850-63451-6836728b0a134\" data-name=\"like-post-frame-89332850-63451-6836728b0a134\" data-title=\"Like or Reblog\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">Like this:<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"button\"><span>Like<\/span><\/span> <span class=\"loading\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sd-text-color\"\/><a class=\"sd-link-color\"\/><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eric Scot Dales wins honorable mention in the \u201cEducation Animation\u201d category of the Reallusion 2024 Animation at Work contest. In his own words, he takes us through the workflow that brought his winning entry, \u201cWhy Do We Dream?\u201d, to life. Eric Scot Dales \/ BlinkyBarky Animation Hello, I\u2019m Eric Scot Dales. My interest in computer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":260888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12035],"tags":[85681,13788,17864,2250,23626,29814,36477,33923,93829,33924,24977,2790,5967,63087,14285],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-260887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animation","tag-affinity-designer","tag-animator","tag-animators","tag-cartoon","tag-cartoon-animator","tag-character-animation","tag-character-creation","tag-facial-animation","tag-linchpin","tag-lip-sync-animation","tag-pipeline","tag-spotlight","tag-winner","tag-xppen","tag-youtube"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Winner Spotlight: Cartoon Animator and XPPen as the Linchpin to a YouTube Animator\u2019s Pipeline - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=260887\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Winner Spotlight: Cartoon Animator and XPPen as the Linchpin to a YouTube Animator\u2019s Pipeline - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eric Scot Dales wins honorable mention in the \u201cEducation Animation\u201d category of the Reallusion 2024 Animation at Work contest. 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