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When you transfer your work from Toon Boom Studio 4 to Digital Pro you must use the SWF file format.

What Gets Transferred?

This format will allow you to transfer drawings and layers and any colouring, but not pegs or cut-out character constructions.

About Camera Moves

You should disable any camera moves before creating your SWF.

Maintaining Vector Quality

Since the SWF format is a vector-type format, you work will not lose any quality.

Palettes and Colouring

You can also:

• Import coloured drawings and apply changes to those colours using the palette systems of either Digital Pro or Toon Boom Studio 4.

• If a customized palette was created, it will also be recovered by the software. (This includes textured colour swatches from either Toon Boom Studio 4 or Digital Pro, but excludes any textured brushes from Digital Pro.)

There are two ways of saving your work:

• All Layers in One File

• One Layer at a Time

All Layers in One File

This method is the quickest as it. saves your work into a single SWF file. so you will only have one file to import.

We recommend using this method with simple, straightfoward animation where you no longer need to have full control over all your layers.

When using this method you should be aware that:

• You will need to rename each layer once it is imported.
  
  NOTE: Renaming the layers is only possible in Digital Pro. In Toon Boom Studio 4, elements cannot be renamed without changing the names of all layers because they are all considered cloned elements.

• When importing the SWF file in either Digital Pro or Toon Boom Studio 4, all of the drawings will be included in one Element Folder. This makes cell-swapping a bit more complicated for cut-out characters. Instead of swapping through only one element at a time, you will swap through ALL the drawings in your scene.

One Layer at a Time

This method is more time consuming, but will allow you to have much more control over your work. Using this one layer at a time method means that you have to create an SWF for each element in your scene. To do this easily, you will only need to make one element visible at a time for each export.

It also allows you to:

• Import them individually, so each element will have its own Element Folder, allowing at the same time cell-swapping.

• Save each SWF with it’s own name, so you will not need to rename each element once they are imported.

• Easily build up your cut-out character. Elements will be ready, all that will be left to do will be to rig them.

There are two ways of saving your work:

• All Layers in One File

• One Layer at a Time

Saving All Layers in One File

To Save the full scene in a single SWF file

1. First go to File > Export Movie. The Export window will appear.

2. In the Export Format drop-down menu, select Flash Movie.
   
   
   
   

3. Click the Options button if you wish to change the Export Settings:

   • Export Palette Information Checking this allows you to include any customized palettes that you have created in your scene.

   • JPEG Quality Setting the JPEG Quality to 100 provides the best quality.

   
   Once you have modified the Export Settings, click on OK.
   
   
   
   
   

4. In the Export window, name your SWF file with an appropriate name, then click on OK. The export will start.

To save each element as an individual SWF file:

1. Before export anything in SWF, you will need to disable all your elements except for one. To do this, uncheck the enable/disable checkbox for each of your elements:
   
   

   
   
   NOTE:Remember to leave only one element checked as enabled.
   
   

2. Now that only one Element is still active, you can export it as a SWF. Click on to File > Export Movie.

3. The Export window will appear. In the Export Format drop-down menu, select Flash Movie.
   
   

4. Click the Options button if you wish to change the Export Settings:

   • Export Palette Information Checking this allows you to include any customized palettes that you have created in your scene.

   • JPEG Quality Setting the JPEG Quality to 100 provides the best quality.

   
   Once you have modified the Export Settings, click on OK.
   
   
   
   
   

5. In the Export window, name your SWF file with an appropriate name, then click on OK. The export will start.

6. Once the first element is exported, you will have to disable it and enable the next element. Then, repeat Step 2Step 3, and Step 5. Do this until all of your elements have been exported.

There are two ways of saving your work:

• All layers un one file
• One layer at a time
Saving All Layers in One File

To save the full scene in a single SWF file:
Select File > Export > SWF. The Export to Flash Movie (SWF) window opens.





7. Click the Browse button for the Choose a Filename to save under window to open.
   
   
   
   

8. Name your SWF file appropriately then click on the Save button. You are returned to the Export to Flash window

9. Click on OK to start the export.

To save each element as an individual SWF file:

1. Before exporting anything in SWF, you will need to disable all your elements except for one. To do this, uncheck the enable/disable checkbox for each of your elements:
   
   
   
   NOTE: Remember to leave only one element checked as enabled.

2. Now that only one element is still active, you can export it as a SWF. In File > Export > SWF.

3. The Export to Flash Movie (SWF) window will open. Click the Browse button for the Choose Filename to Save Under window to open.
   
   
   
   

4. Click the Browse button for the Choose a Filename to save under window to open.
   
   
   
   

5. Name your SWF file appropriately then click on the Save button. You are returned to the Export to Flash window

6. Click on OK to start the export.

There are two ways of saving your work:

• Creating Templates with SWF Files
• Importing SWF Without Creating Templates

Creating Templates with SWF Files

We recommend this method if you wish to organise all of your SWF in the Library. You can then create catalogs specific to backgrounds, characters, overlay or underlay, or even by scenes.

1. In the Library Window. Select the Local Folder.

2. In the Templates window, right-click and select Import > Import Movie File. The Open window appears

3. Browse for the SWF file you wish to upload, then click on Open.
   
   
   
   The SWF file should now be available in the Templates window.
   
   
   
   

4. To include it in your scene, simply drag and drop the file on the Timeline View’s left side.
   
   

   
   
   
   

1. For a quicker way to add a SWF file to your scene, go to File > Import File. The Open window will appear.

2. Browse for the SWF file you wish to import and click on Open.
   
   
   
   Uploaded drawing elements will be automatically loaded in the Timeline View.
   

   
   
   
   

Creating Templates with SWF Files

1. In the Template Library, select the Local folder. If this folder is locked, right-click and select Right to Modify.

2. In the Template window, right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl] + Click (Mac OS X) and select Import SWF, Illustrator to Library.

3. Browse and select the SWF file you wish to import.
   
   
   
   

4. Click on the Open button.

5. Digital Pro will convert the file to a template. Once it is converted, the new template will appear in the Template window.
   
   
   
   

Once your template is created, you can easily add it to your scene by dragging and dropping the file into either the Network View or into the left-hand side panel of the Timeline View’s left side.